The airship contains several humans, all wearing black leather armor and black leather masks. They see Zeek flying nearby and one of them waves at the tressym.

Two of the others lean out of the airship and beckon you up the ladders. "Please ... aboard!" one of them shouts down, barely audible over the whistling wind. "We ... message for ... "

Swiper had been very much enthralled with the pretty shiny opal, having been given it for safe keeping. “Swiper takes care of things good, yes he does...” He says to himself, only for him to then look up to the strange object in the sky. “Whassat?” He would ask, then sadly out away the opal in his shinies pocket. Then he would scream up to the humans in an old ladies voice. “WHAT? WHAT DID YOU SAY?!”

"I said...message...to you!" The masked human yells again.

Do they look threatening at all? Does he sense any ill intentions behind those words? Will I fail miserably at this insight check?: 19

 Nirzeg cannot help but chuckle. "Aight. That's enough ****'n with'em. Let's see what these shit heads want, and be done wit'em. Worst case scenario, we wind up with a new ship after it's previous owners meet a rather unfortunate, but sudden end." After Nirzeg grabs onto a rope intending on begining the ascent, he frowns, and looks back to the horses. "If push comes to shove, we can leave the horses behind with Harshnag --- All except Big Blue's, though I will leave negotiating getting the beaaa--friend up there to you, Big Blue. You know, in the inevitable event these shady looking ****s message involves flying off on this wanna be jammer."

Having said all that, Nirzeg ascends to the deck, hand over hand with practiced ease.

Rasa takes wing and follows Nirzeg up. Upon climbing the 50 feet to the ship floating in the sky, you are greeted by four black-leathered individuals. They wait for all of you arrive before their masked leader launches into what is likely a rehearsed speech. They seem not to have heard Nirzeg's disparaging remarks made down on the ground.

“Greetings, killers of giants! My name is Delsephine, and this is my crew. We come to you on behalf of Klauth, the Great Dragon of the North! Klauth offers you this vessel and our services as a gift, so that you may cross his vast dominion while avoiding the many perils of the land below. War against the giants is inevitable, but the Great Dragon commands you forge ahead and face your destiny! The ordning of the giants is broken, and they are not united. Slay their leaders, and you may yet prevail."

Delsephine takes a breath before she finishes her stilted delivery. "If you succeed in quelling the giant threat, Klauth bids you come to his hidden vale, so that he can reward your bravery.”

Anything known about Klauth: 8.
Insight into Delsephine's Character: 8.

Throughout the entirety of Delsephine's speech a look of skepticism never leaves the face of the githyanki. With the exception of those he knew to be bound by the accord, no dragon -- especially no chromatic -- offered genuine rewards without it being mere pittance by their perspective, or especiting far greater returns. That said...

Nirzeg knows of Klauth by name only, as an ancient red dragon. Delsephine obviously thinks the world of Klauth, judging by how she talks of him.

"Wait... Kaulth? I know that name. Not much about the Great One personally, but then I didn't always have quite the pleasure to work directly alongside the draconic compared to the G-..." Nirzeg coughs into a raised fist, cutting off the rest. "In any case, it will certainly be far easier to get around in the sky, then by any mundane methods. So, you have my thanks, Lovely Delsephine." He winks at her. "The name is Nirzeg, in case your.. master had not informed you -- And please! No need to be so stiff around us. For I imagine we will be working together at length, I imagine -- Which speaking of which, I do not suppose this vessel can accomadate a warhorse?"

Delsephine shifts uncomfortably, trying to be less stiff. "The Great Dragon has foreseen your need for equestrian accommodations. There is room belowdeck for the beloved horse of the dragonborn Derrikoth, complete with a sling for safety and comfort. You will only need to provide the means by which to bring the horse aboard. We do not have a ramp long enough to accommodate him."

 Seeing the discomfort, Nirzeg grin broadens into a smile. "Is that so? Hn. A trifle. If you could lower this vessel at least a little closer to the ground, and we shall see if a friend of ours can assist. And do not be concerned about their being, for on this mission of ours, we are more or less on the same side. Just... leave talking to me." With that, Nirzeg sends Zeek off to go retrieve Harshnag.

After which time and some short conversation later, Nirzeg enlarges Harshnag, if need be, to better access the ship and set Josephus on board. At that time, he'd also request for Harshnag to see to the horses for the time being. Once that whole matter is settled, Nirzeg attention returns to Delsephine proper and asks, "Shall we head to your quarters -- well, captains quarters to discuss our heading more at length?"

To no one's surprise, Harshnag initially reacts quite negatively to the idea of trusting a bunch of "dragon cultists," as he calls them. 

Still, the giant mutters, "I was just wondering how you were going to get the horses back down the mountain. S'pose it's for the best. Just don't put too much trust in them. You can't trust a dragon."

The giant then accepts Nirzeg's spell, and instantly grows to a truly gargantuan size!! Doubling in height, he is able to reach down to the ground, pluck Josephus from the snow, and place him in the airship floating 50 feet overhead. 

"HO HO HO!" Harshnag roars with a belly laugh. "THIS FEELS AMAZING! I MUST REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN DO THIS!"

Harshnag then offers to ferry you between the ground and the airship, should you so desire, for the minute that remains of the spell's duration.

But all good things eventually come to an end, and as you begin to sail away to the south, Harshnag's form shrinks back down to his normal, giant self. He gives you a salute before turning back to the temple of Annam. 

