Champions?

I was not prepared for this. As I approached the moss soaked roots, I heard the voices of people around the corner. I peaked my head around a knotted root to find a metallic construct, the likes of which I had never before seen. The sentry has six crab-like appendages and two arms jutting from its carapace. When I went to take a look it was already staring in my direction. With it, poking about the wall of roots and vines were a pair of females. One is Eldrin and regally esteemed, the second appeared human dressed in white with her wild brown hair tied down by a royal circlet of Eldrin make. The mechanical crab introduced itself as H34R7, or “Heart” phonetically.
 
It must have been a combination of the nauseating stench and the hyper stimulation of such strange environmental presences that made my consciousness pass from me. I groggily awoke when my tunic was being tugged and a measuring string was deftly slithering along my measurements. My journal which bears the mark of my dualistic dogma was in the hands of what looked to be a bundle of rags speaking quickly.
 
I appeared to have been captured, though my guards appeared to not express any ill intent. Admittedly the back of my tunic and mail had been scratched up and my head appeared to swell as if it had taken a few too many unnecessary bumps. They must have dragged me down with them, for good or for ill.
 
The Eldrin introduced herself as Valera and the human boisterously introduced herself as Queen of the Eldrin. The others quelled the bravado and revealed the light that her name is Freya. Heart (presently named for writing) seemed to be one of the more level headed of the group and walked with me . They informed me that the group was the saviors of Nycos and leaders of the floating city Trantor. They were searching fo the long lost Prisms of power, and currently following the old passage the Prosemetrium of Lumber.
 
I recall reading that in the library with Tarllow; I do not think that he ever gleaned so much from the treasured words as I have in this past day. The saviors departed the Earnest man, who turned out to be genuinely named Earnest. Long lived, and a merchant at his very core, the group left with a magical theramin that would help get them past any monster for a brief moment.
 
As they left me outside the next room working with a female voice from the sounds of it, I noticed that the light of the subterranean root network originated from quartz-like crystals. As the group was speaking with the room’s inhabitant, I took a few minutes to detect any life essence within the viscinity. I knew I was stretching my capabilities, but I figured that if I could detect magic, I could try to use that as a conduit to find living flows. Unfortunately, my sight revealed simply that magic courses through The Great Tree’s roots. This may very well mean that The Great Tree may live, or is acting as a conduit transferring or converting magical energy like a plant may fix carbon from the air.
 
The group left the room and informed me that they were searching for the Ferryman Screed who could be found at the end of this passage. The distinguishing characteristics was that he would be one with one eye. Freya produced from her cloak eight silver pieces, but realized that it is always beneficial to pay half before the ferry, and half after. These travelers appeared to be well traveled, but may have much to learn about managing their affairs. During this time, Heart had left the group suddenly and a voice I had never heard before came from their direction. What could Heart be hiding? Is this sentry truly sentient and sane? He ended up returning and the group continued without skipping a single melody.
 
I do not think they were prepared for my condition, because they simply sat and watched me relieve myself of my morning rations even as the vessel steadily rocked in the subterranean waterways. The crystalline light was all that permeated the darkness, but that seemed to have no effect on any of the group. Looking into the deep water, even my gifted eyes could only see so far before the void blocked my line of sight. Screed warned that the waters were dangerous to the living even when a single drop touches the skin. Screed offered to answer any question for the price of a task.
 
We came to a cavern where sat an abandoned wharf of sorts partially obscured by a dense fog. Sat at the forefront was the Ancient Bark; the first of the Eldrin ships carved from one of The Great Trees, the Aegis. A beautiful deep-green almond shaped siege ship. Approaching the it from the dock, a half-human half-tiger centaur-like being with six mammary glands and wings folded on its posterior half stood vigil at the starboard ramp where we were approaching. This was the Fae Rie Sphinx nicknamed Fae by the group.
 
