After Corelleon offers his input, he realizes the crew could certainly use his help and formally asks “Captain” Zyn to join the crew (while also hinting to keep Xax out of his business.) After Zyn accepts her father’s request, the suggestion is made that, to deliver the message or discover more of the devil’s plans, they’ll need to capture one of them. Corelleon notes that a dimensional anchor will keep the devil from escaping. After finding out where the next closest village is, Zyn flies Nia off in that direction with all possible speed.

Meanwhile, Xax has Aiden object read the original ritual provided to the Primers. When Aiden is asked who possessed the scroll before the Primers, Aiden suddenly looks very pale and says, “She’s here.” At that moment, a jagged sword is thrust through the top of the observation deck from the outside; while the sword thrust seemed sudden and threatening, no one was struck by it. Having practiced for such a contingency, Mal orders Celia to get him topside with a dimension door. On the weather deck, a female warrior with black feathered wings appears to be the sword’s wielder, armed also with an ornate long bow across her back. As the female recovers her sword, Mal attacks, forcing the creature to disappear.

Already sensing her from the innate evil she gives off, Mal knows she is still on board but now in the back of the ship. Xax and Sophie had only arrived on the weather deck before Celia disappeared with Mal again, this time finding the winged warrior in the cargo bay flanked by two “bearded” devils. Xax catches up again as Mal and Celia move to attack again. Xax adds to the intruders confusion by swapping Celia and Mal around a bit, but the damage suffered by the winged woman proves too great. Appearing genuinely surprised by the ferocity of the attack upon her, she surrenders rather than be destroyed and dropped her sword. Hanos charms one of her two red-skinned companions (naming him “Grr” for his lack of articulation), while the second grudgingly surrenders as well.

When Xax asks for her name, she considers a moment before answering “Thaena.” With the ship secured, Xax marches Thaena back up to observation to see the captain, but Mal’s damage is severe, aggravated, and doesn’t stop bleeding. When Xax offers to help, Thaena readily accepts until “for a later named favor” is added. To ensure compliance, she reluctantly agrees if the request is “within her power” in exchange for healing. Xax stops the blood flow.

Arriving in observation, Zyn points out that the ship is over the next town, Bellvale, and in the night sky, they can see it is burning. Thaena immediately accuses the crew of being responsible for the fires, the results of the senseless killing of their kin in Newshire. She then specifically names Mal a murderer, mockingly his skills as a paladin. When questioned about her motives, Thaena claims no ill intent upon the women who birthed the devils nor on the Last Born themselves; Mal was accused of making the first attack in both cases, the “children” (who turned out to be devils) and Thaena herself upon arrival.

Discussions are heated as blame is assessed, but Thaena pleads that the intent was to escape the Hells they were trapped in, not drag anyone down into them. By birthing, the smaller devils were able to evade detection. With the ruse revealed, the Arch Dukes, the highest ranking devils in power over the Hells, will be looking for those in charge for explanation and punishment. The first priority, however, is to stop additional towns from being warned; if those devils fleeing to tell other towns of the treachery aren’t stopped, more will die. Thaena agrees to help the Last Born in a show of faith that what she has said is true.

From a higher vantage point, Thaena is able to discern where the devils are. Thaena agrees to return after she stops one group while the Last Born stop the others. Successful on both missions, Thaena returns as promises with the imps on her shoulder. Instead of demanding the devils return, it is offered that they should all reform from evil, no exceptions. With no other choice, Thaena agrees to the deal for all except her mentor, who she claims she cannot. It was he who sent her to demand Mal answer for killing the children.

The Last Born accept Thaena’s compromise, telling her to make the arrangement so that Mal can explain his “position” to her boss. With everyone looking on and expecting quite a show of Mal laying down the law, the “boss” shows up amidst the fires still smoldering in the town of Bellvale. Mal doesn’t want to fight the greater devil, but the creature quietly explains that, because of him, this must be done; the Arch Dukes are aware, and if it appears that he was killed by a superior foe, the Dukes may not question anything else that has transpired, keeping those who have escaped safe. Mal understands; the devil is sacrificing himself.

As the battle begins, Mal strikes hard, surprising even himself with the efficiency of his attack. When the devil retaliates as he must, Mal receives the most devastating wound he has ever suffered in battle, then realizing that not only is the devil sacrificing itself but also pulling its punches not to kill Mal as well. Mal begins to utter a prayer to Sanguine on behalf of the monster, a notion it sense and quickly condemns since it must be tainted when killed and banished back to the Hells. Finishing the monster off with his next attack, Mal finishes the prayer for the creature anyway. As it falls, it tells Mal to run with its dying breath as it implodes upon itself, the corpse vanishing to leave only a smoldering empty patch of ground.

