Ef and Etsuriko attack, Mel casts Bubonic Plague in the room vs. the Illithids. She changes the atmosphere and Ef sees the cluster of Illithds wink out but it’s more like a hologram being shut off. As that happens the tube part of the tubes drops to the floor and chunks pull together into a vaguely humanoid 9ft tall brain golem.

Kenari hacks at tubes on the machinery with her Acid Dagger. Finn triggers his summon spell dampening and hacks at the machinery too. Finn finds a “striator” that illithids use to write with and takes it.

Lenata Flame Strikes the Brain Golemn as it continues to form and it washes off like water with no effect. Ef uses his Flame Tongue to attack the Brain Golemn in a flying charge. the brain matter refills the hole that he slashes. “Neutral Creepy” – Dinya casts Detect Chaos and stabs with Cat Herder and misses. Etsuriko moves up by Dinya. Mel casts Mind Thrust at the Golemn. It Mind Thrusts us. 5 POINTS DMG.

-1 HERO PT FOR KENARI. She tries to phase shift on it but fails.

Finn enables HASTE on party. Etsuriko uses flurry of blows on it as it burbles into a pile of goo. Mel takes a sample of goo. Ef uses a scroll of Scorching Ray to make sure it doesn’t regenerate. As he does a silver tendril shoots out from one of the tanks and hits him in the ankle as he feels stupider. -6 INT. Lenata affects his chances of fate and the attack then misses. Dinya notices the attack.

Etsuriko attempts to cut off the tentacle and it pulls back in the space between the tubes. Mel attempts to sense it and gets a burst of psychic static from it. Mel, in a burst of frustration, casts a Polar Vortex over the area where it is as we all get splashed with goop from the tubes. Finn and Kenari check the small rooms. Canisters with multicolor mist wired into the ceiling and floor.

Lenata casts RIGHTEOUS CONDIMNATION on herself. Ef casts Lightning Bolt on it. Dinya holds. Machinery at front of room is nonfunctional. Etsuriko checks to see if there’s wiring, we didn’t catch and that’s why things aren’t popping. There are some large wires in the bottom right corner. Mel looks for more baddies that might be hiding. She finds a fiberoptic camera on the west wall. Mel heads to the room with the mist.

Kenari flicker steps over to Etsuriko who needs help breaking the wires, and she breaks with extreme prejudice as she crosses wires on the machinery. Fluid starts to boil in the tubes.

Finn tosses alchemist fire in the room with the mist and goes to the next room. The door opens up and sees computer screens and REF SAVE. The door he just closed is blown out of its frame 30 ft into the isle as it
knocks Finn back his head hanging over the raised platform. 16 pts BLUDGEON DMG. His clothes are fine though his shoes are heavily scuffed. The lights in the room go dim.

Etsuriko “I think we broke it.” she flicker steps up to Finn on the stage. Mel tries the middle room on the left and sees machinery similar to a planar aperture drive on the Dodger. This definitely isn’t original to the ship.
Mel attempts to remove the tech but doesn’t think she can salvage it. She then decides to take her anger out on the tech with her gun. It’s def hybrid technomancer territory. Dinya helps Mel break things.

Ef flies Lenata around critter hunting. It shifts around like Venom goo. “Brain Ooze” reacts badly to telepaths and close contact. It feeds on intelligence and heals itself with it. Lenata tries to hit it with an ice javelin but misses.

Third room is glass bottles full of pale amber fluid. Kenari grabs three of them (for science).

Finn opens the last room to a wide array of conduits that lead to a 2ft diameter column rising up in the center of the room. At the top of the column kind of blurry and hard to focus on about chest level is a pale vaguely translucent brain floating there. It makes his circuitry itch.

Ef uses his magic missile want but can’t overcome its resistance. Tubes burst and flood the area around it.

Etsuriko stands next to Finn, takes count of everyone and looks for enemies.

Mel goes to Finn and sees the floating brain and attempts a MIND THRUST for 51pts dmg. Brain goes POP! All of the machinery seems to have gone quiet.

“Hey what was that noise? I found these funky bottles of stuff.” – Finn identifies them as bodily secretions from Illithids. Are they the source of their spell resistance? Mel goes “Ooo! Fill my armband with that shit!”

Finn – “Do we have porters? Where are the porters?”
Etsuriko “For fucks sake Finn, grab a bottle.”

