Morning,
You continue your break in the first Celestial Night, getting some needed rest. As the morning approaches, you see Mularik speaking with some unfamiliar people; one a stunning ginger-haired warrior-woman with a glowing gem in her forehead, another a bearded man in purple robes who has the look of a Zzaburi but if he is, he's a really odd one; and another a tall regal man in a cloak bedecked with dazzling stars, who bears a similar bright gem in his brow. (PICS) Mularik calls you over, introducing you quickly by name in Seshnegi. “This is Kallyr Starbrow, a Queen of the Kheldon tribe in the stormy land of Sartar, and leader of their rebellion against the hated Lunar Empire; victor of the battle of Iceland and leader of their quest to the Boat Planet. She is accompanied by an esteemed ring including a sage of their Knowing God Lhankor Mhy; he is called Minaryth Purple; and here with them is the must unusual priest of the Star Captain Penendros; called Danar Skystrider Orelos; he claims to be an ally among the Sky folk to our quest's goals.” Kallyr looks into your eyes and, startled, turns to Mularik and says in Seshnegi: “They see, too, with the Rune Quest Sight. A shadow lies behind the light in their eyes, Mularik. I am concerned.” Mularik replies sternly, “Means to an end, Kallyr. We seek the same end. Argrath understands it; ask him if you doubt it.” Kallyr replies, “It's the means that concern me. That shadow is of Gbaji, not Arkat.” Mularik sneers, “I'll worry about my faith and my allies; you worry about yours. I'll be seeing you.” And he wheels about and departs, leaving you with the three strangers. Ahappi tries to explain to Kallyr that you're allies and not evil, that his shadow is of the Night Dragon, but she is sure that she sees magic of the Godlearners in what Mularik has done to give you special sight on this quest, calling it a double-edged sword; and confident that she can see this truly with her sight of Vinga Rigsdal, sky-daughter of the storm. Ahappi asks Minaryth about their quest and he briefly tells a myth of the Golden Sky Ship, which traded across the Sky before Time but was dragged down into the Styx by jealous traitors in the Sky when it grew too rich and successful. There's an undertone that there's more to their quest than this, and Kallyr says something about them not going to the Styx but elsewhere. The Skystrider man replies politely to inquiries that he is one of the few living priests of his forgotten Sky god of the Storm Tribe, who like the Golden Sky Skip was betrayed and whose worship fell into obscurity save for his tiny tradition, which he is sure this quest will return to strength again. You parted a bit more politely than things began. Meanwhile, down in the Hold, Bog gets comfy and gets to know Uz there: 1. A big Uzuz mistress race troll speaks up to the crowd of trolls, which immediately goes silent. She hides no flesh with clothing or tattoos, and her flesh is cold lead. She is simply glorious to behold. “Hush youz Uz. I wise Baztakbaztak Spits-In-Mostals-Face, granddaughter of Kyger Litor, speaks now. I make Uz a little piece of Wonderhome here in ship's guts. Xiola Umbar comforts Uz here when the Hurtplace of the Sky is too much. Nothing can hurt Uz here. Now, listen good Uz. I was but a little squeaker when Uz army invaded the Sky but I learned big wise things. This Song of the Sky Ship is a missing piece of Kyger Litor's song, and it can help Uz break evil light god Gbaji's Curse of Kin if Uz are strong. You sings good or rows good. Smart mother Uzuz like me worry about details. But second thing is important to Uz here. Listen to this big bad Uz, Jyrlegg Fire-Eater.” 