XFER Powers Co scene Coming Home...

Meline looked around groggily. She was careful in doing so after the soreness she had just experienced by merely raising her weary head. It didn’t take long for her to remember her situation and the trepidation that brought to the fore threatened to derail her focus. She shook her head, hoping to clear the metaphorical cobwebs. That’s when she noticed the gentle purr of her companion. This brought her comfort and finally, she was able to assess her and her mates’ situation.
Sunshine was the first thing she noticed. Warm sunshine…
It broke through the canopy of the forest above Meline. Such warm sunshine was something she hadn’t felt in many months. Her homeland was shaking off the frigid cold of winter. Such warming sunshine seemed very out of place for her now.
Moreover, Meline and her fellows were just recently trapped in the realms of shadow. The bright sunshine and the opulent greens of the canopy above her certainly meant Meline had thankfully passed out of that dark plane. Her scanning of those around her confirmed that the rest of her company was similarly fortunate. She felt safe enough to sit up and look around.
Meline and her panther companion were lying in a thick bed of moss and grass underneath an ancient vallis tree. She recognized the species of the tree by its leaves. She had seen the five-pointed star shape of these leaves before. A merchant from a far-off land had come to Everlund Square one day when Meline was also there and she had browsed the merchant’s wares. Amongst these were impressions of these famous leaves upon parchment. She remembered how the merchant had explained that the mighty trees that produced such distinctive leaves were to be found far to the south of Everland.
The geographical implications vexed Meline and she cast about hoping to find one or more of her companions had awakened as well. She noticed that the goliath, Poe was already awake and meditating. Meline admired the giant’s dedication to his craft and she had already grown accustomed to his routine. Every morning when the rest of their group were just shaking off the effects of slumber, Poe was undoubtedly returning to their camp after a vigorous exercise. So the fact that he was awake before her did not surprise the young woman.
Not wanting to disturb the monk, Meline held her tongue. She stood up and stretched to shake off the effects or slumber. The panther did likewise. Then Meline looked around and counted her cohorts again. This time, she noticed that the fellsworn man was also missing. She remembered that her group had been separated from the others following the battle with the shadow men back in the Shadowfell.
After the battle, she, the other human, Trask, the goliath, the two halflings, Zyle and Robin, and the fellsworn, Malako cast about in the magical darkness that had overwhelmed them in search of the rest of the group until they were forced to stop by sheer exhaustion. They went to sleep right where slumped to the ground. Now, they were in a very different location and one of them was apparently missing.
“I don’t see Malako,” Meline purposely formed the words in her mind and directed them to the panther. “Do you sense him?"
The panther padded slowly away from Meline. As she did, the feline sniffed the air around her and the ground beneath her. “I can smell him,” she responded telepathically. “He was here not long ago. Would you like me to go fetch him?"
Meline saw the panther’s head was cocked slightly to her right. She had grown accustomed to her companion and she knew the cat was indicating the direction Malako probably headed in. She peered in this direction and first saw it. The woods they were in were not deep and there was a break in the trees several hundred feet in the same direction Meline and the panther were looking.
Rustling behind her snapped Meline’s concentration. She silently indicated to the panther to stay put as she turned to see Poe rising from his meditative position. The goliath walked over to her and nodded in the same direction the panther had first pointed.
"There’s a break in the forest that way,” his deep voice rumbled as he spoke. “Several hundred feet yonder; then there’s a grassy field. We’re atop a cliffside and the field drops away to a valley far below. There’s a river that bisects the valley and flows out to sea not far off. Also, there’s a city where the river meets the sea. The largest city I’ve ever seen."
“What about Malako?”
“When I left the cliffside after my run, he was there, staring down at the valley below. He’s probably still there.” The goliath turned back towards the rest of the group and headed to them saying, “I’ll wake the others."

Meline and Tasha broke through the line of trees and emerged unto a grassy field. She looked around and it was exactly as Poe had described. The goliath and the rest of her companions followed her and the great cat out of the woods. The five humanoids looked around, confused. The land they were on was not familiar to them in any way. It was disorienting to them to have passed out of the realm of shadows and be so unceremoniously dumped into a strange land.
“It’s awfully warm,” Robin pipped. The halfling woman removed her cloak as she said this. “For so early in spring,” she added. Then a cross look came across her diminutive face. “You don’t suppose we’ve traveled in time?” Her question wasn’t directed at anyone in particular.
“No,” a voice called from the group’s right. Meline spied Malako walking towards them. The blue-skinned fellow smiled as he approached and added, “but we’re much further south than we were when we entered the Shadowfell. That was easy to calculate from the position of the sunrise and the still visible moons a couple of hours ago. It explains the warm weather."
The rest of the group nodded as Malako spoke. Though they had known each other for only a handful of days, already they knew that he had talent for discerning directions and location from the position of the stellar bodies. And, as Robin had first remarked, the weather was much warmer than the Hearthspring had any business being so early in the year. So the group wondered collectively if silently where they were as they walked across the field towards the edge of the cliff Poe had described to them.
The six of them looked out at a valley below them that stretched south and west. East of the valley, a vast harbor gave way eventually to the sea. A river flowed due east, bisecting the north and south halves of the valley. And, surrounding the river and harbor was the largest city most of them had ever seen. Even from a distance they approximated to be a dozen miles or more, the expanse of this city left most of them awestruck.
All except Trask. The warrior shuddered visibly as he gazed upon the valley but none of his comrades noticed. They were enthralled by the sights. Trask himself did not expect to react as he did even though it had been two decades since he had been to this place. He never planned to return but believed he would not have been moved emotionally should chance bring him back. So he was surprised by his reaction and grateful his cohorts seemed not to notice.
“What a huge city,” Robin broke the silence. “What is this place?” Again, she asked no-one in particular but, yet again, she received an answer.
“That is the Tasser River,” Trask informed the group. “Beyond the harbor are the Seas of Frost and Flame. And, the city is Eldesrand…"
“…it is my home."