2. A Tumultuous Rendezvous

Near the end of our trip on the airship, I felt more at ease existing above the clouds. I've been doing my best to keep out of the way and observe the crew as they interact. We were struck by an injured druid in the form of a winged reptile creature fleeing with some curious relics stolen from the quarries east of Orrila. Her name is Claire and she is sweet and wary and we helped mend her injuries as she joined us in transit.
 
A bird delivered a message to the ship that seems addressed to none of us on board, but mentioned needing assistance in the Cromulus Ranks. The party want to explore there after our work in the desert is done. I'm hoping I didn't accidentally intercept the letter, but then why would the bird have left it with us? A trap, perhaps? These folks seem very driven by the promise of riches in relics, which is not my way.
 
We embark on our mission upon reaching the desert. It is a relief to be back on solid ground, but I'm thankful to be more confident in the air; it does certainly speed up travel. The boy Thadeus dons protective armor much larger than he; it's a demonstration of the boy's innovation, I'm sure. A note from first mate Devin upon our departure confirmed that Walter (crew member of the Long Shot) is a Jagged Dream operative. I don't know what this means for our safety, but it seems that some of my suspicion was warranted and we may be compromised in some way.
 
We were greeted by a grizzly sight arriving to meet our contact. He had been tortured, and killed to then reveal an ambush for us. The cultists who attacked us were not undead like those mentioned in the briefing and they were accompanied by a large mutated weasel who heavily injured Swift Mark in the attack. He seems resistant to healing and medical care, even after just being stabilized.
 
While more attackers approached, Thadeus used boots gifted by Devin with her warning note to create an escape passage for us and we fell into a chamber of sorts. The attackers asked for Thadeus and I to be surrendered over so the others could live. Why? I may understand more if it were Hop and I; that could be the Knights Purifier if I was somehow found out. But what does anybody need with the boy and me?
 
The chamber door was a beautiful old piece of technology that Thadeus was able to open after some time tinkering. I don't know how far below ground we are, but the chamber we ended up in mustn't have been touched for decades and there seems to be an old security here to contend with.
 
People of Note:
Claire (the useless)- a young druid missing hands and feet. She leads a similar life to me in some ways.