Flight of the Phoenix Up

## Company Notice

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*The Administrator has sent a team out to the Coerthas mountains to recover the down mid-size airship known as the Aetherwing. This Viltgance-style model was a prototype large build vessel intended to rival a Garlean Gunship in size, but due to their fuel requirements the few created served as cargo vessels. This one crashed over a year and a half ago and the Project has claimed salvage rights on the vessel.*

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## Record VI.2

After receiving a strange signal from the facility terminals, originally designed to track void creature incursions as part of an investigation, the Project quickly determined this was linked too a crashed airship in MorDhona. Due to Ceruleum fires and a lack of first responders, when the Administrator reached out Revenant's Toll was only too happy to accept the help. The Phoenix was dispatched with a mandate to assist in relief efforts and try to rescue the crew and salvage the vessel. As the airship approached they could see the fires burning even from some distance out. Experience difficult finding a place to land, Alexander had the team slide down ropes to reach the ground level instead as he went off to try and fill the hold with water to dump on the fires. The team quickly split into three groups to help identify any survivors as well as figure out what happened to the ship. As they tended to two of the wounded crew, a group went inside. Fennella was on site to determine that the vessel would never fly again after the way it landed. She also identified the way up to the top deck where they discovered the Chief Mate, Alstair, had survived as well and they were able to rouse him. Meanwhile, Ekaka split off from the group to patrol when she felt a strange presence in the area. This set her out on a mission to search for it. While Mona and Rhea worked on the wounded, Ferusmon, Maldori, and Fennella spoke with Alstair about how the ship went down. R'ion patrolled as well while Zaya stood guard. Zaya was the first to see the Manacutter patrolling from up above, but not coming down to help and quickly became suspicious of the vessel and warned the others. Mona went inside the ship to help while Rhea stayed outside with the Project's newest member to watch the vessel. Ekaka eventually realized the strange sensation was coming from another Dark Knight who was moving up with a group of mercenaries. They did not recognize the symbols they were wearing. The Dark Knight and Ekaka exchanged words as the other broke off to try and assault the Project Team on the desk of the ship.

At the same time the Manacutter descended and began it's assault, spraying the deck of the ship with Magitek bullets. Somehow no one was hurt and the entire team leap from the deck of the airship to the cliff where the Mercenaries were setting up to attack so they could engage them. A battle ensued all around. Zaya spiked the Manacutter with her Javelin and Rhea managed to push her out of the way just in time to take one for the team as she was shot twice. This allowed Zaya to line up a second time and spear the pilot, bringing down the Manacutter once and for all with a lucky throw in an impressive start for her time with the Expeditionary group. Ekaka and the Dark Knight squared off, trading blows. However, an impressive combination from Ekaka ended the Dark Knight and she recovered his cracked Soul Stone and sword. Though injured, it was not life threatening. R'ion joined the team on the cliff and they faced off against the attackers. Mona protected the group while Ferusmon evened the odds with some exceptional spell casting. Maldori and R'ion fought off the rest, capturing some of the mercenaries when they tried to escape. In the end the Project team held until Alexander could put out some of the fires with a water drop from the Phoenix and bring in aid from Mor Dhona. The airship was a total loss, but they recovered the supply of Magitek Parts from the ship's hold.When the Project team questioned the mercenary survivors, they knew nothing about the ship crashing. They were told when and where to go to recover the parts. They are part of a mercenary group known as Desert Clay and mostly operate outside of major cities in Thanalan, Corethas, and Mor Dhona. The Dark Knight was leading them to the salvage, but aside from that they knew nothing else. The Immortal Flames would take possession of the prisoners and leave the rest of the investigation to the Project. It was quite the mystery. How was the ship brought down? This was the first unexplained crash in months, but the 19th in a series the last three years. Why this ship as opposed to any others? What was the goal of the Dark Knight? Who was behind hiring them to steal the Magitek parts? When would the next ship crash? The Project would continue to look into these matters.