The Sunchaser hovers in place, held by moorings and a flexible walkway that leads up to the undercarriage deck. It's a mixture of old and new, an airship reborn from the ashes of the Battle of the Plaguebringers, as a zeppelin with an undercarriage built from the remnants of a wrecked airship of the same name. The envelope is not entirely round, showing the ribbing of its supporting frame underneath the fabric, and is emblazoned with a flamboyant yet sun-faded design depicting the sun god of Olympian mythos, Primus, riding a flaming ship through a sky full of depictions of the major constellations.

The figurehead on the "prow" of the undercarriage continues the theme of the envelope's design, fashioned to resemble an idealized female Solus in dramatically furling drapes - the tragic Ikara, who fell deeply in love with the sun god, though he (being immortal) paid her no heed, and who was compelled to fly after him, higher and higher, until she flew too close, and caught ablaze.

Another, later (and more popular) version of the story adds a "happy" ending, with the gods showing mercy on Ikara, and raising her back to immortal life. And, so the legend goes, she can still be seen at times, chasing after the sun – as the phenomenon that some others would refer to as a "sun dog".

Most of those milling about at the docks wouldn't bother to stop to ponder the mythic significance of the decor, however. Laborers carry luggage and supplies onto the vessel, which is fitted out to make a journey across the ocean, toward the continent of Ur … and the sky island of Caroban, which has drifted far from Rephidim. Even though slavery has been abolished in Rephidim, a large number of the dock workers are Savanites. After all, it's what many of them have been doing their whole lives, though there are a few younger workers as well.

Unlike many airships, the undercarriage of the zeppelin is enclosed, though the outer walls have large panel windows that allow a good view of the exterior. There are also "climb-tubes" that run up the sides of the zeppelin's envelope, allowing access to a partially-covered observation platform supported on the top of the ribbed frame.

Propellers provide movement, but there are also a variety of bellows, fans, and other strange devices that, to Envoy's knowledge of mechanics, really serve little to no purpose save to add to the number of moving parts. Though, some might thing, it does add to the fanciful nature of the craft. However, it is said that these extra little contraptions somehow actually make machines work better on Sinai … serving "mechanical" functions that border on the mystical.

Presently, there are a couple of earth mages on board the zeppelin, making a very brief stop by Rephidim for refueling, before continuing the trip on to Caroban. There are a couple of large amber-coated items in the hold that are under tight wraps … and hopefully they'll "keep" for the journey.

Now, a few passengers are boarding the ship, as it's bound for its journey across the ocean.

Taking advantage of the view, Envoy walks along the railing of the observation deck atop the envelope, looking out over the city she's been away from for so long … and also watching the docks for any suspicious activity or undue attention being paid to the Sunchaser. She isn't sure how much information about the Wandering Roams site has leaked out, but she decides it's best to be on guard against potential religious fanatics.

It doesn't look like anything terribly special is happening out there. No attempt was made to advertise what airship Envoy and the others would be riding on. And, even though Envoy is fairly distinctive looking, given the wide variety of species to be found on Sinai (and especially in Rephidim), even a glimpse of her wouldn't necessarily tip random strangers off. There appear to be a few people boarding now – not particularly noteworthy, per se. There's a feline in obscuring robes, for instance - Himaatian in styling, perhaps – accompanied by a large brown Vartan who has the bearing of a bodyguard. And over there is a white bat in sky blue robes, with wispy platinum gray hair. And there's also a foppish-looking fox perched on a crate, strumming a lute and crooning to passersby.

Envoy grins as she spots the familiar Eeee, and she heads for one of the climbing tubes to go down and greet her.

There's nobody to compete for the use of the tube, and in short order, Envoy is able to make her way down. The gangplank is a bit occupied with people trying to board the ship, to accommodate with anyone disembarking right now, but that hardly poses a problem to anyone with wings. In any case, once Envoy is within sight, the Eeee looks up and smiles, waving.

The Aeolun makes her way over to the Eeee mage, and gives her a quick hug. "Wynona! How've you been? Do you need any help with your bags? How are your allergies holding up?"

Wynona grins. "Actually, I don't have any bags. I just came to see if you were on the ship. I got a tip that you might be passing through, so I've been watching ships that have travel plans matching one that you might possibly be riding on."

Envoy blinks in surprise. "Really? Is it for anything official, or just to be social?"

"Oh, come now!" squeaks Wynona. "Social! I'd love to get a chance to squeeze whatever juicy information I can out of you on what happened in the Roams – I've just been catching rumors – but I'll understand if that has to wait."

"Oh, that's fine … but maybe someplace quieter," Envoy says, and winks. "I'd like to find out what's been happening while I was away as well!"

Wynona nods. "Well, hmm … quieter? At the docks?" She giggles.