Returning to the ship and heading back to Newshire, Xax patches up Mal, who in turn decides to hit his rack for some well-earned sleep time. In Newshire, Xax presents the village with Thaena, who some see as a black-winged angel, to stay and help repair the damage. Xax releases her from her healing deal, telling her to do what she can for her and the others to forsake evil.

Underway again, Sophie receives a request (from who she believes to be Maidyn) to seek Xax in letting her meet with his brothers in meditation by way of the geode. Inside, Sanguine appears (as the geode in a robe) but speaks only to the brothers. They ask Xax to ask his question, then tell him to bring Sophie to them. Xax obeys and gives Sophie a crash course on the technique.

Sanguine appears to open a portal for Sophie, which Sophie readily enters. Inside is a gnarled father tree entangling a helpless elf maid and surrounded by darkness. The entangled elf warns Sophie that a price must be paid to assist her, one that Sophie readily agrees to bear. Finding it more difficult than she first thought to reach the entangled elf, the maiden holds out a staff with a green stone inside one end. As Sophie finally reaches it, she is suddenly cast out and back into the real world.

Xax bids his brothers goodbye and leaves the geode as well. Outside, Sophie does not have the staff but has acquired something else: she has more than doubled in age, a condition not unlike that suffered by her own father.

Session XP: 11,000 per player (total 92,900 xp)

Reminder: No game on the weekends of May 29-30 (Oasis in Orlando) or June 5-6 (Rapier in Jacksonville.)

Also: Welcome back, Hanos!

Zyn becomes more militant about strategy, including an elaborate plan for shipboard combat and repelling borders. First contact a telepath (Celia, Xax, or Zyn) to ensure Zyn is notified; she will take over the ship’s helm remotely while observation is vacated. Everyone is given a “general quarters” location to go to while the options are coordinated by telepathy so that Celia and Zyn can move people about the ship and get the drop on any intruders. Sophie will be given “daddy duty” to protect him and the ship FROM him. Other drills include general quarters, darken ship, man overboard, abandon ship (including one that Hanos will have to approve.)

Among his other talents, Aiden has learned how to script “psionic tattoos” to grant others powers. Xax will also have him look into the crew’s tattoos as well.

Xax approaches Caine’s acting troupe about setting stories straight about the adventurer of the Last Born to counter any bad rumors going on outside. First story: meeting the group, finding the pick, and destruction of Kaldera. Second story: Finding the Water world, discovering the elves, elves abandoning he world to Sanguine as a show of faith. Third story: Meeting, fighting, and defeating the Vampire lord. Fourth story: finding the drow, confronting the colony god. Fifth story: fighting, capturing, and exiling the elven prisoners. The troupe is asked to embellish the tales to make them non-area specific.

Sometime later, Sophie goes to talk to Corelleon about something that has been bothering her. She asks if her mother, Lorena, knew about his concubine, Nia (Zyn’s mother.) Corelleon confesses that Zyn’s mother was likely killed by Lorena when Corelleon hesitated to burn down the concubine tower as ordered. In fact, he alerted some of the other commanders as well as took Zyn from her home and had her returned to Hyetal as a very young child. Years later when Sophie escaped a second time, Lorena arranged to have Corelleon banished to Hyetal as punishment for any help he might have given her (and to spend his remaining days with the people he preferred over his own kind.)

Aiden does an psionic object reading on Mal’s pick (of Larnagish.) The reading comfims that Larnagish was 249 years old (pretty good for a dwarf) when he willingly set aside his pick into his own tomb. It was forged and bequeathed to him by the commander of a great ship. Aiden also identifies Xax’s new (and intelligent) pick as lawful and neutrally aligned.

Shortly after crossing over into Hyetal space again (with no unusual activity or sightings), Sophie goes to Zyn’s stateroom “for a talk.” Already suspicious of the conversation’s subject, Zyn asks for Sophie to wait, pours herself a drink, then listens. Not one to honey-coat a subject, Sophie drops the bomb that Corelleon said his wife killed her mother. With a word, Zyn takes her drink and seals Sophie into her stateroom before going directly to Corelleon cabin.

Sophie alerts Xax who intercepts Zyn in Corelleon’s room. When she commands him to leave, Xax merely smiles as he swaps locations with Sophie to put the broken family back into the same room. Zyn won’t talk with Sophie in the room, so Corelleon promises not to die while Zyn speaks to him alone; Zyn whispers a thanks for trusting her and unseals her stateroom (not that xax needed her to to get out of it.) Needing something or anything to do with herself, Sophie goes to the galley to prepare a meal.

