[center][hr][h3]LUCIDIA | 22, 1Sm; 844 | ~1100[/h3][/center][hr]
Lucidia was as vibrant as ever when the ship pulled into the only harbor. Even from a distance, nature had staked its claim on the island. Stretches of green, splashes of glistening blue, and even a mighty mountain with a shimmering peak stood out in the sky. As one of the few islands with a taruva that was… [i]testy[/i], to say the least, Lucidia didn’t have the population to give it many sweeping changes over the years. 

The few ships that knew of the island usually brushed that off as part of its charm. 

As the Fornacis pulled into the harbor, it was clearer than ever that nothing had changed in the small pocket of civilization since the last visit. No small feat, considering the seven year absence. Buildings had remained unaltered, still standing tall in the same places—even the residents seemed largely the same. Life was idyllic, if one cared enough to watch. There was a sense of safety blanketing the residents. They had never known danger, even with how overwhelming nature seemed from on high. They feared no beasts, no monsters, nothing but the hustle and bustle of their daily life.

Such a calmness was a decided difference from the firm—well, closer to [i]hostile[/i] than firm—orders that came from Delphini through the halls of the ship. 

[color=6bb1d1]“I need you all to find something to do while I make some physical adjustments to the ship.”[/color] The tone was harsher than usual, even with the less-than-friendly behavior that the taruva had exhibited toward the crew over the course of their short journey. [color=6bb1d1]“And yes, Kerry, that includes you. In case you forgot what happened last time Xander tried to sneak on the ship during adjustments.”[/color]

The incident included the former captain being stuck in a room that Delphini had removed entrance to for the sake of expanding one of its neighboring rooms to account for Yulana’s very large, very [i]feral[/i] griffin. He had been trapped in the space for almost a full day. 

An entire. Earthfiend tainted. [i]Day.[/i]

The announcement was followed shortly after by a distinct inability to make use of anything that wasn’t a [i]door[/i], empty rooms locking and entire decks becoming inaccessible as soon as they emptied. Even for the densest and most stubborn of crew members, the message should have been clear:

Get off the ship, unless they wanted to run the risk of getting caught up in the adjustments that Delphini was making on the ship.

But at the least, there was plenty to do on Lucidia. From the stores, to the hunt, to the option to gather herbs, or even simply explore and catch up with friends that had been absent for far too long—there Lucidia was never lacking.

[center][hr][h3]LUCIDIA | FORNACIS MAIN DECK | 22, 1Sm; 844 | ~1500[/h3][/center][hr]
Delphini lounged on the main deck as he allowed his aura to push through every space of the Fornacis, his eyes shut as he adjusted the once-uniform rooms. Some were easy, left alone for their returning inhabitants, but there hadn’t been many. There weren’t as many as he would have liked, but a distant part of the taruva had to acknowledge an unfortunate truth: Branka had been leagues behind Xander when it came to her ability to unite and lead. 

Some, of course, were loyal to no end, but even Delphini couldn’t deny that there had been plenty of reasons for them not to come back. 

Every so often, he wondered whether he would have left too, if he’d been given the option. 

[color=faacfa]“You’re still as moody as ever, I see.”[/color] One of the residents of Lucidia yawned, her voice pulling Delphini out of his thoughts. The taruva glanced around the area, finding no sign of the intruder and earning a laugh. [color=faacfa]“Up here, Del.”[/color]

He glanced up, the sight of a woman—[i][color=6bb1d1]’Ugh… always with the provocative features…’[/color][/i]—floating above the deck catching his attention in an instant. Long, strawberry blonde locks fell past her shoulders, her less-than-modest clothing pulled tight against the surface of her skin. She gave a wave of her hand, slender digits looking entirely too pristine to have ever seen work a day in their lives. 

[color=faacfa]“Didn’t think that you’d be coming by anymore.”[/color] The wide grin plastered across the woman’s face spoke volumes of her elation at the presence of the Fornacis. [color=faacfa]“First time in seven years, and you didn’t even hop off to greet me personally.”[/color]

[color=6bb1d1]“Since when did Ilaria, the star of victory, ever wait for someone to come to her?”[/color] Delphini rolled his eyes as he gave a dismissive wave of his hand. The blonde laughed, but took the movement as an invitation to make her landing. Heeled boots touched down lightly on the deck of the Fornacis, the [i]clink[/i] as they made contact more a sign of confidence and authority than physics. Sharp, blue eyes settled on Delphini, skin lightly tanned from exposure to the sun, but unmarked by combat. As usual, she wore tight clothing that hugged to her form, bright colors and little left to the imagination while her proportions…

…well, [i]Xander[/i] had always found Ilaria attractive. In his own, bumbling way.

[color=faacfa]“You always did know me so well. But you could have come anyways. Seven years is a long time, right?”[/color]

[color=6bb1d1]“Not for us.”[/color]

[color=faacfa]“Hmph, [i]I[/i] think it is. You used to come at least a few times a year when…”[/color] And Ilaria paused, her confident expression faltering before turning soft. [color=faacfa]“I am sorry. I heard about your little one.”[/color]

[color=6bb1d1]“The risks are always high for Empyreans.”[/color] Delphini adjusted his weight, rocking back until he was pressed against the railing. [color=6bb1d1]“I don’t think he had any regrets, but his successor… she’s always full of them.”[/color]

[color=faacfa]“I’m surprised you picked her. You said she was fragile.”[/color] Ilaria chuckled. [color=faacfa]“But apparently not so fragile that she couldn’t take out Ysir. Where is she, anyways? I got my boys to hunt down some lumiberries to thank her for getting rid of that Earthrotten pain in the ass.”[/color]

Delphini didn’t answer, but the tightening of his jaw and the silence was more definitive than any words he could have used.

