Dredigan

A World Away

Jibb rushes back and forth bringing Artemis her required components. Once she has delivered them she rushes around to the other side of the massive furnace and reads a few gauges before turning a loud, squeaky wheel that causes steam to burst out of an open valve briefly. The fire in the furnace sparks up high as the steam vents out and then dies back down to its normal size.
"Artemis you need to hurry!" she calls out, "We only have two... maybe three minutes left. The shuttle isn't going to reach them in time!" She is holding the valve tightly, keeping it from spinning back to it's original position with great effort.

--
Down on the surface the group has begun to move back toward the landing site. We have to scale the hill and return to the top, the valley is too dangerous for the shuttle to openly land in due to the possible effects some of the artifacts might have on the Drinnium engines. The Stone-Turner itself is also floating just above the hill, the shuttle will take us directly back up to the ship. Once we hit the base of the hill Gorchek drops down onto his prone position and scuttles up with extreme speed before hitting the top and calling for the shuttle to be deployed.

On the way up the hill Virum approaches Lanestol. The people of Lyduros have far greater mental capacity than those of a human and often make deductions or learn new skills entirely subconsciously. One such skill that he had learned from Lanestol was how to read people and determine when something was wrong, even if he could not diagnose what was wrong. The doctor looked as though something troubled him and Virum couldn't help but take notice. He approaches and speaks semi-quietly so as not to arouse suspicion in the other members of the party.

"Are you okay, doctor? You look like you need to go see... Yourself, I suppose." Virum wasn't sure who to refer the only doctor on the ship to for a medical check up.

The shuttle begins its descent just as the group is reaching the top of the hill and about two minutes later it reaches the bottom.

A World Away

Awesome, 2 to go. I already sent a pm to Catmint.

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@Protoman
@Orkytheorc
@DarkHuntress

I wish to apologize to you all for my absence. There was a death in my family and I was forced to travel and handle affairs. I'm hoping to continue this, I'm going to be posting tomorrow night and I hope that everybody is ready and willing to continue participating.

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As Artemis returns to the ship she finds several people rushing around frantically with Jibb waiting for her at the door leading to the long stairway below deck.

"Come on! Hurry up!" she calls as she rushes downward. "The drinnium evaporator is breaking down, if we don't fix it we're all going to lose oxygen!" Jibb wastes no time explaining the urgency of the situation. She waddles down the hallway and pushes open a thick wooden door with bronze reinforcements on it. Inside is a large furnace similar to a forge but with pipes and valves above it leading outside. Jibb grabs hold of a big gear and holds it above her head. "I need you to fly up there with this and see whats broke! Tell me what else you need and I'll grab it but I can't get up there!"
--

Now feeling better, Virum is taking strides over the large fields of items. He abuses the low gravity, allowing for slightly longer jumps than normal, and keeps his dagger in his hand pointed downward to avoid any potential stabbings. Eventually he finds a spot with a decaying crown and an old warriors helmet. He imagines a multitude of stories for what could have brought these things here and why they would have been left behind, and decides to add his dagger to the collection. He kneels down and sticks it in the dirt, handle up.

When Virum returns and whenever Orky finishes his business the line re-forms and Gorchek addresses us.

"Alright everyone! I hope this has been a meaningful experience for you! We're gonna need to go ahead and make our way back to the shuttle now!" He seems a little uncomfortable, like he has been eagerly awaiting a return to the Stone-Turner.

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Gorchek lays flat on the ground and scuttles down the hill in a grotesque fashion that would once again be off-putting to anybody who didn't know him. All of his legs scuttling at once allow him to move incredibly fast and he manages to reach the bottom of the hill in half the time it took Virum to fall down. With Lanestol at work healing him and Orky getting his arm fixed up by Artemis Gorchek decides to take to the front of the group again.

"As you can all see this is the sea of trinkets. You can leave anything you want anywhere you want, but out of respect I simply ask that you don't take anything! No matter how cool or shiny it may be!" He looks at Orky sternly when he says the last part. "When you're finished you'll have to wait until we head back together, Atmosphere and what not."

