Tio's plan, at first, didn't seem to be working. In fact, all he initially accomplished was keeping the ship facing sideways as wave after wave battened against the ship. Then, the waves stopped and the ocean they were in shuddered for a second as the abyss below them turned pure black before returning to its gold and white coloration. After the shuddering passed, the ship started to right itself according to the efforts Tio, Nir'wei and the pack were making, righting the ship so that it was entering the swirling mass around the maelstrom on the right side.
The rest of the plan started to take effect as well, with the ship slowing down more and more. The rate of the slowing depended on what else they did with the ship, but regardless of their actions, the ship was definitely slowing down. However, they were still being drawn inexorably towards that gaping may at the bottom of the whirlpool. Whether or not Tio had been right about there being no chance of escaping the vortex, the group would never find out as the ship finally entered the pull of the gold and white maelstrom itself. They didn't immediately fall into the abyss, but were instead pulled slowly to the center of it. And then the group heard a single, feminine voice. "Brace yourselves." it said, and then a second later, the group dropped.
The rest of the plan started to take effect as well, with the ship slowing down more and more. The rate of the slowing depended on what else they did with the ship, but regardless of their actions, the ship was definitely slowing down. However, they were still being drawn inexorably towards that gaping may at the bottom of the whirlpool. Whether or not Tio had been right about there being no chance of escaping the vortex, the group would never find out as the ship finally entered the pull of the gold and white maelstrom itself. They didn't immediately fall into the abyss, but were instead pulled slowly to the center of it. And then the group heard a single, feminine voice. "Brace yourselves." it said, and then a second later, the group dropped.
When the group dropped, they may have expect a long fall, or some other peril. Instead, they dropped a distance of about five feet, the terrain very different from where they had been. Among other things, it was very definitively a more solid place. The group was now on an island in the middle of a small lake. The white and gold disk they had fallen through was now above them, with water falling from the edges, draining into the lake around them. Next to them, a blonde woman wearing a festive green coat raised a hand above her head and made a fist, causing the disk to vanish as though it had never been, revealing clear blue skies above, with birds flying calmly through it. However, before any of that, Nir'wei in particular was likely to notice the other woman standing nearby, a brown haired woman dressed in furs.
With the portal, for that is what it had been, now closed, Karem approached Nir'wei and knelt down next to him. "Don't try to get up yet. You've been without gravity for a while, let your body finish adjusting." she said, her voice calm and gentle, before she looked up at the rest of the group. "That goes for all of you. You've been in Emea a long time, and though Saoire kickstarted the process, it'll take some time for your bodies to finish re-adjusting to being back in Idalos." she said, gesturing to her companion at the name.
Saoire smiled cheerfully at the group and stepped forward. "Sorry about the rocky ride. Introducing Idalosian elements into Emea tends to turn things...chaotic. It also disables most methods of controlling Emea, and plays merry hob with most communication methods." she said, her tone as cheerful as her smile. "Unfortunately, the way I did it is generally the safest way we've found to bring people back alive from that deep in Emea." she said, before looking at Tio. "Oh, don't worry about your fish and your ship, Tio. They'll be at your beck and call the next time you enter Emea, be that by Dreamwalking or some other means." she said, before giving the group a big grin. "But in the meantime, welcome home!"
With the portal, for that is what it had been, now closed, Karem approached Nir'wei and knelt down next to him. "Don't try to get up yet. You've been without gravity for a while, let your body finish adjusting." she said, her voice calm and gentle, before she looked up at the rest of the group. "That goes for all of you. You've been in Emea a long time, and though Saoire kickstarted the process, it'll take some time for your bodies to finish re-adjusting to being back in Idalos." she said, gesturing to her companion at the name.
Saoire smiled cheerfully at the group and stepped forward. "Sorry about the rocky ride. Introducing Idalosian elements into Emea tends to turn things...chaotic. It also disables most methods of controlling Emea, and plays merry hob with most communication methods." she said, her tone as cheerful as her smile. "Unfortunately, the way I did it is generally the safest way we've found to bring people back alive from that deep in Emea." she said, before looking at Tio. "Oh, don't worry about your fish and your ship, Tio. They'll be at your beck and call the next time you enter Emea, be that by Dreamwalking or some other means." she said, before giving the group a big grin. "But in the meantime, welcome home!"