I found myself in awe that I was in the presence of history lost to time. I found myself not only wanting to stay, but but help these strange historians. She asked if we had an answer for her that gave pause to group; trying to figure out the question to answer. I remembered at the time when Tarllow and I came across the line “Give the answer worthy, and attain the Final Gates.” We found it so amusing because it reminded us of a play about these small folks traveling with a wizard, a Dwarf, some humans, and what they called an elf. I remember that was quite the costly artistic liberty the acting troop decided to take since they were met with some civil protests for redacting such names. Civility aside, the play had a part where a riddle was presented “To speak friend and enter.” The characters realized after much thinking that one must actually say “friend” in the inappropriately named “Elvish” and that would unlock the door. I offered to my captors that perhaps we needed to claim ourselves worthy similarly. This seemed to please the sphinx and offered us all leather caps in order to navigate the ship without any trouble.
 
Valera entered first; as she approached where the cabins would be, the leaf-like wall seemed to peel away to make an entrance for her. As soon as she stepped in, the leaves closed in around her. Heart, Freya, and myself followed but when we entered the hallway, Valera was gone. As I was looking about the hallway to maintain my orientation, Freya appeared to be in a trance-like state. Suddenly the floor lit up down the hallway. I was about to follow but Freya instructed us all to hold onto wooded handles that sprouted from the walls. Heart and I did so, and the hallway appeared to have been a rotating chamber that moved us to a room with a water-filled tank and tree stumps that ended in bushels flowers. A monkey was periodically entering and leaving the room after tinkering with some of the flowers. Freya informed us suddenly that this vessel was designed to serve the Nyx; however it was simply an immaterial manifestation of the relic gone by. The crew were originally Eldrin who gradually shifted into forms more pleasing to their lines of work; who maintained their population through interbreeding methods. After the monkey twitched one of the flowers, the shipped appeared to move ever so slightly.
 
This room may have served as the original command center of the ship; affected by the production of the ship from the The Great Tree during the second iteration. The shape changing Eldrin may have also been the derivations of the Secgens that I had been so rude previously to.
 
Unfortunately, my rudeness knows no bounds. I offered to Freya and Heart that if these are shape changers, we could request them to change into forms easier to communicate with not knowing that Freya had gained much knowledge from the strange circlet on her head. Freya said something to he monkey in what must have been an ancient form of the Eldrin I picked up in my studies; and the monkey began writhing and screeching out in agony. The resulting specimen was well muscularized and certainly Eldrin in nature, though perhaps a more basal form of what we see today. It spoke roughly, and the one word that I did pick up was a derogatory slang word that survived years of evolution; something that roughly translates kindly to “ape” in our common tongue. Doing some research, I believe the inhabitants of the Aegis may very well be the ancient demographic known as the Nyxx. Having erroneously requested such a strenuous task from this deck hand, I was allowed to ask it questions by Freya’s command. It found my Eldrin very rough and uncouth which makes as much sense as a playwright seeing the parodies performed poorly by wandering troops. After inspecting the boisterous health of this individual, I requested insight on the warning provided by Fae to beware of the Xenos within the mist.
 
When I ritualistically tried detecting life again to no avail, I did find that Fae was a purely magical entity distinct from the magic flowing through the ship’s veins. No magic or life could be detected beyond the veil of the fog so gathering light on the subject was of great concern. Between the deckhand and Freya’s supernatural insight, we determined that xenos was simply a term for outsiders to the Nyxx culture. At the time this meant that there must be some dangerous individual beyond the fog; so after meeting with Valara who sprouted into the room from the captain’s quarters, the group decided to give the next dock a wide berth. Before leaving, Fae provided light on the fourth through seventh iterations. The first through the third, must have been collected by the group prior to my conscious time with them.
 
In short, the fourth iteration manifested the Twin Towers at the northern most bay constructed by Wallace and Mirrt. The towers were distinctly made from granite and marble. One met his demise when he fell in love with a woman that the other was already bonded with. The presumptuous brother died when creating a temporal incident that sent the woman through an unknown time. The fifth iteration saw the destruction of the Nyxx when a storm brewed at the end of the valley. The sixth iteration was the break between the Undrin and Tralorin. This was the iteration when the Gray veil fully came into its own. This was also the only storm known that occurred in the under dark. The final iteration created the revening event. I do wonder if this was the only record of the iterations in existence. A pity if they were, but a beautiful challenge to over come with time.
 
