h2. Location

The Artful Driftdodger (Bridge)

Ongoing effects

We ended at the top of Combat Round #3

• Life Bubble (12 more days remaining)
• Surging Euphoria + 1 to Attacks, Saves, and Checks (3 rounds remaining)
• Control Atmosphere – Bubonic Plague (120 Minutes remaining)

Initiatives

22 Illithid – Staggered – 2 to hit, saves, checks
19 Kenari ^
18 Melisande
17 Fate Eater
16 Lenata
16 Fate Eater
15 Dinya
15 Ef Utan
11 Etsuriko
10 Fate Eater (22)
9 Vedis

Theridon conversation remembered – the destruction of the Elder Brain kicked him into the future through the Ether Gap. Friendly ghost? Could he help us scout the Illithids since he’s an undead?

Dodger’s sensors – distortion effect hits the ship. rod of light runs through Lenata through the deck and a booming flash from the bulkhead wall side of engineering. A figure in black armor with a pole arm appears. Dinya the Grave Cleric. Kenari met her, right? The silver frog ship I think… you’ve got the heads?

I tell the rest on the Penumbra and grab Vedis and we port over to the Dodger. Finn sits up and goes “I’m in charge right?” as Etsuriko tells him to lay down and takes command while Vedis is gone.

Mel scans Len, no disease, no radiation, no parasites. Detecting faint like readings from time manipulation effects. She gets a sense of “debugging.” Len is out cold, faint white glow. Luck based magic? Ken whispers in ear “Im going to go pilot the ship now, kay?” Nope, she’s out. Mel recognizes the great relic “Cat Herder” used to jump start the “other ship.”

Dinya was at Loom, investigated Loom and it pulled her here. There was a lot of “goo.” Illithid goo influencing the Loom perhaps? Leodetta the Time Mage is still good and not Illithid. Is the goo still on the blade? Silver shit? Can we analyze it? One other difference, it’s a whispy ectoplasmic variant that quickly disappears. Mel scans it though and picks up a psionic signature and luck magic. FateEater goo? Chronomancer goo the Illithids drained?

Dinya and crew took lightning bracers from Frog Ship that was powering it. Bracers combined with their items keyed them to be able to go to the Loom from there.

There’s a brief flare of light from the Med Bay and Len sits up. “What just happened?” I no longer have any arcane anything anymore. All of my arcane magic is gone! I no longer have access to it for some reason. Whatever happened changed me so that everything is Divine. Something happened to her Fate line to change her. What Dinya followed to get here was her Fate line. Dinya touched the threads attached to her weapon and sliced off the goo with a Smite. The goo was adding chaos to the mix.

There are obscure tales of Sardior the Dragon mettling in races to produce more Psionics, as Vedis talks about gentically modified Elans and Maenads.

“ALL HANDS ON DECK, CONTACT AT EXTREME RANGE.”

Ken ports Vedis back to Penumbra with Len as Ken and Dinya stay on Dodger. THREE SHIPS coming in quick on the 20ton range. Average nautiloid is 40tons. Giving off a familiar and unpleasant tentacle based signature.
Etsuriko wakes up Finn with “wakey powder.” Why do you think I was asleep? I know she was holding out on me!

Len casts Blessing of Luck and Resolve on everyone on Penumbra. +2 on Fear saves. Dinya aura has +4 saves on Fear effects.

Ef casts Shield, Bulls Strength, Fly and Badgers Ferocity.

Mel fires the Dodger at the lead ship that blows up in fireball 200ft across…in the Phlow… shockwave created from explosion as we make Reflex saves as the other ships blow up too. 20pts dmg to shields of each ship.
Etsuriko makes sure nobody ported over on the Penumbra and Ef helps. Mel uses her sensors and emotional sense to see that the ship has gotten more crowded as an Illithid holding three leashes holding Fate Eaters.

The Illithid lets go of the leashes so Ken grabs one and teleports a Fate Eater out into the Phlow. Mel Mind Thrusts the Illithid for 29pts who takes it in stride. Lenata teleports onto the bridge with Vedis who readies her Fang. Dinya swings at the Illithid but misses. Ef uses Dimension Door to go to the bridge of the Dodger. A Fate Eater takes a bite at Vedis but misses. Etsuriko Abundent Steps to the bridge. A Fate Eater misses a chomp.
Vedis attacks with the Fang and hits doing 1pt WIS dmg + 8pts dmg and then crits with Mind Blade for 13pts and -2 to checks.

Ken ports back and Mel casts Life Bubble on us all. Lenata effects the luck “Tugging Strands” and makes the Illthid miss Mel. Len then tries Chains of Light but it makes its save. Dinya swings at a Fate Eater and misses badly (-2 to hit) Ef attacks Illithid. A Fate Eater hits Vedis and for a moment she forgets how to wield two weapons at once. Etsuriko uses her fans to attack a Fate Eater to stagger it, hits a few times and then slips and becomes flat footed.

The Fate Eater then disappeared and 3 more showed in it’s place. Ken grabs the other one that still has a leash, just misses getting hit, and ports another one off the ship.

Mel makes the bridge air toxic and rust colored suddenly on the Dodger. She then gives one of the Fate Eaters the Bubonic Plague. Len touches the Fate Eater and casts Homeward Bound, dismissing it back to its place of origin. POINT TO REMEMBER

Dinya attacks a Fate Eater, hits one and then strains her back for 1pt of STR dmg. Ef full attacks the Illithid, and so does Etsuriko. Illithid attacks Etsuriko but Len tugs and keeps it from hitting her. Vedis uses Energy Push/Wilder Surge on Fate Eater smacking it against the wall – +1 checks/attks for next 3 rounds.

LIFE BUBBLE LASTS FOR 12 DAYS.

THOUGHT: If the Fate Eaters are found still floating out in the Phlow after the fight, could we capture one, keep it in a stasis on the ship and analyze it using the Artful Dodger to find out what it is exactly?

It’s been a long time since I have had the chance to enter anything here but recent events indicate that keeping a log is not only wise but necessary. Luigi gave us our marching orders, so to speak and clues as to why some of us are harder to trace. The tattoos the original members of our group woke up with in the beginning, keep us “unstrung from fate”. We are on our way to Oerth/Grayhawke by way of the Hive both for information and cyberware upgrades. Anything to boost our resistance to the Illithids or make us harder to find, harder to kill.

We were still in the sphere’s when I heard the call that 3 strange ships were coming up behind us and closing fast. Being outnumbered we chose to flee and I had the opportunity to see/feel Penumbra move. Oh is it beautiful, and amazing, I have never flown so fast before. We leapt ahead of our pursuers and before I knew it we were at the border of the Phlogiston. As the three ships crossed the boundary there was a huge explosion as their combustion engines caught in the Phlo and set off a chain reaction. (Obviously not from around here or they would have known better.)

We kept the quick pace for a while longer just in case but I did inquire to the ship how long this was possible. With relief, she replied 24 hours at top speed before it started compromising systems. I took the speed down to something more reasonable which was still fast compared to many ships. Our trip through the Phlo was thankfully uneventful. As we approached Realmspace we encountered no ships. We skirted around the less desirable planets of Glyth and H’Catha. I chose to navigate through a relatively new (15 years old or so) asteroid field – The Boneyard. I felt confident I could navigate it and it saved us two days versus going the long way around.

Of course the asteroid field wasn’t an asteroid field…it was a haunt. A very powerful one. First a Drow warrior appears on the deck, when Etsuriko attempts a slight bow, she walks right through her and the bulkhead. We see the flashback scenes of the battle, of ships resembling metal elven ships with unbelievably destructive weapons. We see ships and rocks twisted together and glimpses of bodies strewn about the wreckage. The palpable feeling of relief as the metal ships are sailing away and the absolute terror as they sent their final destructive volley behind them that ended the ships whose wreckage we sailed through and whose collective anguish and suffering created the haunt. We and our living ship triggered it. I was able to navigate the remaining field with a mental note to research a way to somehow put these poor souls to rest.

We were nearly to the hive when our ship was rocked in the sonic blast of another explosion, this time from directly in front of us at the hive! Then I became aware of an odd thrumming, pulsing wave. I was coming from behind us, I turned to see what it was only to catch sight of another ship screaming into view, I barely had time to nip the Penumbra out of its way. This odd metal pronged ship slammed on the brakes, and drifted sideways and only just managed to avoid crashing into the Hive. Someone was very lucky, I wouldn’t want to face Taj after crashing into the Hive, much less after it had already blown up first.

Naturally, since it’s a ship I hear “DIBS”. There’s someone flying it I thought, they’ll probably object to your “dibs” but have at it Fen. KenariKenari Sanura, Etsuriko and Ef decide to step on over to the other ship and politely inquire “WTF?” (Knowing Kenari) I message Taj and identify our ship as belonging to us and remind her of who we are. Unbeknownst to me her mate in full battle gear already appeared on the other ship called the Artful Driftdodger. Realizing who was there with Etsuriko, he seemed disappointed he didn’t get to kill anyone and blipped over to our ship. Once again, he recognized someone, in this case Fen, seemed disappointed he wasn’t able to crack any heads, barked orders that we were to dock immediately but that we were confined to the two ships and disappeared.

The other ship and the Penumbra dock at the Hive and the Commodore, Fen, Melchior and myself go over to the other ship to join our companions. The exterior is metal, all metal and design is unlike the ships I am familiar with. With two long arms extending in front and the body of the ship in the rear, it doesn’t resemble a ship of the sea or a n insect or sea creature as I am accustomed to. The interior is sleek, metallic, shiny, different. It doesn’t feel like a ship that I’m used to, nothing like the Penumbra of course which is a living entity in its own right. I’m used to ships’ helms having a palpable feel to them, I don’t have to be near it, just being on board is enough. I don’t feel this ones, which is strange.

The operator of this strange craft appears with our companions and I had to struggle to school my expression. It was very like looking in a mirror in some respects. She introduced herself as Milesande, an Aasimar like myself with elven ancestry. She’s taller than I am but thinner with black hair where mine in white but the eyes and facial resemblance is unmistakable. The commodore elbows me, “See, see I told you in one of the timelines you had a kid, I told you! Strong genes!”

What she didn’t know, doesn’t know, what none of my companions know is that Aladan and I have a daughter. When I was on one of my extended missions with the EIN, I was covering diplomatic relations, I was also covering my pregnancy and her birth. I stayed with her as long as I could but duty called. Very few know of her existence and she is being raised in secret for her protection. Only from the sanctity of a powerful temple do I dare scry to check on her, and so my contact is few and far between. Seeing Melisande was a shock, but it gave me hope of my daughter’s survival and success. The group were talking but truthfully I was distracted. She asked if I would mind some kind of testing to see how closely related, how many generations separate us and I agreed. Suddenly, Melisande’s face sharpened and her focus shot to the window “Squidfaces, 5 o’clock!” she yelled

Scrambling we flew up, out, around to greet our unwelcome guest. The Commodore attempted a mind thrust but couldn’t beat their spell resistance, bastards. How the hell did an Illithid and a Ulitharid get in the Hive, much less undetected? The Illithid was floating 30 feet in the air at upper deck level and the Ulitharid was on the dock. Etsuriko appeared on the dock behind the Ulitharid and I could see she used her hand. There seemed to be a delay between the strike and when he crumpled as if every bone had been broken simultaneously. Blood fist strikes again. We all rained damage onto the Illithid until finally Melisande used a Polar Vortex to turn him into, well, calamari slush.

We dragged the remains into her ship, to the “Med bay” for her computer to study. Turns out she and her computer can do better upgrades to us faster than the bugs can. With the use of Nan nites?

Oh, I forgot, shortly after we docked Fen realized he was allowed to leave the ships and went to the bar, he reappeared, inebriated, after the fighting was done of course.

Going to close this for now. Will continue tomorrow after we hear from Taj and know the whereabouts of our other ships and crew. I should have my upgrades selected and implanted within a week or so. Exciting but slightly scary to have something poking around in your brain case making upgrades like you were a ship.

L

Anya,
We are safe at The New Hive. Will post this before we take off.

After we returned Luigi to Bral, we took off for the Hive. On the way there, we had a long & meandering conversation regarding whether or not we were being tracked and if so – how and by whom. Near the edge of the crystal sphere Vedis, Lenata and Ef Utan are struck by a vision of a cat’s cradle of threads that run across everything and everyone – feeding into huge looms – and running through us on the bridge.

In case our current bout of paranoia wasn’t enough – the vision prompts a discussion of the fates. But paranoia takes a back seat to the three ships Kenari and Ef Utan spot coming up fast behind us. Really fast. Lenata hits it ( Penumbra can move!) and we make the sphere….but the three ships coming up behind us are keeping up. Except…well, I don’t know what kind of ships they a or where they are from – but when they leave the sphere and hit the Phlo they explode. Because they are spewing fire behind them. So not from around these parts?

Fen and I spend quality time assembling the still (priorities) and it turns out that my ability to manipulate ki energy means I can fly the Penumbra!!! The Captain can also pilot – so she spends most of her time getting flying lessons from Lenata (my turn will come). And your Uncle learns to use the consoles in the helm room. It’s a fairly uneventful trip to the New Hive – except for the debris field. The Bonecloud debris field (that only appeared 10-15 years ago) is a huge haunt. Specifically, the debris is real – but the ships and people you see – not so much. The Haunt is strong too – as an especially graphic appearance causes all of us to experience some nausea. We notice that some of the Haunt ships resemble the ships that tried to chase us out of sphere and blew up.

It takes a while to get through the debris field, but Lenata is able to do so skillfully. Near The Hive, things get interesting. There’s a huge shock wave and a disruption and we realize that part of the asteroid The Hive sits on has exploded. Lenata tells us that there is a pulsing sensation coming from somewhere behind The Hive. And as that explosion happens – another ship – different looking – and again, not from here appears and races towards us. Lenata does evasive maneuvers and the other ship does not crash into us. I, Kenari and Ef Utan hop over to the other ship and realize it’s Melisande – we had met her briefly in the dreaming (and she gave Kenari a gun, so Kenari is a fan) and Melisande realizes she had traveled to what she calls “pre-gap” time, so she is really excited to see us.

5 Hive ships appear and the next I know – Kattar is on the deck barking at everyone. He’s a little charged up and looks as ready to fight as he is to talk. Melisandre does a fantastic job of grovelling and he seemed a bit mollified – though I later heard he hopped over to the Penumbra too and barked at your Uncle that he was responsible for everyone’s behavior.

We are allowed to dock at the New Hive, but not allowed to leave our ships – so everyone else wanders over to Melisandre’s ship to check it out. Although – Fen is allowed to leave. Membership has its privileges. The Captain notes that Melisandre is a psionic like she is and we go through introductions. It would appear that Melisandre is a descendant of Lenata’s…

While we are getting to know one another – Mel yells out “tentacle faces 5 o’clock”. Out the port window we see two – an Illithid and an Ulitharid. The Captain quick tries a mind blast to no effect. I abundant step outside and hit the Ulitharid with Quivering Palm. He drops. The others make quick work of the 2nd Illithid. Especially when Mel casts some kind of Polar Vortex…Fen shows up then and starts yelling at us “Am I the only one doing my job?”

We haul the corpse in to what Mel calls her “med bay” and she starts doing some technical things to it. Not going to lie Anya – I was only paying half attention to most of this conversation. Until they get to the bits where we can kill Illithid more effectively, it’s just not that meaningful to me. But I think that’s what they were getting at. Melchior is summoned by the Shintak – apparently she wants the gunslinger to be Sheriff for a bit – so he’s going to stay at The Hive.

But eventually, the Shintak herself deigns to appear. We are put through Kenari’s gatekeeping protocol. I believe it is 7 Stars protocol now – so you probably know it (Detect Evil, Detect Aberration, Detect Psionics, Detect Compulsion, Heal & Bio checks – good grief – not suspicious or anything) and once the Shintak’s people clear us she is joins us onboard The Artful Driftdodger (which is the name of Mel’s ship). Mel is really good at the kind of etiquette that Taj Pach likes (Mel actually has etiquette skills so that’s a damn fine start right there) and she and Taj Pach have a long conversation regarding surgeries, enhancements, bioware, something called nanny mites. Mel is going to help us all out with some enhancements in preparation for going to the Underdark.

