As the balloon drifts near to Jeribo, the heroes notice the following:
Smoke rises from one of the Market stalls near the Skyharbor and a few buildings in the Town Square.
A balloon with a collapsed gasbag is moored at one of the Skyharbor’s two docks, as if it were hastily abandoned.
The only people visible are two heavily-armored Mazrian sentinels standing guard at the town square’s entry gate. The sentinels begin marching toward the Skyharbor, as if to meet the party upon disembarking.
If Zubai is piloting the balloon, she angrily curses the Empire, assuming that they’ve destroyed the town in reprisal for an uprising.
The imperial “sentinels” are not what they seem. Suspicious heroes can ask questions about them from the air (see “Sentinel Shells” in the Skyharbor section below).
Landing Decision
Upon taking in the island’s state, the two traders can’t decide where to land.
Zubai is troubled enough to suggest landing the balloon in the forest, rather than the skyharbor.
Ezra acknowledges that trouble is afoot, but doesn’t want to risk damaging their precious balloon in a crash-landing.
After arguing, the traders ask the heroes to decide. The traders can easily land in the skyharbor (see the following section).
Regardless of where the party lands, the traders will insist on staying with their balloon and avoid combat.
If the party chooses the forest, the balloon's pilot must make a challenge roll.
Crash-Land a Balloon
Requires Balloons lore. Roll Maneuver to land a balloon safely.✦ 7+: You land the balloon safely enough.⬖ 4–6: The balloon takes 8 Structure damage. Everyone on board takes soft falling damage from one height. ⓧ 1–3: The balloon is destroyed. Everyone on board takes hard falling damage from one height. If the party is using the traders' balloon, Zubai makes this challenge roll. You can roll yourself or let another player roll for her. Zubai's maneuver die is a d6, so she can't succeed on her own. Make this fact clear to the other players. (If the heroes have their own balloon or skyreme, the pilot makes this roll.)
Before Zubai or another pilot rolls, encourage the other players to describe what their heroes are doing to help. If the heroes try to help the pilot, have them make a Maneuver, Compel, or Brace challenge roll, depending on what they say they're doing.
✦ 7+: You help. The vessel's pilot gets a +1 bonus to their roll. ⬖ 4–6: You can help, but at a cost: take -1 spirit (for a Maneuver or Compel) or -1 stamina (for a Brace). Otherwise:ⓧ 1–3: You fail to help.Heroes can also just look out for themselves with a Brace or Maneuver roll, taking no falling damage on a success. If the heroes do take falling damage, see the Movement section for how to resolve it.
Adaptation. If the heroes have a skyreme instead of a balloon, the challenge action works the same (requiring Navigation), but the skyreme takes 32 Structure damage on a struggle outcome.
The Forest
Landing in the forest provides the heroes plenty of cover to hide. Before they can rest, however, they’ll have to contend with a mobile force of monsters—4 kulus and 1 girtablin—sent to capture or kill them.
Kulus are hulking, fish-headed monsters wielding heavy clubs.
The spindly, shrimp-headed girtablin commands the kulus.
The monsters only speak Antediluvian.
If any heroes manage to communicate with the creatures, they say they are following the commands of a mighty dragonrider named Madenifel.
If the heroes put up even a modest fight, the girtablin will flee almost immediately, and the kulus will gradually follow it in retreat. They’ll head toward the Temple.