About the same time, Lochlan manages to stab himself in the hand and goes to Xax, having only just arrived back from Zyn’s stateroom. Xax in turn takes him to the galley and pours alcohol directly over the wound; the scream sets off telepath alerts all over the ship (and really sets off Sophie, who orders them both out of the galley.)

After assuring Celia and Zyn that all is well, Lochlan confesses to Xax in Xax’s room that he misses his foolish, idiot friend Raylen and is beside himself with no one to talk to about it. Xax give it his all (be angry, start a fight, get drunk), but when the subject of sex comes up, Lochlan realizes the conversation has taken a turn for the worse and promptly bails. In the cargo bay, Lochlan strikes up a lively tune, especially when he sees Mal heading toward him with that inquisitive look in his eye.

Xax goes to Zyn (having concluded her conversation with her father) and confesses to her that he wants to do more for crew morale but doesn’t really have a close friend himself, and equal as it were. Zyn offers her own take on family with a renewed perspective and how the crew tends to function like a family. She then offers to be there for him as well.

A week after, Xax goes to retire to his stateroom only to walk in on Lochlan and Celia sharing the oft-empty bed. Slipping out as quietly as he could, Xax questions Zyn first while she is helming in observation. With Sophie listening in, Xax begins asking complicated questions about males and females, himself coming from a race that procreates asexually in a brain pool. While Sophie discomfort listening to Xax on the subject sends her out of the room, Zyn manages to keep her cool about it and let Xax work it out himself. Afterward, Xax goes to ask Caine and the actors troupe about “mating rituals,” prompting Caine to go on endlessly about the many stories about love and passionate beings finding one another.

The smalljammer reaches the first planet in Alluvia space, a small green and blue planet named Vulpine with no detectable spelljamming activity in the area. Zyn musters the crew and suggests a short amount of vacation time for everyone. Zyn suggests Sophie take Corelleon to town in a renewed show of trust; Sophie asks, and her father readily accepts.

Xax, Aiden, Sophie, Corelleon, and Mal all go planet side. The local town, Newshire, is over the hill and down the right side of the road. The village is made up of thirty or so one-to-two story building and homes linked via cobblestone roads. In tune with his paladin abilities, Mal feels the slight presence of evil emanating from the town. Two guard working for the Lord Mayor of the town greet the newcomers and give directions to various stores. Mal gets three rooms at the inn while Xax sets Aiden up with clothes at the tailor (who asks and is told about Sanguine.)

Ever the ambassador, Mal starts gathering info talking to people in the taproom. The biggest news is that, thanks to a couple of young men who frequent the town on occasion, their have been new births in town. The oldest new child almost five years old. These men offer young women a ritual that requires a small fee and takes an evening to perform, but afterward they are able to conceive with their husbands. Mal alerts Xax and learns where the young men are staying in town (having arrived themselves only recently), but the the evil Mal senses is coming from other places scattered about the town.

Tracking the closest source to a local residence, Mal and Xax encounter two more local watch standers. Their conversation leads them to talk about the two local “Primers” named Korbin and Tremayne, the ones credit for the new births. Using the guards as a distraction, Xax and Mal gain entry to the home by way of its owner, Fisk, and his wife, Rae. Rae is holding their daughter, Radha, barely two years old. Xax prepares holy water and blesses the guards and the parents, but when the holy water touches the child, the water hisses and burns. The parents back away as the dropped child transforms into a devilish imp: gnarled claws, horns, wings and all. Mal destroys it with one hit. Xax puts the parents to sleep while the guards dash out the door, leaving the imp’s remains to be found.

Xax contacts Sophie and arranges to have Aiden take Corelleon back to the the ship and tell Zyn what’s happening in the town. Sophie meets up at the next home where Xax and Mal have already bluffed their way in, put the parents to sleep, and killed another imp. Outside, the group meets the Lord Mayor who has returned with the aforementioned fleeing guards, and shows him what’s happening. Immediately recognizing the danger and his luck that someone can deal with it, he suggests sounding a general alert. Mal counters with the need to keep everything quiet and moving house to house; Mayor sends one guard to gather more men quietly.

At the third house, the Lord Mayor gets them in while Xax puts the parents to sleep. Phasing upstairs to engage, Xax hits the creature without killing it. In turn, it smiles and becomes invisible. Between himself and Mal, a couple of hits finally kills the creatures. At the fourth house, the creature tries to flee before Mal’s attack of opportunity puts it down. When the baby’s room in the fifth house is found empty, Mal dispels the area of magical effects, revealing a hidden rat that turns out to be another shape changed imp. Having seen Mal dispatch the imp from across the street, the imp in the sixth house breaks the window out and leaps skyward, but Sophie brings it with a lightning bolt.