There is another long conversation about using the Illitihid Lord as a shield or maybe a weapon or a virus. I’m not really sure. But eventually the Shintak asks us what our plans/next steps are. Captain Vedis (Commodore – I should be saying Commodore) explains that we need to get to Greyspace/Oerth/Greyhawk specifically because that is where the Illithid are going to do whatever it is they are planning. So we don’t have a plan, per se, more of a solid idea about how to cause chaos. Ef Utan asks Taj Pach about the the Illithid Wizard we keep seeing in our visions. Taj Pach explains that she and Tavist met him once – when they were fighting the Illithid – and it was a brief meeting. But Strom Wakeman was a wizard from Sigil who figured out an alchemical way to save his personality during his conversion and he has been fighting the Illithid from the inside for years. She tells us that if Strom wants to talk, he will find us – but that we will pretty much definitely not find him – so don’t waste a lot of time trying. Taj gives the Commodore 2 scrolls of Word of Beckoning as well as 1 each of a Cat’s Grace & Bull’s Strength (mass). She also tells the Commodore that her sword, the Fang of Sardior, may well be enough of a relic on it’s own to take out the Elder Brain.

There’s some more back & forth on possible plans. Apparently the Artful Driftdodger has really good weapons that have quite the range on them. The Shintak spends some time talking to Penumbra before she wanders off. She does tell me though that the Serenity is in dock getting some upgrades courtesy of 7 Stars (nothing is ever free). We are reunited with our friends from the Nomad and Serenity. We tell them about our next mission and make it clear it’s basically a suicide run. The decision is made to tuck Serenity & Nomad into The Harrowing with all non-essential personnel which takes a few days to accomplish. Mel performs various surgeries and upgrades. Turns out one of Ef Utan’s descendants is also on this ship (ahhh Fate) and true to form, your Uncle tries to proposition her. It’s ok though – he gets distracted when he discovers there’s a cat on board and he wanders off to find a brush. So I don’t believe you will have a new Aunt anytime soon.

Anya, the Shintak never did explain what happened at The Hive. She didn’t seem all that surprised to be confronted with a dead Illithid Lord. She did, however, seem angry. As angry as I have ever seen that bug. She spent a bunch of time staring at your Uncle so the Phlo knows what she conveyed to him. And as for the Hive…well, if I had to guess – she is prepping for war. One thing I noticed was that when she was told by the Commodore that the Illithid are breeding fate-eaters (as a way to avoid detection by the fates) she emphatically told us to tell her where when we find the location so she can organize a strike mission. And she seems especially close to the Githyanki right now. So Anya, much as I’d like to tuck you into The Harrowing too – I know you won’t go. But keep your head low and your weapons close.

Auntie E.

Taj shows up with her retinue. Welcome, but I’m sure you won’t mind that we all go through the Kenari Protocol now that you’re here. (Hey she remembered!)

*Detect Evil, Aberrations, Psionics and Compulsion – Bio and Heal check by the surgeon

I’d like to be invited onto the Penumbra. Sure, but would you like to see what we killed first? Why wasn’t I informed?

With fabulous but obivously insect oriented ettiqute Melisande addresses the queen bug with all the laboratory results she could need. We enter the med lab and Melisande shows the Illithid lord on the med table with the holo scans. “What do you want to know?”

If we get more than one Illithid lord brain with the node, can we triangulate the location of the Elder Brain?
Could we turn it on enough to create a camoflouge brain scan? What about removing the “node” and turning it into a Species Graft surgery? Mel – “That’s something to research!”

Melisande shows off her surgery methods vs Xixchill methods. Hers can be done in 6-8 hours including recovery.

A xixchill messenger runs up to Fen and hands him a scroll with a wax seal on it with the symbol of a WHEEL on it. Finn opens to read beautiful calligraphy in common.

“We’ve been trying to reach you about your spelljammer’s warranty.” with a locker address in Waterdeep XD

A moderately tall human woman with an armored bodysuit similar to Melisandes show up, looks in, and fades back out again. (Finn notices)

Melisande has a dark sense of humor and an unwavering loathing of Mindflayers so she’s definitely willing to help.

Taj is interested in the tech but she knows it’s only temp here so she’s more interested in what they’re planning to do next. We ask Taj about the Illithid Magic Users:

There was a mindflayer who helped the 7 Stars from the inside during their past campaign. After heavy divination they were able to identify a human sage named Strom Wakeman from Sigil who had concocted an herbal concoction that had allowed him to preserve his consciousness after going through the Illithid change. Met briefly in the hallway of the Overmind complex. Other than that, no idea where he is now.

Could we create an infection for the brain to affect the Overmind instead of a bomb? Might be more effective.

Can hook us up with a scroll to summon Taj or Kattar. Vedis gets two scrolls of word of beckoning.

Drow are at war with Illithids, and if I recall Kenari met one that particularly hated Illithids. Dude with a pretty mace that Kenari hopped around following once. Tavist also has a Drow baby.

A little hockey puck sized thing flies into the room, zips around and hovers above Melisande’s head. “Oh good I’m starting to get them working again.” “Smile for the camera!” She hits a button and then sees the puck’s perspective.

We discuss the possibilities of spells that could be caused Permanent. RESISTANCE

CAT’S GRACE AND BULL STRENGTH MASS SCROLLS

Ask Taj about making Wonderous Items for us to use the Detect Abboration spell at will. (THEY LIVE)

Taj detects Vedis’ sword as being a psionic heavy hitter – a Divine Psionic Relic – The Fang of Sardior. dedicated to the Dragon God of Psionics.

Etsuriko describes where they fought the Overmind before, and Mel says it sounds like the storm in the gap of the Ethereal above the City of the Seven Seraphs. Could the Overmind be setting itself up in the Citadel of Planes?

The Serenity is in drydock getting a refit. Melisande’s ship has big guns that can fire from a bigger distance than ours.

Our crew were happy and incarcerated after the drunken brawls they got into. We should get them out and stash our ships in the Harrowing so we can bring them with us for easy access.

Fin suggests painted mascots on each others ship and gets nicked by a chonker tortise cat.

Ken asks Melisande about a resource for the chronopartical exotic matter and she remembers a lab that made one once before it disappeared. Can we interface the time machine with her ship or the Penumbra?

If the Silver Citadel is where they are creating Fate Eaters, what if we disrupt that and remove their cover from messing with reality?

Githyanki envoy shows up demanding an audience and Taj is off.

Ef Utan and Ella Sorpic meet as Finn tries to hit on her and Ef warns her off.

Could we use Cereberal Parasites as a form of attack? Could we ask the Githyanki?

We gather our cohorts on the ship and move the other ships into the Harrowing, and then head to Oerth and Greyhawk. Melisande quizes the planes people about the Artful Dodger being safe in the Phlow.

Melisande invites Lenata over to learn to pilot the Artful Dodger as Aspodel pilots the Penumbra.

STRATAGIES

1. Can we give the Illithids fleas with Cereberal Parasites?
2. If the Silver Citadel is where they are making Fate Eaters, if we launch an attack that removes their generation will that prevent their cover from doing more to reality without getting attacked by the Fates/Fortunes?
3. Can we make a bomb for the Overmind? What if we infect the Overmind with a disease?

Full genetic scans of all subjects analyzed and added to the medical database.

Anomalies and analysis noted on each individual subject

Subject: Fenelyn

M Human
Augmentations Installed: Dark Vision & Synaptic Accelerator Mk 2 (Wis)
Additional: slight traces of fiendish DNA (Cerebrelith), less than 10% the usual for a tiefling

Subject: Etsuriko

F Human
Augmentation Installed: Dark Vision & Synaptic Accelerator Mk 1 (Dex)

Subject: Kenari

F Pahtra
Augmentation Installed: Synaptic Accelerator Mk 2 (Wis) and Ferocity Species Graft

Subject: Vedis

F Species Unidentified
Augmentation Installed: Synaptic Accelerator Mk 1 and 2 (Wis & Int)
Additional: Markers of external psionic augmentation of her genetics

Subject: Lenata

F Aasimar (Planetar)
Augmentation Installed: Maze Mind, Sonic Vocalyzer (Harmonic)
Additional: Genetic ancestor of Acting Captain Melisande, confirmed,. Undetermined number of generations.

Subject: Ef Utan

M Human
Augmentation Installed: Adv. Darkvision Capacitors & Synaptic Accelerator – MK 2 (Str)
Additional: Genetic ancestor of Ella Sorpic., Undetermined number of generations

Anya,
You’d think I’d be better about writing. How hard is it to put pen to paper anyway? But here I am. Playing catch up. Before we leave Bral, I will send this to you via House Seven Stars mail. Never mind the multi-verse attempting to fall apart or Illithid incursions, there is money to be made and mail to send. I love the Dragon’s (and the Bug’s) single minded determination sometimes.

After the nightmare session on Gromm, we were able to find a guide who would take us the Face of Jira so we could cast the ritual spell to find our own Jammer. They remember me here, so that smooths the way and a suitable Hadozee guide is found. He is salty and bossy. But I said Hadozee so that’s me being redundant. His name was Yaris and the Temple there highly recommended him so we’re willing to assume he’s competent. It’s funny though when he realizes we aren’t exactly incompetent. Not that he looked impressed or anything. Just not angry. Though Ef Utan struggles with silence necessary to move through the Gromm forest (a really remarkable place – must go back). Not that I loved the giant snails. We saw one that was easily 12 tons! We manage to avoid hippos, ant swarms, dinosaurs herded by giant 6 armed Gorallians. There was a lot.
After 4 days of trudging through the forest, we leave the Aurora shield and enter Kaiju territory. Immediately upon exiting the shield we run into Dream Spiders. Kenari wasn’t having any of that so she pulls us all into the ethereal so we can walk around them.

We shift back, trudge some more and hit a cliff. At the bottom is a beautiful lake and (traditionally) in the center of the lake is an island with a Gojira statue. Because putting the statue on land would be too easy obviously. Yaris tells us that is the Face of Jira. After some fast negotiating with Yaris we get him to agree to wait for us for 3 days (in case this ritual doesn’t work and we need an escort back).

After climbing down the ridge, Fen directs us on how to build a raft. Note: I say he directed. He did not build. Ef Utan (with a rebreather), Lenata and the Captain (with Life Bubble) are nominated to swim down. Lenata casted a detect object and was able to find a large enough chunk of amber for our needs. Fen joins the Captain and Ef Utan on the swim down and Ef Utan ends up using Diamond Spray to cut it out of the rock it is in.
I am up on the raft with Melchior, Kenari and Lenata and we hear a giant ripping sound above us. A hole opens in the sky. A Achaek’ek ancient mantis god kaiju strides through the hole. Looks kinda like Taj Pach really. But bigger. By a lot. The water churns up. Lenata almost falls off, Melchior does fall off. He nonsensically mutters “it’s my mantis god and I’ll cry if I want to” as he swims back, but he lucks out when Kenari choses to benign transposition with him. I toss out a rope to help the swimmers back on the raft.

Kenari spies through the rift in the sky a place that resembles the Outlands.

While paddling to the island, Lenata fills us in on the religious history of the giant mantis. I do like to know all about the giant things before they stomp me to death. It’s important to be fully informed.

We hit the island and are able to climb to safety (relatively) as there are shrieking sounds ripping across the sky. A number of people experience sonic discomfort. Kenari (quick thinking) pulls a candle out of her bag of all the things and we make ear plugs. We plane shift to the ethereal and sit back to watch the battle. It’s a full Kaiju fight – a Gojira and the Mantis. We discuss the salability of Kaiju body parts, what happens to puke in the ethereal. Regular conversation stuff. Eventually Gojira drives off the Mantis and settles in for a nap. I nap too. All the way through the casting of the ritual and the appearance of our own Jammer!! [IRL – Covid – I tapped out of game – no notes]

The smalljammer is amazing though. And it’s clearly alive – but we have no way of talking to it yet. Lenata and the Captain head to the helm room and we start travelling (it’s so fast!). Vedis is attempting to commune with the ship while at one of the stations in the helm room – pushes a configuration of squiggly bits and up on the weather deck – where ALL the rest of us are – the ladders lock, the hatches close (with arcane locks)! I encourage everyone to tie off. Just cause. Kenari manages to pick open the lock – the halls are thick with webs and fog. Some of the interior doors have closed too. The deck is filled with poison air and I end up carrying your Uncle to his room through the webs. Kenari yells at Vedis “what are you doing?” While also point out that it is not SHE who is pushing random buttons. Vedis pushes something else and the ship shoots magic missiles – so Kenari marks that one with a grease pencil. I get Fen into a room and go back and get Melchior – dropping him in a room too. Kenari gets the ship to stop – she pulls Vedis away from the console and tells her “Do not touch anything!” “Fine.” Kenari: “Sucks doesn’t it?”

We decide to head to Bral. We have no supplies so it’s the random trail rations people are carrying. Lenata casting a food & water spell once a day and my endless flask of saki versus whatever alcohol everyone else has been hoarding. Turns out it’s a lot. We stay drunk for the entire time it takes us to get to Bral. It does – in my drunken stupor – eventually occur to me to slap a House of 7 Stars flag under the Spelljoined flag on this beauty. So we hit port and aren’t immediately engaged. We manage to get off and stumble our way to The Burnt Tail to get some ACTUAL FOOD. The Captain and Fen stay behind to watch the ship and to do the port paperwork.

After food (oh delicious dumplings) and arranging to have a bunch of food sent to the jammer we head to Luigi’s but we are intercepted by the City Guard. Someone wants to talk to us. That someone is Diadam Cartan. So – crap. We get escorted in and he instantly starts with “tell me about the warship.” Ef Utan objects. It’s not a warship. It’s a cargo ship. Cartan is unhappy – he doesn’t like anything new. He wants the Fireball Alliance to study it. We all say NO. He goes on for a bit about potential dangers. I realize where he’s heading and I do a thing. Basically (oh shit is Tavist going to try to kick my ass for this – do not tell him Anya) I let Cartan know that we are under the umbrella of House of 7 Stars and they are ultimately responsible for our actions on the Rock of Bral. He is actually satisfied by this declaration and lets us go! As we’re heading out of the castle and down the street, we realize we are being followed by a ferret and a ninja. So I announce our destination loudly. I don’t want to make these guys work too hard.

We get to Luigi’s but it turns out he’s off. I didn’t know he took days off. This may be the first time I walked in and he wasn’t here. So we head back to the dock where it turns out our Jammer is causing quite the stir. Fen and the Captain are trying to keep onlookers at bay. A contingent of House of 7 Stars guards show up and ask me I wanted them deployed. (Seriously, I got fired right?) I put them on guard duty and do the same to the 8 monks who show up from my monastery. Together the crowd is pushed back. Kenari has a brief conversation with Sandyfoot. We see Adriana Shipwright, Serig Tomigjack, an Honor Guard around Lady Serena and an elven gentlemen. We board the ship and as I am trying to talk to it, I hear faintly “bloodfist”.

The crowd stays to watch, because this is Bral and Penumbra is something new. While we are hanging out, I also see several Merchant Lords from the Council – I make sure to write down who and point it out to Fen. Tavist will want to know. Maybe if I come up with some good gossip he will overlook my trading on his name? I see the Dragon Lady there too and trade bows. Kenari works the crowd a little but doesn’t come up with much.

Waiting for Luigi to return to the bar, we have a long discussion about the ship’s potential name. It takes a bit but we eventually settle on “Penumbra.” Vedis spends some time investigating the ship controls and realizes that they are psionically active. So the controls shift based on the needs at the moment. We get some shipments – which need inspecting. The House of 7 Stars kit included a still and some very detailed instructions.

After some more settling in and organizing of deliveries and a lengthy conversation about baths – we all head to Luigi’s. Kenari: “Hey Luigi, stop if you heard this one – what do a drow, a mindflayer and an beholder all have in common?” Luigi: “That’s easy – they are all from the Underdark.” Ef Utan: Come on. The underdark? That’s it? We’re going to Greyhawk. Luigi: Commodore – control your crew – they need to calm down. Captain Vedis invites Luigi for a private tour on Penumbra. He agrees and we take off to get away from Bral (and the spying).
Luigi to Vedis: I must admit a small amount of pride that one of mine made it through. Luigi goes on to explain that the Rule of Three has been satisfied. We have the ship, the others made it to the loop, the circle has been closed. “Now the real work begins.”

To you Anya, I am happy we’re just NOW getting serious about saving the multiverse. That’s inspiring.

