"Well, um, Thallan, uh... Let's do it. A little more utility wouldn't hurt. Besides, if we ever reclaim our mirror we would have access to enough gold to buy this whole shop!"

Dril's mind goes wild with the possibility of becoming a Bounder and having access to the Material Plane, funding his trips to other planes. Learning it all, everything. When he returned to school he would undoubtedly be tenured and lauded for his contribution to science and culture!

Ospos is hesitant, "I have a feeling the whole purpose of the Riftlock and Bounders is exactly so that isn't allowed to happen."

Thallan agrees with Ospos,

"Yes, I was under the impression, that if we become full bounders, we would be hunting down the mirror so it could be secured away or destroyed."

"It would be our solemn duty to uphold the Riftlock and protect the material plane from unsanctioned intrusion."

Thallan smiles at Dril,

"Well my learned friend, do you have what you need for the copying of the scroll to your spell book?"

"If we acquire the Tenser’s Floating Disk scroll, I can put 170gp towards it, which means you would need to cover the other 190gp. You would also need to have 50gp worth of spell scribing ink to complete the process."

As you all take quite a while to deliberate on your purchases, Li-li finishes up the previous customer's transaction, and the cloaked figure rushes past your little huddle. "Heeeellooooo! Is there anything I can help you all with?!" she calls out in a loud, incredibly high pitched voice. Her static face is pointed in your direction, and she waves a matching porcelain hand.

Ospos bows and says, "I am taken care of.  Simply waiting for my colleagues to make their purchases.  Thanks."

"Pleasure to meet you! I am Dril and we are on official Bounder duty. My associate and I would like to purchase a Scroll of Tenser's Floating Disk if it is for sale."

“Ooooh of course! That will be 360 gold.” She says in her birdsong voice. She walks towards you all, a somewhat unnerving movement as you notice no shifting of legs beneath her long tunic, she seems to glide across smooth copper floor. Her delicate fingers remove the scroll from the case and hand it to you in exchange for the gold. “Will there be anything else?” She asks.

(For brevity, If y’all need to you can fgure out how you’re splitting the gold in ooc, otherwise and if there are no other purchases feel free to leave so we can move things along)

Ava looks readily over the group with a smile "Do we feel as though we have all we might need?"

Ospos nods at Ava.

"Unless Thallan needs significant time to transcribe the scroll I feel as though I am ready to go."

Thallan smiles at Dril,

"I was planing for us to keep the scroll until a later more opportune time to sit and transcribe it."

"Do you want to hold on to the scroll or shell I?"

Turning to address the whole group, Thallan asks,

"I was wondering though, if I might be able to take a bit more of your time. I would like to preform this ritual that let's me summon a small spirit familiar."

"I truly feel this could be a valuable asset for us in our journey ahead."

Addressing Ava directly,

"I don't suppose you know a place I could safely preform this ritual? I will need a place I can burn some material in a brassier I have, and about an hour of uninterrupted time."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea! There's a moderately sized rest area that overlooks the market nearby, would that be suitable?" 

"Yes, thank you my dear, that sounds perfect."

Thallan let Ava guide him to the area, where he sets up and casts the Find Familiar ritual.

An hour and 10min later, as Thallan completes the casting, a small bat that would fit in you hand, pops into existence.

"It worked, wonderful!"

"Hello my little friend, my name is Tha...ah my name is Void. I have summoned you here to be my helper."

The small bat flys into Thallans hands and begins squeaking to him.

"Hmm? Hmm. So your name is Xandar? Hmm, right. Hmm, oh, for the whole time I have been casting? Well I appreciate you making such an effort for me, little one."

Turning to the waiting group, Thallan introduces Xandar.

"Friends, this is Xandar."

The bat turns around in Thallans hands to look at every one. He is a small grey/brown bat with little pointed ears.

If you look closely you can notice, that unlike a normal bat, Xandar has a 3rd eye in the bridge of his snout, between his to normal eyes.

"Xandar tells me he has come a very long way to answer my call for a familiar, and he is glade to have made it."

"Xandar, these are my friends."

Thallan points to each of you and calls out your names.

"This is Ava, that's Liafial, that's Drill, and here is Ospos, and that's Clermar, and finally Nean."

Thallan lifts Xandar up to his shoulder, where the little bat climbs on.

"Well my friends, I thank you for your patience, shell we begin the next leg of our journey?"

The area that Ava has led you to is a large balcony overlooking the market, opposite from the portal room. Several sleek chairs and sofas are arranged around potted coral-like decorations, branching and fanning in shades of peach and teal. There are a couple of people having a conversation, and a githzerai monk standing guard nearby, but no one disturbs you as you complete the ritual.

With all of your preparations done, you all feel ready to embark on this next chapter. The open entrance to the portal room awaits you across the open space of headquarters.

"Hello Xandar, I'm so happy that you can join us." 

Ava then turns to gesture to the adjacent portal room, looking across the group "Shall we?"

"Sure thing, after you M'lady." Nean bows with a grin.

You all make your way around the curving walkway, heading back towards the place where you entered this strange space. For Ava, headquarters is a home away from home, and for the rest of you, this place has already started to feel familiar despite it's alienness. Maybe it's because it has been a short but peaceful respite from your journey so far, or maybe because you grow anxious at what lies ahead. Eventually, you find yourselves looking back at the strange copper and crystal device as you enter the portal room. Caj's voice speaks out, slightly distorted through whatever magic is projecting it here. "The planecaster is already attuned to the Shadowfell for you. Step into the circle and you'll be shifted there. Good luck." As soon as the last of you steps into the circle of runes beneath the device, the skin tingling buzz of arcane energy starts up. The process is similar to your trip from the feywild: a smattering of blue motes apparate, then proliferate, causing a net of constellations to envelop you. Bounders hq falls away into the azure light, and you feel the sensation of space spiraling and warping around you. Before this feeling can make you too nauseous, the light blinks out quite suddenly, leaving after-image motes of light burned on your retinas. Beyond this, there is only darkness.

After a few moments, your eyes adjust. The sky above you is charcoal, as if overcast with a blanket of thick clouds blotting out the last light of a sun that set an hour ago. It's difficult to make out many details of your surroundings, partially because of this dim lighting but also because your surroundings are bleak. This area seems to be a barren stretch of rocky desert. Small outcroppings of rock and a ridge cutting a jagged black line against the sky far in the distance are the main noticeable details. Perpendicular to this ridge, those with darkvision can make out a stand of sparse, scraggly trees. In the opposite directions, there is nothing but two different shades of grey; dust and sky separated by a razor horizon. 

Welcome to the Shadowfell.

"Well, that was interesting. What's the plan then? Do we know where we are, in the Shadowfell? Do we have contacts we can use to get ourselves sorted?"

Thallan turns to Ava,

"Are we to use the spell scroll we where given, now, or is that just for emergency?"

Dril takes a moment to focus his eyes. The barren landscape looks wretched. "I bet the Bounders assigned to this plane are just lovely.." he says with more than a hint of sarcasm.

Regarding her new surroundings "I believe it would be best to use the scroll now to contact Lah'thys, as my knowledge of this realm is introductory, and I think that she could provide us with a rough estimate of Verrina's location, as well as topographical details we might need later."