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[Jon Potter]

They traveled for a time that was difficult to gauge, only once spotting anything worth seeing in the silver expanse - a bit of astral flotsam that they used as a temporary rest stop so that Maleko could trance and replenish the spells he'd used to heal Cerrakean's injuries. Ixin and Ayremac too rested, leaving the hobgoblin on watch with Del until the others awoke.

Nothing assailed them and after prayers they set off once more, following the heading set by their magical "compasses".



Some time later, they saw it.

Avik-tchai. Inside which lay both a holy sword and several mithril coins.

The outpost was built in, and projecting out from, a roughly spherical piece of astral debris they judged to be 200 feet or so in diameter. Four towers jutted out from the central section at roughly symmetrical angles while a fifth projection, longer and thicker than the towers, was topped by a bulbous sphere with four smaller towers jutting out near the edges of a large set of double doors — the only apparent route by which to enter the complex. The whole was strange and vaguely sinister, festooned with Iron spikes and riveted metal plates.

There was no immediate sign of anyone manning the outpost, nor did there seem to be any way to enter or leave it but by way of the large wooden doors.

"Charming..." Cerrakean mused and spat. The gobbet of spit flew several feet away and then hung suspended in the void. Ixin looked at it and the hobgoblin before screwing her face up in disgust.

"Yes..." the sorcerer sneered. "Quite." Cerrakean snorted at her and sneered right back.

"We can't all be pretty little things like you, sister," the hobgoblin told her. "Somebody has to do the heavy lifting." Ixin opened her mouth to retort but Ayremac silenced her with an admonishing look.

"Do we just knock?" Maleko asked earning his own look from Del. "I was only kidding," the elf assured him.

"I will sense what I can about this place," Ayremac said as he spread his wings out of habit and rose upward. "I suggest we all do the same."

"We don't all have angel powers, glitter boy," Cerrakean grumbled.

"We all have eyes," Ixin told her and turned her attention on the outpost



Further scrutiny yielded little in the way of new information. Several of the towers were capped with what looked like glass skylights and the glow of light from within was dimly apparent. However, other than that faint glow, there was no sign that the place was inhabited.

Even to Ayremac's "angel powers".

"I will attempt the door," the holy warrior resolved. "I have resistances to certain harm, so I may be better able to hold off a surprise attack"

"I will ask that we show some restraint on insulting any githyanki," Maleko said quickly, looking directly at Ayremac. "They are quick to anger."

"I am well-versed in diplomacy, Maleko," the Officer of Umba replied. "I do not make a habit of hurling insults at strangers."

"Of course not," the elf back-pedalled."I just meant that I have had experience dealing with Grawl with moderate success so far. I do not think he saw me as a threat. Where as you... he does. He saw me as a business opportunity. Maybe we can pull the same thing off here." Ayremac looked at Maleko and then at Avik-tchai.

"Perhaps," he said. "I have no desire to shed blood if it can be avoided."

"I can go either way," Cerrakean grinned ferally and Del looked at her disapprovingly.

"Let's proceed forward as a group," the marshall said after a moment. "But remember what I told you and stay spread out."



They made it to within 100 feet of the outpost doors before anyone hailed them.

"Stop where you are!" a gravelly voice shouted. It was not readily apparent where the voice originated, but its words reached their ears perfectly well. "Avik-tchai has been sealed to traders by order of Gisir Okemocik pending the outcome of today's trial. You will wait until-" The voice paused then and when it spoke next, its tone had softened quite a bit.

"Oh, I say!" the voice chuckled. "Don't I know you?"

Ayremac saw the speaker then. The stone features of Grandfather Plaque smiled at him from the lintel above the double doors leading into Avik-tchai.