Luigi goes on to explain that the weak spot where they are working will set off a domino effect. The linch pin from our side is Oerth – specifically Greyhawk. We have to get there and cause chaos. [Done.] We can’t let Greyhawk fall. Fen thinks to ask who our best point of contact there might be. Luigi tells us we will have to head into the Deeper Dark and talk to Eclavdra. He also tells us to talk to Taj Pach & Tavist about the Wizard Illithid we’ve seen in so many visions. The Spelljoined with tattoos are “disassociated from the webs of fate”. Also that the Illithid are avoiding the fates by using chronomancers and using (and breeding) fate-eaters to clean up loose threads. Also, this ship is hard for them to see. He lets slip that there is an Elder Brain on Oerth – so we will have to deal with that.

When Lenata asks about getting the Drow to work with us – Luigi says “the young man from Dis will have to prove his worth.” [Your uncle’s gift of speech vs. the drow? This will be entertaining to watch.] Luigi tells us also that “the ship knows where you need to go and what you need on the way.” But that “you’re it. The speed at which the fall is happening is accelerating.” So no pressure. After some more conversation (drow etiquette) and vague reassurances “you will get the weapons you need” – The Captain views the flames Luigi has set to dancing in the cargo bay. Us on the deck of this ship, the chronomancer and her group surrounded by a web of threads that lead to looms, the crew from the future standing on their starship talking to a ghost.

Not just any ghost Anya. Captain Theridon.

A ghostly semi-translucent figure of a Drow in weird sci-fi armor suddenly appears on the ship. Etsuriko acknowledges it with a half bow. It doesn’t seem to notice as it turns on its heels and walks through her and fades out.
Kenari jumps down from the tail and does a hero landing as Ef transforms into an air elemental and floats down to the deck to ask Etsuriko what’s up with the ghost. We see more evidence of a larger battle before we
make it out of the Boneyard. We see the hightech Elve ship again as it blows away dozens of Scro ships. Between Ef and Kenari we pick out details of parts of ships, helms, etc and letters of their Orc god. The wreckage is real
but images of the battles are ghostly.

As we approach the Tears of Selune we head towards The Hive. There is a sizeable disruption as Lenata navigates the shockwaves from a massive explosion on the main laboratory asteroid. KA-DOOSH!

As the shockwave settles down something doesn’t feel right. There’s something off. It’s almost like a pulsing sort of feeling. Lenata asks the ship and gets an impression of confusion. Melchior rolls out of bed
and heads up on deck to see a chunk out of the asteriods where the main labs were. Kenari wonders if it’s a pulsing feeling if we can figure out where it’s pulsing from? She asks Lenata and Ef and between them
they figure out it’s coming out from beyond the nest towards us. Could the Pulse have caused the explosion?

Off beyond the rocks and moving towards us quickly is something vaguely round not with a purple effect like the Illithids, but more of a cold silver burst and an odd Enterprise/Defiant looking ship comes towards us.
It’s FAST. Lenata does evasive manuvers with the Penumbra – the other ship is a 1/4 size of our ship.

Meanwhile… Melisande (Queen of Swords) pilots their ship through the wave full speed and just manages to avoid crashing into the asteroids as the Penumbra dodges. The planet below is vaguely Gollarion like as their ship comes to a
screeching halt. Internal comms are out and 3 survivors out of the 5 skeleton crew. She attempts her telepathic bonds and cannot detect the rest of her mates. She checks internal coms to see if she can get them online.
“Members of the Artful Driftdodger, please respond!” “Radar Love, talk to me!” No response. Some lower level crew respond. Patra (MerHiss), Ella and Five are survivors. She checks with ship sensors to see if there’s
anything recognizable around about the manta ray ship or the asteroids around. This matches the place where KaChak stayed behind…

Kenari and Etsuriko look at the ship as we pull aside and Kenari elbows Etsuriko. “Hey, you wanna? It’s right there…”

Melisande believes she recognizes some people on deck and tells her people to stand down. “Figures, you know everybody…” “That’s why I’m the Captain! We’re in a lower tech situation so we might have to finagle this.”

Kenari, Etsuriko and Ef Utan appear on the bridge as “Asshole Alert!” blares across the bridge and Melisande pushes the button to shut it off. “Hi I’m Captain Melisande. It’s Kenari, right? How’s the gun?”

“LOVE IT! I’ve even got a plasma weapon now! So what are you doing here?”

We rode out a phasmic anomaly and my crew and I with our multiple ships were shot off into different realms. Can you tell me the date?" She discovers that her ship can’t orient to the date as it’s Pre-Gap. No injuries here other than
bumps and bruises. We didn’t blow up the lab, we’re just riding the wave. How can I help? We need to get this ship into dock before Taj and her family try to attack you.

Lenata messages Taj to let her know that the Penumbra is us. Kenari hops over to their ship and grabs some flags to wave to let the incoming ships know we’re ok.

Melisande messages the Hive about KaChak but doesn’t get a response… she does get a ping from his communicator though.

Taj’s big fluffed up insect buddy pops up on the Penumbra. “Are they with you, Finn? Do you vouch for them on this ship?” (Claws are full, sent Katar)

Melisande grovels as Katar appears on her bridge. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to offend!”

“Is this with you?” Kenari says “Yes, we’re friends and all good here.” Katar ports back as the two ships pull into the docking bay of the asteroid to find chaos of dust and foul smells. Whatever it was it took out one of the major research labs.

Melisande takes Five and MerHiss to come with her. “Woaah! Another Catfolk! Where you from? I’m from the High Mountain Clan. Me I’m from Mulhorand. Nice to see another Catfolk out and about.”

“The bugs are in a bad place right now but otherwise you’re not welcome. Please stay put or keep within your ship radiuses. "

We check out Melisande’s ship as we talk. Ooo you’ve got an Armory? Vedis does Detect Psionics and Melisande lights up like an Xmas Tree. Vedis notices that Melisande is an Aasimar as well and is most likely a
descendent of Lenata. We share stories of the most vicious attacks we’ve done over drinks. Melisande asks to run some genetic test on Lenata in the Med Bay and Lenata agrees.

Melisande notices suddenly appearing two more emotional presences approx 35 ft outside the ship. Those are Mindflayers… “TENTACLE FACES! 5 O’CLOCK!” as she points to the port window behind her. She steps over to the
viewport and sees a pair of them and one is the bigger one like an Illithid Lord. “Illitharid.”

Finn left the ship and went to the bar past the sentries.

Vedis uses a Mind Thrust at the smaller Illithid but it made its save. WILL SAVES. it mind blasts us for a moment then levitates across from us outside the window. Etsuriko pops behind the Illithard and thumps it with a Quivering Palm that kills it dead. KADOOSH!

Lenata hits the Illithid with Holy Smite and blinds him for one round. Kenari flicker steps on top of the ship and snipes the Illithid with a Dragon Pistol. Melchior moves out and shoots it with his guns. Ef moves into
position with a wand of Magic Missile.

Melisande creates a Polar Vortex 20×40 cylinder of ice and calamari in a blender in the air around it. She releases it and it goes SPLAT on the ground.

Finn shows up with some liquor wholesalers. “Am I the only one doing my job around here?” as he waits for someone to cover it up.

Kenari tells Mel as we cart the bodies away that we need plenty of skin samples for the Detect Abomination spell. Maybe some vials of blood too? The correct measurement is “trash bags.” How many trash bags of illithid guts does it take to affect a Scry spell?

We go into the Med Bay as Mel lays down the corpse to do the analysis as it lights up. They are bigger, stronger, more evolved, more like network nodes between regular Illithids and the Illithid Brain.

Kenari gets her skin and blood samples as Mel gleefully dissects the Illithid.

Lenata wonders if the “network node” could be used against the Illithid to detect where the Brain is, to misdirect the Illithids, etc.

Melisands offers to psionically link us all (Vedis, Lenata, Kenari agree)

We could put Melisande’s Ship into the Harrowing to dock there as a secure place that we can access if we need. Can the ship go through the Flow safely?

Mel’s ship has an AI but isn’t alive like ours. The Nomad is here. The Serenity is expected to arrive within a week or two.

Word comes through the bug guard that Melchior has been summoned. We need help in the Disaster Zone. Melchior has been deputized to help Taj’s clan as law enforcement.

Up to Level 8 surgeries on Melisande’s Ship. 1 hour or so.

We discussed our tattoos and how they keep us unstrung from Fate. Melchior’s gun keeps him from being found. Could it be that they are tracking us because of Finn and Etsuriko? What about Finn’s Illithid tech tattoo There’s something funky going on here. Four of us have tattoos. Finn has the Psionic Circuitry. Melchior has the gun. That leaves Etsuriko who has heard the voice from the Lady of Pain. Vedis gets paranoid about Etsuriko being trackable. Kenari couldn’t find anything electronic. Vedis spends time scanning for Psionic detection while we travel. Metacreativity and Psychoportation being the Tiefling/Finn with the Illithid Circuitry. And a bit of clairsentience in the circuitry.

Finn remembers that Tavis is originally from Greyhawk with a half-Drow lovechild back there (four of swords). Ef, Vedis and Lenata make Perception checks. We make our way to the edge of the Crystal Sphere when they for a flash of a moment get a vision of an insane Cat’s Cradle of threads across the field of view with titanic Looms that is are feeding out of for a moment. They realize they see for a moment a number of threads running through the bridge and the ship 1/2 inch in diameter or so. Six of them end with us as a chill runs up their spine.

Kenari and Ef sit on the tail as we smoke a bowl and Kenari sees three dots in the distance. “Huh what do you make of that?” Kenari passes the bowl and nudges Ef. Let’s get back to the bridge and step on the gas, shall we?

Lenata hits the gas… it needs an energy manipulator to work like that. A psion could fly the ship! “Reflux saves all around!” Twice as fast now. As we pull away and the ship portal dilates closed, the dots grow larger moving fast and hit the portal before it closes. Arrowhead shaped and metal plated. When they hit the phlogiston Lenata has to make a reflex save as they explode into fireballs. JETS! The ship is rocked as Etsuriko flips and lands on the ground. Lenata maintains her grip on the helm as Kenari and the captain waiver slightly. Lenata stabilizes as we surfed the explosion wave through the flow towards Realmspace. 8-9 days instead of 3 weeks.

Lenata talks to the ship and finds it can’t hold this speed for long. You can sacrifice life force in order to pilot in a last-ditch situation.

Etsuriko works with Finn on the still and meditates to commune with the ship.

Vedis prays to Sartior the Psidragon. Doh we’re in the Flow, gods can’t hear us here.

Kenari tries to see if anyone is following us, but she doesn’t see anything.

HALFLING WEED EDIBLE GUMMIES. PHLOWRIDERS! ALL MY FRIENDS LOVE A PHLOWRIDER on those long trips in the flow!

As we head past Garden the next planet in is Discworld with a massive mountain in the middle. World of Beholders. Here is a debris field that appeared here 15-20 years ago.

As we go through the asteroid field, Kenari spies a ship amidst the debris field that’s like a Klingon with a cloaking device. LARGE Elven ship – sort of. Not present-day Elves though when you look at the weapons on the thing. INS Stormbreaker. I see another sort of apparition appear, this time though it’s not just one ship. I see the big Elvenish ship and a green/yellow Smalljammer. Can’t quite identify quite what they are as they recede into the distance. There’s an odd smoketrail as a missile from the Elvish ship explodes into a giant double mushroom cloud as bits and pieces of the ships fly towards us as the debris field. The manifestations are large and similar to Haunts. “Traumas of the past” The debris field is haunted and known as The Boneyard. 2/3 of the way through – Vedis and Etsuriko are hit with intense waves of nausea as space flexes for a moment. Rest of us a brief moment of nausea. We see the ghostly apparitions again. This time from the other side perspective as we see 3 approaching craft with a missile coming towards us and the Elven ship/Smalljammer in the distance.

Similar but larger version of the Goblin Blades during the Inhuman Wars. These are more like the craft who pursued us and blew up in the Flow. The missile arrives and things go white. It fades and we get this fucked up feeling like someone is watching us. (which is different then when?)

A ghostly semi-translucent figure of a Drow in weird sci-fi armor with a gun suddenly appears on the ship. DIBS ON THE GUN! Kenari called dibs!

Vedis with a migraine makes her way to the deck to look down at the crowd gathering around the ship. “Beauty, isn’t it?”

Ef navigates the crowd to get us through to the ship as we all board and prepare to leave.

10 fighter types show up and look up at the captain. “Detail from 7 stars warehouse. How would you like us to deploy?” Between them and Etsuriko’s monks they move everyone back.

Sleight of Hand – One pouch with 8 gp in it. Small roughly hewn carved figure in wood that looks like a bear with a small, folded piece of parchment with colored thread. “Daddy this is for you.” How sweet.

Etsuriko and Ef Utan scan the shipments coming in. An odd shipment for Finn comes in. Sand? A still? Worst case he makes a lemon scented cleaner for the ship.

The ship is OK with everyone and mostly OK with Melchior. It has a Shield spell that it projects, and it can rotate Shield points with a crew action. Panels are mostly “Intent” based.

We talk about what to do next. Talk to Luigi? Get our crew back from the Tears of Selune? Then what? Greyhawk sounds good as that’s access to more of the groups of 3. Also access to Sigil. What about the Citadel of the Planes? We do have the key.

Lenata needs to commune with the Prime again so we can narrow it down. Finn starts talking about Azmodeus and Lloth and we’re all DUUUUUUDE.

A scruffy orc girl comes by and says he will be tending bar this evening. “Fat Vegas Glen Campbell?” – Melchior after he’s retired

We walk into the bar and slap some gold on the bar and say “Hey Luigi stop me if you heard this one before! What do a Beholder, a Drow and a Mind Flayer have in common?” Easy, they all live in the underworld.
He takes the gold and casts Cone of Silence on Kenari as she makes rude gestures at him in sign language. Vedis invites him to join us on the ship later to talk. We go out from the Rock and discuss inside.

“Small bit of pride that one of mine made it all the way.” Above us 3 sun images wobble and resolve into giant candle flames but dim like through a fog. “By this point you’ve seen the pieces of the puzzle. But now you have the ship – (one of the lights brightens) and the others have reached The Loom (the 2nd one brightens) and far in the future the Unity of Rings has been achieved and the circle has been closed. Now the real work begins. You’ve seen some of the alternatives to our world.”

The major image changes to shows some of the worlds we’ve been to and spreads out like a rainbow. A wall of black oily shit starts to obscure and cover one after the other. “It’s a matter of simple survival. You’re one of
the three groups that have been made it. The rule of three has been satisfied. But, the link between the alternates, the weak spot, the spot they’re focusing their effort on….” the image forms a familiar planet. “The lynchpin is the planet Oerth – Greyhawk.”

The major threat in Greyhawk is in the Deeper Dark. As to allies, your best allies are going to be the Drow. As to the Illithid Wizard… ask the one you call Mamma Bug and her scaly sidekick. Tavist?

The tattoos are what keeps us free from Fate.

The illithids are using the chronomancers and breeding Fate Eaters.

So do we cold call the Drow or find a guide or what?

The images change back to the 3 flames. Vedis notices that when she looks close, she can pick an image out of each of the planes. One of them is us on the deck of our ship. One is the Parasol Patrol surrounded by a web of
threads in the Loom. The third shows a a crew in a conference room on a starship as they talk to a human looking figure accept that they’re translucent/ghost like. It has a vase in its hand resting on the table. As it turns
you realize the ghost is of Finn’s brother and Etsuriko’s former captain, Theradon (the Death Card).

CYBERWARE TECHNOLOGY GUIDE. STARFINDER GUIDE. – BIOWARE??

 

New ship gets a Wow reaction as we docked the thing. Both group’s names are associated with the ship due to the rumor mill. Finn and Vedis went back to the ship to keep onlookers and gawkers away. We discuss our plans with Luigi and the possibility of a joke:

“Hey, what do a beholder, a Drow and a Mind Flayer have in common?”

We make our way out of Shou Town around 9 bells and the streets are busy. Around the corner and facing us are 6-8 city guard and in front of them is DiaDan Cartan, advisor to the King. He smiles. Outstanding I had heard you had come to dock and made an alliance between 7 Stars and the Spelljoined. Since I gather the meal is done, would you care to join me for some conversation?

We sigh and march through the city over the land bridge to the Castle Skyview. We are taken to a smaller parlor room in the castle. Two guards remain out in the hall. Cartan pulls out a scroll and ink at his desk and asks about the warship. Is the Spelljammer a warship? “It’s a legend and not one I’d like to encounter again.” – Cartan. “It sounds like something the Fireball Alliance should study.” NOPE.

