[PF] No Return Ch. 1: The Flight of The Lady (Start.)

[PupSage]

Disciple of Sakura

{I'm assuming that Count Drago didn't detect as Evil then? What about his goon squad?}

((Nope. Minor amounts from the "Goon squad", but otherwise none.

Though the people from the PM will, thats it.))  

[PupSage]

The Lady is truly an impressive sight. It is an extraordinary zeppelin made up of three giant balloons connected by four long metal footbridges. The structure is beautifully shaped in such a style that it is aerodynamic as well as ostentatious, trying to imitate the style of the most regal sailing ships. Two lateral hulls are designated to travelers and their staterooms, while the cargo hold and bridge are located in the central body.

You all enter via a long brow laid over the left wing of the Lady. Behind you a massive crowd is gathered to witness the takeoff. Gabriel has certainly not spared any expense to celebrate the inaugural trip, and between the confetti and the musical bands, thousands of onlookers observe you as you walk onto the ship. When you go up the brow the conductor waves you on and another man leads you through a luxuriously carpeted corridor towards the enormous central hall. The room is occupied by the travelers staying in the left hull of the zeppelin - about 20 individuals in all. These are a mix of bourgeois, politicians, and their children. In addition there are four soldiers watching the exits.

The man says, "Please grab a seat, we will be leaving shortly. The count said he will meet you in here in but a moments time."  

[Anatarei Crimsonthrone]

"Just an FYI, Cley-dear, but I don't think I entirely trust those boxes or the Count. Even if he does seem kinda on the up and up. And he doesn't seem even that much on the up and up, to be honest."

She checked out all the fanfare as the airship got ready to launch and checked out the guys she'd apparently be working with, too. Some very cute ones, that's for sure, especially the jumpy one with the rapier... But she'd better just keep an eye on the folks on the airship.

{Attempting to Sense Motive on the Count and/or everyone else. Thanks to Versatile Performance, that gives me a +12 bonus for a very shitty 17...}  

[PupSage]

Anatarei Crimsonthrone

"Just an FYI, Cley-dear, but I don't think I entirely trust those boxes or the Count. Even if he does seem kinda on the up and up. And he doesn't seem even that much on the up and up, to be honest."

She checked out all the fanfare as the airship got ready to launch and checked out the guys she'd apparently be working with, too. Some very cute ones, that's for sure, especially the jumpy one with the rapier... But she'd better just keep an eye on the folks on the airship.

{Attempting to Sense Motive on the Count and/or everyone else. Thanks to Versatile Performance, that gives me a +12 bonus for a very shitty 17...}

((Nope, the count seems fine. But one of the leather coated me stands out to you when you catch an odd look in his eye. He is a fatty man in expensive clothes with an unkept appearance, and apparently the only one actually getting onto the airship.  

[Dallas Moonrain]

Justice watches the fanfare around the launch with some amusement, and her new comrades with an eye towards judging how effective they'll be. Always a good idea to know that sort of thing in advance. She selects a seat on the end of a row--Justice hates to be caught in a place where she can't maneuver properly.  

[Disciple of Sakura]

Cley is one of the last aboard the airship, not the least reason being that she is the slowest in her heavy armor. She finds a seat and has to shift around some to remove the massive greatsword and its sheath from her back so that she can sit comfortably. As such, she chooses a location where she and her weapon will be out of the way. She'll sit near Tehila - after all, she's the only one on board that Cley actually knows at all - but she isn't inclined to sit right next to her, since she's sort of off putting.  

[Wrasynth Ksyamen]

Hur' Oc sighs...

Ceremoniously to his displeasure, finds a place to sit with a forced smile. Sitting next to the ranger to make sure if need be he could step in the way of any thing and or something.  

[PupSage]

(((DM is translating map into photoshop. I are has no scanner right now T-T.

So I'm hand drawing it.)))  

[Laelless]

James takes a seat and looks around, taking in the sights and the fanfair. He had to sigh a little, with all the commotion making it harder to do his job.  

[jennibert]

Lad is purposefully the last of the group aboard the ship, keeping a close eye on the men from the carriages as he does so. Once on board, he relaxes marginally, and quickens his steps a bit to catch up to the pretty armor-clad woman. "Hi. I'm Lad," he opens with a grin. "Under normal circumstances, I'd open a conversation by waxing poetic about your exceptional beauty, but at the moment I have a more pressing question, so that'll just have to wait. Am I correct in determining that you're a paladin of Iomedae?" He pauses, but then continues without really giving her a chance to respond. "If so, did you see what I saw with those men in the carriages? Or am I just totally overreacting?"

