To Sharn and Beyo… No, Just to Sharn

Lharvion, 994 YK

The University is happy about Gwen’s decision and arranges for our transport on a Lyrandar galleon (a non-flying one this time) and has rooms prepped for us at Shava House. I briefly mentioned it before, but a little more info: Shava House has developed into more of an intentional community: the residents share meals heavily laden with academic discourse, and generally share an interest in the history of Xen’drik (Baker & Wyatt, Sharn: City of Towers, 2004). Two weeks and some sad goodbyes to friends and family later and we’re off to Sharn. Unlike on the airship, I make sure I stay as far away from the edge of the ship as possible. I generally stay below deck but sometimes I get a bit seasick and have to go up top where I can look off into the horizon. It helps but I still don’t like the fact that I’m in the middle of a body of water that’s hundreds of miles from any land. Seriously! This trip was terrifying. It took too long, and I think there was an issue or two, but I was in no mood to help. We made it though. Thank the Gods.

So Sharn. Ummm… Wow! Sharn is… an amazing sight. Massive towers of wood, metal, and stone that reach to the clouds and beyond. They are feats of construction not possible anywhere else due to the manifest zone of Syrania. That’s all in the visitor pamphlets though so I’ll not go into that. Still, you must see it to believe it, and that’s coming from someone that has grown up getting to see giantish construction. That’s purely massive but it does not defy logic. Well, Stormreach has the remnants of floating fortresses, mansions, and towers but they are just that, remnants. Sharn has Skyway. A full-on floating city of its own. Again, it’s in the pamphlets but just look at the place!

Okay, so all this tells you is that I’m a dumbstruck tourist for a while. Luckily, I’m also a semi-famous (in the Morgrave-Xen’drikan research community) person, and Gwen (who’s not so dumbstruck since she lived here for like 5 years) and I have guides who meet us at the Cogsgate docks and serve to keep me out of trouble. For the day at least.