For Envoy, times are tough, and celebrity has its disadvantages. Envoy has repeatedly been threatened, sometimes seriously enough to warrant flight from potential danger … and more than once she's had reason to suspect that she's being charged more for goods and services than an Eeee would. All in all, her prolonged stay in a relatively cheap (but also relatively safe) hotel has cost her a grand total of almost five hundred shekels, including the acquisition of the odd materials that satisfy her nutritional requirements, and some materials for attempting some manner of disguise – at least for her wings.

Finally, however, Wynona came through, with arrangements to get her on board a refugee airship heading out of Babel. Most of the passengers crammed into the hold are Eeee, but there are also a few other species – Nagas, a few Savanites (slaves, of course), even a Fnerf or two. The variety isn't so great that Envoy's feathered wings don't stand out. So far, though, nobody has accused her of being Envoy of Lothrhyn or tried to kill her or otherwise caused her personal grief.

Nonetheless, the conditions are atrocious. There is no deck, per se, as the builders of this ship have eschewed the classic "flying ship" design for one more akin to a zeppelin, no doubt figuring that an open deck is only an invitation to hostile boarders. So, everyone is crammed into the various sections of the modular hold, with only two heads that are little more than private holes in the floor. As this ship was made for cargo, there is little by way of windows, and those have been claimed by a privileged few who paid a little more for their squalid quarters than the rest.

Aside from the windows, the only light is what ambient glow comes through a few cracks in the hull, but those same cracks also let in bitter cold drafts, so most of them have been stuffed with rags. The most warm spots are those locations closest to the side-mounted engines – creations of much later construction than the ship itself, and attached with questionable attention to structural integrity – but the noise of the engines is enough to drive an Eeee to tears. In short, there's really no one good place to be, and despite the crowded conditions, there are always people milling about, trying vainly to find some place better, and occasionally squabbling over a spot that is temporarily deemed to be such a place.

Infants cry, and irritated strangers threaten to smother them if the mother won't hush her child. Fist fights erupt over someone with a yorspice addiction who insists on smoking a joint in a crowded place. (Not all find yorspice smoke enjoyable, after all, as the air is at times hard enough to breathe as it is.) Unpleasant smells drift, hinting that not everyone managed to make it to the first or second head. Those who brought material wares as their carry-on allotment rather than food and water find themselves pawning off their goods at a decidedly disadvantageous exchange rate so that they don't starve or die of thirst.

It's been about a week aboard this dreadful ship, and there's no fair indication of just how much further it will be until it reaches its destination in the Free City of Zannara.

Envoy has been calling herself "Seeker-of-Balance" when talking to others on the ship, and explaining that she's on a personal quest of a spiritual nature which happened to bring her to Babel for Reckoning. So far, nobody has really pressed her for information on the subject, and she's mostly kept to a spot near one of the cold-air cracks, preferring the fresher air despite the chill.

"Pardon me! Excuse me!" comes a child's squeak, followed by a few less-than-polite protests from adults, but then a little pepper-grey bat manages to duck and squeeze his way into Envoy's area. His name is Reeno – Envoy met him earlier, and he seems to be fascinated with the stranger, thinking that she's a Vartan. (Not that he's specifically asked her. Children sometimes just assume things.) "Hello, Squeaker-of-Balance!" he says, not waving this time, as he's holding an inverted hardened leather cap that seems to be leaking droplets of water every time he jostles. "Got something for you!"

Kneeling down to be closer to eye level with the child, the disguised Aeolun asks, "Oh? Something in the water, Reeno?" Rather than disguise her voice, she simply talks in her normal tone instead of the higher-pitched one she would normally use for speaking Babelite.

Reeno holds out the leather cap, and it crackles as he opens up the surface. "No, nothing in it at all!" he protests. "It's run-off from the connensa – the con – It's from outside! If you've got something to put it in, you're welcome to as much as you want!"

Envoy smiles and opens up her canteen to accept some of the water. "Thank you. That's very generous of you," she says as she fills it from the cap. "Have you been outside, then?"

Reeno giggles as he very carefully pours the water into the canteen, doing a fairly good job of not wasting much water as he pours it in (despite how much water he must have lost jostling the cap about on his way over). "Yeah! I found a little hole – It's only big enough for me to squeeze through, really, and it's right next to some really hot things, so I have to be careful, and it's really windy and cold outside, but I got some from the outside of the ship."

"That sounds dangerous," Envoy comments, sounding concerned. "I hope you at least tied a rope around yourself for safety."

"Oh!" Reeno says. "That's a good idea! I'll remember that next time." Once Envoy's canteen is full, he pulls his cap back, and looks at what's left in it. "Hmm. Still got some."

"I'm sure you could trade it for something, if you aren't going to drink it yourself," Envoy suggests. "Too bad soap doesn't condense on the skin of the ship as well. You could be rich then," she jokes.

Reeno giggles. "Yeah. But Papa already has some soap. Not that it does much good. I mean, what's the point in being un-stinky, when everyone else around you is?"

Envoy hmms. "That's a good point. I suppose you could rub some on a cloth and cover your nose with it though. Everything would smell clean then," she suggests with a grin.

Reeno bobs his head. "Okee. I'll try that! And, sorry, I didn't catch any bugs. Guess there aren't any up in the mountains," he squeaks. "I wonder how the Yodhrephath's ptera eats? I saw them dropping to take a break – or whatever."