Four more are killed in quick succession. Xax, Mal, and the Lord Mayor are being followed by a growing but amazingly quiet crowd of onlookers watching the swift work of the warriors in removing the threat from the town. On the eleventh home, something worse waited for them: a skeletal creature of horns with a tail like a scorpion and glowing eyes sockets. The battle is heated but looks evenly matched between Mal and the creature until it tries to summon something to aid it it. Taking the opportunity to interrupt the casting ritual, Mal stops the summoning before finishing it off. At the last house, the parents are already waiting outside, claiming that something broke through their child’s window and flew off with their child.

At their guest house, the so-called Primers, Korbin and Tremayne, show no resistance to their questioning. They explain that they were given the ritual and shown how to use it but truly had no idea that it conjured forth devils instead of children. They agree to atone and help end this by showing the Last Born where all the other were born. Unfortunately, their travels have gone on for five years; there could be as many as a thousand others. Xax signals for Zyn to brings the ship down to pick up themselves and the Primers. As they depart, Xax gives a quick sermon and his promise to return to Newshire once Sanguine’s work on their world is complete, providing holy symbols and Sanguine scrolls to all those who ask.

Elsewhere, the devils have been alerted to the Last Born’s arrival…

Session XP: 6200 per player (total 81,900 xp)

Grateful for the rest and safety, Zyn is determined to find the ship while she can still get a bearing on it. With a safe spot to keep some of the crew while the warriors head out, Caine pledges to keep anyone safe who wants to stay behind. They convince Hanos to stay back with Lochlan, Aiden, and Corelleon just in case.

The group keeps a close marching order going out: Mal and Celia in front, Zyn and Sophie in the center, Azura and Xax covering the back. They walk for nearly half a day when a silver dragon swoops down from over head, drops a scroll, then flies off again. Sophie checks it for traps (and fails miserably.) Opening it anyway, the scroll says, “We have your wizard. Meet with our council. Directions will be provided.” The group agrees that the message is fake; after all, Hanos would never identify himself as a “mere” wizard!

Continuing on for a few hours afterward, what appears to be the same silver dragon is perched on the ground and waiting for them in their path, pointing the direction toward a distant plateau. Xax initiates a mindlink to communicate; Mal introduces himself, to which the dragon gives her name as Neganna. After all turn toward the plateau (Zyn indicates the ship is still in the other direction), the dragon leaps off in that direction ahead of the group. Rather than provoke an attack that could come at any time, the Last Born decide to visit this council, if for no other reason than to explain their peaceful and well-meaning intentions.

Reaching the plateau within an hour, a massive cavernous opening reveals the way into a hollowed out mound. With natural light pouring into a circle in the center of the chamber, the Last Born enter to find ten dragons perched in circle as if in council. There are five older chromatics, one of each color, and five older metallics, one of each metal, including the silver who introduced herself as Neganna. In the shadows of the cavern beyond the council circle are many younger dragons of all breeds.

The natural fear given off by the massive reptiles proves too much for Sophie and Celia initially, but Mal and Xax instill in them the confidence they need to remain. Mal waves again to Neganna in recognition (as only Mal would do) and asks her to introduce the others. Nodding to her fellow metallics, she introduces Shuma the Copper, Apopha the Brass, Attor the Bronze, then skips herself in line to Ormar the Gold. Less cordially, she continues with the chromatics: Pythius the Blue, Sesha the Green (and current head of the council), Volos the Black, Dalinda the White, and Tanit the Red.

With the pleasantries barely concluded, Sesha immediately lashes out, accusing the Last Born of being thieves. Xax counters that they are merely explorers. The green dragon also points out that since the group knows that Arcadia is where the wealth of all dragons has been stashed, such knowledge cannot leave the world (in spite of the fact that Sesha himself just revealed the so-called secret.) Sophie refuses to contain herself and screams back at the green dragon to “Just give us our stuff back and we’ll go away.”

Unfortunately, the chromatics want blood, and Sesha proposes a simple option to get it: trial by combat. If the Last Born win, their ship will be returned and no harm will come to them. Should they lose, they die (except for maybe Sophie, who claims willing to become a slave.) Xax manages to add in that whatever happens, the rest may remain unscathed on world. Sesha consults with his chromatics (spurning the metallics in kind) before he slyly agrees.