Lenata uses a Holy Javelin at the Brain Ooze. Ef drops Lenata and attacks with his sword and dagger and kills it.

We decide to be thorough and make sure the tubes are destroyed. Mel patches into computer systems to try and self destruct the tubes. Some of us disable tubes. Ef looks around and sees nothing else in the room.

Mel does her computer checks – No destruct protocol for anything on this level. However, there are environmental controls and whatever the computer is feeding out of she gets two pieces of data: Figures in tubes are chronomancers. Collected energy focus generated by the chronomancers is being funneled to a single point somewhere deep in the Dreaming. (It was a rift in the Dreaming that caused the loss of Falak 13). As to the video feed it seems to be monitored from 3 different points on this level and one below it.

Suddenly sirens go off.

Dinya and Kenari share mental images of what we remember of the ship.

MIND LINK: KENARI, LENATA, VEDIS, DINYA AND EF UTAN

We enter and go through an access shaft. Mel uses the control panel on the wall to try and access the computer system. Primitive tubes!

Pattern of burns and laser bursts along balcony so looks like AFTER when the Parasol Patrol was here. Mel says do we want to check the radiation room since they couldn’t before?

We’re being watched by cameras on the wall. Finn feels a shiver as the dimensional anchor about the space seems to flicker for a moment. Etsuriko grabs a camera off the wall and hands it to Mel.

Etsuriko and Mel and Dinya go to radiation room. Moderate lvl radiation readings as Mel opens the door. One tube has a being in it with a stencil: STARSHIP WARDEN. Computer workstation in upper right corner. Mel
looking for computer logs. Med readouts on figure show in stasis, encrypted notes about a parasite infestation. Statis, life support and a mid level force field. Mel accesses files – ALIEN FACEHUGGERS.

VIDEO FEED OF CAMERAS ALONG THE BALCONY. Generation Ship called the Warden that came from North America on Earth.Crate pops and has racks meant to hold things double the size/thickness of a quarter. Crate behind guy in tube is cracked and that’s what is leaking RADIATION.

We all port and step to the island with the access tunnel. Mel activates the elevator as Finn and Kenari see froghemoths swimming in the water and about half way down as we see it going into the floor…
we’re used to the fields of portals and this is almost like going through a portal but we’re still in the same place on the other side. Weird shifting feeling. 5 more minutes to the bottom floor. We notice another fluxuation in the anchor – borderline power outage.

Mel’s emotion sense picks up on a dozen or more as the tube lowers down.

Ef Utan powers up with scrolls: Shield, Badgers Ferocity, etc.
Kenari activates Shield necklace.

Platform island in large pool with human tubes on one side and android tubes on the other. Long tadpole pool on the right. Movement in room to the south and some to the east.

Lenata casts GLIMPSE OF TRUTH. Lots of cameras on all four walls around us near the ceiling. Ef ferries us across the pool. When Finn gets closer to the wall with all of the bodies behind it he gets a tingling sense
near another door and wall as well. Door to chronomancers is def trapped with lots of electricity. Finn touches it with his hand with the Illithid circuitry. Some of it flows out, reconstructs and goes into the pad.
The anti=personnel field drops and the door clicks open. Each tube has a creature in it – Elves, Elan, Dwarves, etc. South end is a staged area with machinery and Gieger-ish Illithid craft to it. In the center is a large
broken sphere with signs of activity and recent work done. Len does heal checks inspecting tubes and Mel looks for computer records. All are “rated” but no definition as to what the rating is. (Human – Class 5 etc).
Cables connect to the machinery down south. Finn looks for a control panel. Ef casts Diamond Spray on the cables and takes 22 points of dmg as it blows out with a big burst of energy and Ef giggles. Dinya facepalms.
The lights in the room drop to low light levels. The doors click shut and a faint buzz as the anti-personnel field goes up. Finn casts a summoning dampening field. 100ft per 10 rounds.

Tubes start to explode. Kenari flickersteps to the door and pulls some wire out of the wall to deactivate the field. Mel goes to use the panel to open the door as the tubes boom. Finn and Etsuriko arrive at door and Finn
uses circuitry to get the door open as more tubes explode.

Room south, Illithid tech everywhere – to the right is rows of bodies in tubes with machinery. MIND BLAST. Four Illithids crouched down among tubes that Ef hits with Magic Missile.

