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Champions of the Empire | The Brass Key - Turn 1.7 - The Feather Storm
| Name | Watch | Notes |
| KC | 2 |  |
| Martin Vane | 1 | Lesser Enchantment on everyone. |
| Morty Crystaltouched | 1 | |
| Pellanistra Xarann | 3 | 25% DR vs Slash, Crush, Puncture & Elemental. Ebon Talisman Shadow Step. 50% resistant to drain |
| Shaarilla | 3 | |
| Syllivarrna Obanghall | 2 | |
| Tyra Stellastrom | 4 | |
| Randle Hewlet | | |
| Tomas Hale | | Divine Insights - July 1/1 |
The Void Wanderer committed itself to the silver-white current.
No one celebrated.
Not because the choice had been difficult.
Because nobody could be entirely certain it had been correct.
The current simply carried them onward.
Deeper into Other Space.
Toward the Engine.
Or so everyone hoped.
Heightened Watches
Lani wasted little time after Selvine's warning about other travelers.
The possibility that something else might be moving through the River of Forgotten Destinations bothered her far more than the currents themselves.
By the following morning she had worked out a revised watch schedule with Tyra, Brenna, and Garrick.
The new watches were considerably more aggressive.
No section of the ship would ever be unwatched.
The exterior of the vessel remained under constant observation.
So did the interior.
Because nobody aboard was entirely certain where a threat might emerge from.
The corridors.
The cargo holds.
The fracture chamber.
The helm.
Everything received regular inspection.
KC, Martin, Garrick, Brenna, Rurik, Harlan, Durgan, Selka, Brannick, Corvin, Lysa and the rest of the crew all found themselves assigned to the expanded rotation.
Nobody complained.
The atmosphere of Other Space encouraged vigilance.
Even Tomas Hale quietly accepted additional duties.
When not on watch, the young cleric spent much of his time praying.
Not because he was frightened.
Though perhaps he was.
Mostly because he had absolutely no idea what Pelor's teachings had to say about rivers made from possibility.
The Nature of Other Space
One question soon became increasingly important.
Could someone safely leave the ship?
The answer turned out to be:
Yes.
Mostly.
But not indefinitely.
Unlike Wildspace, Other Space did not appear completely hostile to living creatures.
There was air.
Sort of.
Or perhaps something that behaved similarly enough to air.
Temperature was not especially cold.
Nor warm.
Instead travelers described it as strangely neutral.
As though the concept of temperature itself mattered less here.
Yet danger remained.
The farther one moved from the ship, the more difficult it became to maintain certainty.
Distances became unreliable.
Direction became subjective.
A person fifty feet away could appear several hundred feet distant.
Or vice versa.
The effect worsened rapidly beyond approximately one hundred feet from the vessel.
Beyond that distance, even Selvine strongly advised caution.
People did not simply risk getting lost.
They risked becoming uncertain about where "back" actually was.
Nobody wanted to discover what happened after that.
The Feather Hunt
The feathers continued drifting around the Void Wanderer.
Thousands of them.
Millions perhaps.
Some larger than sails.
Others no larger than a fingernail.
Most passed harmlessly by.
The curiosity they inspired, however, became impossible to ignore.
KC continued studying them whenever possible.
His Power Perception revealed more than he expected.
The feathers radiated magic.
Not conventional enchantment.
Not elemental power.
Not divine energy.
Each feather appeared to contain a faint imprint.
A residue.
Like a memory that had forgotten who it belonged to.
The stronger the feather glowed, the stronger the impression became.
This immediately increased everyone's interest.
Especially Morty's.
Several increasingly ambitious plans were proposed.
Morty volunteered his Star Shield.
Shaarilla pointed out that she was perhaps uniquely qualified for the task.
Syl suggested Habu.
That suggestion ultimately proved the most practical.
Habu's Retrieval
The little starbird seemed remarkably comfortable in Other Space.
More comfortable than anyone else aboard.
In fact, Habu appeared fascinated by the drifting feathers.
Several times the familiar was observed flying alongside them.
Studying them.
Almost playing with them.