"Did you see them fly back up before you came inside?" Envoy asks. She isn't sure how long it takes to freshen up a ptera, but feels uneasy knowing that the ship is unescorted during that time.

Reeno shakes his head. "No, ma'am. I saw it land down in the trees, and we left it behind. Guess they have to catch up when they're done. But I didn't see anybody around at all. I mean, not from my hole, anyway."

Envoy nods, and says, "Well, I'm sure they'll be back soon. How is your family doing?"

"Papa's not happy," Reeno says, "but he never is. Mama's knitting me a scarf, but Papa says it won't be done before the trip is done and I don't need it anyway. Baby cries all the time, and folks yell at Mama for it." Reeno sighs. "I hope we get to that city soon. I don't like it here."

"I hope we arrive soon, too," Envoy agrees. "I wouldn't mind stretching my wings again or being able to see where I am. Maybe you could show me your hole so I could have a look sometime."

"Sure!" Reeno squeaks. "I could show you right now, if you'd like. Hey, you haven't found any spare pieces of candy lying around, have you?"

Envoy stands up and grins. "I haven't, but you'll be the first to know if I do see any. Let's go see your hole then."

Reeno doesn't look especially disappointed. "Well, just asking, just in case," he says, then turns around. "All right, just follow me!" And then he starts to squeeze his way through the crowd. It looks like Envoy is going to have a harder time of it, trying to keep up…

Ducking down to avoid the hanging Eeee while weaving between the people on the floor does reduce Envoy's pace considerably, and she has to call ahead a few times for Reeno to wait for her.

Reeno is fairly good, though, about checking to make sure that Envoy's actually following him. Even though a few times he gets too far ahead, he does double back and get with her again, though not without a few jibes about, "C'mon, Squeaker! You're slow!" and so forth. At last, they get over to a somewhat less crowded place, where the heat from the machinery is enough to be uncomfortable, and there are lots of sharp angles sticking out, just asking to cause an injury if the ship were to lurch. "Here we go!" Reeno squeaks, as he squeezes between a couple of coolant pipes. A faint glimmer of light hints at the hole behind a tangle of components of metal, wood and chitin, where it looks like there's a piece of enclosing casing missing.

Envoy tries to work her way around the tangle to get a peek through the hole, wondering if it was made by some odd bit of machinery coming loose and tearing through the skin.

It looks like Envoy could possibly squeeze through enough to look out the hole … but only if she sheds her travel bag. It looks like she stands a good chance of tearing something if she's not especially careful, and quickly extracting herself could be a problem.

Deciding not to risk things just for a peek, Envoy retreats. "I can't fit. Can you look for me and describe what you see though?" she asks the batling.

The bat nods, and squeezes on through the hole. The effort he takes suggests that Envoy would have even more trouble than she realized, and it's probably best she took the route of caution after all. "Uhm … snow … mountains … trees way down there … I don't see the priestess, but she might be on the other side."

"Can you tell where the sun is?" Envoy asks. "We could tell what direction we're going from that."

"Oh!" the bat squeaks. "Uhm … It's … I can see it. It's off that way!" Envoy, alas, can't quite see where he's pointing, so obscured is he by the jumble. For what it's worth, though, this is the port side of the ship, toward the aft. The ship is supposed to be heading south. It's still morning.

The sound of a bell rings out, somewhere above. "Ship transfer!" a voice shouts out. "Prepare to move to the deck when ordered!"

"Ship transfer?" Envoy asks out loud. "Better get back inside and go to your family, Reeno. Do you see or hear another airship out there?"

"Uh … no," Reeno squeaks out, and by the sound of it, his head is still sticking out the hole. "Nobody out this side! I wonder if there's another hole on the other side?"

"I don't know that we have time to check," Envoy says, "so you'd better come back in now."

There's some scuffling and shuffling, and the sound of water being spilled, and then Reeno comes back into sight. He's chomping on something – a piece of ice? – and nods. "I'll get back to my Mama and Papa. I guess we're changing ships? I hope it has another hole in it! It took me a while to find this one."

Meanwhile, the amount of noise in the hold picks up considerably, as Eeee are roused from naps, and others mill about, in confusion, struggling to get a space closest to the exit, securing their belongings, and so forth.

"I just hope it means we're out of pirate territory," Envoy says, but grins. "I'll go see if there's a view from starboard before getting into line," she adds, and then tries to find a path through to the other side of the zeppelin.

"Byeeeee!" calls Reeno after Envoy, and then he vanishes into the pack of bodies.

Envoy seems to be getting pretty good at this. Although she still inevitably gets some annoyed calls and even some threats as she moves about, she nonetheless manages to find her way through to the starboard side. There, she notices a faint breeze, and, sure enough, there's a crack that has been plugged by a rag shoved into it.

Tugging the rag out, Envoy peeks through the crack to see if the other airship is visible.

It takes a moment for her eyes to adjust to the brighter light outside, and to make use of what peripheral vision she can … but, no, there is no other airship.

"Section One!" comes out a cry from above. "Advance to the deck!" There's some milling about and struggling, even though this isn't Section One – It's Section Three, Envoy recalls distinctly – and she can hear a rumble of footsteps on the planks above her head. Section One must be one of the upper holds.

Frowning, Envoy assembles her staff and looks out of the crack again. Maybe I just can't see the other ship … but surely they aren't going to just put us off in the middle of nowhere, are they? she thinks, and keeps watch. If anyone suddenly goes overboard, she'll know for sure.