Finn stealths and searches for machinery since he’s not fighting. 32/28 – a lot is broken but some reasonably intact. Three power stones pulled out of it fully charged. Acid Short Sword. Two hours wandering so far.

The Ancient Brethren

Before anything there was nothing and out of this nothing Came the Ancient Brethren.
- Old Celestian text over the Gates of Wisdom

Before the existence of any Gods or even the Planes, there were the Ancient Brethren. The average person doesn’t even know of their existence and anything they may know or heard of relating to them comes from unsubstantiated rumors and myths.

The Ancient Brethren consist of an uncertain number of entities; however, most learned scholars consider the following to be among them; Asmodeus, Jazirian, The Serpent (Mok-Slyk), The Spelljammer, The Lady of Pain.
Their roles in the creation of the multiverse are merely speculation and legend.

A derided and hotly contested segment support that an Illithid God, Ilsisine*is also one of the Ancient Brethren.

Jazirian Couati God, Lawful Good, His realm known as Uroboros, the Gates of Wisdom, could be found in Solania, the 4th of the 7 Heavens. The Ruby Palace of Sardior was said to appear here on its way through the Planes. Jazirian with Ahriman established the fundamental principles of planes: the Unity of the Rings, the Rule of Threes, and the Center of All, creating the ring-shaped cosmos. Jazirian was killed by Merrshaulk.

Rumor: It is said that Mok-Slyk was the one who taught Vecna magic

Ilsisne “Great Brain or Powerful Brain” patron deity and creator of the Illithids. Oryndoll is considered a holy place. Based in the Caverns of Though in the Outlands. Foes of Ilsisne include Lloth.

Asmodeus – Prince of Darkness, he who is most feared, keeper of the Rovagug, the Rough Beast. Asmodeus is often considered to be one of the Ancient Brethren. Prince of Darkness, one of the rulers of Hell, one who is Most Feared. Penned the contract of creation. He is the one who keeps the Rovagug “The Rough Beast” trapped in the Pit of Gormuz, the only key to its prison kept by Asmodeus.

Celestian: The Far Wanderer, Oridean God from Oearth. One of the major powers worshipped on the Rock of Bral. Celestian got along with other gods of travel from other pantheons (Ie Desna) but especially his brother Fharlanghn the Far Traveler also from Oerthian Panthion. Celestian has several astral devas at his disposal whom he could call for aid when needed. There is a College of Celestian on the Rock of Bral (Lenata Starborne graduated from there) and a large temple in the Barrier Peaks on Grayhawk. Portfolio: The cosmos, stars, space, firmament, sky, wandering, exploring, traveling, dreams
Aliases: Celestain
Domains: Travel, Wildspace, Knowledge, Trickery, Psionics
Superiors: None
Allies: Dalt (GH), Delleb (GH), Fharlanghn (GH), Heward (GH), Keoghtom (GH), Lendor (GH), Murlynd (GH), Pelor (GH), Procan (GH), Rao (GH), Velnius (GH), Xerbo (GH), Zagyg (GH), Rais (SJ/GH), Muamman Duathal/Marthammor Duin, Sehanine Moonbow, Hermes, Puchan, Selne (FR)
Foes: Erythnul (GH), Hextor (GH), Iuz (GH), Tharizdun/Dark God (GH), Vecna (GH/RL), Wastri (GH), Elder Elemental God, Great Mother, Ilsensine
Symbol: An array of seven “stars” (a diamond, amethyst, sapphire, emerald, topaz, jacinth, and ruby) blazing with the fire of distant suns on a black circle.

Labelas Aneroth: “Lord of the Continuum” he guards against those who would alter history. Little known Elven God of Time, longevity, the moment of choice and history, has few followers. No known alliances or conflicts with other Gods. Lives in the realm of Arvandor on the plane of Arborea.

Desna: Varisarian Goddess, one of the original 8 deities but instead of building Golarion, she built the Heavens, Ancient Goddess of Freedom and Luck with aspects in travel. Desna strongly opposes Lamashtu and actively hunts the demigod, Ghlaunder. Night hags hate Desna. Desna is an enemy of Xhamen-Dor.
Desna’s home is Cynosure, a demiplane on the material plane in a castle known as Sevenfold Cynosure. It can exist simultaneously in Elysium and Cynosure if she wishes it.