Etsuriko explains that 7 Stars has the Spelljoined under contract and takes full responsibility for our actions. Kenari drinks some POTENT wine and avoids the need to speak my mind and the truth.

Kenari pours what remains of the Truth Wine into her wine flask as Ef helps distract Cartan.

Etsuriko sums up and says, “Ok then can we go now?” (sigh) Yes, you can go.

We are being followed by a small brown ferret. The other we notice in the shadows is a ninja. “A hedge of ninjas!”

Ferret has leather collar with silver oak leaf on it as it cleans its whiskers. Elven? Kenari offers to give it a ride and a snack, but it declines. Etsuriko sends asks a monk to send a messenger to Luigis when we get there so we can ask them to get supplies.

We head to Luigi’s bar. He’s not on duty or available at the moment as one of the human backups is tending the bar. We order a round and find Luigi worked last night. We leave a message for him from Vedis and have our drinks and leave. As we get to the dry dock area there is quite a crowd.
Our ship is bigger than an Elven Warbird apparently.

Kenari feels something tugging at her belt. I reach down to grab and grab air. Sandyfoot twirls my bag around his fingers. You’re getting lazy! So, when are you going to give me a tour of your ship? Come on dude, cut me some slack and be honest with me. What do you want? So rude! Let me know when you feel better and take a bath why don’t you? Dude’s just bitter I called him on his BS.

We notice some particular faces: Erdonna Shipwright, shipmistress of Braal. Meridon Sandyfoot. Serig Tomajoch, mayor of Gif town. Honor guard of Lady Serena and Marion Silmara, etc. Etsuriko asked for an honor guard from the monestary to keep people away.

Finn is out front trying to sway the crowd. No sign of the captain.

Etsuriko greets the ship and she gets a whisper of “Bloodfist” in Shou.

We make our way inside the ship and lay dibs to various rooms while Lenata goes to introduce herself to the Helm of the Smalljammer and attempts to pilot is back to the Hive. Kenari goes up to the Weather deck to be a scout while Vedis decides to press all the buttons on the console in the Helm room. “Let it be known that Kenari wasn’t the one pressing all the buttons tonight.” Vedis runs her hand over the console and gets the feeling that “this feels right” as she presses a button.

There’s a click from over on the side from the closed hatch with the ladder. It’s arcane locked. Kenari unlocks it and sees thick webs covering the ladder down and a fog filling the interior corridor below me. Kenari flicker steps back to the helm and feels like she went the wrong way for a second before ending up in the helm room.

Vedis swears she hears something from outside the doors in the hallway.

Ef messages Vedis and asks her to reverse whatever she did.

Ef changes into an air elemental down the hall swearing that the room has changed. Swears he saw a weird cluster of lights sparkling down the hallway.

Vedis presses more buttons, no discernable effect.

Ef notices that the air is turning bad fast. Stinking cloud effect. Finn wretches over the side of the ship as Etsuriko wrinkles her nose and Melchior coughs slightly.

Etsuriko grabs Finn and weaves through the webs and smoke with Finn over her shoulder.

Lenata feels a weird buzzing feeling as she’s piloting. From below the main window a spear sized magic missile goes WOOSH. Kenari quickly marks the button.

Vedis presses more buttons, and the doors change. Kenari tries to study the console but it’s a magical construct she doesn’t fully understand. Etsuriko dumps Finn in a bedroom. A large mouth appears in the ceiling and proceeds to mutter gibberish and disappears.

Ef sees another cluster of lights as he moves towards the bridge and Vedis messages that she needs him for the console. Ef wooshes through the crack in the door and forms inside the room below the command deck just in time to see the mouth disappear.

“Welcome to the party! (hurk) – Finn
“Who is that! What is that? I’m just going to leave.” – Ef

Etsuriko apologizes to the ship as she attempts to make her way back to Melchior.

Kenari attempts a piano chord of buttons as she mutters “This might do it!”

Kenari pulls Vedis back from the console as everything goes back to normal. “Don’t touch anything!” As Vedis pouts Kenari goes “Sucks, doesn’t it?”

Ef shows up on the bridge to see Kenari keeping Vedis from touching the console in prime role reversal.

Ef figured out that Vedis triggered the ships guards and ward effects. We study the ship as the weeks pass on the way to Rock of Braal.

We survive on Ef’s Arven Rations (lambdas bread), Melchior’s Murlyn’s Spoon of Gruel, Kenari’s whiskey and Lenata creating Food and Water. Melchior teaches us all to Boot Scoot Boogie as we’re drunk and high.

We enter Spiral Space and get to Braal. Lenata and Ef greet the harbor master as they’re the least drunk. The rest of us go arm in arm to find food as we’re trashed. We look at bad street food as Etsuriko says
“No we’re going to a restaurant!” Finn assumes the carry-all position as he expects Etsuriko to carry him. “There goes Finn, the Ass of Braal.”

We drunkenly stumble in the Burnt Tail at the beginning of lunch rush. Etsuriko orders a lot of food as Ef pays the man. Finn talks loud and slowly “We’re going to her room, and WE ARE GOING TO EAT.” as Etsuriko carries him through the restaurant.

The raft and water ripples as the god walks and Melchior falls off the boat. Kenari switches places with him so he ends up on the boat and Kenari is in the water.

“Never has the term Thorax Shadow been so upsetting.”

Sky rip is closing as Kenari looks at the rip. It seems to shift and change, the one image Kenari can see is areas of the Outlands where the gods of the prehominid races reside. Often confused with the Celestial Mantis that is the god of the Thri-Kreen, Achaekek is usualy worshipped by assassins and is originally birthed as an agent of divine justice. Most of the worshippers come from Gollarion.

Kenari ties a rope to the raft and teleports to the island and pulls as the others swim and push the raft with some work amd climb up the island.

The Mantis God screeches and Fin, Melchior Vedis and Kenari take 13 points of sonic dmg. Lenata and Etsuriko take 9 points. We all panic and then decide on plane shifting to the Ethereal plane so we can
watch what’s happening while the God passes by or fights or whatever. The mantis stomps around for a bit and then for the next hour or so a large godzilla kaiju shows up and the battle ensues.

The mantis flies away and Godzilla curls up around the statue as it takes a nap. We talk about taking notes and samples from the Kaiju to sell to the cult.

Ef is 2/3 through his watch as he picks up some movement off in the distance. A good ways away is a vaguely familiar profile, tentacles in front with big shell in the back. Illithid Nautiloid in the Ethereal.

We wait for 40 minutes then Finn and Kenari start looking for Kaiju scraps very quietly. Start picking up vials of Kaiju blood. Few pints of kaiju blood, can’t really tell the diff between mantis and Godzila.

Vedis looks for Illithid signs as we harvest but doesn’t see anything. She does notice however a small chip off of one of the Kaiju’s scale the size of her coffee table imbeded in the ground.

It is starting to rain though. Finn and Kenari use the acid burst weapons to free the scale from the ground. Ef casts Grease to loosen it up. Etsuriko makes a strength check and yanks it out. The
corroded ground crumbles away noisily but the kaiju doesn’t wake up. We put the scale in Ef’s bag of holding.

We use rope to ferry the boat over and Finn and Lenata find the tracks of our Hadojee guide but see that he’s long gone and agree we need to bite the bullet to do the ritual.

Lenata starts and Ef and Vedis pitch in as emerald green flames light the braziers as we get through the 1st two hours of the ritual. The sky begins to darken and rain begins to fall but doesn’t impede
the green flames. Over 10 minutes it builds up to tropical storm levels. Out in the water of the lake the ship that rises up out of the water looks like a Smalljammer but it’s almost twice the size.
The lines are the same, it’s a black and gold color scheme that comes up from underneath the water. Mel and I have a bit of a headache as the ship pulls up to the beach.

Kenari and all awe in its beauty as we stroke it and give it a kiss before climbing aboard the sexy beast. Lenata conveys her gratitude to the gods and the ship for its arrival.

Anya,
I am currently in Grommspace, on the Hadozee home world/capital city – but you know that now. And obviously your Uncle is still with us. We are preparing to leave the safety of the city to travel into Kaiju lands to attempt to summon a Smalljammer. That may well be the craziest thing I have written down yet. But here we are. Desperate times call for desperate measures – or something. So as usual – I will have to sum it all up.

We did get into the X-Crawl. It was amazing. When “save the universe part 2” is over – I am going to start cage fighting for real. The roar of the crowd, the thrill of victory – it is intoxicating. We fought an Anais Hag first, then entered a circus like…ride of some kind – but we’d have to stop and fight or figure out the puzzle or both at once. We fought gnolls while a bard tried to ensnare us with her music. She was good – but not good enough. The gnolls ended up surrendering. There was an alligator and a chuul too. If you’ve never seen a chuul – imagine a wyvern sized crayfish and you’ll get it. It stank to high heaven. It was in the next room I really hit my stride and as the crowd started screaming “Blood Fist” (I ripped out a heart in there somewhere – poor little gnoll) – I screamed back “I can do this all day!” So yes, turns out I really like match fighting. Kenari though – that cat – we end up in a room with fire giants. One of them broke one of my fans! (Lenata fixed it – so it’s ok, but still). But Kenari – she grabbed one of those things – plane shifts to a water plane and LEAVES IT!! Can you imagine? So damn clever. The second giant ends up yielding and Ef Utan takes his sword. By now, the crowd has named Ef Utan “The Bear” and he is hamming it up – as is your Uncle. Working the crowd was a huge part of this show – so we are all trying our best. We had to fight five giant marionettes in another room. Ef Utan turns most of them into kindling with that ridiculous sword of his – the crowd loved him by the way.

We eventually wind up in what they call a “break room.” While we are there – time freezes – some guy in a cloak appears. Taj brings Tavist & Melchior into the room. Tavist confronts the guy – “This has to stop. What do you want?” The guy says “The traveler Kaolin has need of you.” And next thing we know – Taj and Tavist have disappeared. So no more wonder twins. A second guy in a cloak appears – dances with Kenari as she tries to get the jump on him and then says “you are needed” and then Kenari was gone too!

We are in the rest room for a while – and time is still stopped – then Kenari reappears with a glowing, blue crystal ball in her hand. She asks the Captain – what is it? The Captain checks it out and relates that she sees the Rock of Bral, but it’s floating in the Astral and a floating god-corpse is with it. Kenari tells us her adventures while the Captain keeps trying to figure out the crystal.

Eventually, we shift. Because the Captain got the crystal sphere to do something. We are now in a room high up – the windows are all broken. Fen recognizes some cloth on the ground for a group that calls itself “the Ranks of the Fit” and tells us we are on Gamma World. I’d heard of this place and knew I would really like to NOT BE HERE. Turns out Anna, I was right. Just avoid Gamma World. It’s basically awful. We were attacked by a giant goose. Geese are awful enough – they don’t need to be the size of a pony. Even Melchior – who is more easy going than most – said “this is a horrible place.” He was very right. We see out the broken window – way down the street – a mindflayer riding in a palanquin on a giant tentacled lizard – which is a thing I can’t unsee now.

We get down to the first floor and find ourselves attacked by four mechanical beings. Because of course we do. But as we are fighting – 7 other people appear – they are in matching jumpsuits with belts & gadgets and they say “Javelin to base. We’ve found it and you’ll never guess who’s been lugging it around.” The mechanical creatures take off. Kenari – who’s snagged a gun off one of the androids – quickly says "it’s mine. I found it.’ One of the newcomers says “Yeah, that’s them. Where’s the lawyer?” Fen, who helps himself to a gun as well, asks how he can help them. One of them tells us we need to get out of here as this place is apparently about to explode. We are teleported away – and on the assumption that anywhere is better than Gamma World – no one complains. Vedis & Fen are sick and then sick again as we bounce to another location. These people tell us that they are fighting the same fight as us – and that they have been trying to find us – but we are hard to locate. Outside fate or some such nonsense. They follow us by where we’ve been. And considering the chaos we leave behind – that seems pretty fair. Turns out they want the crystal ball for some machine of theirs. Vedis negotiates – pointing out that we need a ride home.

They do mention that the Illithids have been using chronomancers like batteries (we knew that) but that now there are only 3 left. Kenari says she hopes Leodette is one of them.

Turns out the blue crystal sphere is some kind of probability drive. The guy talks about how we can call a smalljammer. Apparently I get to be an ingredient in a spell. So that’s different. He tells us we are being blocked somehow.

There was a rather long debriefing session when we got to their base. Something about a divine compact and how it’s failing. They give us some stuff to help us out – including some stamps of delivery that will direct our package in the now where we need them to go. He points us towards some groups that will offer assistance, followers of Celestia and Desna. There’s some talk about the Illithid factions. And then they shifted us one more time and we were here – on Grommspace. I knew right where I was and was able to detail for the others our location in relation to where we wanted to be – which is basically at the Hive since our ships went there. Luckily, I remembered that there is a Celestian presence here and a House of 7 Stars office. So here we are Anya. In Quoj on Grommspace. Remembering that because of the Kaiju and the spells that protect the city – there is no portal to anywhere. That would have been too much to ask for I suppose. We have hatched this plan to summon a Smalljammer which is going to require us leaving the protection of the city! So I am excited about that. A Kaiju! I have always wanted to see one up close. Your Uncle has commandeered rooms in the finest hotel. Lenata has communed with Celestian to get the answers to some questions, there is a great deal of shopping going on.

The only other item of note was a visit the Dreaming – led by the Captain. We meet a dragon – Sartier – the Captain says. He tells us of the Rule of 3 (cause we never hear enough of that) and we are hit with visions…Celestian, Leralos, Desna. Sechnet/Asmode/Istus. The Lady of Pain/a serpent/the Spelljammer. Then: Morden Cainem/Esteban/a monolith. Then finally Ecladrah/Luigi/A mindflayer. From the dragon: Those are the guardians.

And we all woke up in a cold sweat. So there you are. I’ve been awake since to take the opportunity to write this all down to you. I understand from local House office that the Killroy will be here in 3 weeks. I am going to leave this letter with the post here to send to you – but I hope to beat it home in our own Smalljammer.

Take care of yourself. Stay close to home.

E.

What Kenari is looking for:

Cure Disease Scrolls/Potions
Cure Poison Scrolls/Potions
Endure Elements Scrolls/Potions

Quick Freeze Oil
Mosquito Repellent
Deodorizing Agent
Stink Oil
Vermin Repellent
Scent Cloak
Beast Lure
Sunrod

Maps?
Normal compass?

So do we could find a door to Sigil and we could get home, right? Might Kaolin have a gate to the House of Seven Stars on Braal? How about a Celestian temple here for Lenatta?

Large tree village with elevators toting giant mushrooms. There is a small trade office for House 7 Stars in the capital city a mile and a half away on top of the cliffs.

Decorative adobe work and wood structures. Landing field for jammers and city extending into the gigantic tree. Not a walled city. Drew looks around for a dock master for directions and swears casually
and charismatically as an old Hadogee gives him excellent directions. Fucking A.

We go through the streets and the maj of the populations are the Gromm (gorrilla like humanoids like Hatuk). Hadogee are there, but also four armed white gorrilla large creatures (Gorralian – evil) doing
business there. A variety of small shrines / temples to a number of different space gods interspersed with larger stone/wood carved statues and altars to what look like monsters. Finn suddenly remembers
the other annoying thing about Kaolin’s homeworld. The lights keep them away, but outside the city Kaiju lurk and there are cults to the living gods. Nobody’s a virgin, right? We’re safe on the sacrifice front?
Kenari buys some good quality weed to restock her pipe stash while they walk through the markets (100gp worth), and some carved beads for her hair.

We go down 1/2 a block to find the 7 Stars Trade Office with an older balding human guy with a Van Dyke in posh swashbuckling garb with his feet up on the counter playing cards with an elderly 1 armed Hadogee
and drinking a big jug of ale. Kenari sees that they’re cheating to help each other play (playing just for fun). We walk in and Finn throws a gold down and says “Deal me in” as Etsuriko face palms.
Their eyes go wide as they look up and one stands up. “Hey boss lady, nobody told me you were coming. Want a drink?” Finn palms the top 5 cards off the discard pile while they’re not looking.

