[0] Morgrave - Skyship Tower

Lash had Professor Alacandra for his one mandatory course in General Research. To him, the professor's appearance then and still now is a stereotype for a wizard. He had wondered if she didn't belong in the the Apprenticeship department. But he would never suggest that out loud. And considering how mean she was in that course, Lash was glad she was in a different department. With two weeks left in her class, she reassigned everyone's research project to different students to finish in the remaining time. Then she graded us on the somewhat completed projects we had started, but not on the ones we finished!

Samarath had flinched slightly and turned towards Verin at the mention of the quori, but was distracted by the arrival of the professor before he could react further. He nodded as she spoke.

He knew Professor Alacandra mostly by reputation. He too had taken Introduction to General Research for his one required course in General Research, and as an average student in that class it had gone by unremarkably for him. The same could not be said for the students who earned her ire, though.

Cualli makes his way to one of the few cabins at the forward of the cargo hold. It isn't much to look at, definitely less spacious then some of the other students' but there is a porthole so that's nice.

He carefully straps his things under the single bed in his room and makes his way up to the main deck.

S'Sylin doesn't like the idea of being too deep in the ship. Instead, he finds a cabin just in the forecastle that is available for the students. With the professor's warning in mind he does as he was told and prepares for a bumpy ride..

I know nothing about traveling on a skyship. I take the first vacant cabin I find, tie down my gear, then stand near my cabin door watching others file past. When the walkway clears, I'll strap myself into a seat.

Rythorn has no interest in looking out over the horizon from his cabin, that place is meant to be comfortable for him. As such, he takes a cabin perhaps without a porthole. He follows his nose close to where the kitchen is and tries to find a room close to it. If there is a porthole in the room, then he covers it with something. He secures all the gear that he has minus what he's wearing. and begins to ascend the stairs. Just before the main deck is in sight, he stops takes a deep breath and then steps out onto the deck. He then secures himself firmly into his seat and awaits takeoff anxiously.

Holding his few belongings, and with Gem perched on his shoulder, Samarath boarded the great airship. He had always had little need for social interaction, so he took the stairs straight up to the cabins, and walked down the corridor until he found a cabin with just a single bed.

Verin lets the others board, heading up the gangplank and directly towards a cabin with a porthole. It was a bit of a trip, and she fully intended to enjoy the scenary for the duration. She threw the latch on her door, secured her pack under the bunk, and strapped herself in for safety.

Cualli, up on the main deck watches Rythorn ascend the stairs and then turn around.

I was just about to invite him to strap into one of these cool standing platforms I found on the main deck.

The platform is essentially like a vertical gurney with hand rails and straps.

As Cualli stood on the platform, he watched the staff and students move around the airship. His platform gave him a good view of the horizon ahead to the South. Looking forward, he ruminated on his studies. what little he did know about Xen'drik mostly pertained to it's flora and geology. Despite the dangers that had been impressed upon him by teachers and students alike, he was excited to explore a new environment and take advantage of it's unique resources, many of which he had only ever read about in books of alchemical properties.

By the time that the Dawnlight steadies over the sea, Rythorn's shirt is wet and his hair dripping from the panicked sweat the occurred during their overland maneuvers.

At least a ship, even in the air, is more at home when on the open sea.

Rythorn unbuckles himself and stumbles to his bed to rest for a moment before exploring the ship. He spends the travel time largely resting and preparing himself for the dangers that might occur once they land. He tries to help out in the kitchen at meal times and might pick up a couple of ideas for later meals.

Samarath stayed in his room for most of the trip. He was never very social, but he did greet his fellow students with a smile when they came by his door or when he met them at mealtimes.

He spent most of the journey studying. As part of his studies for the Wayfinding major, he had received several maps, including a map of Xen’drik, with at least the known points of interest detailed. As the only Wayfinding major in the group, he knew there was a chance his skills would be called upon, so he tried to commit the known locations to memory, and to plan what the group may need to traverse the various locales in Xen’drik.

Lash was glad the rough start was over he was excited to go up on deck and see the sights. He enjoyed seeing the other skyships float off in various directions and seeing his fellow travelers and watching the crew get things in order. As the first few hours past, the continent and other ships shrank from view leaving only open ocean. The crew had finished their tasks and mostly disappeared below deck. Some of the other travelers stayed on deck, but most retreated to their cabins. Lash's excitement faded and he eventually tired of watching clouds. He divided the remaining hours and days between his cabin and walks on the deck. Cabin time was spent idly practicing sleight-of-hand tricks to secretly stowe and retrieve items like coins or his quill or his wand. He mixed in prestidigitation for distractions. Deck time was mostly small-talk with whoever was present. He did try to notice any spell casters whom he might learn from, but he never mustered enough nerve to ask Professor Alacandra for any tutoring.

Always curious, Cualli developed an interest in the workings of the ship itself and spent most of his time around the skymen, cleaning decks, helping move sails and assisting on an occasional watch. They seemed happy to have an eager hand and Cualli's greatest pleasure while aboard the Dawnlight was on watch. Simply sitting in the Crow's Nest in the shade of the mast looking through the occasional cloud break at the Earth and the sea below. On the single occasion when he saw that the ship was approaching a flock of migrating birds, he was actually thrilled for the opportunity to use the skyphone down to the pilot house as instructed.