Howdy,
Waertag the Builder comes and listens to Ahappi's stirring song, then offers to help him; Ahappi says: “Strengthen the blood of Waertag running through my veins, which has grown weak through the passing of two Ages.”
Waertag responds: “Aye, your blood has run thin, diluted by man and then by the dark dragon. It smells of brimstone more than sea. I had a child like that once. Some called him Jeset but we laughed, as he had a different, secret name. And well look, I happen to have a phial of his birth-fluid here.” [takes out small glass phial with sinister black fluid inside] “Bottoms up, descendant. You should feel ship-shape again soon.” He watches inscrutably. Ahappi ingests it easily; feeling its coolness descend. “Interesting. I was curious if you'd drop dead. But no, you've stayed afloat. So, Ahappi Jesetsblood, welcome back to the family. If you survive this journey long enough you'll meet your namesake and learn his true name and story. If you don't, you'll meet him anyway on his bleak boat. But beware the demon bitch Vakalta; she will be your special foe. ” —Ahappi's Man rune is restored (normal healing etc.); but he maintains his draconic shape + Passion; the Helldragon does not loosen its grip upon him. Yet he feels better, with familiar human emotions returning and a sense of connection maybe he did not know he longed for. And there is more that he feels has changed, but it is not clear yet what that is.
Back to the action with the Starry Horde: From the shore devices fire giant arrows which thud into the ship's hull, drawing taut ropes of spun gold that trail behind them to the shore. From the army now, gongs and trumpets sound as cavalry ride onto the huge ropes, lowering flaming lances, and the Certami angelic warriors fly along with them into combat. You prepare to face them. Bog and Shrett remain rowing for the combat; Shrett calls on Tanosh's winds but they do not respond.
Three Sky-cavalry charge up the golden rope for you, and Boamund conjures an ice-wall to block them, but two show their deft riding skills and circumvent it; one easily so, and he strikes at Boamund with his flaming lance but it is blocked. The other goes for Ahappi and charges past. But the third is delayed, joining two more that charge in behind him, and they confront Boamund, Ahappi and Fraud. Fraud does a cunning parry that causes the lancer to bounce his weapon off the ice-wall, spinning it about so it hits his leg and dismounts him. Behind them, three Certami winged angel-warriors gradually approach, casting spells; but Boamund reacts quickly and casts his Arrow of Light at one, blasting its right wing off and it goes plummeting into the river, dying as it shrieks in outrage. The other two cast Sunspear and Arrow of Light at Boamund and Ahappi but the heroes shrug them off. They then fly in as the lancers charge past, draw Truespears and come round. Ahappi spears his Certami foe through the head in a massive blow that fells it and he deals the death-blow soon. Boamund engages his opponent while Fraud slays his prone lancer and then comes to aid Boamund, killing the Certami. Ahappi disarms his spear-cavalry foe and soon that man is dead, with Boamund's spearman also falling. In only twelve seconds you defeated eight foes; with Ahappi claiming three minds for the Helldragon's consumption and feeling its powerful roar of approval within. And Bog and Shrett were well protected.
Giant blue crabs climb up the golden ropes from the waters and snip off the arrows with ropes, freeing the Boat Planet as Waertag the Reaver marshals his Waertagi marines from hiding behind the Forbidden Door, and together with the rest of the people on board the Starry Horde is forced off the ship in a resounding defeat. You loot numerous bodies, obtaining golden armour for Shrett, Boamund and Fraud; and Ahappi's eyes are drawn by the Helldragon to a fallen Certami who wears a golden bracelet with a sparking Star Tip dead crystal; blood of dead Sky gods and holding 3 MP storage. Nice!
And so ends the station of the myth of Waertag the Reaver, “The General of Heaven sent his golden horde and Waertag met them in martial combat, besting them with skill and strategy and speed.” The army ashore disperses as you sail southwards in victory.