Time passes. More shuffling and pushing around. "Section Two to the deck!" comes another cry, with the ringing of a bell.

While Envoy watches, she sees a lone Eeee flying away from the ship, most certainly not dressed for the cold. She wings her way toward the mountain that the airship is passing (still traveling at full speed, it seems, as the engines haven't died down any) … but then, suddenly she jerks and twists in mid-air, then jerks again … and drops in a crippled spiral toward the ground.

Envoy hisses and reaches into her pack for Knick and Knack, calling out, "It's a trick, don't go to the deck! I just saw someone get shot down!"

Several of the Eeee near Envoy take notice of her, though reactions are mixed. "What are you talking about?" "I'm not staying in this sty a moment longer!" "Wait, how did you see?" "What's going on here?"

An elder Eeee in robes (not mages' robes, though) and leaning on a crooked cane fixes Envoy with black eyes. "Explain yourself, woman!"

Fixing her "bracers" in place on her forearms, Envoy tells the elder, "I just saw an Eeee fly away to starboard, and then jerk as if shot before falling. And we aren't even slowing down for the supposed transfer. Have people look through the cracks, but they shouldn't go up to the deck until we know for sure it's safe."

The elder spies the light of the crack Envoy was looking through, and peers out. He squints, looks a long moment … then draws back, taking a breath. He holds up a hand at all the shouting around him, and, in an authoritative voice, says, "The half-breed speaks the truth. I saw a flier falling to the trees, and – " Just then, he's cut off as there's a sound of something like a yowling scream – and then it is cut off by the sound of a heavy impact against the external casing of the starboard engine.

The hold breaks into chaos. People push and shove, some start pounding on the walls, vainly trying to pull at boards as if to tear a new opening free from the ship. Cries, screams … a great many people probably didn't even hear the original warning from Envoy, but the panic is contagious in these cramped quarters.

"I think they just threw one of the Savanites overboard," Envoy says gravely, and looks back to the aft machinery. "If we can cripple the engines, we might gain some control of the situation," she tells the elder, and calls out, "Listen up! We have to stop the engines! Does anyone have any tools?"

One very scarred and gruff-looking Eeee with graying, shaggy fur pulls forth an axe from his cape. "A tool, yes," he growls, and starts shoving his way back toward the aft.

So far, though, it doesn't look like any genuine mechanics are showing themselves – just a few that follow the veteran's lead by grabbing solid implements and proceeding to bang on the casings. However, it looks as if little is being accomplished save to make even more noise.

Envoy would rather not ruin the engines, but she just doesn't know enough about them to see how to turn them off, except … "The fuel lines! We just need to tie them off!" she calls, and then tries to find the fuel lines.

This definitely is not Envoy's area of expertise, though her time on Abaddon probably gives her a bit of an edge over the average Babelite. Nonetheless, what she is able to determine does not look good – It seems that the fuel stores might well be to the aft area beyond the engine mountings, and without easy access from this portion of the hold. (It might even be on another deck.) It does not appear that any fuel lines are present on this side, and the engine housings are pretty solidly encased. (Sturdy construction is a necessity, when engines are so prone to suffer violent malfunctions on Sinai when things go wrong.)

Envoy heads back towards the port engine, which at least had some of its workings exposed. "Can anyone hear anything from the deck above us?" she calls out along the way.

It takes considerable struggling for Envoy to get there, and she finds a few of the exposed pipes running to the hull. The pipes are fairly warm, which somewhat suggests this would be a bad thing for fuel, but they might instead serve for ventilation, or perhaps conduits for steam.

The light shining through the hole blinks, as if something has blocked the sunlight reaching it momentarily, then passed on again.

"I can't risk breaking these pipes," Envoy mutters. Flooding the deck with exhaust or steam would definitely be bad. She watches the hole again after the shadow flashes past, just in case it's one of the crew instead of someone being thrown overboard. There doesn't seem to be much choice but to go up and confront the crew … or whomever is up there in charge now.

No other flashes in the hole – but Envoy presently isn't close enough to the hole to actually look out of it. She is jostled around slightly in the confusion. Knick and Knack tremble on Envoy's arms, becoming agitated.

"Make way!" Envoy says, and tries to clear a path to the deck ladder with her staff, although not too forcefully. Mainly she wants to avoid agitating the two venomous bracers further.

With some effort, Envoy is able to push her way to the ladder. It seems that not all that many people are headed that way now. As she does, it seems that someone is coming down – an armored bat that is dressed like a member of the crew. "Hold there!" he calls out. "What's the trouble down here?" he demands. "Calm down, everyone!"

Envoy raises her staff and demands, "Why are people falling overboard and being shot down?"

The guard laughs. "No one is falling overboard or being shot down! That's preposterous!" He is, incidentally, by Envoy's estimate, a lousy actor. His fake "everybody calm down now" smile isn't very persuasive.

"We've seen them," Envoy says, looking for exposed areas on the armored Eeee, as well as what weapons he's carrying.

The Eeee is lightly armored, in typically Eeee fashion, protecting him mostly against sharp projectiles – such as arrows or swords – but not giving him much padding against bludgeoning, and his wings, out of necessity, are exposed. Eeee warriors are usually best served by taking advantage of mobility – not being there when a blow is landed – rather than trying to rely on armor to fend off all attacks, and this guard is no exception to that principle.