When Syl finally instructed Habu to retrieve one, the bird launched immediately from the deck.
The crew watched nervously.
At first nothing happened.
The familiar darted gracefully through the drifting currents.
Past luminous strands of silver energy.
Between floating feathers.
Then Habu selected one.
A feather approximately the size of a man's forearm.
Silver-white.
Softly glowing.
The starbird seized it gently in its talons.
And immediately froze.
For several seconds Habu simply hovered motionless.
Watching the feather.
Then the familiar abruptly turned and returned to the ship.
Fast.
Very fast.
Almost alarmingly fast.
Syl immediately sensed something unusual through her bond.
Not fear.
Surprise.
Examining the Feather
The recovered feather became the center of attention for much of the day.
Morty.
Selvine.
KC.
Randle.
Even Tyra.
Everyone wanted to examine it.
At first glance it appeared perfectly ordinary.
Beautiful.
But ordinary.
Then closer study began.
The feather possessed almost no physical weight.
It could rest comfortably upon a single fingertip.
Its surface shimmered with shifting patterns visible only from certain angles.
More importantly:
The feather remembered.
Not consciously.
Not intelligently.
But undeniably.
When examined through magical means, brief impressions appeared.
A sensation of movement.
A feeling of travel.
A distant song.
Tyra experienced something stranger still.
Upon touching the feather she briefly sensed countless travelers moving along a current.
Not individuals.
More like echoes.
Generations of journeys layered atop one another.
The sensation vanished almost immediately.
But it was enough.
The feather was not merely part of Other Space.
It was recording it.
Selvine eventually offered her conclusion.
"These are navigational markers."
That drew immediate attention.
The scholar carefully turned the feather in her hands.
"I do not believe they are alive."
She paused.
"Nor do I believe they are naturally occurring."
That statement immediately changed the mood in the room.
Morty sat upright.
"Created?"
"Possibly."
"By the Engine?"
Selvine hesitated.
Then nodded.
"That is currently my leading theory."
Silence followed.
The feather drifted slightly above the table.
Slowly rotating.
Almost listening.
The Storm Ahead
It was Morty who noticed the change first.
Again.
The gnome had been studying the feather through a collection of lenses when he suddenly stopped.
His expression shifted.
"That's odd."
Selvine looked up immediately.
"What?"
Morty moved toward the nearest observation port.
Outside, the density of feathers had increased.
Not dramatically.
Yet.
But enough to notice.
The silver-white current ahead appeared brighter than before.
More crowded.
More active.
Feathers drifted through it in growing numbers.
Not randomly.
Together.
Like a migration.
Like birds following an invisible seasonal route.
Selvine immediately began taking measurements.
Several minutes later her expression darkened.
"Everyone should come see this."
One by one the senior members gathered.
Outside the ship, the silver-white current stretched toward the horizon.
And far ahead, almost beyond visibility, something immense was forming.
A cloud.
A storm front.
Not of rain.
Not of lightning.
Of feathers.
Millions upon millions of luminous feathers moving together through the current.
The formation stretched across the entire width of the river.
No obvious route around it existed.
Tyra stared for several moments.
"That's a lot of feathers."
Morty adjusted his goggles.
"Technically speaking, that's the largest concentration we've seen."
Lani folded her arms.
"Thank you, Morty."
The gnome nodded.
"You're welcome."
Selvine never took her eyes from the approaching phenomenon.
"The current leads directly through it."
Silence followed.
Outside, the storm drifted steadily toward them.
Or perhaps they were drifting toward it.
In Other Space, the distinction was becoming increasingly difficult to determine.
The Feather Storm awaited.
LANI: "Good idea. Perhaps divine guidance is what we need right now. Anyone else?"
MORTY: Were you able to get any sensations from Habu at all when it made contact with that feather it retrieved? It seemed to pause or freeze, I wonder if there is some temporal energy in those things.
MORTY (GM): I assume we were able to touch it with no unusual effects after it was brought aboard? Does it respond normally to a breeze or blown air? Perhaps we could get Shaarilla to create a gust to clear a path for us a bit?