Sekhmet “The Lady of the Slaughter, Avenger of Wrongs”, Chaotic Neutral. Violently opposed to the “Pale One” and those that follow that dark deity. Goddess of Women and vengeance.

Istus – The Goddess of Fate is the Baklunish goddess of fate, destiny, divination, the future, and honesty. Her symbol is the golden spindle with three strands. Three aspects; a cold maiden, a haughty noblewoman and an old crone. She has a strange cloud-like companion who is a Prince from the Demiplane of Time. Istus dwells in the Web of Fate.

The Lady of Pain – One of The Ancient Brethren, She does not This enigmatic being serves as the ruler of Sigil. None know her origins, or even her nature; she has existed for as long as Sigil has, and Sigil has been known almost as long as mortals have existed on the planes. Never speaking and rarely intervening, she acts only through her servants, the dabus. Resembling the dabus in some respects, the Lady appears as an expressionless female, hovering a few inches above the ground, never making a sound. Her pale face is ringed by a crown of blades, protruding from her flesh, and those whom her shadow falls across are flayed alive, sliced to ribbons by her very nature.

There are almost as many theories about her origins as there are citizens of Sigil; some serious, others less so. Some claim she is merely a fiend, the first being to discover Sigil and thus taken by it to rule. Others claim she has her origins in the ancient past of the multiverse, a contemporary of the Serpent or the Dark Powers. Still others claim her a daughter of Poseidon, an advanced form of dabus, or even seven giant squirrels on each other’s shoulders with a ring of levitation and a costume.

She does not allow Gods to enter her domain though clerics are tolerated. Illithids are not seen in Sigil though they do send spies and emissaries there. Etsuriko is the only living person known to have heard her speak.

The Spelljammer – The Spelljammer is a legendary ship which looks like a gigantic manta ray, and houses an entire city on its back. All spacefarers (people who live in wildspace) have heard of the Spelljammer but very few have ever seen it themselves. It is this ship that gives its name to “spelljamming”, “spelljamming helms” and anything else connected with spelljamming. The ship has been reported to have been seen in countless spheres for as long as records go back. Even some groundlings (people who live on planets that have very little or no commerce with spelljamming communities) have legends about it. There are hundreds of conflicting legends about this ship, and a mythology has developed about the ship that is similar to the legends surrounding The Flying Dutchman.
The Spelljammer is one of The Ancient Brethren.

The Serpent (Mor-Slyk by the ancient Flan peoples) is an entity of godlike power, believed to be the personification of arcane magic.
The Serpent appears as a long, snakelike, semi-transparent entity. The Serpent’s head bears draconic features, and several dorsal ridges run along its back.
Relationships
The Serpent is said to be a member of a group of unfathomably old entities known as the Ancient Brethren, which though similar to gods, are not exactly gods, though some beings honor them as such. The Lady of Pain, Asmodeus, and Jazirian are also sometimes said to belong, or to have once belonged to this group, and supposedly Vecna is a descendant of the Ancient Brethren. There may also be a connection between the Ancient Brethren and the draedens and baernoloths born before the multiverse began.
The Serpent is believed to have personally instructed Vecna in the ways of magic. Vecna’s mother, Mazzel, told her son that the Serpent gains its power by devouring the souls of those who honor it.
Other rumors include that the Serpent is a guise of Asmodeus, or that the Serpent doesn’t exist at all. Perhaps it is only Vecna’s own madness and insight whispering back at him from within the darkness of his own one-eyed skull.
Source The Great Library of Grayhawk

Mordenkainan – Oerthian archmagis (30th level spellcaster) and leader of the Circle of Eight on Grayhawk. Vecna may have destroyed the circle of Eight on his first attempt at becoming a greater deity. Mordenkainan is credited with creating a great many useful and powerful spells. It is said he inhabits The Tower of Urm and uses it as a vehicle to travel the multiverse,

Estevaan – One of the top movers and shakers of Sigil, Estavaan the Merchant Lord is head of the Sigil Office of the Planar Trade Consortium.

Black Monolith – with glowing lights projecting an image that shifts. (We had a vision of it while walking the spiral path on the desert planet) Melisande Denaris recognizes it as Guidance.