{His conversation with Cley will determine exactly which seat Lad chooses. If it's going well, he'll sit by her; if not, he'll probably sit by either Tael or Tehila. Possibly both. Or maybe one of them and Cley.}  

[Disciple of Sakura]

jennibert

Lad is purposefully the last of the group aboard the ship, keeping a close eye on the men from the carriages as he does so. Once on board, he relaxes marginally, and quickens his steps a bit to catch up to the pretty armor-clad woman. "Hi. I'm Lad," he opens with a grin. "Under normal circumstances, I'd open a conversation by waxing poetic about your exceptional beauty, but at the moment I have a more pressing question, so that'll just have to wait. Am I correct in determining that you're a paladin of Iomedae?" He pauses, but then continues without really giving her a chance to respond. "If so, did you see what I saw with those men in the carriages? Or am I just totally overreacting?"

{His conversation with Cley will determine exactly which seat Lad chooses. If it's going well, he'll sit by her; if not, he'll probably sit by either Tael or Tehila. Possibly both. Or maybe one of them and Cley.}

"Hello, Lad. My name's Cley. Cley Pureholm. Your assumption is correct - I am a paladin of Iomedae. And I am getting the same impression from the folks in the carriage. We'd best be on our very best guard, I suppose. There's something odd about those boxes that were getting loaded onto the airship, too. Did I understand right that they're the Count's?" Cley was grateful for someone else to talk to - not that Tehila was bad, but Lad was easy enough on the eyes, and he wasn't quite as off putting in his manner. At least, not yet. "So, what brought you here to this job? I'm wondering if he was actually planning on hiring two paladins for this post - perhaps he really does suspect something really evil to be around..."

{Cley isn't opposed to having Lad as a companion on the flight. He at least has a similar sort of approach to life, after all.}  

[jennibert]

Lad gives Cley a sunny smile that is only a little bit forced--while he's still uneasy, he always enjoys speaking with a beautiful woman. "I'm not sure if I'm glad to know I'm not overreacting, considering the circumstances. But I suppose we should let everyone know to keep an eye out, considering we're all bodyguarding." He pauses a moment. "And while I agree about the boxes--I couldn't read much of what they said, but I did see something that might be chaos--I'm still more concerned about the terribly evil people."

As they reach the seating area, Lad speaks quickly to Justice and Hur' Oc (whose names I don't think he knows--he'll repeat his own name and inquire after theirs while he warns them), and then to Ziya and Tael, and then Tehila (see above about Justice and Hur' Oc). The gist of his statements is to keep an eye out, as he spotted some people who, while they were not doing anything overtly aggressive, were certainly radiating serious amounts of evil.

After doing what he considers his duty in warning his new teammates, Lad slides gracefully into a seat between Tael and Cley, flashing the former an amused smile as he speaks to the latter. "Sorry not to have answered your question about how I came to this before, but I didn't want to lose track of the warnings. Anyway, I was traveling with my cousin Pari and some of her friends, but we had a bit of a difference in philosophy and decided it would be best for all if we parted ways. I went looking for something else, and found this." He shrugs diffidently, and then glances back and Tael and smiles again. "Where are my manners? Cley, have you met Tael? Or Ziya?"  

[Emerald the Crow]

Ziya wandered onto the zeppelin with a look of amazement in his eyes. Truly, people could accomplish astonishing things if they meant to - while he could spend time as a bird through his strong bond with the natural world, these people had built a machine capable of letting everyone fly without the need for personal exertion. There was something both fantastical and terrible in the idea, and Ziya was dubious as to which side he was more struck by. He watched the celebration below with the awe of a country bumpkin, having never seen so many people collected in one place with such lavish pomp involved. This was, he mused, something of a debased and wicked city, but he was hardly the kind to make anything of it so long as it left him alone.

He looked back to see Lad chatting with the woman in armor and carrying the massive sword, and he felt somewhat off-put by it. Women didn't really belong on a battlefield at all. But at least she had some decency, unlike the devil woman posturing for all to see just along the way. He got the impression that she was also one of his fellow coworkers, so he did his best not to be too judgemental, but she really needed to cover up more.

He found himself a seat in the appointed area and waited to see just how well this ship flew. And when Lad came over to warn him about the folks below, he nodded. "I don't trust folks who dress like that at all anyway, but it's good to know that my suspicions were accurate," he said. And he nodded politely to Cley when they were introduced as well. "Impressive weapon you have there, Cley. Not many women could handle something like that."

{I'm not sure exactly how many seats are together - I'm figuring it's like an airplane with 2-3 seats together and an aisle running down the middle, so I'm not sure how many of our characters would really be sitting next to each other. DM, care to shed some light?}  

[Laelless]

The half-elf extended a hand towards the paladin and bard maidens, and flashed his smile. He resisted checking out their bodies and focused on their face. They were working, after all, and distraction were not accepted. Though, later on, he wouldn't mind staring at all.
"James Taelka Biorr, half-elf sorcerer, ladies." he focus equal attention towards the maidens. "But you can simply call me Tael. I am quite glad to meet your acquaintance."  

[PupSage]

((Tis why I am drawing it. They are round tables. This is supposed to be a luxury line ship.))