Session 31: A Charming Room in the Hive Report

General Summary

Previously

  After successful returning Agaddon to Paraxis, the party receives the blessing and thanks of Zurvon and Lady Umbriel, then collects their crew from Grantz (discovering they had lost the Syllix and half the goblins, but gain Rylan). The party decides to fly directly to the Hive to avoid missing the chance entirely if they are delayed at Chandos, but plan to return there later. The month-long journey is uneventful, except for a dramatic visit from Lady Umbriel, in which Windy learns that Grizella the radiant dragon of Greatspace pursues him as art, that other factions are interested in him as well, and that he should travel to Armon on Fairiespace, and seek out a temple to the clockwork goddess Brigh, if he wants to learn more about his dead master (see last session summary for the notes on that).   En route, the party reviewed what they know about the Hive, from studying the notes found in Hobart's secret lab (all the way back in Session 2):  

• Hobart's destination was some kind of rogue, wandering asteroid that has been sighted in many different spheres over a period of several hundred years. The rock is referred to as "the Hive" in most of the texts that mention it.
• The Hive is something of a legend among the beholders. It was apparently a weapon build centuries ago in a distant sphere by a beholder tribe called the Sazuar, as a weapon to use against their enemies (especially other beholder tribes)
• The Hive is home to some kind of creature or construct called the Ravager that leaves its lair to destroy inhabited worlds.
• The Hive also contains devices called "Queen's Eyes" that give their wielder great power. (From the notes that Hobart has left, it seems obvious that he is after the Queen's Eyes.)
• Among the papers is a scroll with a rough sketch of the Hive that shows a crack in its surface marked with an X, that appears to be some sort of “back door" that Hobart was planning to use to enter the Hive.
• The party decided (months ago) to investigate the Hive, both as a source of treasure, and as a potential threat to inhabited worlds.

  Once they find the asteroid, after a day or so of searching, they see that it is a rocky sphere as big as a mountain, drifting through the darkness, slowly spinning end over end. They spot a huge brass dome (over a mile across), a crashed ship (which may indicate someone beat them here), and the canyon marked on Hobart's sketch.   Entering the canyon, they soon find themselves in a tunnel which ends in massive basalt doors, that open at their approach. Beyond, they spiral in to the asteroid through a dark, barren tunnel, eventually reaching a cavern with another set of doors, and a message from the Arcane:  

If you are reading this message, that which we feared has come to pass. For reasons of our own, we created a powerful weapon for the Sazaur nation. From the onset, we feared it would grow beyond even our control. We devised a way to neutralize the project, but we will not do this ourselves. That is not the way of the Arcane.   You cannot have bypassed our defenses if you are of the Eye Tyrants. Therefore, you are their enemies . . . or should be. Know this, then: The weapon we have created, the Ravager, depends on the energies of the Queen's Eyes. The ten lesser eyes dwell each in their own domains within this Hive. The greater eye sees all, but none can reach it.   Go forth into the complex we created. Locate and destroy the ten lesser eyes. Only this can end the menace of the Ravager. We have admitted you. For the brave, this is enough. There is nothing for you here. Go forward.

    The party interprets this as

1. The Arcane built the Hive for the Sazaur beholders
2. They feared the weapon would get out of control, and placed this secret entrance here, along with the mandate to "destroy the ten lesser eyes", each of which dwell each in their own domains within this Hive" to allow non-beholders to enter to stop it if needed.

  Once again, the doors open slowly as the ship approaches. The great doors open to reveal a vast expanse. As they pass the doors, Zayer asks them to pause the ship, so he can use Object Reading on the great doors. He sees a vision of shadowy images of the Arcane building this area with unfathomable magic and devices centuries ago, and then a long period of quiet. Then, about a week ago, the spell shows a vague impression of large creature or construct, roughly twice the size of a man, and shaped like a cross between a scorpion and a starfish, with a pinkish, crystalline carapace entering the area around these doors. It half crawls, half floats, in a strange, slow-motion hopping sort of movement. The doors open when it approaches, and it disappears through them, into the brightly lit room beyond.  