Morty's Questions
As discussion of the Feather Storm continued, Morty eventually raised several of the questions that had been bothering him since Habu's retrieval.
The gnome sat atop a stack of books that someone had thoughtfully provided so he could see over the chart table.
The recovered feather slowly rotated nearby.
Morty adjusted his goggles.
"Question."
Nobody was surprised.
Morty always had questions.
Usually many.
"Was anyone able to determine exactly what happened when Habu touched the feather?"
He looked toward Syl.
"The pause."
"The freezing."
"The moment where she just stopped."
Morty pointed toward the recovered feather.
"I'm wondering if there's some kind of temporal effect involved."
That immediately caught Selvine's attention.
Tyra as well.
Even KC looked interested.
Syl glanced toward Habu.
The starbird had been perched comfortably atop one of the charting shelves.
She tilted her head.
"Habu?"
The familiar fluffed her feathers.
For a few moments she appeared to be organizing her thoughts.
Then she hopped closer.
"The feather..."
She paused.
"...saw me."
Morty immediately began taking notes.
"Not eyes?"
Habu shook her head.
"No eyes."
The starbird tapped her beak lightly against her chest.
"Know."
Then pointed toward the feather.
"It know."
Morty frowned.
"Know what?"
Habu struggled for several moments.
Finally she spread her wings.
"Traveler."
She pointed at herself.
Then toward the silver current outside.
Then back toward herself.
"Fly."
The familiar paused again.
"Go."
"Travel," Morty said.
Habu nodded vigorously.
"Travel."
Selvine folded her arms.
"So the feather recognized you as something that moves between places."
Habu thought about that.
Then nodded again.
"Yes."
"What happened next?" Morty asked.
The familiar looked uncertain.
Then surprised everyone by answering immediately.
"It pull."
The room grew quiet.
Syl looked up.
"Pull?"
Habu nodded.
The starbird extended one wing toward the silver-white current.
"That way."
Then she spread both wings.
"Not body."
A pause.
"Head."
She tapped the side of her beak.
"Inside."
Morty's eyes widened.
Tyra's eyebrow rose.
Selvine immediately began writing.
The familiar continued.
"It want me go."
"Where?" asked KC.
Habu pointed toward the current.
Then toward the distant storm.
Then beyond it.
"I don't know."
The admission seemed to frustrate her.
"Far."
That was the best description she could manage.
Morty eventually nodded.
"Not temporal then."
That drew several looks.
The gnome shrugged.
"If it was temporal, we'd expect confusion regarding sequence."
He pointed toward Habu.
"She's describing direction."
"Destination."
"Possibly navigation."
Selvine reluctantly nodded.
"I believe he's correct."
Additional Feather Experiments
Morty's second question involved the feather itself.
Specifically:
How normal was it?
The answer turned out to be:
Surprisingly normal.
At first.
The feather could be touched.
Lifted.
Turned.
Examined.
It possessed no obvious harmful effects.
Several crew members handled it without incident.
Including KC.
Including Morty.
Even Tomas eventually touched it after determining it was unlikely to be demonic.
The airflow tests proved far more interesting.
At Morty's suggestion, several increasingly elaborate experiments were performed.
First simple breath.
Then fans.
Then magical gusts created by Shaarilla.
Each produced the same result.
The feather behaved like a normal feather.
For a while.
Then it corrected itself.
No matter where the wind pushed it, the feather eventually reoriented toward the same distant direction.
Always.
Without exception.
Morty watched one such test carefully.
Then adjusted his goggles.
"It doesn't resist."
Selvine looked up.
"What?"
"The wind."
He pointed.
"It doesn't fight the wind."
The feather drifted lazily through the air.
Then slowly rotated back toward its preferred heading.
"It simply doesn't care."
That observation turned out to be important.
The feather wasn't navigating.
It was being navigated.
A New Observation
Several hours later, KC's continued study of the feathers yielded another discovery.
Using Power Perception, he noticed something subtle.
The feathers were not all identical.
Most possessed faint magical impressions.
The farther ahead he looked, however, the stronger those impressions became.
The feathers drifting near the approaching storm contained noticeably more power.
