Quote from Mister_Whisker >>

As you step onto the deck, you are greeted by a trio of constructs..."The boys will take you to see the greatest sights that mortal eyes have ever beheld," the merchant promises with a smile. "Treat them well, and they will take excellent care of you."

Korba is a little woarried that Balbor is not coming with them.  Once the cruiser gets underway, he tries to gather Nickeline and Jodie and as many of the others away from the constructs as he can so that he can ask quietly, "Balbor did not come with us.  Do we need to worry that he is sending us into a trap?" 

Hewelathan waits for Hildegard to dismount before walking (clip-clop, clip-clop) around the deck of the cruiser.  He wants to check that the constructs are not bothered by his presence, and as he passes them, he says, "Excuse me," or, "Passing on your left."  After the cruiser is out-of-sight of the Radiant Citadel, he plans to dismiss his Wild Shape and then relax while the cruiser heads to the Dead God.  If the constructs are not disturbed by a talking warhorse, he hopes that they will not care when the warhorse transforms into a half-elf!  

Since Hewelathan has experience with sailing vessels (i.e., proficiency with water vehicles), he's fascinated to watch the constructs guide the Ethereal Cruiser.  While the cruiser travels to the dead god, he'll divide his time between keeping watch and studying how the constructs operate an Ethereal Cruiser and navigate the Deep Ethereal.  He's worried that Zolgu or the other members of the dragon cult will waylay them during their journey, and he's sure that the cloudy mists of the Deep Ethereal hold dangers of their own.  But Hewelathan also hopes to learn enough to be able to pilot the cruiser in a pinch.

Keeping watch - Perception: 8
Studying the operation of the Cruiser - Investigation: 14

"Why would Balbor come with us if he has these constructs to move people around. He probably has more than one cruiser he lents out"

Quote from Secretfool >>

"Why would Balbor come with us if he has these constructs to move people around. He probably has more than one cruiser he lents out"

The still-disguised Korba adjusts his glasses and says, "I hope so.  Maybe Balbor sent his constructs because these trips to the Deep Ethereal are dangerous.  While we cruise toward destination that our friend has specified, keep your eyes open for anything that emerges from seemingly interminable gray mists!"

Korba will take up a position near the front of the ship where he can keep a look-out in the direction they are going, looking back over the stern from time to time.  Korba finds the constantly-changing but seemingly featureless mists that surround the cruiser as they travel farther from the Radiant Citadel to be unsettling, filling him with a sense of forboding.

Koba - Perception: 20, keeping watch near the bow of the ship

"I don't think Balbor would do something like that." Nickeline says. She had found no reason to mistrust Balbor in her close examination of his mannerisms. "These e-cruisers are pretty expensive and so are the constructs, I bet, and anything that would happen to us would also happen to them. Unless it's space pirates, or Zolgu and his minions, or some environmental hazard that only affects the living, but those are problems we can only deal with as they arise."

OOC:

History check about the constructs --> 13

Quote from mamoduck >>

OOC:

History check about the constructs --> 13

(They are a trio of autognomes, most likely with some small mods to improve their piloting/navigation abilities to a reasonable level)

Selarial gives Jodie a somewhat apologetic smile.

"If we knew who they once were... the deities who drift through the Ethereal would not be dead. The gods are sustained by mortal devotion. But... it shouldn't make a difference. All that remains of them now is the raw divine essence."

Regarding the perception checks for keeping watch... you don't see much of interest. A few other tourist ships float lazily through the Ethereal in parallel to your own journey. Granted... there is the unnerving possibility that some of those "innocent tourists" might not be tourists at all, but there is no solid evidence of that as of right now.

The journey continues unhindered for a time. It's at approximately the hour and a half mark when, thanks to Selarial's guidance, you see the figure floating through the ethereal...

The massive figure's mouth hangs open in an eternal, silent scream. Tiny chunks of dead flesh slowly crack off the body periodically and float into the ether even as you watch, dissolving into the ethereal mists surrounding the body as divine entropy consumes it over the course of eons.

Tamphalic looks at the enormous figure in awe. He has had some interesting views in his travels and research, but this might trump them all. He immediately fires of questions regarding the figure

"How long has it been here?"
"How long does it take for it to fully dissolve?"
"Are those bits that are flying of dangeours?"

And more of those kind of question. His notebook ready to write down the answers.

Quote from Mister_Whisker >>

you see the figure floating through the ethereal...

Hewelathan is awestruck by the sight.  The party has fought strange aberrations, is collaborating with a lich, and recently befriended a dragon, but this dead god is something completely different.  He gathers with the others, partly to hear what they're saying, but also because the presence of other real, solid people feels comforting in the presence of the massive husk of the dead titan.

Hewelathan doesn't have so many questions of his own.  He mostly wonders how they're going to get down to the "surface" to cast the ritual.  "Will the autognomes actually land the cruiser there?  Or do we have to climb or fly down from the ship somehow?"

Selarial gazes out at the body and answers a few of Temphalic's questions.

"It could take anywhere between a thousand years and over an eon for this god to dissolve entirely into the ether," she says, her voice quiet and reverent. "And... yes, the divine entropy can make the landscape difficult and dangerous to traverse if we are not careful where we tread."

Meanwhile, one of the autognomes answers Temphalic's question.

"Descent is not authorized for this vehicle," it says simply, its robotic voice completely devoid of emotion.