"How about on top of one of the warehouses?" Envoy suggests, scanning the nearby roofline. "Or someplace else we can perch and be comfortable. I'm not sure when the Sunchaser is scheduled to actually leave."

Wynona nods. "I really don't know, either … but if it starts moving, I'm sure you can catch up!" She takes a few steps further out of traffic, so she has a clear circle around her, then spreads her wings and takes to the air, winging toward the nearest warehouse that doesn't have any other fliers already perching on it.

The Aeolun follows after her, and lands on a relatively clean part of the roof near the Eeee.

Wynona alights upon the roof, taking care not to sit anywhere that Creens or the like have been perching, but manages to find a clear spot where she can sit on the edge and kick her legs over the side, watching the zeppelin. "An eccentric design." She grins.

Envoy sits next to her friend and giggles. "Because of the propellers? This is the largest airship I've been on yet. It seems very fancy to me."

Wynona says, "Well, actually, the flapping winglets and the bellows are a bit too much. I know enough about aerodynamics to know that those can't really make the thing move any faster. The Titanians would have an explanation for it, though – They would claim that all the little pointless moving parts distract gremlins."

Nodding, Envoy says, "That was my thought too. Decoys! Or maybe it's held up by the sheer willpower of the owners after so much added expense? I don't understand mechanical things all that well still. You know I was chasing Goliaths in the Roams, right?"

Wynona nods. "I heard something about that. And that you found … the First Ones?" She cocks an eyebrow.

Envoy looks down at the docks for a moment before answering. "Sort of. I'm pretty sure now they arrived more recently, based on what one of them told me. I don't think he lied, since he was preparing to kill me at the time. But I wouldn't want this group associated with the First Ones of legend, really. I'm still wondering about the possible religious implications."

Wynona nods soberly. "Of course. I understand how that goes. I mean … it's not really counter to the teachings of the Temple to think we'd actually find traces of the First Ones, somehow … but it all takes a life of its own sometimes." The bat then blinks, and does a double-take. "Preparing … to kill … you? Envoy! What happened out there?!"

"These particular ones had a rather bad attitude I think, one that I wouldn't want to see people emulate out of misplaced reverence." The Exile grins at Wynona, and says, "Oh you know, the usual. Sticking my head into alien thingies, getting grabbed by tentacles of a sort, and so on. Only it was our scholar that used the neural interface first, so he received the actual mind of one of these creatures. I just got some of the memories, but most of them are disjointed and hard to analyze unless something triggers them. The alien wanted to trade up from poor Jaffi to my body later, and when I resisted, he decided to get rid of me by faking a sort of accident. But I got out before he was ready and … er … incapacitated him. I'm hoping the Spheres of Mind and Spirit can do something to recover the original mind for that body."

Wynona gasps. "Some sort of … disembodied spirit possessed him?"

Envoy nods. "It was waiting in the machinery. Sort of like one of the Temple's Learning Helmets. It was probably originally waiting for a new body to be grown in one of the gestation tanks, but all of the bodies we found in those were dead." Leaning in closer, she whispers, "I think that's how the Temple made the Astromancer. I heard a few things from the Technopriests and the Temple Computer that hinted at a cloning process."

Wynona raises her eyebrows. "Really? I think I heard of rumors about such things before … but I marked that up as mere rumor, of course – like the rumor that all Eeee in Rephidim are secretly spies for Babel." She makes a grimace at this.

"That's silly," Envoy says, then asks, "How are things in Babel, do you know? I haven't heard much news from Ashdod in awhile. The last time I met a dignitary from there, he seemed more concerned with military issues than anything else."

Wynona shakes her head. "It's not good. Babel was struck a pretty major blow with the boomer, and Ashdod managed to alienate itself from all the nations loyal to Rephidim. Even those who were sided with Ashdod and Nagai have moved over and made a show of not having anything to do with Babel or the old Emperor, to garner favor from Rephidim. Not that I think Babel was in the right, but I understand that times are tough there … and the High Princess has been more concerned with raising the peoples' faith in the Seven Sisters than doing anything to deal with their plights."

Envoy stiffens slightly at the mention of the Seven Sisters. "The High Princess must still be pretty powerful then, to stave off civil war in that sort of atmosphere." A little more casually, she asks, "Speaking of raising the peoples' faith, have you heard anything coming out of Xenea?"

Wynona nods. "Yes, actually. The Priest-Queen was gone for a time, off to be alone for meditation, or something along those lines. Then, she comes back out, breaks up the Twelve-Times-Twelve. There were some 'riots', I've heard, but I think they were probably just some minor tussles … well, I'm talking 'minor' compared to Babelite or Nagai scales of things."