More memory.
More presence.
Almost as though they had accumulated experiences.
Or carried them.
When he shared the observation, Selvine became thoughtful.
"Older feathers."
Morty looked up.
"You think they're aging?"
"No."
She stared toward the distant wall of drifting light.
"I think they're traveling."
The distinction unsettled everyone.
The Storm Grows
As the day passed, the Feather Storm continued expanding.
What had once seemed distant now dominated the horizon.
Individual feathers could no longer be counted.
Entire clouds drifted together.
Currents merged.
Separated.
Merged again.
The silver-white flow carrying the Void Wanderer led directly into the phenomenon.
There was no obvious route around it.
Habu remained unusually focused on the approaching storm.
More than once she flew to the observation ports simply to watch.
Eventually Syl asked her what she was seeing.
The starbird stared outward for several moments.
Then answered quietly.
"Home."
Silence followed.
Everyone looked toward her.
Habu immediately shook her head.
"No."
She pointed toward herself.
Then toward the storm.
Then toward the recovered feather.
"Home for feather."
That somehow felt even more unsettling.
The familiar continued staring through the glass.
Watching the countless luminous feathers drifting together in the distance.
Then she added one final thought.
A simple observation.
One that left the chart room completely silent.
"There are more."
Syl frowned.
"More feathers?"
Habu shook her head.
"No."
The starbird pointed toward the storm.
Then toward the current beyond it.
Then toward the darkness hidden within the heart of the formation.
Her feathers puffed slightly.
Not fear.
Not excitement.
Recognition.
"Travelers."
The room fell silent.
And beyond the hull of the Void Wanderer, the Feather Storm continued to grow.
LANI: "Normally I would say that a spelljammer the size of the Void Wanderer would just barrel through a bunch of feathers but I suspect it is not going to be so simple. Anyone have any ideas?" Her question is directed at everyone but she her eyes settle on Selvine as she finishes asking the question.
TOMAS: The very young cleric, barely deserving of the title, tentatively raises his hand, "I can pray to Pelor for guidance," he says, half expecting mockery from those who have little use for the gods.
TYRA: "So the feathers are benign and will help guide us to the engine?"
KC: So I think that while we are in the feather storm, maybe we should keep everyone below decks so the nobody gets touched by the bigger more powerful ones or to many feathers at one time.
KC: also I have a thought, since the feather is being directed in a constant direction. How or would the feather react with either Selvines equipment or the navigational hem of the Void Wanderer? Would it help or hinder if used and can interact with them. Also could Morty maybe make a feather compass?
MORTY: Or they are imprinted with the hopes and dreams of previous travelers? It occurs to me that travelers who fail may eventually disintegrate and BECOME the feathers, but that seems too dark to even think about. It does seem likely that like Habu, we will be 'tested' by the feathers we contact, he expressed it seemed to want to know him and know his heart, and compel his mind to continue forward. That seems like it could be very distracting or worse. Shaarilla do you think it would be possible to create a medium strength breeze on a wide enough arc to gently push them out of the way as we make our way through? Perhaps with Sorcery altering a Mage Wind spell? I could handle the helm if you need me to just keep it steady and slow while we do?
MORTY TECH: Insight roll 30- [rolled 11] I am considering spending a Flash of Insight if I fail, maybe others should roll this too.
GM: I'm sure everyone will see where Morty's successful insight roll comes into play, as well as Tomas' request for divine insight (a new ability usable by clerics).
The chart room remained unusually crowded.
No one seemed eager to leave while the Feather Storm slowly grew beyond the forward viewing ports.
The recovered feather rested atop the chart table, slowly rotating toward the approaching wall of shimmering light.
Silence lingered until Lani finally broke it.
She folded her arms thoughtfully.
"Normally," she said, "I'd say a spelljammer the size of the Void Wanderer would simply barrel through a flock of feathers."
She glanced toward the impossible cloud filling the horizon.
"...but I suspect it isn't going to be so simple."
Her eyes settled on Selvine.
"Anyone have any ideas?"
The scholar studied the feather for several long moments before answering.
"No."
The admission surprised no one.
