2: The Citadel

With an illusion covering the pirate markings The Mobius decelerates and Takeshi manages to align the ship with a gangplank strutting out below the citadel. This is where the harbor would be had it been at sea. You can see people up at the keep and you can hear the rhythmic beating of hot metal.

An elderly dwarf, with a long gray beard, is with some difficulty walking down the stairs to meet you. He is flanked by two clean-shaven dwarfs.



This is the first sentient life you have seen since you woke up. Perhaps they could help you find your way home, or at least, tell you where you are right now, so you can navigate home yourself.

Whaat brings you heaar? He croaks with a raspy voice.

Nirion waits on deck. Hoping the others will speak first. He is nervous, thus is beyond everything he knows or understands, even more so than the others -except perhaps Khezzik- due to his sheltered youth.

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When the dwarven citadel comes into view of the ship, Leo figures it might not be the best first impression to be carrying some long-lost artifact of some ancient, powerful, space-traveling society. He places the ax back in its coffin, like how it was when they found it and thinks that if they can first establish good relations with these people, then they can provide the ax back to them as an act of good faith, which he expresses to the rest of the group before their arrival.

Leo stands amiably on the deck of the Mobius, trying to appear as friendly and amicable to the people approaching, but defers to the others to make first impressions, as even he can recognize he is not the best with words.

As the ship sliced through the empty blackness, the citadel loomed closer. The design gave no doubt to the inhabitants that would be found. Dwarves as a rule weren't unreasonably aggressive unless their family honor was at stake. We should return the axe to the coffin before we arrive. Much easier to explain transporting a corpse respectfully than looking like we were robbing graves.

Closing in on a dock, every scrap of evidence flimsy as it was seemed to point to an open port. A place to moor. No ships firing a warning shot over the bow stating to maintain a certain distance. No sizable force demanding to board and search. As such Turner answered in a respectful tone spoken in Dwarven.Ahoy, Master Dwarf. I am Wizard Paige Turner Buch from the vessel No Place Like Home. I'm afraid we experienced trouble being thrown off course and now are lost. Perhaps we may offer something from our hold as trade for our navigator to be able to confer with one of yours so we may once again have our barings. As I'm sure you know, space is too vast to not know where you are headed.

Tonik, for now, holds his breath, not for fear of being attacked but more from fear of saying to much to the wrong person. He knows that once he starts talking, it would be easy for him to say the what he wasn't supposed to without thinking. For now he simply studies in awe what he can see of the dwarven citadel and tries to mentally note what information's (or disinformation's) have been given to keep the same story.

Khezzik has used his hat of disguise to conceal his appearance - he looks like a wide-eyed halfling street urchin. He peeks out at the dwarves from behind Leo's legs, and stays quiet.

The old dwarf looks disappointed at the crew of the mobious.
But then is eyes light up.
You’re aaaadventurers, aaare you not? Of course you aaaare. He looks at the stairs behind him. These old bones craave the fire. Come, and bring your chaaarts
He and his guards turn to go up the stairs again. Naaame is Pelk by the waaay

Leo nearly trips over Khezzik hiding behind his legs as he scrambles excitedly to grab the map they found. If there was anybody to learn about space and stars and worlds far away, a giant space citadel full of friendly(read not-immediately-hostile) and intelligent dwarves like Pelk would certainly be one of the top contenders. Leo calls out, "I'll grab the map!" as he rushes back to the mess hall.

You all follow Pelk and his guards up the stairs. Half way up the 537 steps, the one guard must assist the old dwarf, while the other gives you a look. A look that warns you of interfearing or commentating.

Akio, Takeshi's familiar seems very uneasy.
As you get up to the keep walls, you clearly hear the sounds of a working smithy and foundry. Before even getting near this workplace, Pelk takes a side passage and goes into a study.

By the time you have all followed him inside, Pelk has taken a seat at the fire.

