Session 33 Part 1 - The Journey to Florin

GM Observations
- This was a quasi-session that was run via a combination of email and chat over Google Hangouts. It almost qualifies as a session in its own right, but not quite.

Realm 30 - The Sparrowhawk (Wooden Door)
Ethan and the Blue Lady
- Ethan follows Isabelle as she leads him through the ship’s corridors to a 2nd class cabin on the starboard side. Ethan feels distinctly uncomfortable as he walks through the ship - he can’t sense the presence of other minds - something in the airship’s structure is interfering. He finds his unnerving, as though his field of vision has suddenly narrowed. 
- The cabin is comfortable with a viewing panel on the far wall, a place for making hot beverages and a private bathroom. Ethan praises Isabelle for acquiring the cabin, and Isabelle says dismissively that he is too easily impressed. She drops the bag and turns on the charm, drawing close to him and asking what he has in mind next. Ethan is tempted, but he pulls back. He tells Isabelle his name, and assures her that his story to find Lucien is the truth and he has no other motivation. He also says that he isn’t interested in her things or her compass - she need not fear that he will steal the compass and leave her stranded. Ethan asks gently if she really wants to find Lucien or whether there are any other family members or loved ones that she would prefer to be reunited with. Isabelle hesitates for a moment, and then says that she wants to find Lucien. Ethan nods but decides to be sure. He asks if she wants to come with him. Isabelle frowns at the suggestion and says that she doesn’t want to be left behind. 
- At this point, Ethan brightens and says that he’s quite enjoyed her company so far and that it has been anything but dull. He asks if she would like to freshen up first (i.e.: use the bathroom first) and she agrees. 
- While Isabelle showers, Ethan considers his options. He’s realised that something about this place is not only interfering with his psychic senses, but that he cannot feel the way to his Home Realm any more. He can still sense where Isabelle is so his Wayfinding ability is still working, but anything beyond the Door no longer registers. He wonders what this means for the pursuit - if he is blind, is his pursuit blind too… or not. The room has no exit apart from the window and the door. He doesn’t like the idea of being caught like a rat in a trap.
- Isabelle returns in a blue outfit which has again been reconfigured (and is clean). Ethan again muses over how she does this, but doesn’t ask. He gives her some privacy to sort through her things while he freshens up.

The Journey, Part 1
- Two days pass relatively uneventfully. Ethan learns that they are headed for Florin, and there are two stopovers on the way. When he is on the viewing deck with a minimum of superstructure around him, he can sense a distant Door which the airship (called the Sparrowhawk) is heading towards. There are many passengers on the vessel, and they appear to be all human, or almost-human. The ship itself is running on an energy source that Ethan can’t quite identify, but there does not appear to be any obvious use of magic. There appears to be anti-gravity involved but it is unclear as to how this is achieved.
- Ethan does a lot of thinking in the bar behind the flight deck (which has a transparent screen between the back of the bar and the bridge so that the passengers can see the bridge crew in operation). He can’t tell if the Door on the Sparrowhawk is opened or closed, so he doesn’t know when pursuit will arrive, or even if it has already arrived. He tells himself that even if the pursuit can’t magically trace him on the Grand Stair, a good bloodhound (dog) could do it. He is convinced that pursuit will come, and may likely arrive whilst on the Sparrowhawk itself. His only options if things get really bad either are to ‘break’ the airship and use magic to fly away, or to use his Icon for Grant to escape.
- Ethan’s conversations with Isabelle yield very little information. She seems genuinely interested in what he has seen and done, but shares very little about her time on Nexopolis or elsewhere. Ethan gets the impression that she wants to talk, but something is holding her back. Given the number of Lords of Gossamer in Nexopolis, he wonders just how much attention her departure has garnered. It would not surprise him if she had once been the lover of a Lord. Ethan senses vulnerability in her, but also strength. He steers clear of topics that she doesn’t want to talk about. For the same reason Ethan doesn’t share what happened to him in Einland. (GM’s note - from way back in Session 20) He gets the distinct impression that her relationship with her mother is strained, as any mention of family causes her to clam up.
- At one stage Ethan shows Isabelle his Icon for Grant and offers it to her in case things go really bad and they cannot both escape. He says that Grant will help her. Isabelle refuses. When Ethan asks if she knows how to use an Icon, she becomes angry as if insulted. Even though Ethan apologises and gently says that he doesn’t know what she knows and what she doesn’t, it doesn’t seem to improve the situation.

