Chapter Seventeen

## **Derailed**

**Zwatandag 25th Biriskur 1770**

Regrouping from their visit to The Agolith, The Fellowship took some time to collect themselves and collate the information they had gathered. Deciding that they had seen enough and that the people of Russet still needed their aid, they decided to resume their journey to Bezmadanbaor sooner rather than later.

Booker stopped briefly to join Moonbeam in another rendition of “Song of the Prophetess” while Nixe found Restless Norixius Balasar packing his things in preparation for heading west to Vandorholme. Whilst attempting to warn the dragonborn of the impending war between their nations, Nixe let slip about the coming destruction of the plane. A combination of events that saw the traveller spiralling into existential dread.

Having done enough damage, The Fellowship decided to be on their way and, after saying goodbye to Vondal Portcullis, they reunited with Delg and Wilf at the top of the hills and resumed their journey south.

As evening fell, Nixe spotted something travelling fast in the distance to the north-west and getting closer. Plymouth and Fitz quickly deduced that it was the Lightning Rail, the runestones for which sat not far from their present path. As it passed, they saw the carriages, half-packed with commuters heading towards Bezmadanbaor for the evening.

The Fellowship mused about catching up to the train, but it was travelling far too fast for them. Booker attempted to signal it with air-born explosions but, with the exception of a young dwarven girl, these were largely ignored. Brandyr, meanwhile, tried to slow the train with harmless tremors, but these were harmless so, perhaps fortuitously, this did nothing.

The steady thrumming of magical runestones activating and deactivating faded as the train passed from view, until, about a mile or so out from the party, came a flash of light, followed shortly by a loud THOOM! A plume of black smoke, billowed from the now crumpled wreck of the derailed train.

The Fellowship raced to the aid of the train, noticing, as they got closer, a number figures already stood around the crash site, horses and some sort of mechanical riding machine stationed nearby. Although difficult to make out, they could see twenty to thirty people moving around the wreckage, with one person standing atop the crashed train, surrounded by, what Booker recognised to be, a number of flying drones.

Delg and Wilf pulled the wagon up short as the gathered mass began to level various weapons in the party’s direction, The Fellowship continuing to approach on foot. As they got closer, the woman on top of the train, who appeared to be the group's leader, was finishing a speech to the drones around her, proclaiming a great victory for the Ungermoth Reparation Army.

Disembarking from the wreckage, the leader joined the group that stood between The Fellowship and the train. Plymouth, the thoughts of his mother’s arrest still fresh in his mind, called out to her, asking whether she knew Sutherlanda. The woman confirmed that she did, that his mother had been a member of the URA and that she understood the need for drastic actions such as these.

Shaken, the party watched as the URA departed, before Brandyr led the charge into the debris to save who they could. Time and time again, the party rushed into the still burning wreckage of The Lightning Rail, with no thought to the fire and smoke. With Delg and WIlf’s assistance, the party managed to save thirty people from amongst the wreckage, healing them with spells and potions and medicine.

Having seen enough death and destruction for one lifetime in the last tenday alone, The Fellowship made sure the survivors were well cared for, before succumbing to their exhaustion. They would have to find somewhere for these survivors to go, but that was a problem for the following day.

Next: Chapter Eighteen. Bez, Minister