Howdy,
Miguel finds an Arkati ally who he'd helped before with a Fly spell to escape the fire-wall on the Fields, and calls on that favour with some good bargaining to get him and Fraud healed; Fraud soon Regenerated back to health. You discuss what might be coming next, wondering about myths and Arkati insights, figuring that your heroquesting path may split soon, with multiple options as Waertag the Reaver's quest indicated; and as Mularik also had made clear (that he had his own destination). Ahappi ask Mularik what he was up to and is bluntly told he shouldn't care, not does Mularik care about your goal.
Then the Ship's Officer named Sounder yells out an alarm, and the waters ahead foam over a huge area as a great beast rises from the starry depths. It is smooth gray-skinned, with very long whiskers and a huge mouth full of crooked teeth. It is almost as large as the ship; miles long; and has an army of fat, like-headed beastman warriors on its back in full regimental procession. It makes a great noise, a roaring sound made only of consonants. The ship shakes. Most people aboard stare at this scene; some draw their weapons or cast magics. You ready weapons, watch and wait.
The river-beast continues to bellow. Then a Waertagi crewman, resplendent in shining bluish aluminium armour, draws a spear and leaps heroically atop the main mast as magics crackle to life on him. He sounds back only vowels at the thing, and its eyes blaze with incensed rage, then it roars even louder. None of you are deafened or fatigued, but Fraud is a little shaken.
The beast-warriors swarm to attack the Boat Planet. Waertag's warrior finishes a flowery oratory in Seaspeech, grabs a giant rope from the deck, and jumps off the side, landing atop the water. The beast bellows and charges as the beastmen begin clambering up the ship's sides. You rush to meet them. The river-monster's feet churn the river water into a white froth. The Waertagi charges across the water at the monster, conjuring magic that make three imitations of himself. And the beastmen climb over the gunwhales in hordes-battle is on!
The hippo-men are skilled, and outnumber you 2 to 1, but are clumsy and slow. They fight hard, yet are quickly cut down. Ahappi smacks one off the ship's side before it can even climb aboard, and dispatches his second soon. The rest of you do admirably, too. It isn't long before the beastmen are being routed on the ship. They aren't fanatical, just fiercely territorial and aggressive, so they begin fleeing.
The river-beast battles with the Waertagi and his three copies, swallowing two and creating more froth in the water. The original warrior joins the fray. The froth turns red and green, and the fight disappears below its surface. Eventually the beastmen are driven bounding back into the waters, which slowly calm. The surviving Waertagi on board sing a simple tune in honour of their fallen hero, and the ship goes on.
A couple of hours more of that second Celestial Night pass in peace, but the mood is tense in anticipation of what is coming-ahead is the Celestial Dragon, and opinions vary on its implications. Attention on board is drawn to an odd sight to the starboard side: a large section of river has started bubbling and boiling, emitting thick steam. The cause is unclear.
Boamund starts to look at the bubbling, but catches sight of something else out of the corner of his eye before he does-there are enemies coming. He shouts a warning to you, and warnings come from the port side of the ship. Amidst the distraction, figures have stealthily climbed aboard and now are drawinsg weapons! “For the Pirate King! Doom to the slaves of the Boat Planet!”, they shout. They are fierce pirates of diverse races, as before accelerated in their movements by powerful sorcery, and here bearing battleaxes and shields. Bon Jalos challenges you again!
The pirates are clever, agile foes and six of them face the 4 of you (Bog has been below decks for most of the night). But once again they are at a mythic disadvantage, and you batter them down one by one, with Ahappi and Fraud victorious first. The axes are ensorcelled with “Sickening Blade” magics that reduce your DEX by 9 if you get wounded (min DEX = 1) but IIRC none of you get axed, or I forget… Ahappi bargains with one for his life as they begin surrendering, with three dying and one badly wounded, and he is given a Coordination spell as a questing victory trophy. They leap off the ship; Bon Jalos has lost again!
A little more time passes. Ahead, a cluster of glowing islands becomes visible; a range of hills perhaps? As the Boat Planet rows closer, everyone sees that they are actually the carcass of a vast dragon, lying in scattered pieces in the river and made of stars. You have arrived within sight of the Celestial Dragon. You watch in wonder.
Mularik Ironeye approaches you, his brow furrowed and iron-eye a dull black. He says, “This place is crawling with our enemies who have infiltrated us. I See them now; they have been cunning in their stealth. I feel they are interfering with this quest and as an Arkati I am sworn to act. We have a sword-job here; there is hunting and killing to be done. The place is too large; we cannot find everyone as one band. We must split apart and, when we find foes, strike ruthlessly and with maximum effort. Their nature is hidden from me but will be revealed if we search, and ambush. You will have one chance to kill them. Do not let them escape alive. Do you understand?” Shrett ponders if he is lying or not, and feels convinced he is not betraying you.
