Summary of Events:
When we left our adventurers last, they proceeded forward into the darkness within the underwater capital of Old Brightcliffe and toward the voice that beckoned them closer.
As they enter, they are completely enveloped in darkness and cannot see with the exception of Rota, who makes use of some sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) subroutines to assess the entryway. The centurion detects a vertical shaft about ten paces forward that abruptly descends about 40 feet. Chuckling to himself, he leads his blind friends forward and pulls them down the shaft without warning as he drops like a lead weight.
As they approach the bottom of the shaft, they see a source of bright white light struggling to pierce through the gray and brackish water. It is the illuminated head of the statue that Rota decapitated on the front steps. Making use of the stone head and Rota’s SONAR, the party cautiously takes account of the room before them.
Rota perceives a humanoid-sized figure out in the water that is remains motionless. Without explanation, he calls out to it.
“I know that you’re out there. Just come out.”
Upon hearing this, Ren immediately falls to the shadows. Just a moment later, Rota hears the soft voice of young girl calling back out to him sorrowfully.
“Please let me go.”
Rota proceeds toward the signal with caution. About 20 yards forward, he discovers a lifeless and bloated body floating in the water. Upon further inspection, he finds exactly what Erobelle had described. Carved across the chest of the body are the familiar runes; the symbols that are beginning to feel like the calling card of the Gods.
Rota says, “You’re freeeeee” and shoves the body to the side before returning to his companions.
On the dark periphery of the murky cavern, Ren hears a woman call out to him with a voice full of despair.
“I just want to go home.”
Ren determines that the voice must be an illusion, a trick, or something most certainly not real. Determined to forget this experience immediately, he casts Encode Thoughts and pulls a black, glowing, ribbon-like stream of energy out of his head. He looks at it for a moment and then puts it in his pocket, satisfied with his inability to recollect the moment.
Iolair swims up behind Chonka and taps her on the shoulder. Chonka screams, “Rota, they’re behind me! AHH!”
“No, no, Chonka it’s just me. Iolair.” he says reassuringly. “Is this…does this feel like the domain of the gods you learned of in the Temple of the Drowned?”
“No, this does not feel like that,” Chonka responds. “This is the place of devils.”
Suddenly, Chonka hears a young boy calling out to her with voice riddled with agonizing desparation.
“Free us from this prison, please. Free us.”
Chonka yelps in response, “What? Who’s there? Who said that?!”
Rota addresses his friends and explains what he’s seen. “This place is filled with lost souls who mistakenly placed their faith in FALSE Gods. However, they did not know GOD IS DEAD!”
As if in response, all four adventurers hear the harrowing voice that beckoned them inside the sunken capital.
“Huh huh…you are WRONG…….Come….CLOSSSERRRRR.”
They cautiously make their advance deeper into the underwater cavern, splitting into two groups. Ren takes the advance to the left, while the other three choose the path to the right. As they traverse the room, they encounter a half-dozen more lifeless bodies, suspended in their underwater tomb. In their own time, they all witness a disturbing sight at the opposite end of the cavern.
The first thing they see are two sickeningly glowing green eyes. The inky black ichor swirls around them and from within it emerges an unnaturally large fish-squid-like creature with a sticky, tar-like maw and dozens of tentacles. The foul pollution that taints the waters of this place appears to ooze off of the creature in endless supply.
The creature locks eyes with the party, smiles, and then recedes into the murky gray water. Again, the voice. “Come. Closer.”
Ahead, the adventurers discover two paths. The path to the left is entirely obscured by a forest of seaweed. The path to the right is smaller, only about three feet in height, and appears to open up into a larger cavern on the other side.
With furious determination to find the beast they just saw, Rota darts into the seaweed, pulling Iolair and Chonka behind him. Ren cautiously follows, Shaping Water as he does to ensure the seaweed does not touch him. As they enter, each adventurer’s vision fades to black.
Rota
When Rota’s vision clears, he is standing before a large and slowly rotating brass gear that glows with a brilliant light. Inside of it is a portal to a familiar, yet wondrous place. On the cliff of a mountain stands a living city of brass and gold, comprised of cogs, gears, and other mechanical constructs such as himself. This is Mechanus; Rota’s home. The voice of Primus, the god-king of Mechanus, echos through the portal, speaking to Rota.
“It is your time, my faithful soldier. The occasion of your glorious purpose is upon us. It is time for you to join me. It is time for you to become one with the Eternal Machine. But you must leave your friends behind. You must leave the one who discovered you in the ice. Join me Rotanim Ret.”
