Staunen Harbor, Progress

It began as a speck on the horizon. A tiny thing, no-one could have seen from the ground. In fact, the signal was wired in by one of the ponderous dirigibles hovering over the city - ship inbound, unknown origins, caution advised.

There was of course a great commotion - many had expected a human counterattack at some point - as the city's defenses were brought to bear. The heavy harbor guns were rolled into place, and the four completed Ironclads moved to form a perimeter defense. All they needed was the fire order, and the ungainly interloper would be blasted halfway to Hope...

An order came, but not the one expected. But even after a lengthy series of confirmations, the observation held. As impossible as it seemed, it held. What had been a strike force quickly reformed into an honor guard as the worn, battered vessel pulled into port, its name now visible for all to see...

The Elegant Progression had, at long last, come home.

The murmuring crowd hushed as a familiar figure disembarked, stopping for a moment to look up at the Ring and consult a pocket-watch before addressing the spectators. His speech was short, concise, and to the point.

"It has been two years, ten months, twenty-seven days, eighteen hours, and nine minutes since we cast off on our perilous voyage. We witnessed the death and birth of the sun, as did you all. We have traveled across the sea and into the very bowels of the earth. We have seen sights and heard sounds and met beings we would have never thought possible. We have made new friends and allies in the faeli."

"Now, we return home... and I, for one, would like to take a moment to declare the First Saerite Expeditionary Force to be a rousing success!"

***********************************

The celebrations rolled long into the wee hours of the morning. Old companions were reunited... Cliques who had thought their members gone forever held joyous reunions... and all over the city, the citizens of Staunen were smiling and laughing and dancing with friends both new and old amid the brilliant lights of the city and the fireworks above.

The faeli were quickly swept up in it all - always being dragged about and shown the wonders of the saerite city by their enthusiastic companions. Some of the artisans among them were being bombarded with Guild invitations within hours!

For their part, the saerites found their new friends to be immensely interesting. From their green-hued skin to their exotic bipedal stance, they were new and different - fascinating concepts to any saerite. And the awestruck wonder with which they tended to respond to the marvels of technology was positively adorable!

And in his home, among the dust and old books, the glorious Admiral Jules was busy inking up the finishing touches of Progress's newest charter.

The Adventurer's Guild
A modest proposal wherein the minds of the Five Nations may expand upon our body of knowledge in an active, firsthand manner through exploration and innovation...

Spoiler
Show
OOC: He's back! With Death, the Destroyer of Worlds, back in town, I really couldn't put this off any longer. Jules has an important role in Things to Come.

I've not mentioned the gnomes at all in this passage, but it takes place shortly AFTER the delegation scene we were running a little back (probably a week or two later, give or take). Draken, we can either RP the rest of that sequence OR we can simply come to an agreement as to how it turned out. Your choice.