The trial will be five combats, first to three wins declared the victor. To appease suspicions of a surprise attack, the metallics agree to protect the non-combatants while the trial is taking place. The Last Born must chose their champion from among themselves and draw a lot at random from a cauldron to see who will face them. Ten dragons have volunteered to represent and fight for the council. Sesha is deliberately fuzzy on what constitutes victory, defining it as when “one opponent is unable to continue for any reason” (death being a rather specific one.) Lastly, either side may call for a brief interruption to administer healing as needed, to which Sesha grudgingly agrees after some prodding from Neganna.

All of the Last Born bow their heads and pray to Sanguine for success, even Azura, while Sophie prays to Maidyn instead. After being blessed in any way helpful, Mal takes up the first combat, looking somewhat upset that the negotiations with such wondrous creatures has come down to blood. Seeing this, the chromatics chuckle among themselves over the immanent defeat of such a reluctant warrior. Mal draws the first lot: a black slate. The council parts to make way for a lithe young black dragon to enter the council circle. Mal greets his opponent respectfully, but the dragon brushes him off. The elder black dragon on the council, Volos, puffs up like a proud father as the combat begins.

With uncanny speed and power, Mal strikes first and thrashes the creature hard, instantly silencing the jeers in the crowd. Hurt but still seething in a rage, the young black lurches forward, but Mal evades the claws and maw of the dragon. As he readies another strike, Mal begs anyone who’ll listen not to let this continue. Mal’s follow up attack is as deadly as the first, and as it becomes apparent the first strike nearly crippled the dragon, both Volos and Xax call a time out to stop the death blow, but Mal’s pick had already done its damage.

The elder black roars in anger but does nothing else. Taking the moment to look up into the eyes of the council dragons, Mal demands to know the name of the creature he had to destroy. Neganna quietly gives it: his name was Glynn. Almost tearfully, Mal thrusts his hand into the cauldron a second time and draws another lot, a bronze slate, before again reiterating that the council should stop this before any more blood is spilled. Neganna glares at Sesha, but he appears neither moved nor worried about the outcome of the trial in spite of the first win.

The summoned bronze dragon enters the circle, larger than the black before him. As the crowds roar for blood, Mal shows respect and introduces himself again. Not so crass as the black, the bronze nods respectfully and gives his name as Nicola. Both combatants square off, but Mal proves faster again, landing harsh blows on the creature. Having witnessed the previous combatant’s mistake, the bronze retaliates by unleashing his lightning breath at Mal, striking hard. While the attack seems true, Mal shows no hesitation in returning the damage in kind, although in truth Mal actually pulled his second strike as much as he could. As the only being close enough to the bronze when it happened, Mal heard it utter the words “Nice shot” just before it collapsed onto its side.

Xax again leaves the safety of the closest metallic with the intent to aid the bronze. With Mal already reaching for a third slate in the cauldron, Sesha the Green points the dwarf out and accuses him of somehow cheating. Sophie answers the challenge and calls the green dragon out for the coward he is. With eyes wide and evil in its heart, Sesha forgets himself and breaths an acid stream to silence “the elven bitch” for daring to speak to him a second time in such a manner, bargain or no bargain. While Xax uses a special ability to switch the locations of himself and Sophie to save her, the metallic guarding her was more than resistant enough to ward off the green’s cowardly attack.

Neganna the Silver immediately declares the Last Born the winners of the trial by right of the council’s forfiet; by attacking Sophie outright, Sesha himself violated the rules, and as such must also step down as council leader. Neganna hurries the Last Born out of the chamber as both chromatics and metallics begin heated debate over who is to succeed Sesha in leading the council.

Outside at a safe distance, Neganna shape changes into a humanoid form and explains that Hanos was indeed kidnapped but by someone he knew: the dragon he saw in the well of Larnagish’s tomb on old Kaldera. His name is Varune.

A few moments afterward, another silver dragon glides in and shape changes, presumably Varune. He reveals that he took Hanos to the ship (stuck in the mud but undamaged) and lands it for a pickup. Zyn takes control, cleans the ship up a bit, and flies everyone back to Caine’s encampment where a few final details are discussed.

The acting troupe agrees to leave with the Last Born for another world to perform upon (while a private showing of the complete “Half-Elven Princess Bride” will be performed for the crew.) Neganna knows from Varune what the Last Born are up against since the “barren wake” has prevented the dragons from bearing offspring as well. Concerning Raylen’s body, Lochlan agrees it would be appropriate to accept the silver dragons’ offer to bury him on Arcadia rather than consign him to a fire world. After the dragons additionally bequeath a few generous treasures (magical armor and such) onto the Last Born for their honor, Zyn takes Nia skyward off planet before Sesha gets any ideas about retaliation.

CONTINUE READING WITH “The Devils Inside”

Session XP: 4275 per player (total 75,700 xp)

Experience Point Adjustment: current total points are 75,700 xp

Welcome to level NINE!

