The Gilderoy Expedition

by PaulAsaran

Cptn. D. Design, 01-20-1005

From the private logbook of Decadent Design, Captain HRH Aurora Dawn.

20 January 1005

One has to wonder what the blasted catbird was thinking. I have read the file on this Lord Gilderoy, who by all accounts appears to be as adept an explorer as ever there was in this world. Yet his history clarifies that he has never before been through the frost-ridden climates until this last expedition. You would think somegrif as capable as these files claim would have taken all necessary precautions, relying on the information and experience of creatures that have previously undertaken a journey of such peril. But according to my brief skimming of the data, he rebuffed all such offers of assistance.

His reasons appear to me as nothing more than blatant excuses for his ambition. The Lord apparently thought he was on to some great discovery beyond the belief of mortals, and thus not keen to share in the reaped rewards of praise and fame. I have to question just what he thought was so valuable on that lonely glacier. Not a soul has explored the Matti Ths Aioniotitas in I would think some twelve hundred years. I recall with little effort that my great uncle Frost Step was in the general vicinity once, but his old journals made clear that he never even considered stepping hoof on the glacier itself. I was never really sure why. The stallion himself noted that the icescape appeared perfectly suitable for sled teams, with ice smooth enough to make the journey a simple matter. Although he never says so openly in his letters and diary, I always had the queer impression that the stallion was unnerved by the locale.

It is of no matter. I for one am not easily made prey to superstition, and the Aurora Dawn has the finest crew in Her Highness’s air navy. She remains the only airship designed specifically for the purpose of arctic travel, at least until the Aurora Dusk and Northern Flurry leave the shipyards in a month’s time, and we are already prepared with full crew and complement thanks to our recently completed trial runs. It is therefore up to us to find and rescue the foolish Gilderoy and his crew. Assuming they even need rescue. It remains entirely possible that they merely became waylaid by bad weather and thus were forced to hunker down for the winter. If I have understood the matter properly, they certainly possess plenty enough provisions for such a measure provided they exercise strict rationing, and a griffon of Gilderoy’s experience should know to do that at the very least. Still, we shall operate under the assumption that the expedition is in immediate danger, and we are already well underway.

Mr. First Star tells me we should reach the glacier in fourteen hours. It will have to be enough.

Comments

[ibanix]

I’m getting vibes of Shackleton here