The village that we explored appeared untouched with the exception of rodents eating away the fruits of labors gone by. After circumnavigating the second dock, we found a second vessel at the third dock. A deep red mahogany carrack; seemingly well maintained and polished. The figurehead was of a cobalt blue Eldrin maiden, and the sails were blood red. Engraved on the side in gold was the name Daemonarc. We approached the vessel and saw what lay beyond the fog that original darkened our vision. In the clouding fog, we saw that docks two and three seemed paradoxically old and rotten and new as the day it was created. Towards the center of the two docks lay new planks that steadily rotted approaching the edges of the area. This effect seemed to radiate out into the outskirt of the town barely. It seems that there may be a temporal rift that sabotages the very nature of existence within the confined area. Could these pair of docks be remnants of time shift residuals post-iterations?
 
Investigating our current objective, Valara discovered in the folds of some course fabric a bag filled with thirty beans. We poked and prodded the beans. They seemed to maintain mass, but could not be removed from the bag. The bag was water-tight and the beans seemed buoyant enough to flow to the top. Heart and Valara both looked at Freya, who produced a bag of ten beans of similar shape, size, and color. Freya tried dropping one in, and the bag accepted it graciously. We tried removing another but the bean was forever lost to its thirty brethren. What are these beans? Who left this enchanted bag? How did they collect so many? Heart, Valara, and Freya suddenly entered a furious debate regarding the possession of the beans. The beans that did make it into the bag, emitted a reported warmth that radiated within Freya. While Freya and Valara's voices grew increasingly aggravated, I followed the gouges of something heavy shoved over the starboard side of the ship. The gouges seemed regulated but deep. I peered into mirror-like water and saw only darkness despite my gifted eyes. Heart startled me as I saw the mechanical being peer over my shoulder. I nodded to my captor, that perhaps I could find what lies deep in the water. I backed up and leaped intending on diving deep into the water.
 
Instead, the slap of my torso against the hardened water was the last thing I remembered. The next half hour was like a misty dream. Heart filled me in after I awoke to Valara pointing a new bow at me, and Freya and Heart flanking me with large magical swords. Apparently, when I belly-flopped into the water, I began struggling and shouting something about sprites with glowing eyes. Heart picked me up out of the water, but the recognition in my eyes faded. Something in that water, caused a transient global amnesia incident. I did barely remember the glowing eyes surrounding a small safe that seemed roughly the width of the gouge marks. When Heart landed me on deck, I had accidentally concentrated the cognitive magical energies to induce sleep locally. I had only just put myself to sleep. It would have appeared that my captors truly were far beyond my reach.
 
After reorienting me to the events, we discovered an ancient crane that was used with my guidance to bring the safe up. Having investigated many ancient areas, I thought I would be best equipped to crack the safe. Unfortunately, without my locksmith kit, I had to resort to mechanically figuring out the combination. The safe in question had the Tween Sea Shipping Company crest on it. What is the Tween Sea Shipping Company? Who pushed the safe in the water? While I worked on the safe, Freya, Valara, and Heart walked towards the knotted roots of the stump above ground. Soon as I cracked the safe (35-22-25) and opened the door an hour later, Heart and Valara appeared with Freya closely behind. A deep rumbling resounded through the cavern and the group peered into the safe. Inside the safe were 6 small bottles packed with cotten between them, a letter opener corrupt with runes, a scroll sealed with an "M," and a clear bobble sphere with some clear liquid sloshing at the bottom.
 
Heart had produced a box similarly colored to the figure head attached to the front of the ship and promptly shuttled the safe in. The quake shook the waters harder as cracks could be seen forming in the ceiling. Heart vocalized that we needed to get out of here and promptly began shielding myself and Valara as we made haste to the galley. Freya sloshed out some magical syrup to help hold up the steadily collapsing ceiling. While in the galley, Valara produced a ledger of sorts that she took from the captain’s quarters of the Aegis. One of the last entries was a list of four fantasmogoriums.
 
