Session 27 Part 1: Flight of the Navigator

GM Note: We lost Chiniko’s player prior to this session to work on his PhD and it was Assamber’s last session as he was heading back to Devon. This rather coloured some of the events which occurred.

Scene 1: Old Friends

Our heroes have finally recovered all 5 pieces of the key to the prison of Sopias and have made a hasty exit out of Dream to avoid the warring twin Queens. Now they find themselves in dire straits as their enemies are waiting for them. Their own ship has been boarded and disabled an Imperial Arkhosian Sky Cruiser floats above them. An Order of Transcendentant Enquiry Golem squats on the Ship of Dreams and Artemis’s sister, Kallista, stands on the prow of the cruiser demanding the group hand over the Hearts.

*cut scene*

The group gather in the gardens of the Court of Summer preparing to leave Dream when they are approached by Menandore, Daughter of the Queen of Summer. “Many forces will be drawn to the power the Hearts represent. You may find your way blocked. Take these and use them wisely” she says handing the group a set of perfect illusionary Hearts forged from dream stuff.

The group achieved a significant victory in Dream and I left them with a campaign bonus effect they could set. They hadn’t decided on what they wanted by the time the session started so I allowed them to author in the copies via flashback.

The group confer. They decide to pass off the copies to Kallista to give them time to escape. She is suspicious but accepts them and the cruiser pulls away but so does the Ship of Dreams! The Golem has established control of the vessel and the group are about to be stranded. Chiniko acts, the Ship is his and he is linked to its power. Assamber has also spent some time inscribing various teleportation circles into the hull. Drawing on their power Chiniko teleports the group onto the ship but is exhausted in the attempt collapsing to the ground.

Unfortunately this also plunges the group into an immediate battle. The Golem proves to be a formidable opponent and it has support. An Order Mage causes great trouble for the group blasting people hither and yon and inflicting serious injuries before an unwise teleport places her too near the rail. Artemis blows up one of the ships power generators sending her crashing against it and follows it up with a boot to the face and she falls to her death. The Dragonborn Skycaptain finds himself mostly pinned down near the helm, the only targets for his lightning powers the redoubtable Morn (and his mass of healing surges) and Azhanti, Voice of Vulcan, God of the Storm (and highly resistant to both Thunder and Lightning). As his marines and the Golem fall he decides discretion is the better part of valour and leaps from the ship wings frantically beating to get away.

Scene 2: Ramming Speed

The group have taken back the ship but all is not yet saved. It seems their deception has been uncovered and the cruiser begins a slow turn to pursue them. They consider flight or fight but decide on neither. The Ship of Dreams is faster and more manoeuvrable but it has been damaged in the battle. They decide to overload its power generators and ram the enemy cruiser, using one of the teleportation circles to flee to the City of Kings before the impact.

Sails are set, power generators are primed and ramming speed is declared. The Ship of Dreams sustains withering broadsides from the enemy cruisers lightning cannons but somehow it manages to hold together. As four of our heroes leap through their emergency portal they see Chiniko, hands gripping the helm driving the ship into the side of the cruiser. The crunch of metal and wood is appalling but is drowned out by the screams of the dreaming sailors. The last sight is the two ships, fatally locked together and spinning out of control, Chiniko surrounded by smoke and flames going down with his ship.

Scene 3: An Interlude

From impending death the group find themselves stood on the roof of the Temple of Mael in the City of Kings. The City is ruined and on fire in many places. A thunder storm engulfs all but its centre where the Spire stands, gently glowing in the night. Forces move out in the darkness, a war is being fought in the shadows and old scores are being settled between immortals hungry for the power of the Hearts. Resolving to wait until the morning our heroes head off alone to prepare themselves for their most difficult confrontation, how do mortals kill a Primordial...

Azhanti spends his time basking on the roof of the Temple. Lightning and thunder roll and crackle all around him as he exults in his near deific status feeding on the power of the storm. In the distance, in the Plaza of Dead Gods, an earth tremor disturbs the grave of Vulcan. Perhaps the Primordial is not so dead as people think.

Artemis explores the cellars of the Temple where he experiences visions of the great spirits of the desert. He can feel the Great Hunt is close and as he comes out of his reverie he snaps off a single arrow which pierces the wall. The light from his bow reveals a mosaic of the birthing of the world and his arrow has pierced the eye of Sopias.

Morn spends his time moving quietly throughout the city. He seeks out the places where its people have huddled in fear at the events surrounding them and hands out small stone tokens, portal keys to take the bearer from the Temples teleportation circle to his base in Frosthome.