Boamund leads the hunt for these hidden enemies. He soon sees four figures that have an eerie glow about them that unnerves you; they are wary and suspicious so he knows he must act. He draws weapons and charges with you. One (a priest) throws down a crimson orb which smashes and releases a crimson cloud, out of which steps a horrendous twisted, rune-carved fleshy amalgamation of large and small human body parts, two of which wield scimitars; and the four Lunar Empire officer/heroquesters shout battle cries as it uncurls and strides forth! The thing is a Gordayan, although you'd never know of it; an obscure Lunar abomination (see fun old fanzine story attached) that is Chaos, Undead, and Illuminated (which incidentally protected it vs. Ahappi's stinging spear!). The Lunars are a Yanafal Tarnils (truth-death soldier) ship's captain with scimitar and hoplite shield (in iron half-plate), a Seven Mothers warrior-priest in enchanted silver plate with a powerful Red Moon Staff, an elite Dara Happan hoplite of Yelm with a longspear and hoplite shield (in gilded plate), and a Danfive Xaron penitent-priest with a Lunar sickle-sword and shield. They're quite a force.
It's a challenging battle even though you got the drop on your foes and they had no spells ready. Bog uses his Fear magic to send the Danfive Xaron man screaming away in terror; but the priest has enough presence of mind later to release a Lune (elemental of madness) to cover his retreat, and it drifts to Boamund, unable to drive him mad but slowly sucking away his mana. Bog then helps Ahappi, who is slugging it out with the Gordayan. It grabs his trident in one arm-of-many-arms and he lets go, drawing his Stinging Spear, and he hits it once but it does not feel the sting of his spear. Shrett is impaled through the leg by a brutal blow by the Dara Happan and falls, but Fraud has knocked his soldier foe out with a head-wound and comes to help. Boamund slowly trades blows with the well-matched priest and then manages to trip him. Ahappi keeps getting breathed on by the soul-freezing magic breath of the Gordayan, and takes one bad wound, while it ignores Bog. But then it is tripped and Bog jumps on it to keep it down. It is regenerating, and Shrett blasts it with Worlanth lightning to the abdomen, then with a series of blows you strike it in the chest and Ahappi finally splits it apart and it goes still. A deadly enemy indeed! Finally, you finish off Boamund's enemy, as Fraud takes out the hoplite with another massive head-blow. You kill them all.
Eventually you can loot the corpses and there is some nice armour but not much else you could use, not having any interest or skill in invoking Moon magics.
But you seek the fled Danfive Xaron cultist and he has magically vanished. Mularik confronts Ahappi and scolds you for letting this happen, saying that he must be on the Red Moon or elsewhere by now, and that he will bring word of things to his Lunar masters. There may be more Lunar trouble, then. And the ship's crew is not happy that discord has been created here-the giantess Deck Officer challenges Mularik, asking why there was violence against those on board and threatening to hurl you all off the ship, but Mularik argues well that these were malevolent interlopers seeking to subvert the quest, and dangerous now that the Dragon was nigh…
The Sky Ship nears the remnants of the Celestial Dragon, and once again Waertag the Reaver strides forth from the Forbidden Door. He shouts orders and the Ship drops many lead anchors. Then he addresses all on board in a voice that carries in waves across the full ship: “We have come to Stella Draconis, the Star Dragon, and will pause as I have business here; and some of you may as well. If you choose to leave forever, that is very well. We have succeeded in the first stage of my quest. But there is much more to be done. If you choose to depart to explore the Dragon Isles, you may do so and return if you are swift enough; but we will not tarry once I am done. If you choose to simply remain on board, as there are strange challenges ashore that many may not dare to confront, that is very well too. The aspect of the Celestial Dragon that we have reached has many names around the world. My Sky foes on my quest call it Burburstus, the Dark Dragon; vanquished by Yelm's Eight Sons they say. But it can still be reached and in my Western lands it has another meaning. I will disembark now; my crew will then aid those that wish to leave.”
You know of the Dragon: this constellation is the largest in the sky, stretching along a third of the Celestial River. Although it has different names, all of them refer to it as a draconic creature. Most agree that the green star in Orlanth's Ring was once part of it, usually its head. The Orlanthi barbarians have a popular myth of how Orlanth conquered a dragon (some say Sh'harkazeel, the Father and Mother of Dragons, others Aroka, the Blue Dragon) and left its remains in heaven.
