Volume 1: The Temple

<@Pan|GM>        ...
<@Pan|GM>        Things weren't as bad as they could've been, all things considered.
<@Pan|GM>        The weather was really nice. No rainbow whales had been spotted thus far. And the last temple bagged you a hefty amount of loot, even!
<@Pan|GM>        Zundan, the leader of your little troupe, had even found a completely intact /Thandurin Text/. He was a mage that went the more typical conduit route, but this was big news for a plethora of reasons.
<@Pan|GM>        Then came the pirates. "Captain Sai" and his abnormal fucking flying ship- it was a goddamned /ship/ not even a zeppelin- decided that something something you stole from him since he was heading for the same destination and well...
<@Pan|GM>        You've been running for a few hours. Zundan was dead and held all of the loot. Nobody could turn to get him due to the bizarre water cannonballs that kept being shot at you.
<@Pan|GM>        Every shot taking back was met by the thick steel of his ship.
<@Pan|GM>        Soon you'll be out of the ruined city and into the open desert and nothing around for miles but the far distant river.||
<Edgard>         ...
<Edgard>         Edgard looks to his two teammates. "We can't keep this up for much longer. We need to find supplies if we're gonna make it out there." He jerks a gauntleted thumb in the general direction of the desert. "We'll have to scavenge for anything; even the most meager ration could save our lives." He observes the area, looking for any remnants of areas which may
<Edgard>         have contained useful resources, or at least tells leading to them.||
<@Pan|GM>        Everything looks the stame shade of gray and covered in sand. The slow rolling clouds of sand are the only reasons that the ship can't just track you all from every spot unerringly.||
<Rosa>           ...
<Rosa>           Rosa looks up at Edgard's words. "I'm inclined to agree. We're not gonna last long but there's nothing around here. We'll probably be sitting ducks out in the desert anyway. We should find some cover and try to avoid them at all costs. That desert is bad news." She looks around to see if she can spot the pirates and where they may be heading. Looki
<Rosa>           ng for a good spot to hide from the pirates is also at the top of the priority list. ||
<LucyPigtails>   ...
<@Pan|GM>        Currently the pirates are floating perilously close by, roughly 3 stories overhead, within pistol distance. You faintly hear talk on locating you all going on.||
<LucyPigtails>   Lucy scowls, wiping some gritty sand from her eyes. "That's a splendid idea, except that there is no good cover. Nothing that can't be blown to hell by some of those damn cannonballs. If only there were some underground cavern or structure. Good for cover. Preferably full of treasure. And magical items. ||
<@Pan|GM>        If only. ||
<Edgard>         ...
<Edgard>         Edgard shrugs, perhaps a bit too exaggerated, and whispers, "Well, we can't sit here and talk. It's time to do. Let's focus on getting out of ther range of those damn pirates before we discuss further options."||
<Rosa>           ...
<Rosa>           Rosa whispers back. "Well, fuck. That'd probably be for the best. Let's get moving and we'll find out something on the way. I'll take up the back and keep an eye on our friends." She readies her rifle and keeps a sharp eye on the pirates above them. ||
<@Pan|GM>        They seem to be blessedly flying further away, even as their commotion grows louder as they continue to fail to locate your group.||
<LucyPigtails>   ...
<LucyPigtails>   "So what do we need that Zun had? Food? Water?" Also loot. But priorities, priorities. Lucy shoots a glance back where they left the body of their leader. "Is it worth going back? Perhaps they won't expect us to do that." ||
<@Pan|GM>        Rosa notices the ship starting to spin back around as several cannons lock on their location. Or at least close enough that the difference doesn't matter.
<@Pan|GM>        And yet the first volley comes so fast that noticing this is irrelevant.
<@Pan|GM>        Water impacts the area powerfully enough to crush through the ruins like it wasn't even there, casting shards of stone and sand all about.
<@Pan|GM>        While the cloud is up, blinding you all, Lucy manages to stumble forward into a puddle of... that's not water.
<@Pan|GM>        Crouching down, the iron armor, the kite shield...
<@Pan|GM>        Edgard was dead and you could all hear the ship powering up for another volley. ||||