Down at the harbour, a man in fancy clothes is now on the stage, with various players and NPCs around him. I go to join them, but am stopped by guards before I show them my pass and they are allowed to continue. The Man- No, elf in fancy dress is talking about a brave new world, and how we will tame the new frontier in the name of Uwha, The mighty Dark elf nation. He keeps going on about how we will prove we are the superior type of elf before someone finally tells him to explain what we are actually doing.

“Ahem. well, sorry for all that. This expedition is a journey to the new world, to settle a new frontier. All who join will be required to help build a new settlement, but will be given a free house or shop for their effort. We have over a thousand people, both outworlders and natives joining us on our great mission. If you have a pass, please head towards a gangplank, and have it ready to show the guards. Upon boarding the ship, you will be given directions to your bunkings, and from there a map of the ship. On behalf of the Dark elf queen, we thank you all for participating in our great venture!” he finishes, and moves off the stage towards the gangplanks he mentioned

A horde of players immediately rush after him, with intent on being the first people aboard. I personally hang back and watch the NPCs, the people the man called ‘Natives’. Several of them are dressed in armour, and presumably will be the soldiers and guards on our expedition. There are a couple young boys, one of whom looks nervous. In another direction, is a lady rolling barrels (or kegs) over to be hoisted aboard, and many NPCs look proud that they are helping their great nation.

I decided to head over to the young boys, and find out what was wrong and how they felt joining the ‘Great Expedition’.

“Hello you two. How are you boys doing? You nervous about setting out on this new frontier?” I ask, trying to start a conversation.

The boy who looked nervous turns to face me, and with determination in his eyes says, “I wasn't nervous, you were just seeing things. Now what do you want?”

His buddy rolls his eyes and says, “We are doing quite well, thank you for asking. Now, may I ask why you are bothering us?”

I sigh, “I just wanted to help you guys feel better, and meet some of the people joining me on this expedition.” The boys nod at my comment as if finding it acceptable, and the one who was polite replies, “Well, my name is Delos, and my nervous brother there is Aladu.” Aladu looks at him undignified when he says ‘Nervous’ but doesn't correct him. “We are just setting out from our home for the first time, leaving everyone we know and love. So you can probably guess why Aladu isn't doing the best.” Delos has hair that is the blackest black and is the taller of the two, whereas Aladu is slightly shorter than me with blonde hair.

I smirk at the ‘nervous’ comment, and reply, “Well, my name is Fay. I'm what the man called an Outsider. I have come to join you two and many others on our ‘Amazing’ journey to a new land.” I do air quotes when i say Amazing and Aladu gives a little snicker, before stopping himself and returning to acting all brave.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“I plan to become a great adventurer and discover all of what the new land has to offer,” Aladu says proudly. His brother comments after, “I personally plan to be an archeologist, and with my brother's help discover the history of this new land we will live in.”

I smile, “Those are great goals. Personally I plan to become a great crafter. I bought some equipment and manuals to help me learn how, while we are out in the unexplored wilderness.” The boys smile and I add, “looks like it's clearing up. We should probably head to the gangplanks now.”

We get up, having somehow sat down during our conversation, and move on towards the ship, we show the guards our passes, and head aboard. Aboard we are split up, sent to rooms appropriate for our genders, but we promise to meet again during meal times and other shipwide activities. The bunks I am led to are a series of hammocks and cots, with stuff already placed on some, and people already sleeping on others. Several ladies are chatting in a back corner, playing a game of cards that one of the ‘Natives’ brought along. Only a couple hammocks are left, and I end up claiming one close to the door. I drop off my initial bag, not my new one, and leave to go explore the ship.

The ship map makes it clear that the ship is a lot larger than it seems from the docks. The two sets of bunks are on opposite sides of the ship from each other, the mens' being to starboard, and womens' being to port. In between is a common area and cafeteria. The floor below is filled with cargo and supplies, and above is the deck. At the stern there is a room labeled ‘Engine room’. On the level with the deck, there is a cabin at the stern with various officer's quarters, and the captain's ready room.

I set off to check out the common area, and once there found many players chatting and joking. The players seem to be excluding the NPCs for the most part, so i go to hang out with them. When I reach the NPCs, I hear several hushed conversations, and a couple are drinking what appears to be alcohol. One of the NPCs waves to me as if to call me over.

“C'mere dearie.” she says pouring another glass of whatever they are drinking. I join them sitting, and discover they are playing some form of dice game. “Drink up dearie, and join us in rolling the die.”

“Thank you… What’s your name by the way? Mine is Fay.” I responded, sitting down beside her.

“Bah, who needs names! My name's Icrasi, but you can call me Ic. here. Drink some of this Blaze, and take a turn rolling the die.” She explains the rules of the game to me as I try a sip of the drink.

The game is essentially Yahtzee under a different name, and we play a couple rounds with me even winning one. As we are playing, a couple more Players join us, and I end up meeting several new people. The ones who most stand out are: Icrasi, the lady who invited me over; Zevic, who claims to be a changeling but refuses to show his powers; Bechipi, a tall elf, who is mostly silent; and finally Jason, who is another player who keeps looking at me oddly. After we’ve played an hour’s worth of rounds, I get up and head out to the main deck.

When I get to the main deck, I see that we are underway, and the city is no longer in sight. Amongst me are several people enjoying the wind in their face, an artist sketching the sea, and some guards patrolling the deck. I wander around, and end up chatting with a guard, joining the ones feeling the wind in their face, and meet a few new people. The artist mostly ignores me, saying to not interrupt her important work. The guard is rather friendly, and explains he is watching for any monsters that might attack us. The dreamers with the wind in their face are mostly Players who have never been to the sea in real life, with a couple NPCs hanging out enjoying the speed of the boat. Overall, it's relatively quiet, so I cut out some black cloth, and began making a little stuffed doll for practise.

Several hours pass, and I finish up just as someone rings the bell and shouts out “Meal time!” When they do, I head below deck.