(… and the new synopsis is already up! Enjoy!)

With time taken underway, Hanos begins training Azura to build her own arcane lock, although the completed task may take up to two months. Xax continues to work with both Zyn and his new apprentice Aiden. When not training, Aiden spends his time learning the ropes of being aboard ship with the blades (who spend more time playing cards and goofing around than actually working.)

Sophie periodically speaks with her father, Corelleon, continuing to listen to him explain himself to her, how he believed he had Zyn’s best interest in mind not to have her enslaved in his own house. With a week behind them and about to enter the next sphere, Zyn sends Sophie to Corelleon to ask about the next sphere. Corelleon knows nothing additional to what was already known.

With another two weeks to their destination at the center of the sphere, Xax introduces Aiden to the teachings of Sanguine while Zyn spends time talking to Aiden about living on Hyetal. While Aiden is being trained as a seer by Xax, he is also taught about Hyetal’s suppressed pantheon as well so that he may make a choice.

No encounters bar the ship from reaching the new planet in the center of the sphere, a red rock of a world with three moons ringed in the same orbit. In Xax’s room, six meet for the consulting of the geode to determine the validity of the planet below: Xax, Mal, Hanos, Celia, Zyn, and Sophie. While Raylen is at the ship’s helm, Mal has a vision seemingly prompted by his pick of a lightning flash and storm clouds with the ship caught within. When nothing else comes from the meeting over the geode, the group seals Xax’s room and gathers in observation with Raylen. Xax suggests a flyby, first of the planet itself and then of the moons.

As the ship passes between the planet and the first moon, an arc of energy catches the ship in its path. The flash of power immediately causes Raylen harm, killing him through the helm. Xax’s mystical pick dissolves as does Hanos’s bonding ring before the ship suddenly ceases to respond. Xax is unable to revive Raylen’s corpse any more than Zyn can command the ship to respond, with or without the crown of stars. Already caught in the planet’s gravity well, Nia begins to fall out of the sky.

Unable to hail the ship, Zyn solicits the crew for any way to stop the ship’s decent. The group exhausts all possibilities, leaving only the unthinkable option: abandonment. With the geode still in Xax’s possession (which he discovers may have stopped working), the crew works out assignments to bestow fly and levitation spells to keep everyone aloft once they exit the ship. With no room for Raylen’s body, Xax hastily performs last rites. Last off the ship, Xax and Zyn take as many food and water supplies as they can carry off with them. The ship disappears into the clouds below just before a dark shadow of a dragon passes by, a massive silver creatures visible for a moment heading in the same direction as the falling craft.

The fly spells have a far limited duration than the levitation spells, so all the fliers are sent promptly to the ground as the rest float down safely afterward. Finding a painted desert devoid of vegetation but populated with pack creatures darting around at a distance, the crew set out in the direction of where the ship was falling with Mal and Celia leading the way. Xax theorizes that the silver dragon they saw briefly might have caught and taken the ship intact but can offer little reason as to why. After taking a quick inventory of the remaining mystical items the crew has between them, Hanos reveals to the crew that he still has the crystal orb, the one Hanos said he got rid of when Xax told him he thought it might be evil.

When the animals in the distance start darting in the direction of the crew, Hanos attempts to talk to the creatures while the crew prepares attacks and spells. The creatures are hungry and have decided to have at the crew, but a few well-placed spells of fire and lightning either destroy the creatures or convince them to look elsewhere; three survive of ten by the time it ends. Ahead in the dust, a multi-headed creature seems to be dining on the fallen critters. It notices the crew but seems intent on its feast, allowing the group to circle around the “hydra” (according to Corelleon) without incident.

Traveling for hours further, the sun seems about to set when a new one begins to rise on the opposite horizon. The suggestion is made to make camp, but Celia recommends a defense against a stone outcropping to use as a wall and prevent flanking by a ground force. Zyn sets the watch for an uneventful “night,” then picks up again after the rest period.

Another half a day’s travel is rewarded by the discovery of a damaged battle dolphin half buried in the desert floor. Suggestions for searching are made, but Zyn suggests Xax do it alone in wraith form to avoid any more sudden or surprise deaths. There is evidence of stripping and nesting spiders but no current occupants or clues to who they might have been.

Around twenty-four hours after the ship’s fall, Mal notices the pick of Larnagish vibrating again, providing a vision of a subterranean layer full of dragons. Moments later, a migraine strikes Zyn, revealing that the ship is close and reaching out to her, trapped somewhere and afraid. Deciding to make camp a little early, Xax consults his brothers inside and catches them up on the recent event, but with so much life teeming on the world, it will not suit Sanguine to remake it.