Virum is unconscious for a moment but when the staff begins to mend his bones he wakes up and yells "Woah! This hurts I thought this was supposed to be a low gravity planet, Gorchek!"

Gorchek shrugs, "Low gravity doesn't mean NO gravity. Did you think you could fly or something, kiddo?"

"Maybe." Says Virum. When Marcus looks over at him to ask if he's okay he stops gritting his teeth long enough to say "Not yet but doc's got me."

Eventually Gorchek gets called via a walkie-talkie type device which is comprised of several gears, an antenna, and a small speaker. He holds it up and some mumbling can be heard from the other side. He looks out over the crowd and then says, "Alright, got it." He hangs it back off of his belt and located the pixies.

He approaches them and speaks quietly so that the others won't hear and be distracted. "Artemis, you're gonna need to make this quick. There is a problem on the Stone-Turner. Jibb needs you right away, she's sending another shuttle down to pick you up."

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The shuttle whistles loudly as it lands and the door falls open, kicking up dust which floats a little longer than normal in the slightly lower gravity than the crew of the Stone-Turner would be accustomed to. As everybody gets off and examines their surroundings Virum stays near Gorchek, just turning in a circle and taking everything in. When everybody has gotten their bearings and returns to Gorchek's side he begins to lead the group in a line, the ship floating casually above.

He responds to each question in turn, very patiently and politely, despite likely having answered the exact same questions dozens of times before. Nobody knows exactly how old Gorchek is, but he's been on the Stone-Turner even longer than Captain Brovik and he's got more than his share of wisdom to bestow.

"Don't worry, Orky, you'll know it when you see it!" he exclaims before giving a more clear answer to Lanestol's question. "We'll come over a large hill and at the bottom you will find a field covered in trinkets and other items as far as the eye can see!" He cocks his head, "There are also quite a few dead bodies. I think it's wrong of people to be laid to rest here, but it's also wrong to disturb the dead!" He throws a few arms up, "Ugh! Rocks and hard places folks! That's all there are on Trozzk!"

As Gorchek explained, we do indeed come to a large hill. We are at the top, however, and only have to worry about the descent. As we come to the crest we look on in full few of a valley lit immaculately by the sun, the hoards of small metal items littering the valley glitter in the sun like snow and, as Gorchek said, there are a few bodies laying around. They are not victims of violence perpetrated here, some people have simply requested to end their journey at the same place it began.

Virum is taking in the sight and steps forward, wide eyed and open mouthed. He eventually trips over a rock and begins tumbling down the hill. Everyone sees him and hears him grunting, but Gorchek just sighs.

"Don't worry folks, he'll still be within Range of the atmosphere but uh... Lanestol, you might need to check on him."

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Sorry for my hiatus guys, I'll write a post tonight and move this along!

A World Away

@RoccanIronclad Sorry to hear that. I didn't realize it was going to be moving at such a pace either but if everybody is keeping up with it then I'll be trying to maintain it. If you ever decide to come back just know that you're welcomed.

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Accident

A World Away

The shuttle sticks around for about 5 minutes, giving everyone time to settle in and finish their conversations. After all it isn't a military vessel and there aren't any strict deployment codes. The ships don't all leave at the same time and by the time Vincent gets into the cockpit and Gorchek is ready there are two shuttles on their way down. The windows on the shuttle allow for a view of your descent. On the way down Gorchek is standing up, many hands positioned on the guard rails and other random fixed items in the shuttle to keep himself steady.

"Hope you're all as excited as I am! It's gonna be great, just don't get your head popped by the pressure as the doctor ordered!" He laughs, his pincers flexing in and out. As you near the ground and the shuttle slows Gorchek shakes. "Oooh! I've always hated this feeling, like being in a really fast moving elevator!" He spares a few extra hands to hold on. Before too long you reach the bottom and a whistling can be heard throughout the hold as a noisy exhaust port vents steam through the top of the ship. Eventually the gears stop cranking and the engine dies down, then the back of the shuttle drops open and hits the dirt below with a thud. "Go crazy kids!" Gorchek yells.