2. A huge brute of an Uzko, long-tusked and crusted with sky-gore, looms forward; a giant, flea-ridden goat-broo skin hanging from his head down to his knees. There is no doubt to any that behold him that he is a great Death Lord of Zorak Zoran. “Uz make Sky bleed to get here and we do it more too. But is more to quest than killing nasty fire people and looting their corpses. Da rise of dis ship begins an Uz war for da Sky. Youze Uz won't see it much back down in hoomanz place, unless youze go east to where it will start. But youze Uz will see good fighting here; da signs comes soon. Zorak Zoran has a little friend weez call Basko, da Black Sun; da Shadow of da Sun. In land hoomanz call Kingdom of Ignorance or Bliss in Ignorance; in stupid dragon empire Kralorela; Uz grow strong again in Koromondol place. Clever Uzko called Bova Mada Kelen Nomada is da priest of da Blood Sun there. Won't be long, Enlo hordes will flood into Chen Durel and dark demon ally Can Shu will be Sekever ruler again, ascending da Dragon Throne of Splendour. All around, allies wage war for da east, Sky against Darkness. Cragspider has foretold dis in her Pictographs on Black Dragon Mountain: da Sun and Planets will fall from the Sky, and sacrifices to da Blood Sun will feed da Black Sun, raising Him again as da throne of Yelm lies in shadow. Iz good, ya? But wait, don't laugh yet. Mama Uzuz smarter dan Jyrlegg say dere may be problems. Evil Godlearner hoomanz of da West messed up da gods. Mebbe Basko and Black Sun iz too close to da Bad One of da Sky, Tyram da Sky Terror. And what iz Blood Sun? Some think dat is Red Planet hoomanz call Shargash. Some think dat is Red Moon. Some think dat is bleeding dead Yelm. Not even Cragspider knows. Mebbe is heroquest of Suns to Come yet to be done, to fix old wounds of Godlearners. Uzuz mistresses think Uz must needs get stronger to fight for what deez things will become; and Uz learn as Uz fight. Uz seek foes in da Sky to show dem whooz boss, and get stronger. If youze fight dem and live, youze get stronger. If youze die, good place saved for youze in Hell. So fight! Uz wait for signs of Chaos and of struggle for da Blood Sun. Save strength, fight hard when dey come.” Uz discuss this with excitement. Bog laughs and there is bashing of maces on shields, mauls on the floor and much stomping and cheering. 3. A familiar soft, whispering but strong male Uz voice speaks out next. “Forget not we Uz are on a ship holy to Kogag. With its sailing, the Black Galleys of Jruztela may sail farther again, and the Ice-Galleys of Valind's land might skate southwards. The Black Fleet shall enter the fray again, as the seas turn red with the blood of war. For those Uz who are brave and stay with the Boat Planet past the edge of the Sky, we shall go to ancient father Jeset the Ferry-Uz in Wonderhome and bring back lost things. There will be much danger, so Uz that are scared should leave before we reach the Gates of Dusk. I should know these things; I trace my line back to the ship god of Uz; I am Syrr Kogag.” He looks meaningfully at Bog. Bog speaks to Syrr Kogag who tells him to keep close when he is below decks, that he has a friend. Indeed, by the “night's” end Bog has plenty of friends amongst the Uz there.
That morning, you return to duty on deck. A huge field of giant flowers, each 100 metres high, covers the western side of the river. You've never seen anything like them; they are awesome and beautiful, wafting a powerfully sweet scent your way. Many crew off-duty stop to watch from the gunwhales. Some people get giddy from the delicious aroma and start dancing or otherwise acting intoxicated. As the ship passes, a particular group of crew gathers excitedly near the railing to watch. Without warning, a cluster of them breaks off and leaps as one over the side of the Sky Ship. “No!” shouts the giant Deck Officer. “Come back! Our success depends on everyone helping! We need your songs of life!” But the group, now swimming, don't even pause or look back, and soon the ship goes on. As you can See, there are now unmanned spots at the puller and watcher posts. All of the elves on board have left. Well, except for one typically grim Humakti brown elf who carries a giant wooden greatsword. You all feel the added strain to pull and sing the ship onwards. Ahappi tires a bit; Shrett feels the Movement rune flow within him and he can harness this in the future to gain 1 action point for a whole combat on this quest.
