Entering the Desert

There's so much that has happened the past few days. Under siege at the tax station by a grand assembly of constructs led by a gearwarden. An enormous mechanical sphere covered in blades, and equipped with an internal ballista. It was a beautiful machine but in the end we were forced to destroy it, and old spell I found from father in the early years of my book certainly helped. There was a brain rending scream that devastated the party but we recovered well. I was able to save the crystal from within but there seems to be the essence of a mortal soul that was rent from it upon it's defeat. Salvaged the other tempest crystals and milled them to three bags of powder. A guide from Sa'alimar named Dalmias Dor arrived, a warforged with an arcane powered sled that used no animals to draw it though the sands!
 
I ended up converting our wagons into sleds for the trip across the desert but there didn't seem to much appreciation for the genius I used in that. Typical. Days like this I miss Toby's helping hands in my work. Despite his autonomous nature he always felt like a soul was lingering behind those eyes. I've taken the crystal core of the gearwarden in hopes that it may lead to something similar to him in the future, or to create something of immense power to help the guild.
 
This city is immense, the use of the arcane is overwhelming, but I worry that they are letting it be robbed and rot away. The local's ignorance of what they have is a weakness that could lead to the loss of the single greatest thing I have ever seen in this world, and I've met god beings and the librarians of death. Khalrais vaz Minat is some sort of high priest and is a typical clergy. Has some useful information but in the end is blinded by faith rather than the curiosity brought on by logical thought. Hopefully these "gear masters" will give me more help. They are also the ones who can grant us access to the tunnels beneath the city and I hope, that we can find the Pillar of Duty down there.
 
-OOC-
Maaresh was a tabaxi fruit merchant that Merry and Ava chatted with, he has a way to land a ship on the coast nearby, Guildreign has no knowledge of this idea.
 
Saramiel had a deep bonding moment with Tamur that challenges his understanding of his situation and the marriage.
 
We will have to see what the next session brings, it could get rough if we head down.