This earns three blinks from Envoy. And then after a moment, a fourth. "That … could mean almost anything. I'll need to write to Jade-Eyes and find out what the situation is like. Or borrow an Air or Shadow mage to send a message daemon for me."

Wynona laughs! "Now, where would you find one of those? Really, Envoy, I'd be happy to help out, if I could."

Envoy grins. "Oh, it's probably nothing to worry about. I wouldn't want to trouble you with my paranoia after all. Besides, there's someone I need to contact in Kroz as well, and Shadow magic would be best for that. As long as civil war isn't about to break out, I shouldn't worry."

Wynona says, "Kroz?" She pauses a moment, as if searching through files of trivia. "I don't know if I've ever been there. Is that in Nordika?"

Envoy nods. "Dack Principality, actually. I've never been there myself, but I plan to visit eventually. There's a chance of exploring the underground land of Moltpaa from there, and maybe Olympia. I still need to find a dragon for the Emir."

Wynona snaps her fingers. "Oh yes! Olympia. Kroz is near there. I remember seeing it on the maps now."

"A bit of a dark country, traditionally," Envoy says. "Somewhat like Sylvania, I imagine. Lots of monsters and history. Lady Dack can probably fill me in on what's really going on in Xenea too. We had a lot of common interests there."

Wynona grins. "Lady Dack, hmm? More rubbing shoulders with nobility?" She sighs wistfully. "You make me so jealous sometimes!"

Envoy arches an eyebrow at the Eeee, and says, "I seem to remember you attended her wedding, didn't you? And there are plenty of important people I don't know that well. The Captain Astromancer for one. And I've only met the High Princess a few times, before you all went off to Paradys. It's not as if I lead a terribly romantic life, after all. Although I did enjoy being treated well at the court of the Emir. I need to return there after things are settled at Caroban, to hand in my expedition report and some of the other things we recovered. And I need to return here to Rephidim to file one with the Temple too, of course. And I still need to teach Mage Barabbas about my exotic metabolisms and learn more of his Life Magic… "

Before Wynona has a chance to answer, there's a shrill whistle from the direction of the zeppelin, signaling the airship's imminent departure. It looks like all the passengers and cargo are on board now.

Sighing at the whistle, Envoy says, "I wish you were coming along. I didn't even have time to hear what you've been up to."

Wynona squeaks, "Not much, I'm afraid! I'll leave you a message at Caroban, all right?"

Envoy smiles and gives Wynona a farewell hug. "Okay! Say hello for me to Arch-Inquisitor Melchizedek if you see him, won't you?" She stands and spreads her wings, preparing to glide over to the zeppelin's observation deck.

Wynona gives Envoy a warm hug back, then stands apart to give Envoy's wings proper clearance. "Oh, if I see him, I assure you I will, Envoy!" She giggles.

The Aeolun launches herself from the roof, and aims for the open deck at the top of the Sunchaser.

An Aquilan porter flies to intercept Envoy, but then he waves and scrawks, "Greetings, Mage! Welcome back aboard!"

Envoy calls to the porter as she lands, "Where will we bestopping next en route to Caroban?"

The porter lands as well. "Non-stop to Little Rephidim East, Madame."

"Thank you," she says, and returns to the railing to watch the casting-off, and to see how many of the other passengers are up top for the event as well.

The porter checks his schedule. "… Then, a jog on to Ur, and a stop on the Gigi Coast… "

Actually, there are several passengers lined up on the port side, and they wave toward the docks as the zeppelin begins to move away from the docks.

Envoy blinks and pauses. "Ur? What city will we be stopping at there?"

The porter smiles, saying, "I believe its current name is 'Surf', though it changes from time to time. It's the Gigi way."

"Sounds very casual," Envoy comments and smiles, before continuing on to peek at her fellow passengers.

There are a couple of poodles, also the brown Vartan Envoy saw earlier, a teen-aged Savanite with a plantigrade leg stance that doesn't look wealthy enough to have paid his or her way on board (perhaps a servant to one of the other passengers), and also a Khatta couple.

The Savanite gets up and peers out at the retreating dock.

The Aquilan porter, meanwhile, nods back to Envoy. "Have a pleasant journey, Madame." And then he walks off.

The Vartan is over at one of the covered portions of the observation deck, near the Savanite. He clears his throat and looks towards the Aeolun. "Miss, you can see your friend from here if you'd like to wave goodbye. I'm happy to share my window.

The Aeolun wonders how to introduce herself to the Savanite without drawing too much attention. She's only ever seen one plantigrade cheetah before, and she was a Princess. For now though, she just watches from the railing. I wonder how many of these people have business on Caroban, and how many are just taking a luxury cruise to Gigi. She blinks in surprise at the Vartan's comment, though, and says, "Thank you, sir." She goes over to try and spot Wynona back on the docks.