During the first day, Commander Gold emerges from the Forbidden Door, attended by a few golden-armoured solar warriors, and strides the deck with many heads turning to watch him in amazement, for a special radiance surrounds him that marks him as a God. He wears a gold breastplate and helmet, and bears a gold shortsword, shield, and massive golden bow that shines with its own inner sun. Whispers go about the questers around you that his real name is Lukarius (Lukudan the Archer, ally of Waertag, to Westerners), a former Emperor of the distant land of Dara Happa, and son of Anaxial the Mariner, the great Emperor who was maker of the Boat called Ark. What a thing to see! You are truly among greatness. The Boat Planet rows and sings along the glittering Celestial River for the remainder of the solar-day and into the night, when you get your break period . Throughout the day, the ship has passed beautiful distant sights of plant life all along the far shores. As night comes, the plants become even larger in scale, shifting from dense titanic golden reeds ultimately to spectacular trees that tower miles above-at first just one isolated Redwood, then a few scattered Silver Birch, then a cluster of giant Firewoods, and soon towering canopies of emerald-coloured groves; the constellation of The Tree, where Flamal retreated to hide when Zorak Zoran (or, to Westerners, Eurmal/Bolongo) ate him. This marvel is wonderful to behold, more so when a flock of giant golden-winged herons as large as houses takes flight from one grove, arcing past you.
Boamund, though, sees that within the flock are winged boats with riders, magics starting to burst forth onto them; so he warns you. The wonder is short-lived as a cry goes out across the ship-“Raiders! We are ambushed!” And from feathery white-winged boats that hid within the flock of herons, figures drift outwards on magical waves of energy, flying forth as drawn swords scintillate with their own magics and they raise brutal battle-cries in an odd Western dialect: “Blood and gold for the new king of the sky river! Glory for Bon Jalos!” As they close, others on their boats complete a coordinated spell that raises huge waves of stars in the river, and the whole War Boat pitches and rolls violently in the currents. Across the decks, defenders prepare to repel the assault while trying to keep their footing in the tidal wave. You have time to line up along the gunwhales and confront them as they fly down to fight, one for each of you, with two more behind them hovering and throwing Palsy spells, which you all fortunately resist.
It's a quick fight, even though the heaving deck works against you. You battle well, disarming most of the pirates in melee although Fraud takes a nasty leg wound that fells him and he is saved by ?Shrett?. Their sabres are ensorcelled with Deny Armour so they are very dangerous. Boamund faces his disarmed foe who surrenders for the bad, which Boamund accepts and is given a gift, a light green teardrop shaped crystal. He soon gives it to Ahappi as he can't use another such crystal. The battle ends with the pirates driven off; they didn't seem to expect such strong resistance. Fraud is approached by Mularik's Zzaburi and healed a bit, and Shrett finishes this. Ahappi goes to Minaryth and asks the sage what the crystal is, feeling a sense it is important. He is told that this is a Star of the Sea living crystal; Waertag's Blood; and he is thrilled. It can be attuned w/1 MP and Willpower roll over 1 hour of quiet meditation, gives Sure-Footed Combat Style trait while attuned (can only attune 1 living crystal at a time).
The Boat Planet later wanders closer to the eastern shore (or the river meanders to bring the shore closer?) as it passes south and the trees grow smaller again in the distance. However, on that shore there are different trees, of the Willow constellation, where Plant and Water runes converge, the goddess Murthdrya once sung, and rain god Heler fought a pitched battle against the Storm Tribe before he joined it, shaking dew off the first Willow's leaves. The few trees here, again, are titanic in scale, with long drooping branches made of starstuff. Around them is a vast marsh, where the boundaries of solar earth and water are vague. The Deck Officer has been pacing the deck for some time, agitated and barking more orders than ever, when many see her freeze in place and stare off the starboard side of the ship, her brow furrowing. There is a grey-brown cloud hanging over a long stretch of the marsh, blurring it in an odd way and very incongruous with the beautiful sky, trees and water.
