Ten months ago the Alliance Airship Skywolf embarked on a scientific voyage for the edge of charted skies. The ship was last seen six months ago off the island of Sogapal when it nearly collided with a small, private craft. The report states that the Skywolf was traveling at top speed, heading directly south without the slightest adjustment to its course. No signs of activity were seen aboard the ship. An hour later it triggered an Alliance territory marker and travelled into uncharted skies. Due to a malfunction in the Inter-Island Information Relay System (I.I.R.S) we are just now receiving transmissions from the ship. These are the journals of Dr. J.N. Cornelius, famed naturalist and passenger on the A.A.S Skywolf, beginning on March 20th, 832 A.E.
April 9th – 21:32 – A Sky Like Lace-Flowers
It has been five days and the mechanical beast has left my thoughts entirely. I no longer care to discover the nature of the monster for in its absence comes restfulness and clarity of mind and by reopening the mysteries I would only reawaken a nightmare.
Presently, I am sitting in a back booth of the Copper Topper, a quaint tavern on the island of Konai, drinking their local drink (the name of which I have already forgotten.) This island is our final stop before pressing onward into the unknown. It is a fairly large island, but its distance from the central trade ring means that most of the land is dedicated to crops and to cattle. I think it is a fair assumption to say that they do not receive many visitors here and many of them have probably never seen a ship as large as the Skywolf in all their life.
I was on the viewing platform when we arrived and from my vantage point had an excellent view of the village. The houses were tightly packed and had wooden roofs that shot up into points at steep angles. Steady streams of smoke rose up from the chimneys and I realized with astonishment that its black, sooty color meant that it rose up from simple, open fireplaces and not boilers. Konai is an island frozen in time, unaffected by the modern advancements and conveniences of the rest of the world. On the far edge of the island rose jagged, white peaks of mountains and a still silver lake lay in the plains to the south. It was nearing dusk and the entire sky was cast in a gentle purple that reminded me of the petals of a lace-flower. I have always prided myself as being a man of nature, but as my eyes fell upon the scene, I grew uncomfortably embarrassed. I have never known any nature as raw as this.
By the time our airship landed, dwarfing the tiny wooden dock, the entire village had gathered to greet us. They crowded against the hull of the massive ship, their eyes widened with excitement, their faces lit by smiles. As we strolled down the gangway they shook our hands and gave us hugs, and though they spoke a variation of a nomadic language I did not understand, I could not mistake their genuine acceptance of us.
During our stay here, which I believe will last only through tomorrow, the Skywolf will be taking on water, food, and any other supplies we can barter from the merchants here. They have no need for gold on Konai so I suspect we will be offering them some simple technologies, furniture, or medicine. While the ship is being loaded tomorrow I plan on taking a walk to the lake and sketching any wildlife I find along its banks. I cannot wait to rest amidst the quiet grace I caught a glimpse of from the observation deck. For now, however, I will sit back and listen for I believe a man and a woman are taking to the stage with some stringed instrument.
Dr. J.N. Cornelius
Note to Self: Ask for the name of the drink as well as how it is made. The more I drink it the more agreeable it becomes.
A Little More Steam 