Killroy’s Folly will be through in about 3 weeks? Yeah, I know you’ve got an emergency scroll or something around. Let me see if I can figure out where Wilhelm put it. The Hadogee gradually scoots back and drinks
to get away from Etsuriko. Hey Wilhelm, what did you do with all the Project Bugbite stuff? I’ve got a Message scroll with the home office. Etsuriko lectures Finn on using his authority to get people
to come get us quicker than a ship. Dude tells us portals don’t work due to the magic that keeps the Kaiju away.

We need to get lodging and bill to the trade office while they work something out, and therefore we can look for what’s necessary for the ritual. Lenata and Kenari head to a Traveller Shrine while Vedis
goes shopping for magic items. Weapons made from obsidian and carved volcanic glass. Ef looks to get supplies and lodging while Finn looks for the best place around to stay.

Lenata communes with her god and asks questions while Kenari lays out some items at the altar: sunrod, sparker, and some candles.

No portal to Braal
Can we find everything we need for the ritual within this city? No
Can we find everything on this continent? Yes
Will a smalljammer be able to land safely here? Yes
Can we stop the entities trying to cockblock us? Unclear.
Is there a portal to the Illithid homeworld? no
Citadel of the Planes entrance within the Triad but not on this sphere.

Shopping List: Quick Freeze Oil, Mosquito Repellent, Deoderizing Agent, Baby Powder, Stink Oil, Vermin Repellent, Scent Cloak

Cure Disease and Cure Poison? Available, reduce the price by 10%

Ritual Ingredients:

The Tattoos
Circuitry that Finn has
Etsuriko “One who has heard the voice”
1,000 gp perfectly clear chunk of amber

Ritual Location: The Face of Jira – the big god Kaiju – Holy site 200miles from here in the Hoohaka Mountains. Would the Cult know the best way to get there?

Message sent to 7 stars base: Message relayed, Finn request forwarded to Anya, will advise with more info when we can.

We go to the inn and call it a night when things get interesting. We find ourselves in the Dreaming walking through a heavy mist when we slowly see other figs appearing around us. Except for Ef who is Dream Scarred and can’t dream as he snores away.
Vedis is slightly glowing. As we walk through the mist ahead of us is a ruby colored light. Aren’t red lights usually bad? – Kenari Not always – Vedis
No sound other than when we talk to each other. If this is a dream, can’t we make what we want happen? – Kenari

Finn imagines a rock and then throws it at the red light as it disappears into the mist. Vedis hears a sqwak of a gleaming eyed crow as it looks at us and then flies towards the red. I think we need to follow it?
After time the mist opens into a clearing as solid ground appears under our feet – 30 ft circle – cliff like mountainous terrain. Unadorned except for a single worked stone colum with a ruby the size of a round shield on top.
The raven flies and lands on Vedis shoulder and tugs on her hair. It caws at the column and flies off.

Finn manifests a rope connecting all of us. Kenari investigates the column and sees that it’s Dragon Stuff. Holy site to Sartior the God of Dragons (ala Vedis’ sword). TN His realm is said to travel.
The column is massively psionic. Vedis touches it to see if she can manipulate it. It’s not a PsiCrystal but when she touches it the ruby emits more light and shows a shifting pattern.

Vedis sees: The patterns reveal a face with features shifting and settle down into a Raven. The area behind it roils and smokes and the raven flies forward and it’s wings drive the mist away like
parting curtains. WILL SAVE. She overcomes the awe as she sees the image of a perfect gigantic dragon of glowing ruby that turns and glares at her with a non-verbal feeling of “Hey you did it -about time!”

Everyone: The patterns change and in Draconic a phrase rings out telepathically “Rule of Three” we see figures appear 3 at a time – Celestian, Lavalos Aneroth (Elven G of Time) and Desna.
The second three: Sehkmet, Azmodeus, and Iseus the Goddess of Fate
The third three: Lady of Pain, a gigantic serpent, and The Spelljammer

And then it gets more interesting…

Another image of three: Mordenkainan the Mage, Estevan from the Planar Consortium, and a weird image of a black monolith with glowing lights projecting a major image that shifts and change
Another trio: Ecladra the personal assistant of Lloth, Large Luigi the Beholder, and a Mind Flayer kitted out in a wizard style holding a decanter of bubbling brownish liquid

Telepathic contact: “Those are the guardians.”

As we ask what of, we get the image of Geiger mindflayer shit as we wake up startled and Vedis with the weird feeling that she’s working for the dragon now.

ADD A HERO POINT

Dudes dressed in light gray jumpsuits with belts and gadgets and heavy boots. One is obviously human, one is half-orc. Entire group turns on the androids at once and the androids bolt.

Kenari lifts the gun and says “It’s mine, I found it, I’m keeping it. Do I need to test it?”

“That’s them,” dude says. “Where’s the lawyer?” Finn introduces himself and picks up another gun.

Vedis – Hello who are you looking for now?

Dude – Not who, what. We’ll be in trouble if we stick around. – He pulls out a rectangular thing with lights on it and waves it around at us (scanner).

Vedis waves around the compass in parody as they joke about antiques. We need to leave as a giant fireball is going to land here soon.

Finn searches bodies for ammo for guns. (2 batteries for Finn and Kenari) – Time Worn Plasma Guns, roll required for use. Kenari – 5 charges / Drew – 2 charges / Batteries – 6 charges

Malfunction roll – last charge used, attack rolls, natural ones, or if it’s in your hand when you take a critical hit

He checks our tatoos before we all gather in a circle and he twists a device that teleports us. Vedis and Finn get sick.
Kenari – You have to use machines to do this? No wonder it felt like shit. (squad lady gives us the side eye)

Kenari – We seem to have shifted to another alternate reality when they moved us.

Dude – Multiverse 16 notation. Mentions Mortinkiainan the Wizard. You’ve popped on our radar because if you’re fighting the Illithids, and because you’re basically invisible to our means of detection.
We can only track you based on the ripples in time after what you’ve done. We’re fighting the same sort of fight, but in a lot more places than you’ve realzied, and we’re losing.

He throws up a holo image of NeoTokyo kind of place (alt 119) with super heroes. Then shows it after the Illithids collapsed the quantum wave and it looks like it’s drawn by HR Geiger.

Maj. Ernest Thomas, Dept Seven, Project Javelin.

That sphere is a piece of Illithid equipment that they can use to “throw a wrench into the works.”

Vedis explains how we used it and it needs to be recharged. Apparently that won’t be an issue. If we give you this thing, can you take us back to our Prime 19 and our ships?

Dude – They caught our trace, we need to move again. Ef – How do I get one of those? Dude – Ah the D-Hopper, we can discuss that later.

We’re now in a jungle area. 40 ft tall red skinned humanoid with bat wings flying in the background.

Ef – Other than the rock, what do you want?

Major – We’re unstrung from Fate. Harder to track when not on our alternate.

Lenata – Are you guys casters? Not exactly. They warp more like Leodette (Spheres of Power character that burns spell abilities).

Major – Vast majority of chronomancers have been taken from Prime 19 into a battery pack/sledgehammer to mess with the time line.

Kenari – Ah yeah, that’s what I saw in the Barrier Peaks.

Major – There are 3 chronomancers left. Leodette would be one of them.

Ef – So we need to find the other two?

Major – Useful, but there’s other things to do. Looks like we need to get out of here.

Two extra tall Illithids show up and in front of them with metal collars are a phallanx of humans with auto rifles who start shooting as we phase out.

Vedis gets grazed for 12 and Etsuriko for 8 damage.

Lenata hands the Major the sphere. He draws a tuning fork with bluish chrome out and pings it and puts it against the sphere. It crackles with blue electricity and disintigrates and the sphere is charged.

This is what we need to reverse engineer some things. This is the core of a probability drive that they use when not using their inate abilities. This will be a game changer.

Kenari – So what do we need to do now? Just keep continuing to cause trouble and distractions?

Major – Yes and no…we can help though. I see you haven’t figured out the tattoos yet? We have some info that might prove useful. I see you still have the child from Oeddertchonk with you (he scratches
the Skittermander on the head). This one’s about two. They mature around six. About one of your months short but years basically equivilent.

I’ve spent some time on your side so…. Rule of Three, right? You all, the favored of the Jammer, you can call a Young One. Finn – You can interface with Illithid tech. Etsuriko – You’re one of few
who have heard the Lady of Pain speak. You all should be able to manifest transport. The Spelljammer has many children.

You all are getting “cock blocked” by people messing with the time stream. The people with the green cloaks are Prime 19’s Time Wardens.

I should be able to put some tools to use at your discretion and get you all back home. First we’re going to make our way back to My world (half-orc). We’ll get you some info and a Priming Ritual for your
tattoos. We port again.

We come out on the other side and the street is moderately populated with bldgs in the same places but different. More of a 1950s Brooklyn feel. As we appear the caster girl creates an illusion that changes
our clothes so we look like appropriate street clothes. Kenari is the only one who gets a slightly off look (dressed like a hippy).

We head to a storage building – whispered convo with a desk jocky – the windows dim and he points us through a doorway with lights. Lenata asks about it and he says that’s a Bioscanner. WE NEED ONE!
Let me report in and we’ll get you some gear and home. Them – Have much info will you share with us? Us – How much time you’ve got?

Thai food and cheeseburgers? How about some more ale in cans like we had back at the X-crawl?

We can’t afford to have an alternate as close as yours is to ours fall. The breakdown of the Divine Compact should worry you all then. It proceeds sentient races way back in the primordial era. It’s a pact
of various gods to not step-in to use avatars directly against other followers. It must always be through agents.

We are given a short ritual (3 rounds and high Spellcraft checks) to try and call a Smalljammer.

He hands Vedis a leather satches with 6 potion vials – 3 of one color and 3 of another as he whispers in her ear. “We heard about what happened with Finn.”

3 Blue – Potions of Vehicle Handling

3 Amber – Potions of Mechanical Aptitude. (+5 tech bonus)

He pulls out a RING. Give this to one of your point people. +5 to identify scrying tech. (Kenari)

STAMPS OF DELIVERY (6) – If you have an accurate address, package up to 5 lbs. lick the stamp and stick it to it. Step back and it will appear at the address.

Celestian – Legolas Sinerath – Desna (Blue Butterfly) – Rule of Three – Gods who are on our side.

Given a copy of a Detect Abboration spell – Cloakers, Beholders, Illithids, etc. WE NEED THESE ON GLASSES. Ef tries the spell and Vedis half glows as she’s the abberant subtype.

Ours is one of 5 key realities. We fall, and everything else falls. What are the other four?

Aerth – Earth 13
Earth – Earth Prime
Oerth – Earth 19 – Us
Uerth – Earth 7 – birth of Ravenloft, Finn stole a car
Yarth – Earth 23
_{~
X-Crawl – Earth 5
~}

We’ve been able to identify a number of factions within the Illithids themselves:

Thoon – outcast cultists – bigger Illithids who went to the Far Realm and came back changed.
Tamers –
Nourishers –
Lore Takers -

Time Wardens – Green Cloaks that help us
Time Reavers – will fuck us over

They take us down to a lab full of equipment and use it to send us back….

We appear on the top of a cliff that drops off on our right to truly massive trees. Ahead of us rises a city built of stone and the branches extend over it.

Etsuriko and Finn realize where we are – The Hadogee Homeworld.

Finn finds a concealed drawer under the ticket counter as he searches through the tickets and chachkees. He finds 5 bright orange rectangular pieces of paper with text on them. Arcane writing in Helenic – “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fireball!”

He replenishes our alchemist fire flasks and shows one of the scrolls to Etsuriko. 2nd lvl Fireball with 10ft radius 1d4 dmg per caster level up to 5d4. Order forms on the back to order more!
Finn gives one of them to Lenatta.

Kenari appears back in the break room with a pop as she sees Ef snoring and Finn rifling through the ticket booth. “WTF are you all doing sleeping?” (everyone shushes her as they power nap.) She then
shoves the sphere in Vedis face and asks “What does this thing do? I got it off an Illithid!” It’s got a fuck-ton of energy in it – Sub-Psionics – She touches it and has to make a Will Save.
She gets a vision of the Rock of Braal in the Astral because of the floating God corpse in the distance – and a headache. Her hand and arm is prickly with energy.

Kenari gives them the short version of what happened to her on the Barrier Peaks. Finn recognizes the name of Estitira and that she’s from Sigil and the Sensate Theater.

Kenari gives Vedis the sphere because that ball is killing her hand! Energy runs up Vedis’ arms – she feels like if she concentrates she can make something happen, but she has no idea what. She can’t
seem to let go of it. She sees the interior of a smooth excavated room out of rock with tunnels and a caltrop shape floating up in the air with smaller versions continuing to float out of each point.
She sees a young space worm facing off against a disiulte elf. Another elf with Celestian robes and lime skin, and a hadozee. The mind flayer on the other side of the room leaps out and grabs one of the smaller
caltrops and plane shifts out. She tries communicating asking it what it does. The sphere vibrates and the sleeping party members have to make Will saves. The break room gets soft around the edges and when
things come back into focus something has changed – The city outside is now a ruin and the sphere is no longer glowing. The room we are in has now changed.

Drew looks around and recognizes something – a square of cloth with a symbol for the Ranks of the Fit led by a bear named Napoleon the First. (Gamma World)

Kenari looks out the window and sees something weirdly familiar about things – a lot of this is the same skyline as the imperial New York City we left. There is the remnants of a large statue in the distance that has a torch instead of a sword.

There’s a weird screaming sound in the distance. A six winged parrot flies into the building to take shelter that reminds Lenata of Elven artwork. It hisses and they have to make Fort saves.

Lenata takes a look at it but is unable to discover anyting new about it. She and Ef study it while Finn, Kenari, Etsuriko and Vedis go exploring the building. We come to a larger center hall with 3 doors with buttons next to them.

Vedis/Melchior checks the magical compass to see if it’s pointing to any time rifts – He gets an odd reaction as it immediately swings around to point at something then points in a different direction and refuses
to settle down at any given point.

Kenari presses buttons and one of them opens up to an empty tube. She props the doors open with a crowbar from her pack.

Ef casts Diamond Spray at the 6-winged parrot but it fizzles as the rest attack. Lenata’s spell fizzles too. Etsuriko attacks it with her fans. It flaps and honks as it takes off for the window.
Ef tries to grab it as it flies by and pulls it down. Lenata casts Spiritual Weapon and thunks it with her spear killing it.

There’s that gurgling roar and a slight vibration in the floor this time. Lenata looks out the window. She sees a T-Rex black with tentacles coming out of its shoulders and a peaked tent on it’s back
with armored figures and what looks like a mind flayer. Ef throws the goose out the window as a hopeful distraction but it’s consumed by a flying lizard the size of a horse.

We make our way down the elevator shaft. Ef pries open the elevator doors at the bottom and we find a wide open space clear of rubble. Four figures turn around to look at us. Tall, humanoid with glowing
angular patterns on the skin with oversized guns and light blue jumpsuits. They turn around surprised. We push Finn to the front to talk to them.

“Non-Machine life, not worthy of survival.” They shoot at Finn.

Kenari flicker steps over to one of them and grabs the gun out of it’s hand. Lenata casts Fireball at the androids and Kenari dodges out of the way as well as 3 of the androids while she hits 1 in the face.

Vedis gives the Haste Wand to Finn and throws her Mind Blades at one of the androids.

Ef strikes an android with The Chopper. Finn casts Haste on us all for 7 rounds and pulls out his gun. Melchior takes 4 shots at one of the undamaged androids and blows the head off of it.
Etsuriko moves to one of the two remaining undamaged and strikes it.

A prismatic burst of energy shoots out and a group of 6 humanoid figures appear in the middle of it with weapons drawn. The one in the front speaks “Javelin to base – we’ve found it, and you’ll never
guess who’s been lugging it around.”

Tavist the Dragon attacks a Brain Golem. Golem misses Taj and slips on tadpole water and falls prone. I try to transpose a golem into the pool but fail. Brain golem that falls pops like a zit and splashes
over Taj and Estiteria as Leodette ducks behind the machine tubes. I dimension door and then teleport Tavist beyond the Force Wall that the more powerful golem put up as we switch places.

Tavist the Dragon grapples with the Illithid and is attacked by the Illithids armor, but it doesn’t effect him since it’s electric. The Illithid then disappears in a purple puff.
Taj’s husband slashes the brain golem as Estiteria trips it with her scorpion whip. Leodette casts Warp Edge on Quatar’s weapons. Atheron casts Acid Splash on the Brain Golem attacking Torgyr. Marmut kills
off the Brain Golem with Magic Missiles.