A watchman calls out suddenly, “Flying frogs coming fast! Tyram the Sky Terror is near!” and people point to the marsh-cloud, from which mottled shapes are belching forth as it rolls ominously toward the ship. A bellow comes from the innards of the ship and trolls burst forth from the hold to aid in the defense, roaring Basko's name in defiance and singing of the Black Sun. (Bog gets use of a Basko spell False Healing here) Within the cloud though, a dark concentration forms, red-rimmed like an ugly scarlet iris, and with a black void like a pupil of nothingness. The Sky Terror watches, having come here from the nearby Bad One constellation of Celestial Evil, known to others as Bagog, or Ragnaglar's Remains, or whatever.
You had no time to ponder myths but later learned or remembered: in the Gods War, when Chaos invaded the Sky, for a time Tyram advanced, forcing even pure Dayzatar back, blasting the Field of Purity and poisoning the Celestial River. Finally Orlanth came (or another god, depending on the myth), armed with thunderbolts and lightning (or something befitting that god), and dismembered the monster. The Lords of Light threw the foul parts from Heaven, but some pieces still remain, as the constellation named the Bad One or Celestial Evil makes visible to all.
The Chaos Frogs of Tyram are fearsome foes with great strength and nasty chaos traits. They regenerated wounds slowly and were not harmed by fire, being Sky-Chaos. Boamund faces one that is confusing to look upon, seeming to be where it is not; he is knocked prone by its leap, stands up; and he soon needs Fraud's help to dispatch it. Ahappi's frog emits a death aura but this doesn't wound Ahappi and instead Ahappi impales it in the tail with his trident, then strikes it dead with the death power of the Stinging Spear! Fraud's sword strikes true on his foe after a couple of blows that splatter him with acid, ruining some patches on his nice armour. Shrett hews away at the head of his enemy and it is the last to fall uner your combined arms (it had spell-reflection chaos). Bog knocks his frog out with an excellent mace-blow to the head (fortunate, too, as it had vampirism to steal his HPs to heal it).
As the battle with the flying frogs continues across the ship, a new event occurs: the vile cloud of Tyram envelops the ship in billowing miasma. Little blobs of sickening ooze start to rain from it, hissing angrily on the deck. More flying frogs sail in. Casualties mount. You opt to run for the Hold, which is closer. But along the way, acid rain strikes you and sizzles away at your armour, or your shields where you have luck protecting your body.
Tyram's presence intensifies and the drops of corruption continue. Bog sprints there nimbly and avoids further trouble. Calls of dismay erupt amidst the battle, as some raindrops fall in an uncouth way, and are larger than others, and bubble and froth with an inner corruption of life, with their discoloured protoplasm singed at its edges. Flying gorp? It is so. Sky gorp have come; spawn of Tyram! Five of them drop near you, with one grabbing Fraud's shield and starting to eat away at it. You soon learn that Sky Gorp are immune to fire. Ahappi and Shrett use their Saints' weapons to great effect, killing one Sky Gorp after another, soon taking out the one that had flown for Bog but instead went for Ahappi now. Boamund and Bog try some spells from near the Hold but they don't work out; one gorp is immune to magic. (They had some neat chaos features; Ahappi's did paralyzing to wounded locations, Fraud's regenerated anything, and Bog's was hyper-flammable)
But the battle rages on! It seems endless. A figure with a commanding presence emerges from the Forbidden Door at midship-he wears ornate aluminium armour crafted with fins and spines, and his moist skin is a luminescent green. Awe spreads across the deck as he calmly issues orders-this is the Captain, which Westerners speak of as Admiral Waertag the Reaver, Grand Sivis. (Some others later call him Anaxial and describe him quite differently…) He directs Commander Gold, who has drawn his huge bow and spoken its name Planet-Breaker. With the other Deck Officers, Commander Gold directs everyone on board: “The Boat Planet is protected from Tyram's fury, but your souls will be his fodder if you remain on deck! Hurry into our quarters or the Hold if you value your existence!” And the Forbidden Door is flung open wide, able to bring in far more people than its scale had suggested, while others at the foredeck flee into the Hold. You rush into the Hold, although Ahappi lingers a few moments to watch from safety, ignoring the hissing acid rain to see what happens next.