As for weapons, he has a number of daggers arrayed on his belt and in various scabbards on his person, but his primary weapon is a sword-like chitin weapon with a bladed pommel section.

"If you want us to calm down, send the Yodhrephath to tell us all is well," Envoy offers the crewman, but keeps her staff ready to strike.

"I'll do that, I'll do that!" the guard says, keeping the false smile on his face. "You can even come along, if you like!"

"Hand over your weapons first," Envoy demands. "If you're going to lead me to the upper decks, I want you to understand that you'll be the first to die if anyone attacks me."

"Who are you?" the guard demands, then looks around. "Obviously, this creature is a trouble-maker!"

The elder pushes his way to the fore. "Not only her eyes have seen what is befalling the ship! If we are transferring, why do the engines run at full speed?"

"We outnumber you, and we're desperate," Envoy tells the guard. "So hand over your weapons, and I won't hurt you."

The guard's mouth moves a bit, as he works this over … and then he scrambles back up the ladder!

"Stop him!" someone cries out, and several people shove forward toward the ladder, jostling Envoy.

Envoy hisses and rushes after him as best she can, having to hold her staff and bracers up over the heads of the throng to avoid any accidents.

The disguised Aeolun manages to make it to the ladder without any mishaps, but she's no faster going up the ladder than the Eeee.

Envoy tries to scramble up as quickly as she can all the same, hoping that the fleeing guard will provide some cover. She has to hold her staff vertically as she climbs the ladder, propelling herself with just her feet.

It looks like this ladder is leading up to the next deck – where Sections One and Two are located. The guard reaches that deck first, and leaps off of it, disappearing from Envoy's range of vision.

Envoy can hear some shouts, but it sounds like these decks (not all that surprisingly, perhaps) are nearly empty compared to the section she came from.

Envoy leaps to port as soon as she reaches the top of the ladder, and then looks around for the guard.

Just as Envoy leaps from the ladder, she sees that there are three guards here, including the one she was pursuing. He is on her immediately, and the other two are stirring from where it looks like they're picking over some items left behind in the hold.

Although Envoy attempts to parry the sword thrust of the Eeee guard with her staff, she's off-balance due to coming right off the ladder and having to gain her bearings in her new surroundings. The tip of the Eeee's blade tears through cloth, and Envoy feels the sting of its sharp edge.

Even though it's only a glancing blow, the serrated edge of the sword nonetheless manages to make a nasty slash across Envoy's midsection. Her body is already at work, trying to repair the damage, but she definitely feels the pain.

The other two bats ready their weapons, but look hesitant to join in, perhaps figuring that their comrade has things readily in hand.

Envoy reacts by releasing her double-voiced banshee shriek at her attacker, trying to surprise him long enough to get her own bearings back.

The bat pauses ever so briefly at the shriek – not enough to suggest that he's deafened or stunned, but the hesitation is all Envoy needs to avoid a back-slash from the blade on its return sweep.

Taking a step back, Envoy tries a swing with her staff, aiming for the guard's sword-arm.

Unfortunately, he's fast enough to block the blow. He's not an expert fighter by any measure, but he's still obviously more trained than Envoy … and it looks like the other two have decided that Envoy's not completely helpless, and that they're going to join in…

Retreating back towards the hatchway to the lower deck, Envoy brings her staff back to a guard position and growls at the guards.

Pain shoots from Envoy's right arm, as she suffers a nasty slash across it, and one of the other guards, armed with a spear, makes a light darting poke…

… but since Envoy is on the defensive, she manages to block it. The second guard seems caught off-balance by Envoy actually managing to stop his blow, as he had made a rather careless jab, leaving himself wide open.

Clearly outmatched, Envoy flips her staff back to vertical and steps back into the open hatchway in retreat.

A couple of sword swipes cut through the air above Envoy, but the guards' hesitation (as Envoy at least isn't the typical defenseless passenger) is enough to allow her to make it down the ladder unscathed, though her midsection and right arm ache terribly.

Down in the hold, it looks like the bat with the axe is now taking to using it to hack at the wall of the hull, though he's not made that much progress just yet. Despite all the cracks, this ship seems to be made of pretty sturdy stuff.

"What's happening up there?" someone demands. "She's bleeding!" "Are there pirates attacking?"

Envoy leans on her staff and tries to make her way aft, warning, "There are three guards up there, armed with swords and a spear. It looks like our crew are the pirates."

This revelation prompts even more cries and wails and shouts of anger. There's a sound of scraping up above, and then of a hatch being slammed down.

The elder hobbles over to Envoy, rasping, "Woman, you spoke of the engines. Do you know anything of machines? One of the men reports that there are several valves pointing into the hold, and that he cannot reckon that such a thing has any purpose for an engine such as this. If what you say is true, I have dark feelings indeed… "

"Help me over to them," Envoy says. "I might be able to seal them off."

The elder nods, and takes Envoy by the arm – the one that's not obviously wounded – and despite all the chaos, the elder is able to command enough respect that the crowd more or less parts way before them. Sure enough, there are a number of valves pointing into the chamber, routed through the ceiling. They have a look about them of being cobbled together from junk, very recent additions to the ship, even more so than the engines.

Although there are a few metal joins, the pipes are ceramic, and are fairly thick, evidencing no cracks except at the "lips".

