Session 18: Return to Grantz to prepare for the Moon!

General Summary

Previously

  Arriving on the planet of Paraxis, the group visits a rough, walled town whose inhabitants consist of metal men, mobile plants, humans, and animal men. These people scavenge useful "runeware" from surrounding ruins to make their lives easier and for trade with other towns. While they seem to have little information about their planet's history, or much beyond their immediate surroundings, they do tell the party of the "Electric Monk" living in the nearby woods, who might be able to tell them more.   After trading some of the tools from the Vlerryn and the shuttle to resupply the ship, and having a party to allow the crew to let off some steam, the group journeys for two days through the forest to visit the temple of the Electric Monk. After using muffins to fend off an attack by cyborg lizard men, the group arrives at the jade pagoda of the monk, part of a larger complex of ruins swallowed by the forest.   Entering the pagoda, they eventually learn that the monk a remnant of the ancient civilization here, though his memory has degraded over time. He confirms that the hurricane-sized runestorm they saw from orbit circles the spot where the once the capital city Agaddon sat, and that the monk believes that Agaddon may still exist, beyond the rift.   He goes on to explain that there was a research station on the moon, that may still hold a device that can close the rift. (When asked, he also tells the party that the moon appears to be temporally unstable, shifting back and forth in time, and advises them to land when the green stripe is visible). The party will need to use the shuttle to land there, in order to trigger the automatic docking systems. When the party agrees, the monk provides (via a panel that slides up) some parts and instructions on the use and repair of the shuttle (much to Jessa's delight). He also describes what they are looking for, where it hopefully is, and what to do with it when they find it.   Unfortunately, unbeknownst to all, spider buddy carries the Mozck virus (which the ghost captain of the Vlerryn told Zayer about). The virus infects the monk, through Zayer attempts to help the monk with magical healing. The party flees (at the monk's orders), wondering what they may have unleashed here.  

Session Notes

Return to Grantz

  Some hours into their return journey, their path is enveloped with a strange fog, in which flashes of lights in a variety of colors can be seen. The group tries to press on quickly, but three knots form in the fog, suddenly erupting into strange, ravenous attackers.    The party is caught off balance at first, but Hunter manages to pull the sled with the equipment from the Electric Monk out of the combat zone, before circling back. By then, the rest of the group has rallied, and manage to defeat the creatures (despite some ambient effect about them, that made spellcasting somewhat unstable around the creatures). During the battle, Jessa is briefly sucked into an eerie realm, where she see the battle in only vague outlines. Once the creatures are destroyed or driven off, Jessa manages to claw her way back through the dimensional barrier--though she is slimed in the process.   The rest of the journey back to Grantz is uneventful.  

Repair Montage

Back at the ship, Ralgir reports that the intervening time was uneventful. Rylan kept trying to get a look at the shuttle, but Ralgir kept him away, as Jessa instructed. The group checks in with the Mayor, and tells him:

• The town (and other settlements) might want to avoid the Electric Monk for a while, saying that the monk was "acting strangely" when they left, and there could be a problem there.
• Windy also tells him that the cyborg lizard men can be bribed with muffins. 

Over the next several days, Jessa and Windy focus on repairing the shuttle, with Rylan's eager help. Much to Jessa's annoyance, Rylan clearly knows the technology better than the rest of them, and helps get the shuttle repaired much more quickly than it would otherwise. Rylan is happy to help--in return for going with the party in the shuttle.   The group spends their time reviewing what the Monk told them about their mission, learning what else they can, and tending to the ship and crew. 

• BN Sue spends him time bonding with the crew.
• Windellian explores the town more, looking for any information he can on the strange mix of magic and technology found here, what magic is/was like on this world, the history of this world, the war between science and magic that apparently precipitated The Incident, and whatever anyone may know about the phlogiston. While no one has any idea what "the Phlogiston" is, he does try to find any "crazy old man that no one will listen". [Windellian uses a benny to Influence the Story, to get a better idea of what the relation between magic and technology was.]
• Hunter asks Rylan to help make sense of the bazooka, and Rylan is able to provide more details (and an unexpected demonstration, freezing a few trees). Rylan calls it a "Frigid Wall Projector", and it creates a wall of supercooled air up to 30 feet by 30 feet by 1 foot that inflicts damage on anything that passes through it. The wall conforms to the space available. It lasts for ten minutes.
• Windy also asks Rylan to check him out. Rylan tells Windy that he is beautiful. Windy hopes to get more information that that. 
• Zayer seeks out the local temple in town, which is dedicated to the worship of the world's powerful ancestors. He casts divination there, in an attempt to learn more about the world, and (in particular) its gods and religion.