Eclavdra – Eclavdra is the leader of House Eilservs and the most powerful priestess of Lolth. Her former consorts include Lyme, Derakhshan, and the demon lord Graz’zt. She also has a son, Athux. Eclavdra now serves as Lolth’s chief diplomat, as well as the supreme mortal ruler of her organization and religion. Eclavdra is a powerful, ravishing drow priestess of Lolth. She is known for her cruelty and complex scheming, and her total lack of compassion. She eliminates rivals before they can become threats.

Luigi – The Beholder (Owner of the Laughing Beholder)
the famous beholder and tavern keeper. Luigi is an extremely wise and knowledgeable beholder who is one of the very few members of his race to understand the beholder’s destiny to learn and to teach. Luigi is a civic minded and well-liked citizen of Bral and spends most of his time listening to the rumors of far spheres and great adventures.

Luigi is more than happy to share information with anyone who cares to seek the answers from him, but he has an infuriating tendency to withhold vital knowledge. He cannot reveal knowledge that would upset the balance of the cosmos and on many occasions that could depend on something as simple as an adventurer knowing where to find a fabled ruin or a reclusive hermit. All he asks in return is a story or song for his many patrons.
The Laughing Beholder is rarely troubled by bullies or hoodlums. Large Luigi’s powerful magical abilities quickly put an end to trouble virtually before it starts.

This is where Commodore Vedis Valentine worked for years as the head tavern wench before she became an adventurer. Luigi also warned the Spelljoined that the Illithid were using the Chronomancers as batteries and using Fate Eaters within the Loom to clean up their changes to avoid being noticed by the Fates and Fortunes. It was also he that explained the significance of the Spelljammer tattoos in their ability to be “unstrung from fate”.

• Mindflayer Wizard* – A couple possible theories
  Illithids eschew magic in favor of psionics, those that choose to study wizardry over psionics are often ostracized and disconnected from the elder brain. They must achieve immortality via undeath instead of merging with the Elder Brain, becoming Illithid litchs called alhoons. These alhoons are only concerned with their own survival rather than that of the hive.

Strom Wakeman is an alchemist and explorer from Grayhawk. Wakeman, an enterprising trader and scholar of Underdark exotica, allowed himself to be captured by the Illithid on one of his expeditions. With a non-magical mixture of various herbs that Wakeman named laethen, he was able to preserve his consciousness through ceremorphosis, and learned to use his psionic powers to keep from having to consume brains. Thus, he worked against the Illithid plots from within. The legend of the Adversary was born from his frequent sabotage, though the actual acts were never connected to him. The players’ characters in the adventure become his agents in stopping the illithids’ plans, as his own movements rely upon secrecy from his “fellow” illithids.

Illithid does a Mind Blast. Dinya knocked unconscious. Kenari grabs another leash and teleports another Fate Eater. Mel casts Cosmic Truth on Illithid. 3 rounds confused.

The Fate Eater attempts to attack Ef and ends up flat footed as it misses. Another attacks Etsuriko. Lenata attempts to intervene but fails to twist it’s fate. 21pts dmg to Etsuriko.

A Fate Eater moves down to get Dinya and Lenata casts Holy Smite that gets everybody but does 56 to the Illithid. It wakes up Dinya, however she is Shaken for 3 rounds.

Ef attacks a Fate Eater 3 times for 68pts of dmg. He hits one and channels a Dispel Magic effect into the strike, causing the light animating to flicker in the Fate Eater.

Vedis strikes the Fate Eater with Sardior’s Fang for a crit and dumps another Dispel effect through the attack for 28pts of dmg. Primordial Surge causes -2 to Fate Eater.

Etsuriko does a flurry of blows for two strikes for 19pts. Mel does a Mind Thrust for 32pts dmg. It misses attacking Mel and she detects a similiarity when Leodette would influence time.

Lenata casts Greater Dispel Magic and all of the light goes out of it as it collapses. The other one gets pissed off. Dinya attacks the Fate Eater for 18pts dmg. slash/force

Ef does a crit on the Fate Eater and slices it in half as part of it lands in Finn’s lap. “My pants! These were given to me by the Queen of America!”

Lenata channels to heal everyoe as Mel dismisses the Bubonic Plague on the ship and activates the ship filtration systems. Can Mel make an innoculation for the disease so we can all get shots?