Envoy takes several deep breaths to help clear her head, and starts singing a mold spell to try and soften the pipes enough that the valves can be sealed shut.

It takes less than a minute for the magic to start working, and the ceramic mouth puckers up, sealing off one of the valves. A disagreeable stench reaches Envoy's nose. Although she cannot immediately identify the compound by smell alone, it is most certainly not pure air that is coming down the tubes right now.

As Envoy sings, the pipes that she's reshaping seem to catch a strange sort of resonance. Something curious seems to have caught on here … some surge in the stream of magic that makes Envoy feel as if she's – at least for a fleeting moment – regained her full power again … and perhaps maybe even a little more.

The pipes as one start collapsing on themselves, sealing, curling up, even before Envoy can direct their attentions to them. She is filled with the sensations of her surroundings … the wood … the clay … the metal … and for a moment, they seem extensions of herself, as obedient to her will as would be her own arm or leg. Or perhaps she's just getting a little caught up in the euphoria of the moment.

Feeling energized, she focuses on the wooden decks above, and turns the mold spell on them, hoping to soften them quickly enough to cause anyone standing on one to sink.

The wood above starts to warp and buckle … too quickly, really. No "blip" in magic should be working this effectively. It's as if the wood of the ship is turning to rubber … or something. Some of the timbers that still remain solid start to stress and crack, and the chaos on this deck only worsens. This magic … it's going out of control. There's a buzzing sensation in Envoy's mind. In all the panic of the moment, she hadn't noticed it before … but in a flash it comes to her. Either the airship has gone into a Forbidden Zone … or else it is close enough to one that it has hit a sort of "pocket" of Quantum Uncertainty … and Envoy's spell has set it off like a candle brought into a mine full of coal dust!

Opening her eyes, Envoy shifts her focus, trying a Dispel Earth spell in an attempt to stop the ship from coming apart completely!

There's a loud thump against the ceiling. Envoy, her eyes now open, sees a dark shape that starts pushing through the ceiling. She has just enough time to fire off a Dispel – and it only takes a cantrip's casting time, if even that, with all the energies running loose here – and then it stops.

Hanging partway through the ceiling is the upside-down body of an Eeee in well-to-do clothes, skull bashed in, one hand dangling free, with the fingers cut off.

Of course the reaction nearby is more screaming.

"Someone try to open the hatch!" Envoy calls towards the front, and tries to contain her own panic. No more magic if I can help it, she warns herself.

As Envoy gets a chance to survey her surroundings more – in dim light seeping through cracks in the hull – she can see other dark shapes sticking through the ceiling. One of them she recognizes as the guard that she chased up the ladder. He struggles, halfway stuck through the floor, sword arm flailing about. Another bat – the one with the spear, hangs from the ceiling by his head. His struggles do nothing for freeing him.

No sign of Thug Number Two, however. Perhaps he managed to escape this little magical mishap. But before Envoy has much time to consider this further, there comes a heavy thud against the side of the hull. The starboard engine makes a screaming noise, and some steam starts to leak from some of the pipe seams! Immediately, those people gathered nearby scurry away, climbing over each other to do so.

Envoy ignores the stuck guards for now, realizing she has to make a big enough opening for people to abandon ship through. Very carefully, she casts another Mold spell against the hull, concentrating on limiting it to just the area in front of her.

Perfection. Envoy has control of it now. Although there is still a lot of wild magic that might tempting to harness for a more impressive effect, Envoy is able to focus her control to push the wood away – and create a serviceable portal leading off of the ship. Outside, Envoy catches a glimpse of a ptera and its rider flying by, a couple of crossbow bolts visible sticking out of the ptera's hide.

They actually attacked the Yodhrephath! is Envoy's initial reaction as she makes sure the magic dispels safely. "Abandon ship!" she yells, and starts waving people over to the hole.

"Try and pair up to carry the non-flyers," she further urges, not wanting the Nagai and Savanites left behind in panic.

Once the wood is no longer strangely convulsing, the passengers (those with wings – and thus, still the majority of them) make to the hole. Some try to carry all their belongings, only to cry out when they find themselves dropping outside, unable to carry the burden – severalpackages are dropped the distance as ballast, therefore.

So far, Envoy has yet to see any volunteers to help carry the Savanites and Nagai – with the exception of grabbing members of one's family, it seems to be mostly "every Eeee for himself".

A single Fnerf looks to be particularly out of luck, as it's hard to imagine getting enough Eeee to cooperate to haul just one of his kind.

Envoy turns to the stuck guard with the sword, and asks him, "Are there any parachutes aboard?"

The guard tries to swing at Envoy with his sword. "Back! BACK! I don't know how you did this … but you'll pay dearly!"

Exasperated, Envoy dodges back and pulls off her headband to reveal her horn. "Listen, if you can help me get these people safely off the ship, I'll let you free. Do you understand me?"

Something tingles in Envoy's magic sense – some sort of magic being enacted – not via a spell, but by some sort of packaged enchantment. The ptera swoops by again, and Envoy can see that its Yodhrephath rider is still on its back. Whatever magical is going on, it seems that the Yodhrephath possesses it. It seems that she's training a crossbow on the ship, and chanting something, though with all the noise – and only a very brief glimpse – Envoy can't make out what the Eeee rider is saying. She can make out, however, that the damaged engine has stopped, while the other is going full bore, and consequently the airship is flying in circles.

The guard's eyes widen. "It's you! Oh, Sunala, strike me down!"