[color=faacfa]“…I’m sorry. She was very young too.”[/color] Ilaria sighed, tilting her head back to stare at the sky. [color=faacfa]“…are you sure about this, then?”[/color]

[color=6bb1d1]“Yeah. We’re starting from scratch.”[/color] Delphini cracked the first genuine smile since the start of their little journey, a bemused smirk with a coat of mischief hiding behind the surface. [color=6bb1d1]“It’s not like you to be worried, Victory Star. Has your good luck run out?”[/color]

Ilaria pouted, her cheeks puffing in a way that didn’t fit with the maturity of her features in the moment. 

[color=faacfa]“Hmph! I’ll have you know it [i]hasn’t[/i]!”[/color] But the flare subsided as quickly as it came, and Ilaria drifted a few feet into the air, twirling a lock of hair around her finger with a sense of boredom. [color=faacfa]“It just won’t be the same.”[/color]

[color=6bb1d1]“I know, but better here than elsewhere.”[/color] Delphini ran his own fingers through his hair, pale eyes looking up to his companion. [color=6bb1d1]“So, are you up for it?”[/color]

Ilaria hummed to herself, a soft smile spreading across her lips as she leaned a weightless elbow on Delphini’s shoulder. 

[color=faacfa]“Of course, dearest little brother of mine. Just give me the word.”[/color]

[center][hr][h3]LUCIDIA | 22, 1Sm; 844 | ~1800[/h3][/center][hr]
The sun had just started its descent, a canvas of colors playing backdrop to the sight of the Fornacis lazily drifting over Lucidia. Nothing out of the ordinary for crew members that had witnessed the process of adjustments before—after all, Delphini was attuned to the massive body in ways that others weren’t. It was much like a stretch before preparing for an extensive exercise—nothing really new. 

At least, that was what normally happened. 

The ship came to a halt at the summit of Lucidia’s highest mountain. Odd in and of itself, but nothing compared to the sudden sense of [i]life[/i] that crackled across the island. An electrified tension blanketed the island, though its abrupt nature didn’t seem to startle any of its humanoid inhabitants. There was no denying that they had noticed, their attention drawn to the mountain for a moment before daily life returned with a surge of whispers. 

If anything, they seemed [i]excited[/i] at the sudden change. 

Perhaps they had every right to be as a titan formed itself from an aura too powerful to belong to anything short of a taruva. The ethereal image of a woman settled at the peak, her expression disinterested as rested a hand on the Fornacis.

[color=faacfa]“Welcome, Empyreans. I hope you’ve been enjoying yourselves.”[/color] There was no malice in her voice, though the pressure of its authority was almost stifling in every syllable. [color=faacfa]“It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen the ship, and to think it’s gone through not one, but two captains. Really, I almost don’t want to relinquish it again.”[/color]

Another pulse of energy, another layer of tension in the air. Ilaria’s figure cradled the Fornacis in its hand for a moment. 

[color=faacfa]“I think you could stand to have a trial or two. All of you, reach my chambers within the week. Leave no member unaccounted for.”[/color] It was a task more monumental than the original, but the circumstances were different. Ilaria chuckled to herself. [color=faacfa]“If you can’t do that, I’m afraid I’ll be keeping little Delphini all to myself—at least until you can manage it.”[/color]

She paused, and with a bright tone that resonated over the island, she added a few final thoughts. 

[color=faacfa]“Oh, and do be careful. I don’t intend on making it easy.”[/color]
[hr]NOTES
[hider][list][*]Your characters will have been free to move around the island during the ~7 hours. Delphini will have suggested that the crew find accommodations in case his adjustments needed excessive fine tuning.
[*]For old crew members, it has been [color=red]7[/color] years since the Fornacis last came to Lucidia. Branka never brought the ship there herself. This type of event has never happened, even for the oldest members.
[*]The mountain is a minimum of a [color=red]3[/color] day journey assuming no detours and no obstacles on the most direct route. Vehicles are highly inefficient for moving through the nature-heavy island.
[*]As you might expect, the most direct route has a [i]lot[/i] more opposition than the roundabout ones.
[*]The mountain is at the center of the island. The town is at the southern edge.
[*]Monsters will never enter the town, but are bountiful around the island. You are free to write combat with them without my direct input, but ping PapiTan if you would like to experiment with a heftier monster. In fact, if any players want to GM skirmishes with monsters for their fellow players, I am 100% okay with that as well![/list]
More meta stuff:
[list][*]The GM has no control over how your characters want to approach this trial. Explore the island in search of less dangerous routes, try and barrel through the most direct route--you guys do you.
[*]Characters do [i]not[/i] have to reach the chamber on the same day.
[*]This is a bit experimental for me too, since I’m trying to get an idea of how to move things for very different groups doing very different things, so please bear with me as I muddle through this! ;w;7
[*]I will move the timeline forward [color=red]1[/color] day every major mod prod update.
[*]Current projected mod prod/update day is [b][color=red]June 20, 2020[/color][/b].[/list][/hider]