"Whatever this place is," Selvine continued quietly, "it was not built according to the rules of Wildspace."
She looked toward the approaching storm.
"If brute force were the correct answer..."
She slowly shook her head.
"...I doubt the Engine would have endured long enough to become legend."
From the back of the room, Tomas Hale hesitantly raised one hand.
Everyone turned toward him.
The young cleric immediately looked uncertain.
"I..."
He glanced around the room.
"...I can pray."
A few smiles appeared.
Not mocking.
Encouraging.
Tomas continued.
"I know I don't understand any of this."
He looked toward Selvine.
"Or Morty."
Then toward Shaarilla.
"Or really... anyone."
A nervous laugh escaped him.
"But perhaps Pelor sees farther than I do."
He looked almost embarrassed.
"I would like to ask for guidance."
Randle smiled warmly.
"I think that's an excellent idea."
Selvine nodded respectfully.
"So do I."
Tyra remained focused on the recovered feather.
"So the feathers are benign?"
She looked toward Selvine.
"They're helping guide travelers toward the Engine?"
Selvine answered slowly.
"I believe they are guiding something."
She hesitated.
"I am simply no longer certain it is the travelers."
KC had been studying the feather while everyone else talked.
Eventually he spoke.
"I think everyone should stay below decks once we enter the storm."
Several heads turned.
"If the larger feathers carry stronger impressions..."
He glanced toward Habu.
"...or stronger tests..."
His expression grew serious.
"I don't want anyone accidentally brushing against dozens of them."
Tyra nodded immediately.
"A sensible precaution."
KC continued.
"I also have another thought."
He carefully picked up the recovered feather.
"It always points in the same direction."
He looked toward Selvine's analyzer.
"What happens if we place it beside your equipment?"
Then toward the helm.
"Or near the spelljammer helm itself?"
His eyes shifted toward Morty.
"...or perhaps Morty could build some sort of feather compass."
Morty's eyes lit up immediately.
"Oh."
He smiled.
"Oh, I like that idea."
Several experiments followed.
The recovered feather was carefully placed beside Selvine's analyzer.
Nothing happened.
For nearly thirty seconds.
Then the analyzer's inner rings began slowly rotating.
Not wildly.
Not dramatically.
Simply...
settling.
The constantly shifting crystal needles became noticeably steadier.
Selvine frowned.
"Interesting."
She adjusted several controls.
The feather rotated.
The analyzer compensated.
Neither appeared to control the other.
Instead they slowly aligned.
Like two compass needles finding the same magnetic north.
Morty watched carefully.
"They're agreeing."
Selvine nodded.
"They're measuring the same thing."
The feather was then carefully brought into the helm chamber.
The result proved equally fascinating.
The helm itself did not react.
But the magical awareness extending through the ship subtly changed.
Shaarilla closed her eyes.
"It feels..."
She searched for the proper words.
"...easier."
Syl nodded.
"The current feels clearer."
The feather was not steering the ship.
Nor influencing the helm.
It simply seemed to reinforce the direction the ship had already chosen.
Selvine looked thoughtful.
"I believe the feather remembers the current."
Morty slowly walked around the chart table.
Thinking.
Everyone recognized the look.
The gnome had entered one of his periods of intense concentration.
Almost unconsciously he picked up the feather.
Turned it over.
Examined it beneath several lenses.
Then suddenly stopped.
His expression changed.
Not excitement.
Recognition.
He looked toward the others.
"I think..."
He paused.
"...I think we've been asking the wrong question."
Nobody interrupted.
Morty continued.
"We've been assuming these feathers are guides."
He shook his head.
"I don't think they are."
He looked toward Habu.
"When Habu touched the feather..."
His gaze shifted toward the storm.
"...it wasn't trying to guide her."
The room grew quiet.
"It was trying to identify her."
Selvine looked up sharply.
Morty continued speaking slowly now, assembling the pieces as he went.
"The feather wanted to know whether Habu belonged on that current."
He pointed toward the recovered feather.
"It wasn't giving directions."
"It was asking a question."
Tyra frowned.
"What question?"
Morty's answer came immediately.