"Be careful what you ask for!" Envoy warns, and tries to get the attention of the Yodhrephath, shouting, "What are you going to do!?"

By now, the vast majority of the passengers capable of taking wing have done so, and Envoy is able to get to the hole without any competition. The Rephath makes some sort of sign – it looks like a tracing of the rune for the Balance – and then sees Envoy. "Abandon the ship!" she calls. "I have a Bolt of Wrath meant for a pirate ship, but I shall use it on this one, and take down those who have betrayed Rephath! May those innocents that go down with this ship be received gently into Sunala's realm, with the blessing of Rephath!" She kisses a crossbow bolt, which begins to glow, and as she loads it into her crossbow, it is surrounded by an eerie nimbus, a ghostly suggestion of flame.

"WHAT?!" Envoy yells in shock. "We can still save them!" she claims, and looks down to see how far the ground is … and how hard a landing there might be.

The distance to the ground keeps varying … the airship is circling dangerously close to one of the mountains, and the wind is causing its circuitous path to deviate each time around. Unfortunately, Envoy's knowledge of airship mechanics and operation isn't sufficient to know how exactly this translates in terms of 'how much time do we have' or 'how bad are things', except that it can't be very good. Simply jumping for the ground, however, is almost certain to be fatal – if not upon impact, then simply by the fact of being wounded and stranded in the middle of an inhospitable, frozen wilderness, far from civilization.

"We have to stop the engine and let out the gas to land the ship," Envoy yells back to the Yodh. "Then you can blow it up on the ground!"

The Yodhrephath frowns, and looks about to say something,but then a fleeing guard takes wing from an upper hatch. The Yodhrephath secures her crossbow, then goads her ptera to go after the guard. The creature flies out of Envoy's range of vision, as the ship continues to turn. She hears a scream, a roar, a snap and some crunching noises.

Envoy swallows. "So that's what pteras eat," she guesses, and turns to the remaining passengers. "I can try to bring down the ship, if you're willing to take the risks of a crash landing. There isn't much else I can do at this point."

The grizzled-looking bat veteran with the axe, the one Envoy saw earlier, comes up behind her. "The hatch has been secured. There's no way from inside up to the upper decks. Mage, I suggest you leave this ship while you can!"

A Savanite woman – a slave whose owner apparently has already abandoned ship – stoops down to cradle a little spotted boy, grooming his cheek. The Fnerf just folds his hands before his muzzle, and settles down on his haunches. A green-scaled Naga flicks his tongue agitatedly, affixing Envoy with unblinking eyes.

"Right," Envoy says. "I'll try to land it then. I don't suppose any of you have ever flown an airship before?" she asks.

The veteran frowns. "I've been a hand on one, and that is all – but never a powered one."

The Naga volunteers, "I am a Scholar. I could perhapS … learn quickly?"

"Anything could help!" Envoy says, glad for a reaction. "Any idea where the pilot room would be an a ship like this?"

The Naga hisses, "The fore, topmost deck, I am SuppoSing … but the engineering Section would be in the aft, and it might be poSSible to control the Ship – blindly – from there."

The veteran growls, "I should have known it was a bad idea to ride out of Babel on a slave barge."

Envoy nods. "Let's all head for the top deck then." She also signs to the Savanite, "I'll carry the boy to safety no matter what."

The Savanite mother bursts into tears at this promise, and bows several times to Envoy. The boy, not comprehending, pats his mother on the cheek softly.

The veteran reaches up, and wrenches the sword away from the first stuck Eeee, and has an easier time of disarming the one with the spear. "Here," he says, giving the sword to the Fnerf, and the spear to the Naga. "Armed, we might last a few heartbeats longer."

The Naga looks at his spear with such a look of bewilderment that one might imagine he's wondering which end of the spear goes toward the enemy. The Fnerf looks a little less awkward with the sword, though it's a bit small for his size.

Envoy goes to try the hatch; no telling what condition it's in after all this.

It's stuck. Envoy can't budge it, and her wounded arm doesn't quite let her put enough "oomph" into it. The veteran tries, too, but to no avail.

The Naga might as well not even try. And then the Fnerf comes up. Crack. It's open.

Envoy urges the veteran up first. "Check if it's clear? I imagine anyone still able to move would have jumped ship by now."

"I'll go first," the veteran agrees, and he clambers on up. There's then a crack; the first guard halfway through the ceiling lets out a terrible scream, and then falls silent. "Heard some movement," the veteran calls out. "It's clear now."

The Savanite mother covers her child as she clutches him close to her. The Naga flicks his tongue distastefully, but not looking terribly shocked.

Looking back to see how the upside-down guard reacts, Envoy motions for the others to climb up.

The upside-down guard just hangs there, eyes staring, blood starting to run out his mouth. Meanwhile, the others make their way up, the Savanite making her way up fairly quickly even with the burden of her child. The Naga is somewhat more slow, but makes surprising progress for a lack of legs. The Fnerf doesn't so much climb up as to rear up, grab the sides of the opening, and haul himself up, fumbling with his lower legs on the rungs of the ladder to get the rest of the way up.

Envoy clambers up behind the Fnerf, wincing a bit at her injuries. They've healed, but still hurt if she strains.