As watch shifts are stationed again, Celia detects that they crew is being observed. She relays the information to Xax who investigates. He discovers a skeletal being with green eyes dressed in a black wig and swashbuckler clothing. Taking the initiative, Xax introduces himself to a positive response as the green-eyes skeleton calls itself Caine. Caine agrees to return to the encampment where Azura recognizes Caine as one of her own cursed people, then ensures that they are also seekers and not judges or destroyers. As one of twenty-five survivors of the sunken dolphin ship found earlier, the seekers had been planet side for a few years and have a fortified position close by. Azura gives her blessing, and the Last Born travel to the seeker’s camp.

CONTINUE READING WITH “The Dragonslayer”

Session XP: 2500 per player

Privately, Hanos and Azura talk about the necessity of what happened, so of course Azura agrees. Azura is fully out to join his order, so Hanos begins teaching her how to make her own arcane lock.

In her room, Zyn agrees to have the ship secure the wasp egg to only she and Mal. Dealing with the death of her sovereigns on top of everything else and feeling a bit needful, Zyn politely asks if Mal wanted “anything else.” He answers no, but as he walks out, the pick vibrates just before Mal experiences a vision of Nevarus embracing Zyn and saying “Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Noticing Mal’s pause at the doorway, Zyn questions Mal’s stopping. After he declines to elaborate, Zyn agrees to go below to secure the egg right then.

Seeking refuge away from the others, Xax visits the brothers through meditation. He expresses concerns about not acting fast enough to save the queen. The brothers essentially accept that Xax is assigning a “sacrificial” penance to himself, but it is not a bad thing.

Meanwhile, Sophie goes to see her father. Corelleon confesses Zyn isn’t happy about having been banished back to Hyetal instead of being retained as a slave on an elven core world. Corelleon prods Sophie to speak to Zyn on his behalf. Sophie goes to see Zyn, who eventually lets her in. Zyn lays into Sophie for living like a “poor” princess while she was exiled to a shanty town to fend for herself as a child. They discuss their father, finally deciding to ask Xax his opinion about keeping him on board.

In Xax’s cabin, Sophie and Zyn (very sleepy) question Xax about keeping Corelleon on board. After Sophie recounts that their father already knows everything, Xax agrees he cannot be trusted to leave the ship. Everyone finally goes to sleep until tomorrow afternoon. Once everyone wakes, Zyn musters again in the cargo bay.

Zyn morphs the ship to resemble a local barge and docks down the beach from Abdel’s compound. Describing the compound they are infiltrating, Zyn estimates six guards and twelve concubines/servants plus Abdel. Everyone goes ashore except the blades and Xax to guard the ship. Taking the opportunity while both daughters are occupied, Xax goes to talk with “daddy” Corelleon. Xax lays down the honest truth about why Corelleon will stay alive and what will happen when he inevitably proves Xax wrong and betrays the crew.

Zyn and the crew arrive at the compound expecting trouble, but the guards there seem more than reasonable in letting the crew speak to the owner of the property but claims not to know Abdel. Meeting with the host confirms Zyn’s fears that Abdel is no longer around. On a hunch, Zyn leads the crew to the local shantytown where she grew up. She meets up with old friend, Vald, who takes her to Abdel, a man now half burnt from his ordeal in losing his property and business. When Zyn challenges him for what he knows and about the golden slaves, he admits to knowing about things but regrets nothing, pointing out that she herself was more than willing to anything required for a fresh opportunity. Zyn decides to leave him as he is.

Following Vald back to the part of the shantytown where she stayed, they crew is introduced to another of Zyn’s old friends, Henrik, who greets them heartily. Zyn takes the opportunity to start a rumor about the deaths of the royals and removal of the prime. When Zyn confesses that she wishes she had brought something more for her old friends and neighbors, Hanos chooses to expend a charge of his rod of security, allowing the locals to gather vast amounts of food to take back for Zyn’s people. As evening draws near, the crew returns to the ship.

Before their arrival, a local Hyetalian named Aiden presents himself to serve Xax as a psionic, claiming he was drawn to the psionicist. Detecting potential within him, Xax accepts him as a student and instructs Lochlan to feed the thin lad.

CONTINUE READING WITH “Off the Map”

Session XP: 1850 per player

With Zyn piloting the ship below the ocean surface, the outer bay reveals over a dozen old wrecks, possibly from some ancient sea battle. In open sea hidden below the surface a night, Zyn halts the ship, asking with Xax for opinions on what the Last Born’s next move should be. Zyn asks Hanos if he thought Nevarus was part of any actual resistance on Hyetal, but Hanos says no because Nevarus has been active in the half-elven breeding program. Both the Corelleon (the magistrate prime) and Zyn look shocked. Xax asks Hanos for a detailed explanation, so Hanos recounts what he and Nevarus discussed about taking their time, even as long as a century to create something.