Emperor Lukarius boldly takes position at the ship's prow, acids hissing harmlessly off his aura or burning away gorp and tongues. He fires his bow into the cloud, with his arrows growing to immense size as they fly, exploding on impact to slay hundreds of horrors at once. (Fraud hears of this and is humbled) Soon everyone is inside. You have some comfort and much conversation with the huddled crowds inside as hours pass. Syrr Kogag comes to Bog and says he saw him fight well, that Basko has favoured him. Bog gains False Healing permanently! And a Passion of Friend of Da Black Sun. Mularik comes to the others and asks who was most heroic; you agree that it was Ahappi against the Sky Gorp, although everyone did their part. He says to keep this in mind for Lukudan.
Even Lukarius/Lukudan takes shelter from the rage of Tyram, covered in the remains of some thousand horrors that slough off him into ash. And fading eerie howls of this cloud eventually reveal that the Ship has indeed passed through safely, then the Celestial Night draws to a close. Lukudan goes around the Hold, lighting it up with his radiance, and asking who fought well. He comes to you and Boamund tells a compelling enough tale that Ahappi did so. Lukudan hands Ahappi an Arrow of Light as a trophy, saying it will bless him once. Ahappi asks if it is his to keep, and Lukudan says he may do as he wishes with it, so Ahappi hands it to Boamund for his fine speech (and repayment for the crystal); Boamund is pleased to feel the powerful magic (invoke w/Willpower, 1 action, range Willpower in metres(!), flies true to 1 target and does Willpower/10 damage no armour!! Resist w/Endurance).
You seek help to repair your armour and shields. Fraud roams the Hold speaking with fellow questers and eventually strikes a bargain with a Loskalmi Man-of-All who can cast Repair once in return for a future Fireblade(?). You agree, and the only thing that can be repaired is Ahappi's sundered leg-armour so this is done. This takes time, so you don't rest.
Celestial Morning arrives, with all hands back to their positions and the ship continuing steadily onwards. You pull the oars and watch and sing, but feel the task is harder, with many places on deck now empty from the many that have fallen to your foes. Some of you feel the drain on your energy; the Ship is demanding. But Ahappi sings so well that he attracts “the Exalted Guest”, Waertag the Builder, who comes, watches him sing, then talks to him as he sings, saying that he has observes his conduct on board and has noticed some heroism. Ahappi had asked him what he might do for Waertag, but Waertag pivots this and asks what he might do for such a hero. Ahappi ponders, then responds… [TBD] The shining outer stars and dazzling central green star of Orlanth's Ring is visible far off, and many questers gaze in wonder upon it, with discussions of what this might mean; plenty have heard prophecies of it during the recent Hero Wars. But as the ship sails on, alarm is raised as a large army comes into sight on the near shore, and some of it sends boats out onto the river, while winged warriors take flight. The Deck Officer roars out, “Watchers, defend the Pullers! The Ship must row onwards! The Starry Horde seeks to slow and overwhelm us!” The army far outnumbers you. It looks bad.
The Helldragon roars, it encourages Ahappi who feels its full power well up within him: “Blight light with bleak of night, the shadow to come. The more skulls that are split, more cracks mar the dome.” He gains a permanent(!) blessing = +1 damage penetrating vs. Fire/Sky beings! And he is now fully augmented with his Passion to his skills for this combat, and +3 Armour, +3 more damage as per the Talanim fight! BUT he must use this well, to kill his foes via head-wounds-the Helldragon wants their minds to consume.
2 weeks hence: more battle! And the worst is yet to come, believe me! :) -John
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