[Exposition] Chapter 5: THE HELD BREATH OF ROERA

EXPEDITION AFTERMATH: THE HELD BREATH OF ROERA

8th day of Septiri, 2024th year ADG

From coastal villages to mountain towns, citizens stirred in the pre-dawn hours, their daily routines set aside. Farmers paused in their fields, gazing towards the distant Inner Sea. Fishermen delayed their launches, gathering instead at weathered docks to await news. In city squares, people huddled together, voices low, eyes darting to every approaching messenger.

By the sixth hour, the entire continent was awake and waiting. The usual bustle of morning commerce was replaced by a tense silence, broken only by the occasional murmur of prayer or the nervous shuffling of feet. Children sensed the gravity of the moment and clung to their parents' legs, wide-eyed and quiet.

As the sixth hour struck, all eyes turned towards the news bulletins and portal halls, waiting for the first signs of news from the Spire. Minutes stretched into what felt like hours, the tension palpable in every town and city across Roera.

Finally, a ripple of excitement surged through the crowds as messengers burst through local portals, their faces flushed with exertion and excitement. The news spread rapidly: "THE PORTAL OPENS! THE EXPEDITION RETURNS!"

Cheers erupted across the continent. In an instant, the tension of the morning gave way to unbridled celebration. Strangers embraced in the streets, tears of joy mingling with laughter. The impossible had been achieved. An expedition had returned from the Eternal Lands, and a long-distance portal established.

As the initial wave of euphoria began to ebb, people gathered anxiously, awaiting more detailed news. Reports gradually trickled in of heroes emerging from the Spire compound's gateway. Names were called out, met with cheers or sighs of relief as loved ones were confirmed safe. Some rushed away to write letters to their family members now at the Spire.

The fates of the expedition's ships became a topic of intense discussion. The Eye of Antiquity's Thought had landed successfully, though its sister ship, Reason, had crash-landed on the last night of the expedition. By the time the rest of the expedition reached them that evening, the Reason was fully lost in a deadly encounter with nightmares, with only one survivor to be saved. The Hand of Tomorrow celebrated the safe return of Destiny, while the fate of the Fortune was mysteriously missing from the first news. The Teeth of Noor's Justice stood proud among the returnees, but a shadow hung over the faction as news spread of Judgement's mysterious disappearance - never having landed on the shores of the Eternal Lands.

Amid the reports of the ships' fates, another piece of grim news circulated among the returnees: Anežka Pavlovic of the Teeth of Noor was missing in action, presumed dead in the same battle that had claimed the lives of all aboard the Reason.

As the list of returnees grew, a note of concern crept into the festivities. Sharp-eared listeners noticed a significant omission: Consul Shiori of the Hand of Tomorrow had not been mentioned among the returnees.

Whispers raced through the crowds, growing louder with each retelling. "Where is Consul Shiori? What of the Fortune?" The ship, last seen on the morning of the 7th, had vanished under mysterious circumstances. Shiori herself had gone aboard to recover the Shattered Storm orbs and lead the crew back to their operating base. Fragmented reports spoke of an unnatural mist that had swallowed it back into the open waters, leaving no trace behind. The captain of the Fortune had stepped off of the ship with Shiori preparing to follow, but when she turned around, it had simply disappeared.

As news arrived that the portal was beginning its scheduled closure, a palpable sense of dread settled over the continent. Would Shiori be left behind, trapped in the Eternal Lands?

Then, a fresh wave of headlines and criers fell. "SHIORI LIVES! THE FORTUNE'S CREW RETURNS!"

The story unfolded in bits and pieces as messengers relayed the dramatic scene unfolding at the Spire. At the last possible moment, as the portal flickered and threatened to close, the few remaining crew members of the Fortune had stumbled through. Behind them, urging them forward, came Shiori herself, diving through just as the gateway snapped shut.

In the days that followed, the full details of the Fortune's ordeal remained a closely guarded secret, known only to the Awakened who had returned from the Grand Expedition. The general populace of Roera was left to speculate, unaware of the true horrors faced by Shiori and her crew. Shiori and her surviving crew spoke of being dragged off course by an unseen force, of an unnatural mist that seemed to have a will of its own. But when it came to the fate of their missing crewmates, their accounts became strangely fragmented and inconsistent.

The survivors described a scene that haunted them, yet the details seemed to slip away like water through cupped hands. They remembered their fellow crew members standing on the ship, faces blank. The air had been thick with an inexplicable tension, a sense of impending doom that none could fully articulate or explain why every fiber of their intuition was at full alert.

But what happened next? Here, the survivors' memories blurred. They spoke of a terrible silence, of the crew's numbers dwindling without explanation. Some remembered a splash, others a whisper on the wind. But none could recall seeing anyone actually leave the ship until they finally made landfall.

This unsettling gap in their recollection troubled the survivors more than any concrete memory could have. What power could so suddenly so cloud an Awakened's very memories of something so important?

Among the Grand Expedition's Awakened, another piece of information circulated in hushed tones. Kenric Ambrose had reportedly discovered a new necromancy spell, one that seemed to access otherworldly entities in the Eternal Lands invisible to the naked eye. Debate raged among those privy to this information - were these a type of Echo not seen before, or perhaps even ghosts? The possibility of ghosts existing seemed unfathomable, and yet some seemed to sincerely believe it.

As night fell on Roera, the initial euphoria gave way to a sense of anticipation. News spread that the heroes returned to their sprawling, secure compound within the Spire, now designated as the headquarters for this elite force. Rumors swirled of top-secret debriefings and classified information, fueling speculation across the continent.

Reports confirmed that Primarch Amaranth, Richtor Hadden of the Teeth of Noor, Stanczyk of the Eye of Antiquity, and Shiori Min of the Hand of Tomorrow were engaged in late night closed-door meetings, their discussions undoubtedly shaping the future of Roera's endeavors in the Eternal Lands. A full report of their factions' findings was being poured over every night, preparing to empower the next expedition.

In a brief statement, the Council announced the authorization of a second expedition, scheduled for the 4th of Octiri. As citizens raised their glasses to toast the expedition's success, many found their eyes drawn to the Inner Sea, wondering what the Grand Expedition might yet reveal. With the date set, speculation ran wild about what discoveries and dangers these brave heroes might face when they venture forth once more, but this time through the portal they created.