Up on this deck, there's little but debris. Some partitions hint at other sections to the hold, but there doesn't seem to be any obvious access to the engines on this level. Another ladder leads up. The Fnerf has apparently pushed this one open as well, and Envoy arrives just in time to hear the sounds of combat, as the veteran has gone on up. "Come on up!' he says, "Plenty of scoundrels to gut!" And then there's another clash of blades, followed by a sound like a ripe melon being cleft in twain.

"Be careful!" Envoy calls as she hurries to follow up the ladder. She hopes the Yodhrephath won't mind if all of the pirates are dead before she can blow them up.

As Envoy rushes up, she can see that the lighting is much better here. There are many windows providing access to the outside world, and some of them have been smashed open. A couple of Eeee lean out of opened windows, firing bolts at the Yodhrephath as she makes passes. Another Eeee dives out, taking a chance to make a break for freedom … but he hasn't a chance. The ptera sees him even before his rider does, and makes a meal out of him before the Eeee can even fully unfurl his wings. This has got to be one of the best-fed pteras around…

The veteran, meanwhile, is laying into several Eeee with his axe, and it looks like he thinks he's having a grand time of it. There's a feral look in his eyes, and so wild is his attack that he frequently cleaves right through nearby fixtures in his fury, rather than just focusing on his targets.

Envoy hadn't expected so many survivors, and heads for the crossbowmen to try and immobilize them with Knick and Knack.

As Envoy moves about, she finds she has to step over several bodies lying on the floor. It looks as if several of the passengers were executed here, en masse – or killed below and their bodies dragged up here for plunder. It's not a pretty scene. It's like a slaughterhouse.

The first crossbowman turns around, and mouths some impolite words, right before Envoy's staff sweeps out his feet, and she delivers a stunning blow to the back of his head. Even before the next bat can react, she comes back with a blow to his midsection, knocking the wind out of him, then knocking him back so he can't jump out of the ship. Another bat lurches at Envoy, sword at the ready – but he's stopped mid-swing, as Envoy lands the staff on the side of his head with a resounding crack. The veteran fells another bat. The Fnerf sits on one. The Naga has one cornered, his fangs keeping the coward at bay. In a few moments, the battle is over … and Envoy has a moment to stop and catch her breath, the adrenaline rush dying away, waves of revulsion making her body shudder. How did she manage all that?

The veteran looks at Envoy with raised eyebrows of newfound respect … and then rushes up toward the fore. "Let's stop this thing before the Yodh decides to stop it for us!" he calls out.

Envoy nods and pants, following the veteran and calling back, "Find out if any of these pirates know how to land this thing."

The Fnerf grabs the Eeee that the snake held at bay, and drags him, kicking and shrieking and flapping, to the fore. The veteran turns to look at him, as if sizing him up, and thinking of just how to remove the criminal's head from his shoulders. "You," he says, "are going to show us how to stop this deathtrap … or I have no further use for you."

Catching her breath, Envoy takes a moment to survey the scene. She hopes the Yodh holds off firing now that she isn't being shot at, and that her next ride on an airship doesn't end up with her surrounded by corpses again.

The airship limps into port at Zannara. As it turns out, the Yodhrephath decided not to destroy the craft. Not one to waste a perfectly good Bolt of Wrath, once she was finished interrogating the thugs responsible for this travesty, she picked the highest ranking ones and told them to fly away, before she changed her mind about taking them back to Babel. While they fled, she trained the bolt on one in the center, fired … and three burning, screaming Eeee hurtled to their deaths far below.

"Its charge was already burning," she offered by way of explanation. "It would be an affront to Rephath to invoke a Bolt of Wrath without expending it appropriately."

Nonetheless, this seemed to be the end to the death and destruction for the rest of the way. The ship managed to gather up what surviving passengers had escaped – and of course kept whichever ones were still on board that hadn't yet been slaughtered.

And now, the ship has finally docked, and its passengers gladly unload. There is some question of what to do about the "loot" from those passengers that had been killed, but Priestess Xana appoints herself in charge of handling such things. Alas, while there were no more deaths during the return trip, there are a couple of executions at her hand, when she catches a couple of individuals trying to help themselves to the "loot".

Reeno and his family are among those who survived. Between them and several other survivors grateful for her help, "Seeker-of-Balance" has numerous offers for places to stay the night in Zannara, with people who either made arrangements for rooms, or who have family there.

From the tone of some of the offers, the sort of inflection applied to her self-given name, Envoy can get a pretty good idea that her cover isn't holding so strongly as she'd like. Celebrity carries its risks. At least nobody's decided to thank her by giving her a quick and merciful death.

Eager to start the next phase of her journey, but too tired to pursue it immediately, Envoy accepts the offer from Reeno's family for a place to stay the night. Hopefully she'll be able to get onto another airship before word of this latest run in with pirates gets around.

The Faestars have gathered in the dining hall for dinner. Much of the furniture has dust-cloths over it, and the place has a look of being not fully unpacked. The father's clothes were drab, cut as if to try to make him look as much like a beggar as possible, though not quite filthy enough to be totally convincing … but now he dresses in modest finery – cloth of good cut and high quality, not extravagant as a sign of wealth and power, but nonetheless signs that even with his flight from Babel, he cannot be hurting too greatly in terms of resources.

Reeno seems to have much the run of the place, dashing about, insisting to show "Squeaker-of-Balance" every nook and cranny, every great look-out point, every little spot that's good to lurk in to play Hide-and-Go-Squeak … to the point that if he were actually to play such a game, he'd surely lose the home-team advantage.