With a little time on their hands, Sophie asks if her father can show her where Rivershire once was. He does; it’s at the center of the elven spheres inside a growing maelstrom. Mal then asks Corelleon who was responsible for what happened to Rivershire. The magistrate prime says there were stories of a cold war between wizards and the priesthood/druidic order, that Rivershire withdrew support when a compromise could not be reached. Xax asks who Hanos who trained him in Rivershire arts, to which he answers “Caynor McGowen.” The prime magistrate has heard the name “Caynor” as one of the main opponents of the second story: seeking a path back to Sasharria, the elven afterlife who’s path was somehow lost.

The Last Born debate the idea of entering the maelstrom to resolve the issue or discover. Xax mentally projects info about the golden slaves while the magistrate prime mentions two things needed to do this but knows of no such project. Sophie reiterates that she revealed everyhting to her father, prompting Xax takes off his mask to relax. When the magistrate starts asking Sophie about throwing in her lot with all of Sanguine’s followers (whom he had heard was an illithid deity a small sect of elves took beyond the worlds.) Xax (against Sophie’s wishes) demands that the magistrate make some sort of apology for what he’s done toward Zyn; the prime asks for an hour to rest (Sophie’s room) before seeking Zyn to come find him.

Zyn asks Hanos in if she looks pale to him, which is overheard by Xax. Xax immediately checks out Zyn (who swears nothing is wrong with her other than a family crisis.) Sensing Xax playing a cruel game with Zyn, Hanos manages to distract Xax to give Zyn a little peace. Afterward, Celia, Azura, Xax and Hanos meet the king on the way to the galley. The king is taken aback by Xax’s unmasked appearance, but he recovers quickly enough. Soon after, he suggests the temple as a place they can be taken and hidden for protection. The rest meet Sophie in the galley.

Before the hour is up, Sophie goes to find Zyn in observation. They talk for a bit about Zyn’s concerns; Zyn assures Sophie she has no ill will toward her but would like to know more about her family since she now knows she still has one. Hanos takes over the ship’s helm while Zyn goes and talks with her father. Their conversation takes about an hour but apparently does not go well.

Regrouping with the others, Zyn suggests talking to Abdel first, but Hanos and Xax convince her to drop off the king and queen first at the temple beforehand. The king and queen claim there is a moon pool beneath the tower mount large enough for the ship. The queen is also a priestess and should be able to protect both she and herself. No sooner than the royal couple is dropped off, Mal’s pick (of Larnagish) start to vibrate as images of non-Hyetalians suddenly dying after scratching something on their arms fills his mind. People are dying everywhere.

Shouting commands to return to the moon pool under the temple mound, Mal reveals his vision. Xax, Hanos, Mal, Sophie and Celia follow the presumed path of the king and queen before they can put whatever plan they have into action. After bypassing a warded room and another guarded by two colossal stone sentries, they catch up to royal couple in a secure inner sanctum.

The queen defends the room with a barrier of blades. With the king doing something secretive behind a green glass-like enclosure, the queen refuses an ultimatum by the Last Born, claiming there was no choice left. Unwilling to risk whatever the king was about to do, Hanos wastes no more time and unleashes his flintlock on the queen in an attempt to remove the barrier. Sophie follows the attack with a lightning bolt. To the horror of the others, the combination proves fatal, killing the queen, but the barrier remains.

Praying to Sanguine for guidance to reach the king, Mal receives a vision to have Celia open a doorway into the glass enclosure. After signaling Celia, Mal is slipped inside and learns what the king is doing. The doomsday device, an egg-shaped container with carving of wasp-like insects interlocked over the outside, contains a deadly virus that affects non-human blood. After a serious conversation, the king decides to bequeath the doomsday device to Mal, making him responsible for keeping it or unleashing it.

Following Mal’s instruction, Celia takes the king back to the group outside the blade barrier. Unwatched by the group, he sees his queen’s body dead on the floor. After ensuring no other danger with the wasp egg, Mal returns to the group and realizes the king is missing. On the floor below, the king’s body is found where he entered the room and triggered one the sentries. With the king and queen’s death on their hands and a doomsday device in their possession, the Last Born depart the temple for their last destination: the contact Zyn used to leave Hyetal on the doomed Demeter.

CONTINUE READING WITH “Friends in Shanty Places”

Session XP: 3225 per player