Hours later that Celestial Day, some aboard the ship have been whispering on their work breaks as they peer over the gunwhales toward the west, where a crimson glow illuminates the waters of the river in a large area. Whispers travel. Far below the river, in the Middle Air, She is there. Rufelza, Shepelkirt, or many other names-the Red Moon. None welcome this sight; an ill portent. You mutter.
Later, a coming storm issuing from a ring of stars to the east is first heard as a gathering thunder, then it comes rumbling into view from high above, with clouds shaped like gigantic rams and lightning crackling all about. It has grown dark as night, issuing pelting rain below it, and many voices speak out its name-Worlath, Orlanth, or similar ones. The light of the Sky realm dims all around you. Bog and Shrett feel more at ease in the gentle shadows.
Waertag the Reaver strides out of the Forbidden Door and a path opens through the crowd to the starboard side, where he waves his shapeshifting sword and shouts out in archaic verse: “Bluster away, Worlath Moon-Wounded, Bully of the Middle Air. My struggle is not against you, Nor shall you divert my Boat. I shall not awaken Aroka the Blue, Much as dragons are on my mind. Rant with your thunder, To no avail. Your breath will but fill my sails, Speeding me on my quest.”
You marvel at the aplomb of this god-hero confronting one of the greatest gods here. Wow!
The cloud issues a stunning thunderclap, which Boamund finds invigorating and others steel themselves against to resist being stunned; then lightning flashes upward from the ship, illuminating the decks and revealing previously unseen spiritual figures amidst the passengers. Fraud looks, seeing them reaching for the nearest person, faces contorted in fury-these are Orlanthi spectral warriors! You engage them. Bog calls his Spirit Shield and holds his off for a round. The rest of you, including Shrett at his oars, fight back with your Binding skills and Ahappi's Stinging Spear. Some of you deal strong blows that steal sorely needed mana from the spirits. Ahappi and Shrett drive theirs off, screaming madly around the deck. None are fully defeated after just twelve seconds, when the situation changes.
More lightning crashes, down onto the ship from the clouds. The spirits vanish with it. Commander Gold stands on the foredeck in the rain now, and shoots an arrow at the cloud with Planet-Breaker. Where it strikes a wound opens and from it thick silver lightning flows out. Another blast hurtles into Commander Gold, knocking him off his feet, but he fires from the deck, with lightning scorching the arrow before it can hit the cloud. You think to rush to help him, but he is far off at the bow and he seems OK. What a scene, though! Here and at others stages were free opportunities to call on your Passions to boost your skills.
Then loud, thunderous drumming and whistling roars from the opposite direction, off to the port side. A fiery red spot grows rapidly larger in the sky. The storm clouds turn toward it, passing over the Boat Planet, rising toward the red spot. Some cry out in surprise that they can see their God now on his chariot of Mastakos. He faces a boiling cloud that flashes crimson. In the distance, the two gods strike as their chariots pass by, each hurling their bolts without effect. Orlanth's cloud continues onward, but the red chariot closes in-and everyone recognizes it. It is the infamous Shargash, or Jagrekriand, Dara Happan god of death and destruction, bringer of life from death; the Red Planet. People on deck panic; officers shout orders to keep rowing and singing.
The spiked wheels of the chariot send flames from them as the great god Shargash descends, thundering in fury. From the sides of his horse-drawn chariot red meteors blaze down by the dozen, smashing smoking craters into the deck. Some of you including Pullers suffer incidental burns.
Waertag the Reaver's voice yells out, “Lords of Destruction have landed! This fight is only for true heroes, and many of those amongst you will die if you stand! Run to the Hold or the Door if you want to live!” And Mularik Ironeye nearby calls to you, “We'll fight for those that seek retreat; no shame in the latter. Confront a foe if you dare.” Just then a meteor impact on the deck near him hurls him backwards and his band rushes to help confront the impending menace as more arrive. Bog runs for the Hold and makes it safely.