The sight of the dead god fills Nickeline with awe and fear. Would this one day be the fate of her own god? She prays that day will never come, and that Flandal will continue to teach gnomes the secrets of metallurgy for all eternity.

Nickeline was also puzzled about how to reach the dead god's body. She says, "Balbor promised us this e-cruiser would handle any danger the ethereal had to offer. Doesn't that mean we're allowed to land? I think that's what that means."

Hildegard stands silently on the deck of the cruiser, looking at the dead god. What is the sense of worshipping a being that will eventually die, even if it is at a time far beyond us? There is an Eternal Order beyond even gods, and that is what we fight for, that the good and the true is maintained in the face of evil, even evil that slays gods.

Turning to the others, she says, "Perdita can fly, and she is very at home on the Ethereal Plane. She would certainly be able to go down to the dead god, and, if we can find a safe place to stand, she could carry all of us down there."

Quote from mamoduck >>

The sight of the dead god fills Nickeline with awe and fear. Would this one day be the fate of her own god? She prays that day will never come, and that Flandal will continue to teach gnomes the secrets of metallurgy for all eternity.

Nickeline was also puzzled about how to reach the dead god's body. She says, "Balbor promised us this e-cruiser would handle any danger the ethereal had to offer. Doesn't that mean we're allowed to land? I think that's what that means."

(Balbor probably assumed no tourist was crazy enough to land on the actual body of a deceased god...)

Tamphalic writes everything down that is answered, before moving onto what they are actually here for; the getting onto the Dead god.

"Having Perdita carry us might be the best option indeed. Unless we have any teleportation method with us."

"I can go ahead of you to make sure we find a safe place to land," Selarial says. "Have the cruiser get a bit closer, then wait for ten minutes before you follow me."

If no one stops her, she'll do exactly that, gliding gracefully into the ethereal. Her hair and clothing billowing behind her make the fiend look almost angelic as she descends towards the massive corpse.

Quote from Secretfool >>

Tamphalic writes everything down that is answered, before moving onto what they are actually here for; the getting onto the Dead god.

"Having Perdita carry us might be the best option indeed. Unless we have any teleportation method with us."

Hewelathan agrees and thanks Hildegard for offering Perdita's services.  He was going to suggest lowering a rope, assuming the Cruiser could get close enough, but he's not sure which way is "down" in the Ethereal plane!  Is it even possible to lower a rope from their Cruiser? 

The Deep Ethereal is formless, with no sky or stars to orient himself.  When they were leaving the Radiant Citadel, Hewelathan saw some other ships in the distance.  He noticed that some of the ships were not all oriented the same way, and some of them were perpendicular to the party's Ethereal Cruiser.  Nevertheless, people seemed to be walking around on the decks of those ships just like normal.  He tries to remind himself that the Ethereal Plane is part of the building blocks of their world, just like the four elements, but he finds it hard to shake the feeling that this place is unnatural.  The presence of this "dead god" does nothing to diminish that feeling!

Hewelathan does not interfere with Selarial.  If she can find a safe place to land, he suggests that Hildegard take Hewelathan or Korba down first.  That way, if anything attacks the group on the surface while Hildegard and Perdita are still ferrying everyone down, they'll already have some of their melee fighters on the surface to hold them off.

Hildegard watches Selarial descend. Perdita stands silently, bound by the holy tack, her eyes blazing with infernal fury. Hildegard looks at her sorrowfully. "For Tali Windrunner, I have vowed I will find your horn and redeem you," Hildegard whispers to the blackened steed. She swings up into the saddle, and holds out a hand for the first passenger to ride down to the body of the dead god.

Tamphalic tells the constructs to have the ship stay where they are till they are all back abourd.

He is eager to get onto the dead god, but agrees it's better to start with a Melee fighter.

Quote from ConstancePhokas >>

Hildegard watches Selarial descend. Perdita stands silently, bound by the holy tack, her eyes blazing with infernal fury. Hildegard looks at her sorrowfully. "For Tali Windrunner, I have vowed I will find your horn and redeem you," Hildegard whispers to the blackened steed. She swings up into the saddle, and holds out a hand for the first passenger to ride down to the body of the dead god.

Hewelathan volunteers to go down first once Selarial indicates where they can land.

(OOC:  @Mister_Whisker - do we get the whole party down safely on Perdita?  Unless something happens before Hildegard finishes taking everyone down to the surface, I guess the exact order doesn't matter.  If we need to choose, I'd either send Korba down 2nd or maybe 5th.  Korba is good in melee, but if the Cruiser is within 120-ft of the surface, he also has a pretty good ranged attack with Eldritch Blast, so he could wait to go down after Jodie and Nickeline.)

The party descends to the dead god's body carefully, but ultimately successfully. Selarial waits for you, looking a bit nervous, but determined to see this through.

The actual surface of the dead god's body glows faintly, wrapped in ethereal mists. Every step you take feels like it could crack apart the dead flesh, and yet even now you can feel power radiating through the very air of this alien landscape. The environment is brightly lit, yet the light feels wrong. In fact, everything about being here feels wrong. Yet you have a task to perform, and this is the only place to do it.



"We should tread lightly here," Selarial says, almost in a whisper. "We will almost certainly attract unwanted attention when we start the ritual... but the longer we can put that off the easier our task will be."