"Who are you?"
Silence.
Then he continued.
"The feathers aren't navigational markers."
"They're checkpoints."
The implications settled over the room.
"If that's true..." Martin said quietly.
"...then the storm..."
"...isn't an obstacle," Morty finished.
"It's an inspection."
No one spoke.
Even Selvine appeared momentarily stunned.
Finally she nodded.
"I believe..."
She looked toward the recovered feather.
"...that you may be right."
That evening Tomas quietly withdrew to one of the ship's small shrines dedicated to Pelor.
He knelt.
Lit a single candle.
And prayed.
Not for victory.
Not for protection.
Simply...
for understanding.
Long minutes passed.
Then an unexpected warmth spread through the tiny room.
The candle flame burned brighter.
Not larger.
Brighter.
The young cleric lowered his head.
For just a heartbeat, he found himself standing somewhere else.
Not aboard the Void Wanderer.
Not within Other Space.
Upon an endless plain of golden light.
Countless white feathers drifted gently overhead.
Each carried a tiny spark of sunlight.
None were dark.
None were threatening.
A voice—not spoken, but understood—filled his thoughts.
"EVERY TRAVELLER IS WEIGHED."
Another feather drifted past.
"ONLY THOSE WHO CLING TO FALSE DESTINATIONS LOSE THEIR WAY."
Another.
"DO NOT FIGHT THE CURRENT."
Then one final feather descended into his hands.
Unlike the others, it shone with brilliant gold.
"TRUTH RECOGNIZED TRUTH."
The vision ended.
The candle returned to normal.
Tomas remained kneeling for several minutes.
When he finally rejoined the others, he quietly recounted everything he had experienced.
The chart room fell silent.
Selvine slowly looked toward Morty.
Then toward the recovered feather.
Then toward the approaching storm.
At last she spoke.
"I believe Pelor has just confirmed Morty's conclusion."
She looked around the room.
"The Feather Storm is not our enemy."
She paused.
"It is our examination."
Outside the forward viewing ports, billions of luminous feathers flowed together like an endless river of stars.
The Void Wanderer continued steadily toward them.
Soon, every soul aboard would be asked the same silent question.
Who are you, and where do you truly seek to go?
KC: "WOW, the feathers seems to be extremely important. I thought of them as just a curiosity when I first started looking at them. So I guess even the blind get to stumble up good things every so often."
LANI: Lani too is pretty impressed at Morty's sudden insight, especially after it is confirmed by Pelor through Tomas.
LANI: "That's pretty amazing, Morty," Lani says. "I still don't want to relax our guard or watches because we may still have to deal with other travelers, but I feel better about getting through the Feather Storm."
LANI: Turning to Tomas, she adds, "That was a good idea to ask for insight from Pelor. I think you are going to be a very valuable member of the Void Sentinels."
GM: I wanted to mention again that you can feel free to send turns from your followers and play them as if they are your characters. The only exception is Selvine who is really more of an NPC than a follower. If Syl/Dale wants, I can have one of the crew become a follower of Syl. You can even choose which one. Or you can pick up a follower later. This doesn't change the relationship between Syl and Selvine though. Selvine clearly wanted to be aboard the Void Wanderer and Syl's almost-master rank in Spelljammer Astrogation would have naturally drawn them together. Selvine, as a scholar, probably had some advance knowledge that the Void Wanderer was going to be doing some amazing stuff out in Wild Space and, as a master of Phlogiston Theory, would have wanted to experience it first hand.
MORTY: I will spend some time as we approach the Feather Storm thinking about our destination trying to prioritize it as it is the next necessary step in any other ultimate destinations.
MARTIN: Martin listens silently to the reveal that the feathers are a rite of passage. What in the name of everything good does "ONLY THOSE WHO CLING TO FALSE DESTINATIONS LOSE THEIR WAY." mean anyway?
MARTIN: Thinking out loud he asks, "Are we heading to a false destination? We're seeking the Engine - but will our reasons for doing so stand the test - and what happens if the feather storm decides we're not worthy?"
The atmosphere aboard the Void Wanderer had changed. |