A Large Brain Golem appears next to Tavist.

Torgyr flies over the pool and notices something moving and gathering together into the pool.

Taj uses True Strike and hits the brain golem with Disintegrate that causes it to poof into nonexistence.

An even larger Brain Golem made out of half-dead tadpoles arrises from the pool.

Tavist the Dragon throws the other Brain Golem into the pool. Kenari teleports back to cover of the tubes as Estiteria continues her Bard Song and shoots the golem with her blast pistol bracelet thingie. “Oooooo!” (Kenari)

Leodette casts Improved Haste on Quatar as she feels a strange temporal vibration all around her and announces it.

Tavist the Dragon is knocked unconscious by the large brain golem Mind Blast and transforms back. Torgyr is knocked unconscious and lands into the water of the pool.
Taj uses a Hero Point and casts Greater Dispel Magic on the Huge Brain Golem. Chunks of it start rotting and falling off of it in big chunks, effing it up pretty bad.

Dinya attempts to hook Torgyr with her Guisarme to pull him out of the pool and ends up spearing him in the leg as she used her Smite Chaos to make sure she latched on.

Kenari moves to observe the other Illithid. Taller and thinner with armor like Falak 13. It has a fancy pistol as a sidearm and is carrying a fist sized crystal in one hand.

Atheron casts Glitter Dust on the Giant Brain Golem and Marmut casts an Electricity Ray on it.

Estiteria shoots a golem with her blaster again.

Leodette feels the time vibration again and can tell that the brain golems take notice. She taps into the energy and can tell that time/space is being reshuffled. She gets a momentary vision
of being out in the flow and all of it is BURNING. It feels like big things are clicking into place and not good things. She tries to manipulate the energy but fails (1) as her eyes glow violet and
an arc of energy throws her back unconscious as she fades out of view and then fades back.

Atheron casts Web to try and entangle the two brain golems. Marmut casts Magic Missile on the golems.

We feel a physical vibration going through the decks as time static radiates out.

Torgyr casts Burst of Radiance on the remaining Illithid who is Dazzled for a round.

Taj thinks the tadpole pool is like an Illithid Helm and casts Disintegrate at the object sparking at the bottom. A booming sound as a large geyser explodes up from the bottom of the pool and knocks the Huge
Brain Golem over splashing everyone. There’s a moment of silence then the lights go down red and the pool begins to boil, filling the room with steam. All of the Psionics have to make Will Saves.
Taj babbles incoherently as Quatar freaks out and attacks Taj.

Atheron summons Air Elementals. Marmut gets out his Long Bow and attacks the Brain Golem before switching to his Crossbow.

The smaller Brain Golem attempts to attack Dinya with his fists but is webbed. Estiteria shoots the brain golem again as Torgyr flies down to the remaining Illithid.
Dinya attempts to attack the Brain Golems but loses her weapon in the webbing.
Tavist casts Invisibility and flies down toward the Illithid. Kenari flicker steps to the Illithid and steals the gem out of his hands while he’s Dazzled.

Tavist flies up at the Illithd and uses his Starwheel Pistol w/ True Strike.

“WHY WON’T YOU JUST DIE!” Estiteria shoots the golem again as the webs catch fire.

The smaller golem collapses to its knees in the boiling pool. The large one is taking damage and begins to wobble and glow.
Marmut drags Itharion and Aphosso out the door as Leodetta warps Estiteria, Taj and Quatar over by the door.

Torgyr casts River of Wind against the illithid that knocks it prone. Taj casts Disintegrate on the prone Illithid taking out it’s right arm and leg.

Dinya attempts to get her weapon back out of the webbing.

Leodette feels a surge like time has jumped 20 minutes or so. She gets a weird sensation of something “arriving.”

Taj and Quatar are teleported by “Tanyet” as it says “You are needed NOW!”

Torgyr hears the sound of a pressurized pod opening as Falak 3 sounds like they’re done!

A figure appears in black hood and cloak by Estiteria and the rest. The figure seems to be flickering back and forth between human and Illithid.

A figure steps out of the steam and looks at Torgyr. It’s humanoid/female with circuit patterns glowing. “I’m glad you’ve survived this far.” – Falak IV

Kenari and Tavist fade out back to their time as she yells out to Estiteria “Write me!”

-14 HP / – 2 Travel Points / 4 Flicker Steps – KENARI

USED: 1 Holy Water, 1 Quick Freeze Oil, 2 Alchemist Fire, Wand Charges (2), Touchsight Tattoo
Scroll of Lesser Restoration

Mojo Points – 11

Lenata dimension doors over to Kenari and casts a healing spell for 27 points.
Vedis uses a maxed Wild Surged Energy Push = Cold for 63 damage and Leadership Surge.
Ef Utan flies at the giant with a Shocking Grasp spell. The giant drops to his knees and begs to yield as he drops his sword and Ef picks it up and carries it with him (+3 Giant Sized Great Sword).
Lenata casts Make Whole to fix Eturiko’s fan.

The flickering images on the wall slow down and stop as Finn and Kenari search the room for nothing. Down the hall there is a bright light ahead of us. No traps in the hallway. I take a sneaky peak around
the corner showing a spotlight shining down on a lucite platform with a stylized treasure chest with a complicated lock on it with a black velvet painting of the dungeon master behind it. I use my 5 Fingers Artifact
to pick the lock from a distance and hear the recording of an angelic chorus with streamers and confetti as the crowd chants “GO CAT GO!”

IN THE CHEST:

Imperial Banknote for 10,000 GP
Lightsaber handle / cheap hair brush thing
Wand of Cure Serious Wounds
2 Potions labeled “No Seeum” (Finn)
Certificate for a Year’s Supply for Empire’s Classic Car Wax
*Candy Apple Red Key*

Stream of Tickets: 350 Tickets (400 Total)

I messed with the lightsaber and it turns into different weapons based on what you’re thinking. Give to Ef or Etsuriko

We come to another Duck Ride and board it for another 75 ft and doors open to the beginning of the tunnel of love again. The room is the same but as we step out the room lights up and a huge amount
of confetti falls down from the ceiling. To our left opens a door to a corridor 30 ft before curving off to the side where there’s a big screen that lights up with DJ Faces holding a bat and a doll of Ef Utan before he smashes it like Punch and Judy.

Welcome to the Marrionette Show!

“Go CAT GO!” as I check the door for traps. I unlock the door and listen to hear squeaky pullies. Lenata casts Contagious Zeal on Ef Utan. Kenari opens the door for the others to go first.

80ft wide and 20ft deep room with curtains being retracted with a shimmer of force walls with bleacher seating of the audience. To the front is a semi-circular large stage.
Bright lights pop up on the stage with marionette harliquins and hands ending in blades. Behind them is a simple wooden chest.

Etsuriko puts away her fans and gets out her knunchucks. The marionettes dance around and then leap at us. “How about a little fire, scarecrow?” I throw Alchemist Fire for 6 on #4 and splash on the other.
Lenata casts Diamond Spray on #4. Etsuriko hits #4 with a crit knunchuck for an “Organ Scramble” and casts Confusion on it for 8 rounds and 5 points of CON damage.

Marionette #2 loses its belt and it’s pants fall down as it tries to attack Lenatta and goes prone. Ef cleaves the marionette #2 in twain with the “Huge Ass Sword.”

Ef takes 17 points of dmg from a marionette as he Bleeds 1 HP per round. The marionette then fumbles – and provokes attacks of opportunity from all threatening foes. Ef chops another one in half with the HAS and shouts “This is my new favorite toy!” as the crowd cheers and large
dwarf blows him a kiss and Ef returns it. The crowd goes wild! “GO BEAR GO!”

Finn shoots the one on fire #4 with the bow. It hits Finn for 20 pts and 2 Bleed.

Marionette #5 attacks me and just misses. Vedis crits #5 with her mind blades for 3x damage and ignore damage resistance.

Ef “Oh you got a name now, Chopper!” as he swings the HAS for 46 points and cleaves another marionette. “GO BEAR GO!” with a line of shirtless hairy men blowing kisses from the crowd.

4. swings at Lenata as it burns and flails wildly and she gets hit.

I try to open the chest and a robotic hand swings out with a “Nah nah, not till your finished!” and a rasberry noise.

Finn hits the remaining #4 with more alchemist fire as it continues to burn. Ef jumps in front of Finn as a bodyguard and keeps Finn from being hit. Vedis casts Haste on Ef and Etsuriko.

Ef cleaves yet another marionette from bottom to top. “GASP!” from the crowd as Ef says “Be careful boys and remember, protected and consensual!” 3 15 ft tall women stand up and cheer.

4. hobbles around on fire. Kenari pounces on it and cuts an arm off with her claws as she finished off #4. The crowd roars and a jingle as the chest says “OK now you can!”

The chest opens and the angelic chorus rings and light shines down into it to reveal in our names

1 year passes to the Imperial Opera of NY City.
2 potions of cure moderate
banknote for 5,000gp
mysterious ring
Cotton Candy Pink Key

A secret cellar door goes down to the area below the stage.

MEANWHILE – Melchior, Taj and Tavist are in the balcony with the crowd warming up to the group. Melchior has placed his bets, and is talking up the Spelljoinz and telling the epic tales of our adventures. Taj people watches and sees a segregation between the human and non-humans who are in the shittier seats. “Why are these people not in my collective? They are now mine, I called dibs! Why didn’t you bring them here before?”

Tavist = “The one with the big sword keeps saying I’m a dick!”
Taj= "But you are! Right? (nudges Melchior)
Melchior= “Um… yeah! Definitely!”
Tavist= “They’re your problem! Get a contract!”

BACK TO THE GROUP.

Kenari examins the ring to see what it is. +3 Ring of Protection – give to Lenata.

I just manage to pick the lock of the cellar door and ready their weapons as I open the cellar door. “GO CAT GO!” There’s a splash of confetti with a dark narrow cute and a ladder that goes down 15 feet. with a closed door with light shining in a well lit hallway that ends in a door.
I listen at the door and hear accordian based circus music behind double doors.

Doors open to medium sized room with force walls and audience to left and right. Back wall i littered with stuffed animals and carnival prizes of various sizes. DJ faces has a comically huge mallet and whistles in time with the circus music. Behind him is a Carnival STR test.
He lets the mallet fall and bows. "Welcome to the first of my Bonus Rooms! Time to know who is the mightiest! But there are rules: THIS MALLET. 2 ATTEMPTS. ONLY 1 OF YOU.

Lenata casts Bull STR on Etsuriko and lets her use the mallet. She rings it on the 1st try – TITAN LEVEL. The center section of the back wall opens up with a chest in it. He congrats us and disappears.

Ef takes a Rainbow Bear from the stuffed animals and realizes it’s way heaver than it should be because it’s full of rocks. He fails his save and takes DEX damage as the walls close in on him.
I disable the wall trap and open the chest as they say "GO CAT – " before the chest is open. Lenata casts Lesser Restoration of Ef to take care of the DEX damage.

3 potions with labels that have Bulls on them. (Bull STR)
100 Tickets (500 total)

A door opens in the alcove with another hallway. We open the door to sad clown black velvet paintings and disco balls in another break room.

50 tickets – frosted comm. x-crawl mirror, stuffed animal, alchemist fire, holy water, 10 m arrows
100 – 10 +1 arrows
200 – m broadsword, cure lt wounds potion
400 – cure serious wounds potion

*Purchased 2 alchemist fire – for 100 tickets

The lights flicker oddly and we all have to make Will Saves. When they come back up, everyone around us is frozen, including Vedis. We look around to see if anyone is moving – Tavist sees movement in the shadows and a dude in a hooded cloak (not Illithid).
Taj teleports her, Tavist and Melchior next to the guy in the shadows. Dark green cloak/hood and neutral wardrobe, no visible weapons. Half elf.

Tavist = “This has got to stop… what do you want?”

“Excellent! The Traveller Kaolin has need of you!” He grabs them and disappears leaving Melchior.

Finn pilfers the ticket desk as he realizes the screens and people are all frozen.

Another man appears behind me and I try to flicker step behind him but he rides my ability. I drop to trip him but he steps over. He lowers his hand and says “You are needed!”

Non-descript clothes green cloak, looks like a normal Aasimar. I shake his hand with my Bracelet of Bargaining and can tell that he’s legit.

“What… me?” as he touches my shoulder and Kenari disappears.

Dear Anya,
It’s been a long while since I have had a moment to put pen to paper….so much has happened. But let me start with – your Uncle is fine. Between Kenari and I, he has been kept very safe and I promise to bring him back to you. Alive even.

After the vision at the temple and realizing we were in realm space, we got in contact with Taj Pach to explain that the sun was dimming there as a result of Illithid action – they were using the sun to power some kind of spell with the intent of killing a god – we weren’t sure – but Taj Pach sprung into command – summoning her fleet, getting the EIN and Githyanki involved and apparently just bossing the everyone in Tears into doing what she wanted. Fen convinces some priests of Ra to come along and we start making our way to the Tears along with our friends from beyond the Veil.

There is a lot – so I am going to sum it up a little. We get to the Tears – there is an Illithid dreadnought there sucking the sun’s power. It’s decided that Kattar will lead the fleet to attack causing a diversion. We – along with Tavist & Taj Pach are going straight to the dreadnought. Fen and Kenari are going to sneak around and plant bombs along the dreadnought’s tentacles to disable it, while the rest of us provide another distraction with a full assault.

It turns out when everyone puts their minds to it – we can get ridiculously buff. I appreciate having clerics and magic users to provide the extra oomph, I have to say. We all make our way over there and Fen & Kenari get to work planting bombs. An Illithid dreadnought is basically the horror-fest you’d expect. I’ll just say this – cranium rats. Millions of the damn things. It was a total nightmare. We lost sight of Tavist and Taj Pach for a bit – and sound too – but as usual – those two turned up carrying a random human and his gear. So we find ourselves eventually hanging on the outside of an Illithid dreadnought when a swarm of cranium rats come racing around the hull. I’m basically ready to leap into space when a ship swings over – it’s a green & yellow spelljammer and while we don’t recognize the pilot, we do recognize Klasath standing next to him. I jump over as fast as I can because I just cannot do rats. Tavist & Taj Pach cast fireballs in tandem and the smell of crispy rats fills the air. Two Illithid appear as we are trying to get away and Cosimir (our human pilot) decides to drive through on of the things as the tentacles on the dreadnought are erupting and everything is chaos. I get hit by the other Illithid and one of its tentacles latches on – but that’s a mixed blessing for it because now I am close enough to just beat on the damn thing. Total chaos at this point – Melchior is firing & hitting everything. Vedis is too. Kenari is zipping about attacking, moves Klasath and I into opposite positions – when all of us – at once are hit by a massive attack. Someone says there’s an elder brain on this dreadnought. Taj Pach is all for staying because she thinks she can kill it – but Klasath points out that there are likely to be 60 Illithid on this dreadnought so we agree to leave. How that bug hasn’t gotten everyone killed yet is beyond me.

The ship is listing – so Taj heads to the helm room to discover our human pilot had passed out and Kenari is on the helm. She is telling the ship to run away when something pulls it up short. Klasath yells that it is the elder brain again and Kenari asks the ship to plane shift away. The ship does so as the elder brain lashes out again. I am awake – along with Fen, Vedis, Taj Pach & Klasath. The ship has arrived near a small moon that orbits a planet about the size of Torrill. The planet is lit up – but there are no ships in the sky that we can see. Taj takes the helm from Kenari and Kenari checks her key. It says 4 now.

There’s no break though – Illithid ships appear in space – Taj heads down planet side to hide in the ocean since the ship has told her it can’t jump again for a whole day. We pass a ship on the ocean with smokestacks and a banner that reads “X Crawl Cruise – Final Destination Coney Island”. Whatever that means. We dive deep into the water and find – an Illithid city. Because of course we do. Taj turns off to the left and we are passed by a swarm of boarding ships – just when we think we are going to make it – 5 of them peel off to pursue. An Illithid appears in the helm room and fighting erupts as Taj is trying to outrun the Illithid boarding ships. The damn Illithid eventually explodes into nerve runners and Taj (who is trapped on the helm) screams at Tavist to cast a fireball. So he does. IN THE HELM ROOM. Kenari manages to jump out of the room with Fen. The spell doesn’t affect me – though poor Taj Pach has looked better. I leave the room cause tiny swarms are just really not my thing and I am not over the rats just yet. As everyone is trying to rid themselves of the slugs (thanks to Kenari for working out a way to do so) Taj is still trying to evade the boarding ships. Our ship is faster so she heads for the surface while charging the ship’s only weapon – as the ship breaches the water it discharges its electric tail weapon into the water behind and fries all of the Illithid vessels!