But now it's time for dinner – a typically Babelite assortment of roast bugs and arranged fruits, with juice (fermented or not) to drink.

Master Faestar delivers an odd sort of grace, not mentioning any particular deity or deities, but sounding very much along the lines of, "Whomever might be listening, thank You for your blessings, we won't complain about the things You chose to do to us that weren't blessings, and thank You for the curses that You didn't bring down on our humble heads." It's the sort of thing that if you just listen to it shallowly, sounds perfectly normal and even friendly, but close dissection makes it sound a bit sad, really.

And then … that out of the way, it's time to dig in. Reeno, if he weren't stopped by his mother, seems content to load up on some crickets coated in a peanut-y sweet and spicy sauce. A couple of other young bats that Envoy didn't see on the airship are here, too, and look like older sisters (or female cousins) of Reeno. They have very proper dining manners, according to Rephidim-dictated etiquette as adjusted for Babelite tables, and they speak with a bearing that suggests private tutoring at some expense.

Envoy eats modestly, and once again thanks the Faestars for their hospitality. She's also happy to see that Reeno wasn't traumatized by the carnage, but doesn't mention that. "This is a lovely home you have," she says.

Master Faestar smiles politely. "It's a sort of … home away from home. My family has long known that some day, things might turn sour in Babel. Kindly Ones know, it's happened before."

"Has it ever been this bad before?" Envoy asks with genuine curiosity. If Babel has pulled itself back up in the past, maybe there will be clues to what needs to be done /this/ time around.

"Not … this bad," Master Faestar says with a frown. "I have as much as written off my holdings in the city."

"Oh, darling," the Mistress says, "I hope you don't mind, but I also invited that nice priestess whose mount ate those nasty men. She might drop in."

Envoy can't help but frown and feel a bit guilty. "I'm sorry to hear that. I wish there was something I could do, but … I'm not very good at dealing with large problems like this," she says, and blinks in surprise to hear that the Yodhrephath might be dropping by.

Master Faestar laughs at this. "I don't think anyone is very good at dealing with large problems like this."

A knock at the door causes Mistress Faestar ears to shoot up. "Oh! Maybe that's her now. Now, Reeno, Sabara, Sabana, be on your best behavior, or the Yodhrephath might have her ptera eat you." She somehow says this in a completely cheery tone while sounding quite serious at the same time. And with that, she gets up to head out of the room.

Envoy checks that her bandana is in place, not sure if Xana recognized her earlier or not. If she brings that airship back to Babel with all those bodies stuck through the floors, the College won't be happy, she thinks.

Sure enough, it's Xana that Mistress Faestar brings in with her. Her robes have been immaculately cleaned, and she's looking fairly good for having journeyed all the way from Babel on the back of a ptera.

Master Faestar gets up from his chair at the head of the table, bowing. "Thank you for gracing our home with your presence, and for avenging us against our enemies."

Envoy bows her head respectfully as well, but also tries to keep the Yodh in sight … so it probably isn't a very deep bowing of her head.

Yodhrephath Xana seems satisfied with what respect she's shown … and takes Master Faestar's chair. Mistress Faestar moves his plate and utensils to a new place at the table, but Xana is impatient enough that she takes a sip from the goblet of wine already there.

Master Faestar, for his part, almost succeeds in hiding his discomfort at this unexpected additional dinner guest, as he settles down at his new position, next to his wife.

Goodness. Well, at least her table manners are still better than a Yodhblakat's, Envoy thinks, and smiles politely to the priestess.

"I heard you did magic!" Reeno pipes up, after popping the last spicy cricket off of his plate in his mouth.

Envoy freezes at Reeno's comment, and hopes the Yodh does indeed claim to have done magic … and by implication, perhaps all of the magic that occurred.

The Yodhrephath nods. "You might say that, child, but I prefer not to use such a crude term as 'magic'. They are 'miracles' and 'blessings'. 'Magic' is for those who do not believe in the higher powers."

Reeno looks confused, for it looks like he wasn't really meaning to address the priestess … but he seems to know enough not to contradict a priestess at the table (or anywhere else, for that matter, if it can be avoided) and so he just nods and tries to look satisfied.

"I couldn't believe that the crew would have actually attacked a Yodhrephath," Envoy says. "What will you do with the airship now?"

"Add what's left of it to our patrol fleet," Xana says, "or salvage it for spare parts. I do not think they were expecting me to come back so soon. I was growing suspicious of them. I decided to make my next 'break' shorter than usual. And when I came back … " She shrugs. "Perhaps they intended to murder all the passengers, get their goods, then turn back for another load of refugees, before I figured out where they were and caught up with them."

"There are many desperate people in Babel," Xana adds. "They do not inquire so closely of their 'rescuers' as they ought to, especially if the fares are cheap."

Envoy frowns. "It didn't seem that cheap to me. But I'm glad I didn't try for a space on the upper deck now though."

Xana only nods at this, and starts helping herself, filling up her plate, and then munching contemplatively. The conversation seems to have gotten a bit more quiet since she arrived.

And so it goes … a very quiet meal. And at last, Envoy is given a guest room all to herself, as much as Reeno might like to keep her up all night with strange stories and games to play.

"I'm sure that this sort of thing won't be repeated, once the pirates in Babel see how futile it is to challenge Rephath," Envoy offers, trying to find some higher good in the situation, as she eats her meal.