Blackout 
West-point Castle Springs
Rider can't process the word vomit that Sia spills on her. She juggles all the information in her mind. Two hundred fifty thousand years? Hatched? Three mothers? What about a father? A trident clangs to the floor snapping Rider out of her confusion. She knows Sia's real name now. Shiokaze. Sea Breeze. Or salt breeze. Rider looks at Sia. Shiokaze. It's in Sonnaan. Not many offworlders speak the regional dialect. Japanese it was called by another offworlder. Rider visibly jumps when the door to the springs opens and the man from her tent enters and speaks.
"Madam, I have prepared the upper room for the two of you. I have also had the chef prepare a tray of assorted sushi as well as the finest sake."
"Thank you Gin. We'll be up shortly." Rider says. Gin bows and leaves. Rider turns to Sia starts to address her but hesitates. "Shiokaze... we should go before the food spoils." Rider climbs up out of the pool letting her towel drop to the floor. With her towel gone her body is in plain sight. Only now there is a noticeable difference. There are horrible scars covering her body. The few scars on her face are small blemishes compared to the jagged and crisscrossed scar tissue on her back, abdomen, and upper thighs. As soon as she is through the door Gin is at her side.
"Madam." He says helping her with her robe.
"Gin?" 
"It's nothing Madam. Nothing at all."

Gin leads Rider and Sia up to the top floor. The open door the balcony outside has an amazing view that looks eastward over the plains. Rider takes a drink as soon as she enters. Then another. And another. Her nerves are killing her. She curses internally and tries to calm herself. She tells herself that there is no reason to be worked up.
"I helped change the world. By Karna's Sun I shouldn't be this nervous." Rider whispers to herself before her facade is back up. She turns to Sia. "This Razz. The man you mention so often. Who is he to you? A friend? Lover? Husband?" Rider sits on a cushion by the open balcony door and uses the chopsticks set aside to eat a bite of sushi.


South Point
Pirate vessel.
The captain starts to speak but is interrupted.
"I'dzay 'at wha' we plant'do wi'h de ball is none yer c'ncern." A man steps out from the cabin. He is scrawny and sickly but his voice and presence are strong. He scratches his chin stubble and leans almost pretentiously against the cabin door, which he shut behind himself. His coat is much too large for someone of his build and aside from his boots and pants seems to be the only articles of clothing he's wearing. With his free hand he teases the grip of an ornate pistol tucked in the front of his pants. "Sea'olf 'ere is uh mas'er a' ocean storms. Not man c'take ih from 'im. Which ei'er means yer uh lowrud. A lowrud tha' we 'aven 'eard or seen'til na. Er, yer uh offworl'er. Ei'er weh. We on't ligh intrafearunce. Leaf." 


Oasis
Great Tree
Zaak points to the Blackout where everyone is.
"There are obviously others who have Umbra. The problem is that Umbra can disguise itself as normal reality. The anomaly is difficult to pinpoint. But if you know how." Zaak places a hand on the roots of the Great Tree and the Umbra within him pulses softly. Blackouts begin appearing all over the Oasis at an alarming rate. "It's worse than I thought. There's millions of them. That inattentive child let this happen. I should have dealt with him sooner." Zaak grits his teeth and curses under his breath. "I should investigate them at once."