Even Lukarius the Archer enters the fray again, rallying with the Deck Officers. The ship shudders with battle-roars and another Uz horde bursts from the Hold, shadow-magics shrieking on them as they rush into the fray invoking Basko's name again and chanting of the Blood Sun's hunger for gore. But at the same time, giant demonic warriors emerge from the craters. They are Shargashi berserks, drumming on human-skin drums with bones and waving screaming mauls and fire-spears as they kill and bring utter ruin.
It's a crushing defeat for you. The mythological scales are tipped in the favour of the demonic berserks; to fight them was to invite defeat. But you do your best! (And tired John made mistakes admittedly; among them being that you were supposed to get 1 action to prepare; then also the berserks were not defending w/parries… but yeah, this was a climax where permadeath was conceivable to me, although I expected you to have more luck pts left when starting. Party luck pts = 0 now!)
One Shargashi holds back with terrifying drumming that chills your bones; Ahappi feels its call to doom but the mild shadows about you are not strong enough for him to be frightened, thanks to Magasta's old blessing. (The Demoralizing drumming was a potential escape; if you succumbed they'd let you flee) One by one the two Shargashi that engage you knock you down with their mauls (14pts + 2d8 = ouch!)-first Shrett falls with a mortal wound to his abdomen that he barely survives, then Ahappi suffers a ?leg wound, then Boamund gets knocked back across the deck but survives, and Fraud faces two berserks, hitting one but not harming him enough to turn the tide, and then he too falls to a brutal Shargashi weapon. The Shazdorings take you for dead and engage with Mularik's band and others around them, but only briefly; again the battle changes in just twelve seconds.
Lukarius looses an arrow that breaks a wheel off Shargash's chariot. Shargash roars in anger, but he lashes his horses and they drag him from the scene. A new drumbeat sounds, and the Lords of Destruction surge back into the sky as meteors again, rejoining their cruel lord. They leave a blood-smeared deck thick with the bodies of their victims. Quickly it becomes evident only about half the original crew remain; the Shazdorings of Alkoth had taken a grim price.
Not many Uz live to limp back into the Hold. Down there, Bog is healed from a grave lightning-injury. The surviving Uz have a special Blood Feast first from the few Shadzoring bodies they manage to drag down with them. The ritual is led by a very strange Uz priestess named Denker, “Bringer of the New Age” (Bog gains 1-use “Summon Blood Feast Specter” to create a Shazdoring simulacrum!) He learns of this Denker: she comes from far-off east Kralorela, where Koromondol has her as a new leader; highly charismatic and sacredly powerful, she also brings worship of the Blood Sun from Chen Durel. Many follow this way now, to their delight. They sacrifice hoomanz of Kralorela to feed the Blood Sun. It is good.
And so the horrifying heroquest station of Shargash ends. “Then came the war god of the Red Planet, armed with fire and mace. Waertag was wily and got another, foolish god to intercede and fight the war god while he sailed away.”
Boamund drags your bodies to safety. Mularik's Arkati Zzaburi reluctantly heals Ahappi to the point where he does not die. Even Mularik's band now is low on resources; everyone is. Celestial Night comes, and so another break period comes. A couple of hours have passed, and Fraud wakes up and uses his Healing skill to bring Ahappi back to consciousness and better health, and Boamund better too; with Shrett left in worse shape. Bog invokes False Healing to allow Shrett to sit or walk again, and Shrett thinks about asking for his Arkati favour to heal him, then heals the others' minor wounds. Ahappi helps Shrett get into his new golden armour, since there was not time for that earlier.
As you pass Orlanth's Ring and the glittering bluish-white stars of the Celestial Dragon sparkle in the distant south. It will not be long before you reach that Dragon, and the end of the Waertag the Reaver myth that Mularik told you. What then?
We'll start finding out on Friday! Link: https://meet.google.com/rpy-eaov-xcx
-John
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