Assamber spends his time consulting with his minions, sages and magicians from the City and many other lands with which they have made contact. Foreign wizards and deep sea allies move through the City setting up a series of enchanted mirrors and antennae under his direction. Tomorrow a Primordial may die and in its death lies many opportunities.

Scene 4: Revenge!

As dawn breaks silence covers the City. The battles of the night before have subsided and the storm has retreated from the City itself. Our heroes gather and make their way through the ruins towards the Spire and the entrance to the Labyrinth.

As they approach the main square a figure, robed in purple, appears on a roof above them. “Did you think we had forgotten? Did you think we had forgiven? This is the day of vengeance, now you shall reap in blood all that you have sown.”

A gray skinned old man, rotten with age appears on the other side of the street. “I Ixion, Grandfather of Clan Anatarion accuse you Artemis of Kinslaying.”

A bulky Dragonborn warrior emerges from the ruins behind the group. “I Martek, Warrior of the High Lightning Clan accuse you Assamber Kell of meddling in affairs which do not concern you.”

A second much larger Dragonborn appears on the other side of the street. “I Najentus, Warlord of the High Lightning Clan, accuse you Azhanti, false prophet and charlatan.”

Ahead of the group a dark skinned woman appears. “I M’kemba, High Priestess of the Unfettered God accuse you Morn of apostasy.”

The purple robed figure steps forward. "I am Paldemar who you wronged so long ago. In the name of Vinga, Goddess of Vengeance prepare to meet your doom!”

Battle is joined and things immediately begin to go wrong. Ixion unleashes the angry ghosts of Clan Anatarion which seek to drag the group down and he curses Artemis with the Unbreakable Vow, a promise of death which cannot be avoided. M’Kemba seeks to chain Morn but he twists free while Paldemar rips open a brief lived rift to chaos spilling out multicoloured death amongst the group. Assamber is stunned and Azhanti finds himself blasted back into Najentus where he spends much of the rest of the fight.

Things go from bad to worse as Martek charges into Morn delivering a Fatal Blow, leaving him shaken and unable to rally himself (can’t regain HP by any means). The initial assault is ferocious and things look bleak. The ranged assault team have the higher ground, Morn seems unable to engage them, pinned down by Martek, Assamber is stunned and Azhanti is out of position.

However with this group initial appearances are often deceptive. Ixion immediately comes under withering fire and is quickly overwhelmed. Unfortunately for our enemies he is also their primary healer. Morn manages to fly up to pin down M’Kemba and Paldemar but Paldemar manages to teleport away going to the aid of Ixion and reviving him. Ixion holds on managing to heal some of his allies but soon falls again.

M’Kemba is trapped between Morn, a Wall of Fire and a hefty drop. With nowhere to go she cannot withstand the warrior. Martek reaps bloody revenge amongst the group but finally falls although he manages to take down Artemis with him. The damage is nearly overwhelming, all of Azhanti’s skills are needed to keep the group functioning.

Paldemar, mobile and highly dangerous manages to blast the group over and over, he stands on the brink of death but they cannot seem to touch him. Najentus enters the fray but with the loss of much of their damage dealing team his effectiveness is limited.

Still the battle hangs on a knife edge. Azhanti is completely out of healing, most of the group have expended nearly everything they have and, most shocking of all, Morn has been forced into retreat for fear of collapse. However, Paldemar’s sorcery cannot compete with Artemis’s skill with the bow and he collapses, his revenge unfulfilled. Najentus seeks to escape but the group are having none of it and he is swiftly brought down by their combined might.

Scene 5: Betrayal

Exhausted, bloody and battered they stagger the remaining distance to the Spire where they are met by Catalia Antarion, mother of Artemis and High Priestess of the Cult of the Eternal. She has opened the Spire and has prepared the way for the Key to open the prison. She embraces Artemis, kissing him on the check and wishing him well. Tears form in the corners of her eyes. She places her staff in the centre of the chamber and it is pierced by a beam of light. Five platforms emerge from the floor, each indented with the shape of their respective Hearts. Placed in their settings the entire building begins to resonate and slowly the floor disappears revealing a marble staircase around an immense column of stone spiralling down into the darkness. Steeling themselves our heroes begin to descend.

As they do so a grinding noise begins from above. Calista stands above them at the entrance holding one of the Hearts in her hand. "I am sorry my son but I cannot leave the gate open. The risk is too great, if you fail the Mad God will be unleashed on tens of thousands of innocent people. You must find another way to escape...”

As the floor covers the exit the group is plunged into darkness, beneath them the steps disappear and they plunge into the abyss.....