We land and start exploring. Every time the number on that key gets lower the place we are in is definitely stranger. There’s a giant statue of a human in a robe with a sword. As we are walking along – people ask us if we are an x-crawl team. Whatever that means. But this x-crawl thing is everywhere – giant signs on the walls that move. Pictures on the shirts people are wearing. Also, this place apparently loves its beer because there are lots of pictures of beer too. We could all definitely use a beer though. We do see a billboard of an Illithid in robes that says “have you been saved?” So that is ominous.

We are definitely lost and out of place here. We are getting lots of looks. I don’t think they have cat-folk here and Taj Pack seems pretty out of place too. Not any insects about that we’ve seen so far. We have a run in with some cops who are angry we have our weapons and then Klasath disappears with some guy in a green hood. Klasath comes and goes so that seems kind of normal. Then we approached by a colorfully dressed individual who is going on about a league and invites us to a bar. This guy is B-Ez. He is a native of this world and for some reason thinks we are all from Luxenborgh? I don’t even know what a Luxenborgh is Anya. He explains a lot of about this place and about the X-crawl pictures we’ve seen everywhere. And we are apparently interesting enough that he takes us under his wing (so to speak) and helps us. He doesn’t actually have wings. And while he’s speaking Common – I don’t think I get half of what he says. But he’s genuinely helpful and his hair is something else. He calls it “dreads”. He even gives us dinner – something called a “pizza roll” which almost kills poor Ef Utan (“Lava – you eat lava!”), but I think they are kind of tasty.

There’s some back & forth and something called an “audition” hosted by a ridiculous woman with a tiny dog thing that Taj Pach wants to eat, but eventually B-Ez gets us into this X-Crawl. We are going to go through a dungeon and the whole thing will be scryed around this planet on something called a TV where millions of people will be watching us. Oh and there will be people there watching live, too. B-Ez called us the SpellJoints and that is now our team name. And we have to be cool and have flair so the people scrying us will love us and we will get points or tickets or trophies? And Tavist is kind of upset because he can’t go. Neither can Taj Pach but she doesn’t seem to care.

I have to tell you Anya – I don’t know anymore why we do what we do. I don’t know how this gets us closer to destroying Illithid or saving the universe and there is a part of me that may not care anymore. Apparently we are going to be set loose in this dungeon and as much as I’ve refused over the years to participate in gladiatorial arenas – there is a part of me that is really ready to just let go and see how much carnage I can wreak.

Area I: II

20 Lenata
16 Vedis
13 Ef Utan
13 Etsuriko
11 Kenari
6 Fire Giant 85
5 Finn

Ef Utan – 5 min left of fly; frostband sundered and destroyed
Etsuriko – one fan destroyed, one -5 hp
Kenari – pirced through and thrown to the other side of the giant from the rest of the party.

We pick up next game at the top of round four of combat.

Squid Head is a Follower of Neptune – Mercury told Lenata that she has to be his follower here and she needs to cock block Squid Head.
Emporer George Augusts Civic Centerat 9am sharp – pick-up

DJ warns that Judge is volitle and tends to break the rules. He likes to be extra violent.

We hop aboard the bus with breakfast and coffee. Locks click on all the doors. Speakers along the roof blare the circus music. Lights go red and clowns converge on the bus around the block. We drive in the middle of a parade with inflatable monsters and ones in cages
on floats, sparklers, marching bands, etc until we get into a parking garage and see four other teams. Lady with board checks us in. She tosses 20 sided die to captains to roll to see who goes first. US

Security guy wands us all for illegal gear/buffs. Break Rooms for medics between rooms. Non-Com Badge = Non-Combatant – DON’T ATTACK. Awarded TICKETS at each room ending to spend in break rooms.

1st Room – COLLECT 3 BIG CRYSTAL KEYS

Green Room – chilly room with couches and security guards and a camera man and a chef – all a bit on the nervous side with a flustered producer and a huge Big Screen TV displaying cartoon logos.
Double Doors looking like a clown face’s teeth. A Commotion by the doors is noticed – the producer we auditioned for comes in and talks with the guy with the headset. He gets exasperated and summons the staff
as I can just pick up “Word came down from the face, he’s changed his mind and we’re starting with Door 2.”

The Circus Ringmaster introduces DJ Faces with fireworks and a clown tent with rising music. Dancers and acrobats come out behind him as he entertains the crowd.

Go through the door with the STAR after we get the keys.

We open the doors to an aluminum slide that decends and curves into darkness. I ever tell you how I invented Body Surfing?

We ride down the silde into a meadow with a red sign blinking Enter Here with a tent fluttering in the breeze. Flash of a small figure inside the tent.

We approach the tent and 20 feet away a human girl comes tearing out of the tent. HELP it’s going to kill everyone! as she bolts past us. She’s not wearing a non-com badge.

Fin fires his bow at her. – She loses her concentration as it expands and turns into a Annis Hag. I spring attack and strike. Vedis casts Haste. Ef throws a dagger at her. Etsuriko spring attacks and sickens the hag
for 4 rounds. Vedis gets hit and takes a 5ft step. Lenata casts Spiritual Weapon. NAT 20 -dbl dmg 2d6 cold (35dmg)
Kenari pounces on her back with her claws. Vedis does a hasted attack with mind blades and cuts arms and head off. Cheers from the crowd. Finn dedicates the first kill to the Lost Argonauts as Vedis falls on her ass trying to show off.

20 ft corridor that’s a dead end with a sign that says STAND HERE. The floor rises as a disc rises and blasting kaliope music and video screens showing us from different camera angles. Floor rings spin in different directions as Etsuriko jumps across to the Star Door with a lever.
Etsuriko pulls the lever down and a steel clamp pulls her arm into the wall – but she uses Freedom of Movement to slip out. Kenari flicker steps over and unlocks the door as Ef falls on the rings and waits for the door as he spins around.

Stirges burst out in a massive cloud from the doorway. I dodge most but get hit a few while Etsuriko smacks them away with her fan. Ef casts Diamond Spray at the swarm. Etsuriko waves at the crowd and closes the door to the stirges.

I hear a pair of voices like casual conversation. I open the door and stand back to see couches and clown portraits, etc. GREEN ROOM. Etsuriko sees scry cameras even in the green room.

Door opens and we’re blasted with cirus music and DJ Faces with a non-com badge. Two doors read Entrance and Exit. Challenge the Tunnel of Love, win glory and enter the actual dungeon! Swan Boat ala Tim Burton with 2 seats in 3 rows.

Kenari notices something moving in the water.
Len casts Mass Prot From Evil. On left is animatronic band of us singing a sad song called Love Hurts. DJ – What would a band be without groupies? Out charge a band of groupies in blonde wigs and dresses.
Band song changes into a battle dirge as they charge. We resist the baric fascinate as I throw Alchemist Fire (one on fire for 1 more d6 dmg) and Vedis throws her mind blades. Finn attempts to hide amonst the animatronics and look for the key.
Etsuriko engages gnolls with a Flurry of Blows with her Fans and disarms the gnoll from his baseball bat. Len casts Burst of Radiance and blinds the gnolls. Ef does a full attack with his longsword and cuts a gnoll in half.

Kenari full strikes the one she set on fire and hits it enough that it retreats towards the Safe Door and Vedis takes him out and the crowd boos at us. The gnolls attack Vedis and Kenari but miss wildly.
Etsuriko kills another Gnoll in monk fashion and gets applause. Lenata casts Web and gets 5 of the Gnolls for 10 minutes. Ef casts Spontaneous Immolation on the Gnoll in the middle of the Web. Flaming Web
causes 2d4 of Fire Damage. Gnoll swings around wildly as Kenari Cat Pounces onto his back and drives her claws into his back. Vedis changes her psionic focus to cold.

A gnoll runs away only to be swallowed up by an alligator. One searches in panic for his sword. Another is partially submerged as Kenari rips down his back. The last one panics and surrenders but as he runs
away he too gets eaten by an alligator. Etsuriko has had enough and since they don’t look like they want to fight anymore she waves and tells them all to “Git!”

Etsuriko gets attacked by an alligator that leaps out of the water at her but fumbles as we all get attacks of opportunity at it. Vedis pieces its kidneys with her mind blades, Kenari swipes it, Etsuriko punches it, and Ef crits it to finish it off, slicing it in half and cauterizing it.

A bell rings and we all have to get back on the duck. We all each grab an aluminum baseball bat as a souvenier as Finn gets back in.

The music changes to romantic violin music as we move through the tunnel. A large flatscreen mounted on the screen shows DJ Faces playing the violin. The decor changes to Walking Dead meets Disney.

We come into a large square room dimly lit with a cartoonish bajou. spooky animatronics of swamp folk with glowing eyes. The boat turns up towards the exit when to our immediate left a whirlpool begins to form in the water.
Vedis does a pre-emptive strike with a cold push. A Large Chuul (mutant crawfish) pops out of the whirlpool and hits Ef in the chest for 50 points of damage. Finn cowers and pulls his sword at the back of the boat.
Lenata casts Divine Intervention and causes one of the strikes against Ef to miss. Vedis casts Inflict Pain and gets her Surging Aura for 3 rounds (+1 attack/skills/etc)

Ef casts Lightning Bolt at it. I burn a Hero Point and am given a Mojo Point to acrobatically flip onto the back of the creature as I throw Quick Freeze Oil down it’s throat. After a moment it rumbles and the beast bloats and bursts. I leap off as
the layers of flesh pop off and the beast expands as the ice grows within it. Ef props it off of him with the bat and scoots his way out.

We get 50 TICKETS for defeating the beast in such a fashion as the crowd goes wild. The boat goes on again till we have another side area in the tunnel with a ledge. Three figures look like skeletons with
their internal organs intact sitting on pillars. Ef casts Blade Tutor Spirit on himself. I hit Ef with the Cure Serious Wand. One of the pillars launches the skeleton at our boat and attacks Vedis. a 5 ft long barbed tongue lashes out of it’s mouth at her and just misses
as it lands on the boat. Ef attempts to leap onto the ledge but crit fails and lands in the water. I throw Holy Water on one on the pillar and it splashes on the other. Lenata channels Positive Energy.
Etsuriko does a Flurry of Blows on the skeleton on the duck with her fans as the crowd cheers and chants “Blood Fist” as she yells out “I can do this all day!”

Finn cowers and holds up a handful of holy symbols trying to ward them off.

Another pillar launches and lands on the duck and makes a tongue attack at Lenata that hits her for a Fort Save. Another hits me with its tongue but I make my Fort save and take 6 POINTS.

KENARI – 39 POINTS OF DAMAGE
USED: 1 Holy Water, 1 Quick Freeze Oil, 1 Alchemist Fire, Wand Charges (2), Touchsight Tattoo
Scroll of Lesser Restoration

Mojo Points – 12

Vedis hits one of the ones on the boat for a hit and a crit knocking it prone. Ef just barely gets missed by an aligator. He stands up in the water and takes a swipe at the prone skeleton. I stab at the prone one.

Lenata casts Burst of Radiance. The 3rd one leaps towards the boat but explodes in pieces and covers us on the boat as the crowd roars. Etsuriko attacks with her glowing fans and cuts the 2nd skeleton into three pieces as the crowd roars. Vedis bisects the last one as it tries to get up and Ef cuts the pieces into other pieces.

Kenari flicker steps over to the ledge to search the pillars. No keys, traps or whatnot. Vedis sees a smiling goldfish trailing our boat. She doesn’t trust it and throws a dagger at it and misses as it blows her a kiss.

The boat curves around the bend as the tracks in the water stop. Stairs rise out of the water to a passage and a flashing red light in the distance. I try to check the stairs for traps as I move up but miss the switch as an iron spiked ball swings down and nails me for
18 points of damage and 4 points of DEX damage.

Ef casts fly, picks me up and moves me to Lenata, and picks up Finn to check the traps in the air. He doesn’t find any, so Ef flies everyone up to the top of the stairs. Vedis gives me a potion of Lesser Resto to heal the DEX damage.

Flashing red light room with smoke as Etsuriko cautiously moves into the room with her fans. A large screen of natural disasters, volanoes, executions, etc plays. A ceiling mounted rack of speakers and fog machines spew smoke.

Lenata casts Aura Sight and detects a pair of sizable auras in the room with us. 18-20 foot tall CE humanoids around the 10-12 HD each.

Lenata casts spiritual weapon. Vedis uses Inertial Armor. Leadership Surge +1
Ef Utan uses a potion of Bull Strength. Etsuriko attacks but misses. I activate my tattoo and see that they are Fire Giants as I activate my tattoo and flcker step across the room.

The Fire Giant attacks Ef Utan 3 times and his Frost Brand flickers and sputters as it is chopped in half! The other one hits Etsuriko and hacks one of her fans into pieces as she curses in Shou.

Lenata casts Shield of Faith. Vedis uses a Surge Blast. Ef attacks and stuns/off balances one.

Kenari leaps on the other one and Plane Shifts it into the Plane of Water and shifts back soaking wet sans giant. There’s silence as the crowd stares and then slow claps that rise in applause as the other Fire Giant
smacks me with a crit as it impales me and throws me against the wall bleeding.

We’re standing by the Illithid billboard when a tiny child runs up and tugs the sleeve of Melchior. “Look away child” he says as he covers the child’s eyes from the billboard. The child immeditately fanboys over us being an X-Crawl team as Kenari checks
her wallet reflexively.

“Where are your parents little one?” Vedis asks as she bends down to her. The child points out her parents as Vedis tries to get their attention to come get their kid. She sees a short skinny hawkfaced
sour looknig woman looking around through the crowd. A pair of cops catty-corner to us are eyeballing us. Half a block a way at the street corner she sees Brendan’s character, a tall dusky and fashionably
dressed guy with fancy shoes – a Jammer (rockerboy). Vedis lifts up the child and walks her over to the sour looking woman. The mom shrieks and takes the child in thanks.

The Jammer walks up and introduces himself and asks us to bring him along with whatever illegal plans we’ve got as a fan comes up to him and he signs autographs. We look at him quizzically and ask him if
he knows anything about the Illithid Preacher. He mentions that he doesn’t know much but they are known to be rigging X-Crawl matches. He mentions that Lenatta shouldn’t wear relgious trappings or else get in trouble.
He tells us about X-Crawl and immigration and the American Emporer and we get the impression that we should definitely be an X-Crawl team. Tavist casts Silent Table. He orders drinks and Ef pours him a drink of his own.

“Nah Marshall, you’re good.”
“Not Marshall, Melchior.”

Not religion illegal per se… it’s other people’s religions that are the problem. Lenata should call Celestian Mercury instead while we’re here.

He explains X-Crawl to us as Kenari thinks it would be a win-win if we made money and defeat the Illithids at the same time. Think of the money we could make if we made the right kind of bet!

Finn recognizes the sponsor patches on the Jammer’s coat and asks about them. He sets us up with an assistant to help with drinks, measurements, etc. Finn discusses contracts with Jammer.

Etsuriko notices a commotion up by the bar where the TV is and bumps Ef Utan to take a look at it. “Why are they so upset over there?”

Breaking News! – With the crawl 3 days away on the weekend, there was a subway accident that took out the “Lost Argonauts” team.

K – So what are the rules so we know if we’re breaking them or not?

EZ offers to take us back to his place for practice sessions and video tapes. Psionics are a no-go as you can cheat and influence refs with that shit. Just say it’s magic, yo.

Finn discovers a Polaroid camera and spends night taking selfies and dick picks.

EZ’s manager will arrange a meeting with the Adventurer’s Guild so we can try out for the X-Crawl.

We discuss money exchange. Ef offers one Trade Bar in exchange.

We camp out in the basement and Lenata has a weird night sleep dreaming and pleading for spells from the god Mercury instead of Celestian.

Morning – EZ plans on taking us on a meeting to Jennifer the Producer on trying to get us in as a replacement team for the Lost Argonauts. “Wow me”

Taj disintegrates the desk. “IS THAT THE ONLY SPELL YOU KNOW?!?”

Finn B.S.es as she asks “What’s the issues?” We’ll see you later as I think about the possibilities of money in this situation.

DUNGEON BOOTS – mildly enchanted.

