Mutants of Marnharnna: Pt. 12 ('If 8 Were 3')-

Osyl and Raylyss each received a summons by their Elemental Patron, to investigate the house along the shore by which the steam-paddle was passing. An infiltration of the ship by two never before seen Reptilmalians (and the genetic-memory of Osyl's Shuttlecraft Pilot ancestor being played over the Aetherphonic which sucked her into the past with such clarity that she briefly traded consciousness with him) convinced the group as a whole (after reptilmalian bull territorial behaviour was resolved) to explore the ruin haloed in a watery yellow light visible even in the morning sun.

Initial investigation showed a model home with nothing but advertising materials for a failed commercially-developed community. Out back was a shed and a sump. Raylyss, under cloak, popped the lock and the group (including a Cook, an Engineer, and a Security Officer from the ship) entered.

Raylyss skipped levels one and two and began exploring solo while the party was plodding along being careful (as they ought). Eventually Raylyss, after finding a nice new set of electronics of the Ancients, rejoined the group as they descended to level four of what they determined was a marine warfare research facility, and one that had housed an alien and engineered lifeform most similar to a squid or cuttlefish, suspended in vast tank that led to a ship launch channel and out to sea.

Along the way, a zombie or two were popped, and more evidence as to what had happened to the base personnel in light of the Shorrannin invasion/system-war recorded as happening in the year 1137 (campaign date is 691). An ancient terrarium, partially fed off of the sucided remains of an Ancient gardener, was also found, and the Survival Instructor-Caste Ship's Security officer was so moved by that that he and the cook took seed packets and fertiliser to continue the work on the surface.

Level five appeared to be suspended directly over the gargantuan tank, and it was learned that the creature had been aware of them the entire time and had also masked its mind signature, preventing Zalder from reading it on his Mind Field. Tentacles shot up out of the blind shark-filled waters, and grabbed at anyone they could. Level four, the same, and Osyl of Frost was ensnared, squeezing off the leg above the knee (more than half her DP total in one attack), but her wound frosted over, preventing her bleeding to death.

Hoisted out of harm's way, Osyl and the party pressed on, but counted the older cook and engineer as losses to the Monstrous Being, before hearing the lower levels pulled down into the tank. This included the terrarium, which angered the Survivalist immensely. The surface was reached, the party better off for loot, and finding that the ship's crew were about to give up on them, but helped them back on board as the thing roared and shook the foundations of the Aurora Bend facility.

Both Osyl and Raylyss learnt that their Patron had not contacted them, and that meant that the squid had mentally manipulated them successfully enough that they had never questioned the strange orders in the peculiar communication (which had included a complex illusion in Raylyss' case). Osyl swore an oath of vengeance against the thing for claiming her leg, while Raylyss was left to ponder the significance of his son being the possible Sire (rather than Raylyss) as had been suggested by three different reptilmalian groups.

Raylyss has now outed himself to the Security Officer, but his son and the younger girls have yet to make their début to the private-hire gambling ship.

[Playtest Campaign] 5th, March-

Without going into excruciating detail, the party confronted the apparent demon, moved down an Ancient corridor beneath House Ahzenbakh (Tyb in 2D Shadow-form throught the rest of the battle), Ashta fought the unseen baddie in Psychic combat (doing a good chunk of its DP total), the rest fought skeletal mooks, and then were confronted with a fairly wimpy Shorrannin which was slain.

Ashta psych-blasted it one last time and tore through its non-mind only to reveal thousands of its Hive-siblings suddenly looking back at her. Its carcass self-destructed injuring everyone, especially Skelk and Rhur who were not in sealed e-shealth Scout suits, and then the tesseract labyrinth began to collapse in upon itself.

The party not only managed to escape, but saved the KO'd cavorters and pre-sacrificial kids, but lady Miren, with implicit authority from the Governors, killed her sorceress mother, Dame Diem. The Governors asked Miren for (and were granted) permission to take over the mansion so as to better safeguard the site, as it was still extra-dimensionally unstable.

End of that adventure.

Beginning of next adventure:

The Aelbaan Sphere, having been nearly destroyed by fighters launched from the cloaked ship in orbit, had been repairing itself and hadn't been able to assist Ashta since they'd entered the sea cave. It asked to be transported to the Shadow Plane where it wouldn't be fighting gravity to repair its various micro-fissures. Tyb couldn't do it alone and went off in search of assistance, meeting the Shlzm. This group describes an army of human worshippers of a demon-god raiding their underground realm, and secures the aid of the party in exchange for their Shadow-transport of the Sphere.

He also meets a very loony Dryvv woman named Kyllia who is essentially a historical quasi-goddess who offers a number of her handmaidens to accompany Tyb in his future raid of the Aelbaan starship (in exchange for a drop of Ahni's [and by extension, Tyb's] blood). Kyllia is whispering into her slumbering Grand-(or great-grand-)-father's ear about wanting to have possession of (one of) Tyb's timelines. Tyb is given an inky copy of the Myth of Power, the mythified history of the pre-Dryvv, proto-Dryvv, and Dryvv peoples. It can be manifest as a regular tome, or can be 'read' in his mind's eye as a (searchable) running film narrative of the contents.

Ashta, Mela, and Tyb confer and determine that the demon was in fact a psionic delusion/illusion generated by the Shorrannin. And also that the Aelbaan are aware of their possible defeat at the hands of the party, and are moving against them, fearing that Ashta and Tyb will learn to unify their power. This is then vaguely set against the background of the Dryvv' interest in Tyb's timeline, and his metacosmic relation to another character of his from my Pathfinderish off-the-rails game that preceded my running UWoM for them.

The party are now in the Endgame of followers, land holdings, and approaching lord/dameship.

Fight on! :)