As Ahappi and Bog prepare to leave, Mularik draws Boamund, Shrett, Fraud aside: “As leader of this quest I am empowered to grant boons to those that were most loyal to its goals. I choose to grant them to fellow Malkioni of the West, maybe even good Malkioni, certainly some with understanding of the ways and plight of the Arkati in struggling against the latest evil, that of the risen rulers of Tanisor. And so I gift you these sorcerous boons.”
To Fraud Shaven: “You have long been a brave protector against Chaos. May Arkat's sorcery aid you further. This formula from The Hepherones Texts conjures a protective circle that holds Chaos at bay; even Chaos spirits.” Fraud learns a Guard Against Chaos sorcery spell.
To Boamund: “I have Seen that you are a new Illuminate of our ways, and such Sight is a precious blessing. Your abilities, too, cross the boundaries between Dark and Light. This incantation from The Lead Grimoire extends across that spectrum, to further your Sight in the realm of shadow. May you see more clearly with it .” Boamund learns a Project Darksight spell (as per rulebook Project Sense [Sight]; but only works in darkness for those with Darksight).
To Shrett: “You are a curious one, and I see many aspects of stories of Arkat's companions in you. There is the martyr and the sorry peasant but also the valorous warrior and even the sadistic murderer. To you I grant the Blessing of Saint Avlor to invoke as you see fit; may it bring you succour in whatever aspect you choose.” [a spell to protect mental state]
“And to all three of you, I relate this– The Daliath Prophecy, from ancient Arkati:
'Winter comes from the north, Fire shall fall in the south. Brothers will battle to the bloody end, Trolls feed on the flesh of fallen men, The Red Sun is revealed to all. I tell you much, yet more lore have I; You must know this - will you know still more? The Sun shall be murdered anew, The heavens dim, the stars fall. The lands are submerged by the Sea, The Red Sun drowns all in rivers of blood'.
…Do not trust that trollkin you know. The Red Sun may have shown itself here; we are on our way to the cataclysmic end of the Third Age. May you live long despite it.” Mularik seems never to have good news. He's a doomscroller. :)
There are no boats to take anyone ashore so questers swim or fly their way there via what means they can. Bottom-walking is not safe as the river is bottomless at first; to descend would bring them into the Middle Air (and death!). You debate staying aboard (the three Mularik spoke to). Shrett is still too wounded to do much but Mularik's Zzaburi takes pity on him and heals him a little with a magic tonic. But then Ahappi has a clever idea and invokes the magic of the draconic Truestone, which Fraud had just returned to him, and becomes a draconic Wyrm, which is easily large enough to carry you all down to the shore.
The huge gleaming chunks of flesh and bone are more apparent as you approach the shore, and shadows cascade off of them like mist. The gore is stark. Black ichor covers everything in stinking cold ooze that reeks as if it has been rotting for eternity. The remains are the size of many mountains. Black waves lap on the beach, which looks and feels as if it is made of cold cinders. A neck and torso are visible, chopped off from head and gut, its wing stubs still bloody. There is an enormous cavernous opening within the neck's front stub. A sound like a slow, rolling drum beat comes from within the enormous cavity of the torso. Many other questers are scattered up and down the beach and on other isles. Kallyr Starbrow's glowing group is far across the beach, too. One of them unfurls great black wings, growing large in size and taking on a dragonewt-like form. (It is Orlaront Dragonfriend, if you know your Sartar heroes!)
Mularik's band is nearby. He looks at you and says, “I shall enter first. It seems that you have chosen this destination as well, but we part ways now. My business is not yours. But if you return alive to the Middle World, we may cross paths again.” Ahappi praises his trust and Mularik shrugs, unimpressed; saying dryly that you've done a satisfactory job. And he leaves into the cavity of the dragon's neck.
Across the beach ahead of you comes a person, barely recognisable as human, who is steaming and covered in bubbling black wounds. They stumble and scream in agony, then drop prone into the black sands with a final brief twitch. Questers continue past them with varying degrees of interest or lack thereof. You're among the latter. Bog is so excited he runs to the cavity; Shrett is also keen to escape the hated light of the Sky realm for once so he follows, and Ahappi feels the Helldragon's voice rumble within him, “Enter me if you dare to. I have WORDS.” Fraud and Boamund follow along for the fun.
Inside, the huge trachea looms above inside the bloody neck, dripping rivers of rank ichor. Oddly, you now see no signs of the other questers, either ahead of or behind you, even though some were near. And then, and then…
Big epic stuff next session! I'll be doing something I've never done with a roleplaying group; it will be unusual and fun. :)
Meet URL: https://meet.google.com/kad-iisb-fhn -John
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