The monk leans forward slightly, their eyes intent on Luther.

’One last question from me, before you leave. Have you waited 4 days from receiving that message before sending aid, or have you sent others on ahead already…?’

They wait for an answer, suddenly very, very still.

Erruk grins at Tharteas, "Well good! Had a momentary image of the lot of us bumbling about getting lost in the desert and nothing to show for it."

He's also interested in the answer to the Wuxian's question.

Erruk drains his mug and sets it down, catching the bartender's eye and giving a nod at the implied question of whether he'd like another.

((Standard 4cp/mug?))

((Yessir! Standard 4cp!))

"Ah," he exclaims, "an inquisitive mind gets the job done, I say!" His smile begins to fade. "I...I tried," his voice a little more still than normal. "I first sent out a scouting party to investigate, and bring me word. Nothing. This was day one. Day two, one of my best cartographers and explorers volunteered to go after them all. I begged her not to, but she was strong-headed. I told her I would have the authorities sent in, but she had none of it. Day three, having heard nothing back from either my scouting party or my cartographer, I finally called in the authorities. Nothing. It is now the end of day four. Please," he says, his voice a little softer, "do not think I have been idle this whole time. The waiting for the telegram or the call, is the worst part." His demeanor is a little bleaker now, his tone serious. "I don't know what lies out there in that high desert region, that could take down a whole airship, cause a whole scouting party to just...disappear, and one of Alwyn's finest explorers to go missing in a matter of just a couple of days... not to mention keeping the Alwynian authorities busy." He sighs deeply, silent for a minute or two. 

"No," he finally says to you, the Wuxian, "my good Wuxian friend, to answer your question, I have not been idle these last four days. Hindsight is a great teacher, they often say. To their obvious detriment, and to my great dismay and despair, I sent people ahead. The only idle moments I have had were those waiting and dreading between telegrams and messages. The Daily Squire has been my constant companion, frantically looking over its headlines to see anything regarding this debacle. Anything..." He looks up, lighting his cigar absently. 

He let's out a deep sigh again, taking a longer drag from his cigar, and shaking his head. 

The monk nods. ‘I’m sorry to deepen your pain, but I needed to know. If you will give us as many details as you have of those who went ahead, we shall endeavour to safeguard them if able, or at least to give you and their families closure if not…’

They stand at this, bowing slightly to Ruby. ‘I believe an early start will be in order.’ sparing a brief look to those drinking deeply, ‘Perhaps we could escort you home now?’

Ruby smiles at you, and brushes the wrinkles out of her dress. "I reckon it's about high time for home. Otherwise, we'd all be drinkin' ourselves silly 'til the cows come home!" Gathering her purse, she stands there, waiting for her escorts. She nods to Luther, ready to go home. 

Luther extends a hand, and shakes every one of your hands in turn. His countenance lifts a little, and he steps away, adjusting his coat. "Well, my friends," he says a little more jovial, "we'll see you tomorrow morning!" Finally tipping his hat to you, he turns on his heel and exits the pub. 

Erruk gives his hand a careful, but firm grasp.

"Well, lads, if we're to be traveling together, best get to know one another. I'll buy the first round!"

"I'm buying, and you spoke first so sounds like you're volunteering!"

Erruk plunks a few silver on the bar and waggles a finger to the barkeep to indicate he's buying a round for his soon to be traveling companions.

You all enjoy a good drink and a hardy meal. The night draws on with conversation and tipsiness, each of you begining to grow tired and sleepy. The thought of a decent bed and good rest taunts you. When it is all said and done, and the night is passing, each of you is given a small key to separate rooms. The bartender, with promises of a wake up call in the morning for you, sees you off. Bedding down for the night, you each fall into a fitful sleep. 

It is now midnight, 5th of Wealsun, AR3022 when you guys crash.

(See the spoiler for more info!)

(Oooooohhhhhh, dreams. Will they hold any significance or is it just dreams?)

((I'll post it OOC here just to summarize what Erruk would have shared with the others. He's from the Dwarven lands of Elingrad, former military, where he worked in part as a smith. His battleaxe and warhammer are ones he made himself, and his cannon shield as well, though he built the shield around the cannon mechanism itself, not being a gunsmith. He's here looking for work as an engineer or tech.))

((Good call. The monk, who doesn’t noticeably respond to any gendered pronouns, has travelled from a little-known monastery in Wuxia and explains that their old name was taken from them as part of their initiation. Now they have graduated, they are on a pilgrimage to find their new name. In the interim, they will answer to “None". They don’t say anything about the monastery itself, or its teachings - only, when pushed, they say that they have studied impermanence, and will leave it at that - the teachings of the monastery are sacred things…))

(Tharteas wouldn’t say a lot, not having much to say, but he tells you he is a bounty hunter, trained under the infamous Murtair Thunderspear after having been abandoned as a child. He might tell of a couple of his favorite catches but nothing too incredibly captivating)

((History check on Murtair Thunderspear... 5. I'm assuming Erruk's confidence in Tharteas's tracking abilities just went up a bit.))

((Good roll, @Spidey! Here's the catch on Murtair Thunderspear that you get as you listen to Tharteas: he is an infamous bounty hunter in his own right, dwelling in N. Vespa in the desert regions. He is known for his cruelty and tenacity as a hunter, and always catches his prize. Always. When you're being hunted down by him, and there's even just the slightest hint of a bounty on your head, you're guaranteed to be his catch, or you're already dead.))

((And to answer your question about the dreams...I only answer with:))

((You'll see!))

((Guys,  I apologize for not posting yesterday. I was out of town with no wifi. Also, I've just been going through some marital issues irl with an impending divorce, so times are a bit tough sometimes. Nevertheless, I shall post le more dream sequences today, starting after I finish this very post!))

((Sorry to hear that, no worries, I was certain you'd be back at it! I wasn't on forum much yesterday anyway!))