You whaaat to know where you aaare? Here, he points to the green dot on the map. Here is our staaaar (yellow) and there is the debree belt that contains loads of miniraaals


He then studies the map Leo brought. I guess that you waaant to know where you aaare on this maaap? Well perhaaaps we caaan help eachother?

None of this has gone the way that Nirion has planned. He just wanted to learn more about his unstable magic, how to control it, why it didn't work. Now? Now he was flying through the stars taking to a very suspicious Dwarf. He didn't like it one bit but as he wasn't used to anyone but his professors, he hoped the others could handle the talking

To Takeshi's enquiry, Pelk points to the red dot on the map.
This is Mohaaan. We have long relied on aaa community of grippli to the north for fresh seaaafood. These frogfolk caaapture and raaaise giaaant craaabs aaas livestock in aaan offshore cluster of pens they have erected just outside their villaaage, then traaade the meaaat and other saaalvaaageaaable paaarts for items they caaan use, paaarticularly those maaade of metaaal or glaaass.

Twice aaa month the Citaaadel and Mohaaan aaare in close proximity and the Citaaadel haaas long been a steaaady customer. Recently the grippli have become less and less aaactive, and the supply of freaaash food has been aaall but cut off. To maaake things worse, the laaast traaader who caaame home empty haaanded mensioned thaaat they had seen serpent creaaatures neaaar the grippli village.

Conjured food will fill your belly but is not heaaalthy in the long run.

Pelk studies your map. If you will sort out this issue, then in return I will show you where you aaare on this maaap.

Nirion who is already a bit suspicious of the dwarf thinks that Pelk already knows. He has just to place his finger on the map, but he what them to solve the Citadels crabmeat shortage.

The elf steepled his fingers and considered this proposition. He asked, "Are these traders near at hand? I would like to hear their encounter with these serpentfolk."

They aaare collecting mineraaals from the debris field. But we haaave aaa book from the plaaanet. It is not a historicaaal text but more of a waaarning.

Pelk allows you to inspect the book. It is surprisingly light, and brief examination shows it to be a cunningly contrived container. Its covering is made of supple leather reinforced with thicker strips of hide. Opening the cover reveals three intricately carved, hollow wooden cylinders and a linen bag of dry clay artfully decorated with a drop of water.



The outside of each cylinder is covered with writing and simple images, apparently telling a story in three parts.

The first step is to remove some of the clay from its bag and mix it with water to form a thick paste, then spread the wet clay in a thin layer on a flat surface. Rolling one of the cylinders across this surface presses the writing into the clay and makes it readable. After repeating the process for each of the cylinders, you have the full story and can use that knowledge to determine what they do next.

The impressions in the clay are mostly characters in the Dwarvish script, combined with simple pictographs that tell a tale about the frogfolk and the serpentfolk.

The first cylinder shows and explains how the grippli became skilled at harvesting giant crabs, which are loaded onto seagoing vessels and taken away while the frogfolk celebrate their newly earned wealth.

The second cylinder’s story begins with serpent creatures lurking ominously outside the grippli village. Then the serpentfolk rush forth, capturing or killing any of the frogfolk who try to stand against them. As the village falls into disarray, the giant crabs escape from their cages and head back into the sea.

The third cylinder depicts, and briefly tells about, the aftermath of the serpentfolk’s assault. The village is vacant, most of its buildings flattened. Still standing is the grippli’s temple to their deity, which has been taken over by the snake creatures.

The aged elf sprinkles clay, gently smoothing in water with a practiced hand. He rolls the cylinders between his hands before carefully pressing their faces into the soft surface. As the pictograms unfold, he scans them with golden eyes. The wizard draws forth a scroll and begins muttering an incantation with great speed before stowing the scroll. He then gently runs his fingers over the text.

As Leo waits for Takeshi to finish reading the scrolls and give the group the translation, Leo scoots closer to the old dwarf over the map and asks excitedly, "How far does it take to travel from here to this place you described? What else is on that planet?" he points to the red point, then to each of the other dots on the map, "And what's on this one here, and this one?"