Delsephine responds to Nirzeg's suggestion. "We all have our quarters below decks," she says, gesturing towards the narrow doorway to the lower deck. On the top deck, you notice that there's little more than a furnace (which fills the red balloon with hot air), a forward harpoon gun and an aft ballista (both on swivels), and a steering wheel mounted on the aftcastle, just behind the ballista. 

Delsephine offers to give you a tour as you set off. Down a narrow flight of stairs in either direction, the lower deck of the ship is a long hallway that is lined with several small cabins. Each cabin has a double-bunk hammock, a writing desk, a chair, a partitioned footlocker, and a latched porthole. Atop each desk is a sturdy oil lamp and a game—dragonchess in one, a deck of playing cards in another. For a ship belonging to a red dragon, it's surprisingly homey, if a little cramped. 

Finally, there is a storeroom and a relatively small area for Josephus the horse to stay. It's very small, but it indeed has a horse sling. The stairs and hallway are a very tight squeeze for the horse, but as long as Derrikoth leads him, Josephus doesn't seem too bothered by his surroundings.

"As I said before, we are at your service," Delsephine explains. "The ship goes wherever you want, and fast."

// Let me know if there's anything you'd like to do between here and the Great Worm Cavern. If you simply tell Delsephine where you're heading, she'll plot the course—40 miles as the dragon flies—and get you there in a matter of about 5 hours. You can use this time to discuss your strategy if you like, or to meet your new allies/ask them any questions you like. //

"Aye, they are what they are, but they are useful in this instance." Nirzeg had replied smoothly to Harshnag, but gave an understanding look to the giant. But such convenience and speed could not be flagrantly ignored, even if it meant further the realization he wasted coin in purchasing a guide, warhorses, and so forth back in a certain town. An issue he fully intended to remedy, even if he would not be able to make full use of the service.

Nirzeg more than happily accepts Delsephine's offer. Though admittedly, the Gith just barely spends more time actually attentively taking in the sights, as he did checking out Delsephine. And while it started out as merely the sizing up a potential opponent, not that any that caught him might think so, his gaze and thoughts did wander at times. Eventually he mutters something about brothel's while rubbing his temple as if to chase away a headache.

"About that, dear Delsephine." He replied. "Considering the nature of this ship, are there places we should know about ahead of time that you usually find yourselves going to resupply and so forth? Can we expect other agents of the Great Klauth to assist us from the ground in certain areas as well? And, hm... I wouldn't say finally, but for now, during the intervening time, might you or one of yours teach us some of the proverbial ****'n ropes of the ship? I know some things about these sorts of things myself, but in the all too likely event we still run into aerial trouble, it would be good to learn." Nirzeg requests. Once all of those questions are answered in the presence of the group, Nirzeg retires to his quarters, wanting nothing more than rest and recover what little magic he can.

There would be no complaints from the kenku when told they were going on the flying thing in the sky, if anything he seemed rather excited. Being cursed with flightlessness, this would mark the first time he would get the sort of feel of wind in his feathers. He would be and about wherever he could feel the wind, or nearby Lydia had he been needed for anything.

Also he would look for any misplaced shinies he could possibly swipe. 

// Alright then, here we go! //

Delsephine tells Nirzeg that Klauth isn't interested in helping directly, but has promised a rich reward once you find King Hekaton of the Storm Giants, or else slay all the other prominent giant leaders.

The crew is able to navigate to any of the major cities and dwarfholds in the North, most of which are good for restocking. The bigger the better, of course—Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, and Neverwinter on the sword coast; Mirabar, Luskan, and Bryn Shander in the frozenfar; Yartar, Everlund, or Silverymoon on the Savage Frontier. For now, though, Delsephine takes your heading and propels the airship on to the first location on Harshnag's map.

The Great Worm Cavern is located at the end of the Khedrun Valley, deep in the frozen Spine of the World. It only takes a matter of hours to fly there, which is almost insulting, considering your days-long trek to find the Eye of Annam with Harshnag. Still, flying sure beats walking.

It is deepnight, the day after Midsummer, when you arrive close to your first destination in the airship. The moon is waxing and the stars shine bright, giving the snow below an eerie glow. The dragon cultists let you down on the ground at the northeast end of Khudren Valley, just outside the cavern identified by your friend Harshnag.

You'll have to figure out how to get Josephus down from the ship, if in fact you wish to bring him along in this frozen environment. 

Thick ice hangs above the pillared entrance to Great Worm Cavern. The interior walls of the place are covered with an icy glaze and lined with massive icicles that gleam and glitter in reflected light, both from the moon and from what looks like some interior source. The mouth of the cavern gapes wide, but it's not what you would call "inviting." 

// What do you do? //

“Eeeeehhhhh... Do we gotta go in there?” The kenku would ask the rest of the group. “I’m not feelin’ very welcome, ya know?”

"We must, but if it makes you feel better, you can ride on my back."

“**** yeah!” There was no hesitation from Swiper when she offers him a ride, the kenku quickly clambering up on her back. “You’s the best, Lydia!”

Nirzeg just shakes his head at the interaction between Kenku and Human, finding it ast least mildly amusing, if the faint grin is anything to go by. As far as the manuevering of josepheus goes, unless browbeat into coming up with a solution, the Githyanki won't even give the beast a thought.

"So this is it, hm? Why any chowderhead calls these reaches home is beyond me." The Githyanki commented on. "Well, its no time like the present. Let's get this ******* over with. Maybe will get lucky, 'n they'll be willing to pass it along in exchange for passing some trial. Tribal folk like these tend to be that way." He adds, deciding to just stroll on past the pillars for a proper look beyond them, checking out any caves along the way.

Lydia puts Swiper on her back and walks right on in.