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The ship had been paid exceptionally well for the simple task it had been given. Any moral quandaries the captain and his crew possessed had likely been silenced by that bit of extra Regals in their pockets, though it was most certainly not a bribe. It had all merely been an incentive, a way to demonstrate the serious intent of the passengers to the Ailor aboard this ship and to make them more comfortable with transporting so many Naylar to Hadar.
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Indeed, over a dozen Mu-Allar now strode the upper and lower decks of this passenger vessel, now sailing down the Schön River toward the open sea. Mainly below its deck though rested the orchestrators of all this, that being a group of Slizzar. Unheard of, the friends of the sailors might say. Impossible, the families of the sailors might say. But all would likely swear it to be true, over ten Slizzar were all in quarters together on board of this ship in...cooperation, somehow.
While the sailors and the captain himself were unaware of the purpose of this group, merely aware of their directives to reach Hadar, all of the Slizzar certainly knew their ultimate destination. The Temple. Their Temple. The only religious structure that mattered to their kind, and the only one that could produce such fellowship as it did now. Some though were torn and concerned. The Mu-Allar on this trip with them were there to guard the ship but these same few worried. Would they spy? Would they question? Would they piece together the truth and enact the terrible purge again?
Zzalangua Mu-Yaotl would not question. Nor would Jazzousz Mu-Yaotl. Their loyalty to Digmaan Yaotl was absolute. They would guard these Slizzar and their ship as directed by their leadership and the head Slizzar, no more and no less. Also, any doubts, fears or darker thoughts their fellow Mu-Allar guards had, they had assured the Digmaan they would squash like newborn Bugutza. And so, having divided up the guarding duties, they moved about their planned path in proud but varied regalia.
Back beneath their feet, the Slizzar spoke of all the minutiae of their journey. Henric of Heeresveen so was his Ailor name, told them of the plan. He had a longstanding relationship with a fisherman in the port city of Justinianberg. When their vessel docked at the port, they would disembark and proceed to this fisherman quickly. The Mu-Allar would be left behind to guard the ship and keep their Ailor baggage safe. With a quick payment and maybe an extra favor, the Allar fisherman's generously sized vessel would be theirs to sail away with, away to the temple.
Casiranda Ops, a female Slizzar, was understandably nervous. This plan seemed somewhat bold, somewhat arrogant, to assume the Ailor would not stop them and search them and then hold them...her train of thought skittered over all the horrors of the War.
Rhett, a Slizzar with so many templates and aliases he had long told the group a permanent alias name for the sake of simplicity, echoed these fears alongside a newcomer who called himself Clovis. Both were young or professed to be so in their actions and ways of thought. The method and the Great Journey overall was not tried and true for them, at least it did not seem to be.
But Henric sought to calm all their nerves. He assured them that their Great Journey would succeed, that he had been down this route for many years though from different origin points in the Regalian Empire. Still, his Allar friend was trustworthy, his vessel suitable, and their own chartered ship which they sat in now was quite secure. To further calm themselves, he suggested they all ingest the God Sight so that they might rest with ease tonight, and possibly gain guidance from the Ssepston. Such a thing was agreed upon by most, and so it came to pass. Some of the Mu-Allar also joined in, though more so for the high the drug would give them.
When all awoke the next day, they spoke of their experiences. Henric spoke of a vision brought to him by Ssaliden at the time of the coronation of the Empress, where first he could talk to no one before they all turned on him to ask him many questions. He believes this tells him that his greed for knowledge and for answers will ultimately be satisfied.
Clovis spoke of how he had been inside of a rose garden with dead bushes but living flowers. The sky wasn't blue, instead a bunch of flowing colors that swirled in the air. Then, snakes came out from the bushes around him and wrapped themselves around his body before he awoke.
Sacshekhi, a Slizzar dressed and very much ready for the warm weather of the south when compared to the winter of Regalia, spoke of her own vision. Isskarno led hers, presenting her with a large meeting room with everyone including her in noble clothing, waiting for Sacshekhi to sign a paper. When she did, she closed her eyes and found herself in her normal attire, but outside and seeing the grand cathedral of Regalia on fire. Out of curiosity she walked in and saw Isskarno coming from a giant pit of lava. Isskarno held their hand out for Sacshekhi, and she takes it, before being pulled into the lava, waking up. She interprets this as Isskarno wanting Sacshekhi to claw her way up Regalia's nobility and use her position to destroy the Grand Cathedral in revenge to what happened to Ssasrakand.
Some interpretations are debated, others are formed, but all is done quietly away from the eyes and ears of the Ailor crew. The Great Journey passes on with few interruptions, with the Slizzar speaking to both the crew and the Mu-Allar on the journey. Games are played, mostly those involving luck, chance and lying alongside enjoying looks at the changing waters or reading. Some in the group might even have tested their seduction skills, but such matters would be extremely private.
But at least, they would reach Hadar and head into the port of Justinianberg with the morning tide on the 5th of January. No time is wasted once they have been moored. All of the Slizzar party packed away only their most needed belongings into a single bag each and dressed lightly, for their forms were soon not to matter. They disembarked and though some stared, proceeded with elegant speed down the docks toward the edge of the port and to the house of Henric's friend. That too went smoothly and with a few hours left, they would themselves sailing out into the Hadar Sea and to their sunken temple.
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OOC: There are three parts to this story, and you can read the other two parts here (Part 2) and here (Part 3). I hope everyone enjoyed having a read and consider making their own Slizzar character in the future. If you do, feel free to message me, I have plenty of useful information and documents to help you out. For all those Slizzar out there who are NOT in this post, please contact me! I would enjoy to try and include you in my Slizzar group.Tag list for those in the Ophid Union: @HoshiWomp @NoRezForYou @HereticTakao @EagleEyeKK @Havsbris_ @PuffyPigeon @The_Western_Fox @Chiruda @AngelWho2013