The ship listed as the bottom of the cave could be felt scraping along the hull. Heart and Freya yelled that it was time to take flight. The feeling of being secured in mechanical arms were familiar, but now I truly understood the terror that was having no agency over my own movement. Part of me longed to join Valara and Freya on a magical, syrup soaked flapjack; but I supposed I should not be one to complain. In utter coordination, Freya and Heart bobbed and weaved through falling stone and dust. I tried helping identify dangers threatening our station, but the three of them seemed like beautiful cogs tweaking in a bell tower.
 
The terror lasted nearly too long, before a cloud of fine black dust hung in the air; shrouding the wreckage below. The celestial bodies could be seen beyond the darkened veil, and below we could see the Daemonarc utterly destroyed among the rubble. The four of us landed carefully on the scraps of the ship and began exploring the ruins. Within the hull, we found four large crates, the fourth of which compromised by a jagged rock pierced through the floor. Valara and Heart investigated the machine while I assisted Freya and carefully filling water shooters she had with the amnesia-inducing water.
 
The fantasmagoriums were ordered by the Primus Vathrander of Daya. It spanned the width of half a tavern and was half as long. A brass and wood panel held a series of buttons, knobs that seemed to constantly shift relative to position, both spatially and temporarily. A curious mind is a dangerous thing, Before I could touch a single dial, my hand was stayed by Heart who’s eyes were now glowing an indigo hue. The group decided that these artifacts were best left untouched, and so they set up some vials similar to the ones we found in the safe. Valara pressed a canister in my hand and told me to pull the pin and toss it directly in the center of the machines. We approached the depth of safety and I let the canister fly. A screeching shredded my ears as the floating particles began condensing on the areas in a shroud of condensed light. When the light dissipated, the metal appeared to have aerosolized into the black cloud.
 
We soared high, and in the distance, banners of truce led a squadron of reptilian humanoids. The Draconians were marching north to the city of Lumber. Avian heralds climbed to meet us from Lumber who offered an escort to Trantor and a sack of gems. They asked if we had anything to do with growing vine sprouting from the newly produced rift, but the group to my dismay began to imply that the force marching north may have been involved.
 
As we soared higher and higher, I took a moment to reflect on the day’s events. I had begun the day to see what secrets the old stump held, however, as I sit cradled in the grip of a mechanical crab, I now see that perhaps, what I was searching for was not lost secrets, but lost experiences. What once I thought to be captors, remind me of my time lost in the libraries. Wandering through labyrinths of knowledge, I see that scholars can often become prisoners of their own knowledge. The truth exists to be found; and to do so, one must have the knowledge of where to look and the will to see it through.
 
Heart and Freya filled me in on their quest and purpose over the rushing the winds. They were the champions of Nycos, chosen months ago in the forests of Inan Dara. Their purpose is to find the six (potentially seven) prisms of power, all of which found except one buried in the winters of Cryopathia. It was at this time, that I determined, these to not be my captors, but rather my guides.
 
Ahead beyond the parting clouds, large blue crystals hung from from compact nycos and stone. Radiating in the reddened sky were white pillars of a grand cathedral of a city. The citadel in the sky, Trantor. My stomach left me long before my breath realized it wanted to leave too. The city rotated steadily showing all its splendors to the world below. As we alighted onto the city’s edge, bustling of city-folk erecting tents and carrying rabbits with staghorns filled my deafened ears. On our way to The Great Keep, we passed the Singing Gardens of Mattie, a stable full of unicorns, and a library filled with undead children known as Monas. These children were apparently imbued with unimaginable quantities of knowledge.
 
They entered The Great Keep and showed me to a guest room, from which I record these events. The prospect of learning so much entices me and I requested funds to support an ever growing pile of research. Seeing the signs of wariness and shock, they left me for the night to settle. Trantor is to make its way north by way of Ballumdenton then the forests of Inan Dara.
 
To what adventure will I find myself overwhelmed by tomorrow?