The Town of Aquila - Part 1
- The Sparrowhawk descends through the clouds to the hillside township of Aquila. The town is built onto a sloping hillside and surrounded by dense woods, but the Sparrowhawk docks at a landing platform and the passengers disembark to explore. Isabelle and Ethan leave the vessel together. 
- The entire town has turned out to welcome the passengers and there is a open market with numerous stalls selling local produce and crafts. Initially they explore together, but after a while Ethan sit down to listen to a band playing stringed instruments, whilst Isabelle continues exploring. Whilst nibbling on sweet cakes, Ethan can feel his Wayfinding and psychic senses returning now that he is away from the Sparrowhawk. He eventually goes for a wander on his own, looking outside the marketplace and exploring some of the town streets which are mostly empty. Given that the town is built into onto a sloping hillside, it provides an excellent view of the valley and the mountains beyond. Ethan wishes that he had a camera.
- As he wanders up the slope to the top of the town, he finds a columned temple and goes inside.

The Temple of Pallas
- The temple itself is simple and well tended. The style seems familiar to Ethan which piques his interest. At the centre of the temple is the statue of a woman. The figure is upright, with a tunic reaching to her feet. On her helmet is the likeness of a sphinx, with griffins on relief on either side. In one hand she holds a spear, and on her other arm is a rounded shield with the face of a snake-haired monster. On her shoulder sits an owl. The figure is that of Pallas Athena - or at least that would be what she would be called on Shadow Earth. The resemblance is striking.
- Ethan sits and thinks for a while, considering the statue. He knows that she was the goddess of wisdom and intellect, and wonders what her counsel would be. “You already know the answer to the question in your heart,” Ethan decides that she would say. “You are being pursued. You know this. You must be vigilant. You must use your cunning and your guile if the fox is to outrun the hounds.” But then the voice changes and blurs such that Ethan is no longer sure who is speaking. “You are not safe here. There are those who will do you harm if they realise who you are. Do not give them that opportunity.”
- Then suddenly Isabelle is in front of him and shaking him. He blinks. “How long I have been like this?” he asks. Isabelle says that he’s been in the temple about fifteen minutes. Ethan frowns - he has completely lost track of time and is not sure whether he was hearing his own voice, or hers. Ethan apologies to Isabelle. It becomes obvious that Isabelle has been following him, making sure that he didn’t walk off on her. Ethan wonders how this can be possible. (GM’s note - the following text was removed from the adventure writeup as David (Lurker37) did not agree with it. It is an important point which has been discussed in the following thread on whether worlds are Independent or subject to a Ripple Effect).

Deleted text wrote:Isabelle says bluntly that when a Lord changes reality it doesn’t just affect a single place - it creates a ripple effect which affects many others. Perhaps Vala was here, or perhaps she was just nearby. Either way, there has been an impact in this reality. Ethan is surprised by this, but this clarifies for Isabelle that Ethan doesn’t know much that a Lord of Gossamer should know.

The Town of Aquila - Part 2
- As they descend from the top of the village back to the marketplace, Ethan says that the goddess spoke to him. Isabelle’s eyes widen in surprise. Ethan says that he’s not sure if it was Vala herself or a local equivalent, but she gave a warning. He suggests to her that there is someone else on the vessel who is not what he/she seems, perhaps even one of the Dwimmerlaik or one of their agents. She shudders and says that the Dwimmerlaik were defeated - and that Lucien helped defeat them. Ethan stops them before they reach the marketplace and assures her that the Great Enemy are back because Lord Grant fought and killed one. Ethan urges her to think it through - the Sparrowhawk is a perfect way of travelling incognito and undetected. They are are using those qualities to their own advantage, so who else could be doing the same? 

And that’s where we’ve left it for now ….