Etsuriko goes over to the Penumbra and it’s a bit of a mess. A few crewmen are down/lost and one in major shock as she was a man before she got bit. Another crew member was an expert cook and now just wants to make weapons. Takero says the 3rd ship took off in the phlow headed for Greyspace. Mel plays target practice with the Fate Eaters in the phlow. The dead ones on the deck get to be put in the freezer for later cultivation as there are Feats for eating Fate Eaters. Ken ports Lenata over to heal what crew we can. Ef hacks the Fate Eaters floating in space. Dinya is restored.

Mel takes us on a tour of the ship and shows off the Planar Appeture Drive to Dinya. In there set in the core is Cat Herder, her weapon. Like an older version? Whaaat?

Vedis gets back to piloting the Penumbra and we take off to chase the 3rd ship towards Greyspace while Lenata sleeps to get her spells back. Mel uses her sensors to try and find the Illithid ship.

She picks up a disturbance in the phlogiston of the wake of a ship. We come upon the sphere Crystal gate for Greyspace as Mel notices the difference and the fire pots on the shell that act like stars.

We make it passed the chancey part past the outlying Beholder world and maneuver through the Grinder and continue in system past the sun towards the center of the system and Oerth.

Mel scans from orbit and finds its riddled with planar transit points and moderate time displacement. A particularly strong sense of a cluster of gates on one of the continents. A real dense array of necromantic magic in the norther part of the continent. Oh that’s a dark kingdom ruled by Iuz, a demigod. What’s with this geocentric system? – Mel

Mel does a sensor check on the Barrier Peaks to look for the fallen ship/Silver Citadel as we think that might be a Fate Eater factory. After 20m she zeroes in on a large mass of metal there and picks up something shielding it somewhat and there’s a dimensional anchor affecting the structure. We can take a shuttle down to Oerth. It’s rough, but Mel gets us down safely. We port and flicker step down wit the group as we’re parked on a flat shelf of rock barely big enough 150ft up. Skies are darkening and it’s starting to rain. A wide variety of tracks of creatures over an extensive period of time. Most start near that metal wall and lead out of the valley space. The metal wall has faint lines in the metal about 15ft square in the side of it.

**Blessings of Luck and Resolve and Protection From Evil from Lenata – +2 morale vs. Fear. If you fail you can end spell for a +4 morale bonus. +2 AC etc.

Ken works to open the field to get to the metal wall and thinks she MIGHT be able to open it. Ken manages to open the door….

Clerics:

Bennu – 5th lvl Human Cleric of Bast – Pilot – 0, 1st, 2nd, 3rd – PILOT

Garrick- 4th lvl Dwarven Cleric of ______ – 0,1st,2nd

Shariti – 2nd level Elven Cleric of ______ – 0,1st

Raziya – 2nd level Elven Cleric of ______ – 0,1st

The clerics will cast the following:

0 lvl: Guidance (+1 on attack roll, saving throw or skill check for touched creature)

1st: Bless (+1 on attk rolls and saves against Fear)

1st: Divine Favor (+1 per 3 levels on attack and damage rolls)

1st: Magic Weapon: Weapon gains +1 bonus

1st: Obscuring Mist*

2nd: Magic Boulder (like Magic Stone, 3 boulders)

2nd: Magic Siege Engine – Siege Engine gains +1 on targeting and damage rolls

Bards:

Kerrigan – 3rd lvl Half-Elf Bard

Raelin – 1st lvl Human Bard

Shedinn – 1st lvl Catfolk Bard

Nyx – 1st lvl Gnome Bard

Umbero – 1st lvl Half-Elf Bard

Inspire Courage +1 (1st)

Inspire Competence +2 (3rd)

1st: Abundent Ammunition

1st: Enhance Water

The Plan:

Obscuring Mist will be cast so when they come out of the Gate it will provide cover.

The Bards will sing to give +1 to attack and +2 to skills.

The Clerics will cast Bless, Guidance, Divine Favor and Magic Weapon or Magic Siege Engine to add another +4 to attack.

The Bards will cast Enhance Water to make containers of flammable alcohol and bind it to a flask of alchemist fire that they will attach to a ballista arrow (or other ammo).

They will then cast Abundant Ammunition to make a lot of them.

Hopefully this will make decent explosive arrows that they can use in a surprise attack!

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?

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?

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.