Rota is silent for a moment and then draws his glaive before responding. “Where have you been? Why have you let things get this bad? Why would you think I would want to be part of such a dysfunctional machine?” Rota then swings his glaive with immense force, slashing the portal angrily. Suddenly, the ground disappears from underneath him and he is falling toward a sea of gears below. Immediately after landing in it, he begins to feel the crushing pressure of a sea of gears trying to pull him under the surface; as it begins to devour him. Then darkness.
Chonka
When Chonka’s vision clears, she is back in the exact moment before she decided to leave Castle Hendraheim. She is standing in her barracks. Her kit is still packed from the last scouting run. She could leave at any moment.
Chonka immediately picks up her kit and makes for the door. As the door slams shut behind her, the scene fast forwards.
As if she is an omnipotent observer, she sees her old commanding officer, Julian Seeder, standing before a battalion of soldiers outside of Castle Hendraheim. They are flying a banner that is painful to look at. Fast forward.
Commander Julian Seeder marches across Nidavellir, leading an even bigger mass of soldiers to what must be conquest if not war. Fast forward.
Commander General Julian Seeder stands in front of his army of warriors, overlooking the burnt husk of what used to be Seawood, the town to the West of her old home. Fast forward.
Lord Commander General Julian Seeder laughs maniacally with a burning fire in his eyes as his men raze the city of Roseport to the ground. Fast forward.
Prime Lord Commander General Julian Seeder leads a massive horde of devoted fanatics on a murderous rampage, pillaging city after city after city. Then darkness.
Iolair
When Iolair’s vision clears, he is in a place he recognizes immediately. High in the mountains, he sits upon a cliffside, overlooking the forest that he called home. Next to him is a man with a scar across his left cheek, a sword strapped across his back, and a missing hand. This is his father, the god Tyr.
Tyr reaches over, grasps Iolair’s shoulder with one hand, looks him in the eyes, and says, “Now is your moment, son. Now is your time to choose.”
“You may join me in the honor and glory of the Great War, but you will pay a great cost. You will leave many behind. Chonka, Ren, and Rota will be left behind. They will be punished for their sins.”
“But you, you my son, will be forgiven.”
“And your mother…she will die. But as a result, you will join me and we will celebrate our conquest in the halls of Valhalla for eons to come. We will be together, my son. Do you accept?”
Somewhat conflicted, Iolair responds. “I must say that I deeply want this, but there are those that I cannot leave behind.”
Tyr sighs and hangs his head in disappointment. The God of War looks at his son and says, “A pity, to deprive the world of the honor of the warlording you would do by my side” and shoves Iolair off of the cliff.
Iolair falls for what feels like an eternity before he sees the forest canopy fly by him. He will hit the forest floor at any moment. Then darkness.
Ren
When Ren’s vision clears, he finds himself in a place that he has not been in many years. He is in his childhood home, in his room, sitting on the balcony where he spent so many hours overlooking the city rooftops. He knows that his parents are downstairs in their usual spot by the fire, having their evening drink.
A knock is heard at the door downstairs and suddenly, Ren is standing behind his father, Henry Prodfoot, as he opens the front door. Every internal survival instinct alarm in Ren’s body sounds at once. His stomach turns to knots as he sees who is on the other side of the door. It is the man he stole the gold medallion necklace from the night his life changed forever. It is the devil.
If there’s one thing that Ren knows, it’s when to choose flight over fight. But he cannot abandon his parents. Acknowledging the danger they are in, Ren reaches for his magic and realizes…it’s not there. Something isn’t right. He yells for his father, but he appears to not notice him. Ren tries to reach for him and realizes…he can’t move.
Suddenly, the man snaps his head toward Ren and looks him directly in the eyes as he reveals his true form as Ren saw it that night. A devil with dark blue-gray skin, eyes that contain sapphire fire, and a crown of horns that look like twisted daggers of ice.
The entirety of his childhood home suddenly erupts in flames. The heat is absolutely unbearable. As the flames begin to devour everything Ren holds dear, his vision goes white with searing pain. Then darkness.
All four adventurers snap out of their respective visions at the same time. When they do, they discover that they are several dozen feet below where they were before. In every direction is an endless forest of slimy seaweed. Additionally, they discover that they are not alone.
They are surrounded. Three giant chitinous lobster-like creatures dart out from their nests and toward the adventurers, their hungry claws ready to start shredding their prey, their tentacle-filled mouths lashing out hungrily, eager to feed. The adventurers draw their weapons and prepare to defend…
Session End.
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