A courier arrives with a “Be here in 2 hours” note to head out to the Dragonlands in an RV.

The producer arrives with some flunkies outside the wall with rolling hills and a treeline. We’re away from buildings and capital damage. Show me what you’ve got. We show off and she takes notes.
“We’ll get back to you.”

EZ- that’s well and good, but we need some team building exercises!

A courier arrives that night and says we’ll solve a couple of problems and spin some PR. Make money and problems can be overlooked for a time. We’ll give you a shot at Division I. You owe me, EZ!

K – Who do we need to talk to to lay bets down on us? Tavist and Finn lay down trade bars. Kenari lays down 1.000 gp. Taj offers to bankroll the cat as she likes her pluck.

Best can be done is a standard sized team: Taj and Tavist will be in the stands watching, everyone else in the team.

The Spelljoints Team!

We steer away from the Illithid city attempting to be stealthy as we see smaller Illithid ships (4-crew) in a swarm coming in towards the city. Klassath says they’re boarding craft with golems, intellect devourers, etc that latch onto ships and bore through them to board them. Never seen a cluster this big though.
He feels a light telepathic touch sort of like their radar. Taj attempts to fly casual. They pass but as the tail end passes 5 of them peel off to attack our ship.

Taj punches it – purple mist forms on the bridge and an emaciated illithid shows up on the bridge in pants and garb. Vedis strikes him with a sonic energy push but misses as he dodges and aims a kick at Taj
in the pilot seat. Ef and Kenari shoot him with pistols as Etsuriko moves in to attack hand to hand. Lenata casts Burst of Radiance. Etsuriko recognizes the Illithid as a monk evoking Corrosive Fist.
He goes to strike Taj and hits the back of the helm and falls on his face as he crit fails and we all whoop on him. Etsuriko punches him through his head. Lenata casts gentle repose but it causes the body to
thrash around as Vedis uses her mind blades to cut it’s head off. The body explodes in a shower of slugs (nerve swimmers).

Tavist casts Fireball. I grab Finn and teleport to a lower level. Lenata and Finn teleport down to the lower level. Klassath does a whirling attack with his chain blades in the swarm. Taj does a cold energy push.

On the floor below – Finn stashes four of the most expensive bottles of alcohol from the ships stash and hands a bottle to Kenari for “teleportation fee.” I hop back up to the bridge and uses port powers
to remove the slugs from everyone.

TRAVEL POINTS USED – 4

The ship breaks the surface and Lenata casts Obscuring Mist as the ship fires its lightning gun at the ships in the water. Kenari reloads her guns as Klassath cleans up the slug mess on the bridge.
All 5 of the ships are ripped to pieces by the electrical surge and sink back into the water. Off to the left in the distance we see land and a really tall statue. Taj tries to console the ship into finding land for us.
Statue is a figure in roman robes holding aloft a sword like a statue of liberty. A number of ships are around the small island with the statue. We park under water and anchor the ship and crawl up out of the water onto the island.

Kenari puts on a cloak, Klassath and Vedis a hood. Predom human with a smattering of orcs and elves and shortfolk. Kenari tries to speak with them but can’t seem to communicate. Tavist talks to them and they
look at us in amazement asking them if we’re X-Crawl teams. I listen to Tavist and her talk and figure out they’re talking Helenic/Latin. We get on the tour boat and come back to Manhattan with brownstone
buildings and posters of X-Crawl. TVs with X-Crawl and temples to Roman Gods everywhere. We discuss the possibility of becoming an X-Crawl team in order to fit in when we turn a corner and see a billboard of a Mindflayer Priest on a billboard “Have you been saved?”

As we’re walking Taj gets a weird feeling of deja vu. Klassath notices a guy on the other side of the street with a green hood/cloak – figure disappears and suddenly when we were going one way we’re suddenly a block to the right and going the opposite way.

I think about flicker stepping back there but change my mind (failed Will save). We get stopped by cops who warn us about weapons wielded in the open as Finn B.S.es and attempts to bribe the cops. We make our
way to Union Center and Apollo Studios. As we’re talking we see a figure with a green hooded cloak appear in the crowd and grab Klassath’s shoulder as they disappear. Could that be the chronomancer?

Taj attempts to Disintegrate a whole in the wall so they can leave. Kenari falls through the hole and lands face to face with the unconscious dude. “Collecting friends? We need to get out of here before the rats show up.”
“Well they want him, so therefore I want him.” Taj. Tavist and Kenari are wracked with psychic pain as Vedis leans in. “Sorry I was busy with the rats. Are we leaving now?”

The rats start to come out towards us on the hull. A large number of Elven ships engaged with Illithids and a green/yellow Smalljammer zipping towards us through the battle.

~~

Interior of the Smalljammer (Klassath and Kassamir)

“What the hell is a sex Midget? I thought it was an action figure!”

“Well technically they’ve got action…”

K: Hey look over there, guys clinging outside the Dreadnaught!

Do they look like they’re screaming? If they’re not screaming it’s not that dramatic.

Well we current hear them anyway we’re in space.

No, we’re in a ship! They look like they’ve got it under control. Pass the whiskey!

I will once we pick them up…

_~

Tavist and Taj fly out of the hole and cast Fireball at the Cranium Rats. Vedis casts an Energy Push (fire) at the rats.

_~

The Smalljammer pulls up and we see Klassath and Kasamir (Page of Spheres). Klassath hands him the bottle and runs out on the bow ready to kill some Illithid.

Kenari drags the body out of the hole and says “Why are we still here? Aren’t we leaving?”

Vedis ghost steps onto the ship and says hi. “We’d love some assistance! Thank you!”

Tavist, Finn, Vedis, and Etsuriko jumps over to the ship. “This bottle is absolutely half empty!”

3 Illithids levitate up from the balcony and stop 20 ft higher than the hull. MIND BLAST 3 PTS OF NON-LETHAL DAMAGE – SHAKEN (-1) FOR 3 ROUNDS

Melchior leaps across to the hull of the Smalljammer and clings to the side before shooting one of the Illithids and missing.

Tavist casts a Lightning Bolt at the Illithids and then throws the unconscious body to Ef Utan who hops over to the ship with Lenata.

Klassath defies gravity and prepares to attack the Illithids.

Kenari Dimension Doors over to the ship when Black Tentacles errupt around the deck of the Smalljammer. “That was a spell from them. Alhouns”

Kassamir – Hey Ship, I bet you can’t run over those Illithids! This is your captain speaking, looks choppy, fasten your chastity belts as it’s going to be a bumpy flight!"

Two Illithids bounce off to the side but one of them doesn’t and takes ramming damage (bug on the windshield) and caves in the top part of the hull of the Dreadnaught and pissed off his own ship.

Kenari and Etsuriko hear Kasamir arguing with the ship as the others are dealing with Black Tentacles. Etsuriko does a Spring Attack back to the Dreadnaught ship and attacks the remaining Illithids.

The 3rd Illithid waves his hand and disappears from view. Tavist can tell he’s casting Greater Invisibility (arcane) Taj casts Greater Dispel Magic as a reaction. He then shoots 60ft straight up.
Taj casts Lightning Bolt with Breath of the Dragon combined.

Finn attacks the tentacles around him with his Acid Burst sword but they grow back pretty quickly. Vedis throws her mind blade at one of the Illithids. Melchior shoots the bottom Mind Flayer repeatedly.

Tavist flies up to attack the bottom Illithid. Klassath dimension doors to flank the Illithid with Etsuriko. Etsuriko gets grabbed be one of the Illithid tentacles.

Kenari uses Benign Transposition to free Vedis from the Black Tentacles.

Kasamir tries to maneuver the ship over the action, but inverted so that we can fire at the Illithids. But he rolls a 1.

Klassath notices the ship move by and wonders how he learned how to drive?

Illithid starts to cast. Tavist can tell he’s casting Plane Shift but there’s something weird about it. Taj attempts to Dispel Magic again while Tavist takes an attack of opportunity and crits with a Keen Rapier.

Taj casts Cranial Deluge on the bottom Illithid.

Finn attempts to move below decks away from the tentacles.

Kasamir points to the windshield with a rag towards Ef as he flies by.

Veids Ghost Steps over to the Illithid attacking Etsuriko and attacks him with her Mind Blades for a crit thanks to her surging euphoria. A dazzling flash of light goes off in the Illithids face as she crits him.
Melchior shoots repeatedly for 3 hits and one crit – double damage and knocks Illithid prone falling to the deck. Tavist attacks the prone Illithid with 2 crits and 1 fumble. x2 damage + Bleed, then x3 damage and 1 CON.
He then lost his balance and for 3 rounds he’s -2 to AC. Bottom Illithid is DEAD. Taj = “I was going to blow his brain up!”

Klassath does a full attack on the top Illithid with his bladed chain. Kenari switches places with Etsuriko and Klassath as his chains continue to spin and he takes the head off of the Illithid. She then passes
the bottle over to Kassamir. Everybody gets a headache 4 POINTS NON-LETHAL as the pilot passes out from a Mind Surge.

Taj asks Klassath how many Illthid crew one would expect on a ship like this. Usually powered by an Elder Brain with somewhere between 10-60 Illithid and 1k-2k thralls. (6 killed so far)
Taj wonders if we go for taking out the Mind Flayers or should we leave?

Finn looks for rags or bedsheets so he can clean the windshield and finds a lavish bedroom. NOT THE SHEETS! He finds a wet towel that we joke isn’t from water.

Kenari stabilizes the ship as Kasamir wakes up mumbling “Oh what did Finn do?” “If anybody is going to fly the ship they should be aware there’s more liquor underneath the seat.”

Kenari shares the tale of how Finn wooed the captain of the last ship we commandeered by locking himself in the bedroom for sexy times with the captain.

Klassath makes a will save and can tell something is trying to rifle through his brain. Kenari steps on the gas and flies the ship away as fast as possible but then the ship gets yanked up short by something.
“It’s not my fault!”

Klassath: This is the Elder Brain. We need to go!

Kenari: I ask the ship real nice-like to plane shift. I get a vision of zooming down between the branches of the Yggdrasil and a female catfolk monk falling with Hadogee profanity and Violetta cursing a blue streak.

Another mental attack – Finn and Vedis and Taj and Etsuriko and Klassath are still standing.

For a moment everything goes purple outside the ship and we come out of it feeling weird – more like a sidewise shift in time. Those still standing look outside the window and we’re in orbit around a planet
that looks like Torril. The planetary locator says it’s a solar centric system with 11 planets total. We’re half-way between the planet and the moon. Functional sun and no dreadnaughts anywhere.

Vedis tends to Kenari as Cassamir strokes his beard and mutters “Not the right time.”

Taj gets on the pilot seat and tries bonding with the ship.

Kenari rifles through her bag for some aspirin from her alchemical kit and checks the Dimensional Key to see that the number has now changed to FIVE.

Taj communicates with the ship and detects 7 Illithid Nautiloids coming our way. She tries to convince the ship we need to go. It can’t jump again for another 24 hours.

Kenari has a really bad ear-ache and drinks more.

Taj suggests we hide the ship in the ocean – We go for it and pass a ship with a trio of smoke stacks. The name on the ship is Poseidon’s Glory and banner on one side that’s red with images of guys in gear riding a weird carriage like a roller coaster with a red dragon attacking. “X-Crawl Cruise, destination Cony Island.”
Taj continues down looking for a trench to hide in. We pick up on some bioluminescence and stretched out across the trench Klassath identifies an Illithid City.

“You bastard!”

Taj and Tavist disappear along with two Mind Flayers. Down to 1 Brain Golem and 2 Mind Flayers (one slightly larger).

Etsuriko attacks the Brain Golem three times and disembowls the Brain Golem. Will saves required as Mind Flayers attack – Lenata ok, Etsuriko ok Ef ok Vedis ok Melchior ok (3 hp dmg and Shaken)
Vedis uses Dazzling Blade Discharge and attacks Mind Flayer with Sardier’s Fang and Mind Blade off-weapon. One of the Mind Flayers is Blinded as Ef takes an Attack of Opportunity with his Flame Tongue.
Vedis smacks the Mind Flayer multiple times and discharges a psychic strike. Melchior shoots at the damaged one multiple times and blows away it’s shoulder. Lenata attacks the damaged one with her
Spiritual Weapon. Ef attacks the damaged Mind Flayer with Flame Tongue and Adamantium Dagger that crits the Mind Flayer and throws him back 20 ft as it squishes against the wall and dies.

Will saves again – Ef ok Len ok Mel no (unconscious) Vedis no (unconscious) Etsuriko ok (3hp dmg – Shaken)

Mind Flayer casts Chain Lightning on Melchior that hits Ef Utan.

—

Finn and Kenari set 3/5 charges so far and haven’t seen anything outside on the hull. We get the feeling that we’re being watched, however. As we’re sneaking by we peer through one of the windows and there’s a row of cells with figures in them.
A blonde with glasses in a jumpsuit in one of the cells.

Off in the distance Finn sees space combat and a trio of Elven Warbirds against a phalanx of Illithid nautiloids. Finn tries to send it via message but it’s no longer in effect.
We’ll be done with the charges in two rounds.

—

Tavis and Taj are in a spherical room somewhere briefly before she tries to redirect it but ends up back in the room. Tavist sees a trap door and the remains of a scorch mark on the floor. From a laser pistol, or some other technology.
Tavist checks the door for traps (no) but it’s locked and he disables the thought trigger as it irises open and a ladder goes down to a platform with a rail – Tavist activates the plaform that drops slowly
to a large hallway with bubble chambers, many of them empty, but 5-6 of them still inabited extending about 80’. The deeper they get into the ship the warmer and more humid it gets. Taj checks them out but
it looks more like holding cells than life pods.

—

Etsuriko attacks the Brain Golem with bare fists. Vedis uses a HERO POINT to wake up and Inflicts Pain against the Mind Flayer.
Lenata – “Close your eyes!” She casts Burst of Radiance that blinds the Mind Flayer for one round.
The remaining Illithid pops out as Etsuriko attacks the remaining Brain Golem and pummels it into pudding.
Melchior wakes up. “Ouch!”

Vedis goes to the door and tries to find a way to open it.
—

We finish setting the charges and move toward the balcony and find the rest of the group.

—

Taj tries to Message Finn and Vedis – We’re fine but lower down. We’ll rendevou at where we think the Elder Brain might be.

—

Vedis checks the door. Looks like a Psionic Lock. I open the lock and the doors open to an almost waist high wall of mammals/rats with exposed brains swarm into the room.
Kenari drops an Alchemist Fire and Dimension Doors back up to the balcony. Will saves – Vedis is down again. Mind Blast as the Cranial Rats attack.
Ef casts Fireball and Lenata casts Diamond Spray.

Finn tries to climbs up to the balcony with Kenari and Etsuriko but fails, so he lays down some fire between him and the swarm.
Melchior barely claws his way up to the balcony. Kenari lowers a rope down for Finn and Lenata and Vedis who take damage from rat bites.
Vedis Ghost Steps up to the balcony. “Nope!” and then uses a Fire Energy Push against the swarm.

Etsuriko checks our perimiter to make sure we’re not being snuck up on. As she looks out she hears the crack of the bombs going off. The forward bunch of tentacles snap off and the ship lurches.
Finn and Lenata fall on their asses as everyone else keeps their feet. The lighting in the room switches to dark maroon light. Ef activates his Fly spell and moves outside the door into a larger chamber.
Lenata casts fly to follow Ef. Finn climbs up the rope to the balcony. Melchior drinks a healing potion.

—

Taj and Tavist – They get to another sealed doorway. Smaller chamber 20’ round with a single pod here. Skinny human with blonde hair and glasses and a jumpsuit.
Tavist slams his fist against the pod. “Who are you?” Dude is out cold. Tavist disables the pod to open it up. A patch of wall opens up to a drawer 6 ft wide.
Tavist finds a device that looks like a weapon with a coil and a backback style straps to it. “Of course I take the thing!” He picks up the guy and throws him over his shoulder.

Taj tells Finn where they are and Kenari says “Hey, I know where that is! Let’s go on the outside of the hull and get to them!”

Tavist shoots the window/bubble with his laser pistol but it doesn’t go through.

Kenari leads the others to where she saw the bubble with the blonde guy.

—

Ef and Lenata see no end to the rats as they enter from multiple points. They fly back into the room and see everyone gone. As they’re about to fly up through the hole when a massive cloud of jaws forms around
them and does 20 pts dmg.