THE SQUAD GOES HANG-GLIDING ※ TRAVEL LOG

[wildermods]

THE FLOATING ISLANDS

Armed now both with the information from the delegates of all the different lands and with plenty of traveling supplies, the squad departs from Rivendell, following the map Ange got from Tiffany. They’ve been warned that it will be several days before they reach the mountain with the blocked pass and will need to make the decision between trying to magic their way through the snow or going through the dangerous mines. Some of the squad may find the delay a relief, while others may just be eager to get it over with instead of stewing in dread.

For most of them, the travel won’t be particularly comfortable, because the weather here is sunny, warm and even slightly humid - and yet here they are anticipating either a snow-logged mountain or a cold subterranean maze, hauling warm clothing generously provided by the elves. The terrain slopes upwards slightly, and over the first day there’s a clear change in elevation as the air gets thin. Low-hanging clouds rest on the hillside, and whenever the squad has to walk through one the visibility gets so poor that they have to move slowly so as not to run into each other.

Soon, the gentle, gradual hill turns into something far more dramatic, as deep canyons and jagged ridges replace loamy gradients. Sudden drops seem to go down forever, and some ridges need to be scrambled over hands-and-knees. Walking through the occasional clouds becomes not just unpleasant, but actively dangerous, as each step could lead to an endless free fall off a cliff.

Whenever they step outside the clouds, the mountain looms in the distance.

I. Hang-Gliding on the Islands

Eventually, the squad will run into a canyon so wide that there doesn’t seem to be any way around it other than to turn back. The solid ground on the other side is within eyesight, but too far away for just about anyone in the squad to cross without Toothless’ aid.

Which is when they’ll make a fortunate discovery; the upwards wind currents here allow them to float between the patches of solid ground. It’s not an exact science and it’s certainly not flight; the upwards, warm drafts of air buoy people upwards, and then gravity slowly pulls them back downwards. Thankfully, the warm drafts seem plentiful enough that no one seems to be in real trouble of plummeting to their death, but controlling which direction to go in is a matter of developing some skill. Those who figure it out can not only travel over the canyons and gaps, but can even find some joy in this makeshift hang-gliding, swooping down and letting the warm air rocket them back upwards.

Those who really experiment with the air currents will discover that they aren’t the only ones levitating - if one drops a few feet down they can see that what they thought was solid ground is actually floating islands, some small as vans and others so large that they could hold multiple buildings. Unlike the members of the squad, the islands don’t seem to be moved at all by the air currents; instead they simply sit, fixed, like gargantuan stones in a river.

Further exploration leads to treasure troves of natural wonder. The larger islands have caves and tunnels, many of which are filled with strange, glowing flowers and colorful butterflies that seem as ephemeral and insubstantial as breath. Sugar-water drips from stalactites and verdant moss yields small, delicious berry-like fruits.

Other large islands are shaped like massive bowls, with football stadium-sized valleys and meadows. Strange prey animals abound, such as rabbits with wings or antlers that seem entirely unperturbed by the squad’s presence. Swarms of meerkats mill around, sometimes attempting to crawl up on members of the squad and rest in the warmth of their clothing or, more often, eat the supplies.

An impossible, circular river winds through one of the meadows and then meets itself again, somehow still coursing despite at some point having had to go uphill. The water is sweet, clear and cold, as if it just melted from a glacier.

II. The Crows

Members of the squad who go hunting will find that the rabbits and meerkat are pathetically easy prey. However, on some islands the prey animals have unusual protectors: murders of crows that have claimed this food as theirs and theirs alone. While the crows, hopping around on the ground and picking at rocks, are content to let people walk among them, the instant someone makes a move for the rabbits or meerkats the crows launch into an assault.

The crows are vicious; they attack in huge flocks, pecking and clawing straight for the eyes. The smallest are the size of housecoats, and the largest are almost the size of a small adult human. They’ll chase people off their islands or rip them to shreds, whichever comes first.

III. Huddling

Night is decidedly less pleasant than day up here in this high terrain. The temperature precipitously drops, and the cloud-moisture throughout people’s clothes chills to the bone. The scraggly trees are either too green or too damp to make fire with.

The only option seems to be huddling together in groups. Anyone trying to go it solo will likely run into dangerous hypothermic territory, even with the cold-weather clothing the elves provided, due to the moisture. Huddling doesn’t make things pleasant, and there’s unlikely to be good sleep to be found, but it does make things survivable.

IV. The Storm

By the third day of trekking through the floating islands, the weather begins to take a change for the worse. The white clouds they’ve been passing through darken, and the air takes on the brisk smell of impending rain. Electricity in the air raises people’s hair, and accidental touches are occasionally met with surprising static shocks.

In less than a few hours, what was previously just ominous and unpleasant becomes downright dangerous. The warm upwards drafts seem erratic and too strong, kicking the clouds into whirls. Everything gets wet as the clouds seem to spew rain everywhere, along with thunderbolts that snap out and hit trees and occasionally small animals that haven’t sought cover. The squad will have to seek cover in the caves, hopefully before anyone gets injured or killed by Mother Nature’s tantrum.

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NOTES
✦ Exploration Post: As this event is not beholden to any particular canon, feel free to invent additional places, creatures or scenery for your characters to find so long as it fits within the common-sense bounds of this setting.