Session Notes

The ship then moves forward, and pivots forward 90 degrees, so it rises through the frame that surrounds it parallel to the surface beyond. Before your eyes, the doorway fades out of existence, giving way to lush green vegetation. Although you expected another room, it seems you have entered another world. You see a forest and a range of rolling hills. But at the horizon, the sky is the same color green as the hills. And there are lines rising in the sky, and—And then you realize you're looking at a wall. It's miles away, miles tall and wide, and covered with forests. And there are others like it all around you. You're in the biggest room you've ever seen, bigger than you can comprehend.   Looking up, the first thing you see is a huge crystal, hovering in the sky, as bright as the sun. Above this, where you might have expected to see blue skies, you see yet another green wall. This is a cube of titanic proportions, miles on a side, with the crystal at its center.   This room is a beautiful tree-filled realm. Music plays everywhere, but it is impossible to determine its origin. The tune is light and lilting, and apparently played on many lutes. Pleasant herbal and sweet flowery smells drift on the breeze. Despite the strange circumstances, this realm feels incredibly peaceful and safe to you, and the entire crew seems to take a deep breath, and relax--except for BN Sue, who finds all this relaxation and peacefulness very disturbing.   The ship slowly spirals up and around the huge glowing crystal, while Jessa studies it and the surround terrain. The crystal seems to be decahedron in space, but Jessa can't really tell anything else about it. Searching the surrounding walls, the only structure she spots is a featureless black pillar, incredibly tall (approximately 500 yards tall), and about 100 yards wide at the base, narrowing to 50 yards wide at the top.    The party decides to investigate, their concern growing as the crew and some of the party seem to get more relaxed and amiable, until only BN Sue, Zayer and Windellian seem to be left acting normally. (Zayer and BN Sue has succumbed at first, but Windellian was able to snap them out of it). From the top of the pillar, they can see it actually seems to be a tunnel, with very narrow walls (about 4' think), and extending into darkness.   Landing in the clearing around the pillar, they meeting a collection of diminutive (~4' tall) humans, fair-haired andgolden-skinned, wearing loose silken robes of white and gold. The group greet the party cheerfully (WAY too cheerfully) and without any fear. These idle people dance lazily, sing, and tell stories about a "Crystal-Eating Serpent" that comes out of the Monolith and "takes the light away." (Apparently this event happens at irregular intervals of weeks or months, and is heralded by earthquakes). They also tell the crew excitedly about the "scary, starfish thing" that took the "spiky armor that had been sitting there forever, crawled into it, and floated up to the top of the pillar and disappeared."   Generally, the people are simpleminded, scatterbrained, useless and utterly frustrating (especially to BN Sue, whose attempt to intimidate one of them merely results in getting his shoes peed on). They babble endlessly about the trees and the music and what a nice day it is. When asked about their robes or the ever-present music, they say that the "Lord of the Dance" provides all. However, they don't know where to find him and can't remember what he looks like.     Giving up after a while, the party gets back into the ship and rises into the sky again. BN Sue indulges his frustration, venting the bilges onto the happy, golden people, which makes BN Sue happy--causing him to succumb to the ambient charming effects. With Zayer on the help, and Windellian flying around, the ship approaches the central crystal, intent on attacking it.    As they prepare to do so, a tall, incredibly handsome man with flowing golden locks and wearing white and gold robes, appears on the deck, greeting the crew, who feels that this man is the closest friend they have in this world or any other. He smiles angelically and opens his upper robe, above the belt. Embedded in his pale chest is a huge, red, withered eye.   Spying this from above, Windellian decides to attack. He deftly executes a swooping attack, gun drawn, silently swooping down in an attempt to shoot out the man's chest-eye--and unfortunately, flies right into a mast, knocking himself out (after rolling a critical failure). Zayer can perceive what is going on, and is incredibly frustrated to be the last person who can act freely, but trapped on the helm (since the ship is in a gravity field, it will start to fall if he gets off it).    The man, Horan, welcomes them all. Prax steps forward to talk, and Horan chats freely with him, until (apparently sensing Zayer's lack of charm) he heads below decks. As they talk, Prax learns:  

I am Horan, Lord of the Dance, foremost of the Incarnations. When my creators passed, I awakened. Rejoice, for I have chosen you to serve me in the greatest of tasks. Go forth into the world beyond, and find the nine other eyes. Bring them here, and they too shall dance to my song. With your assistance, I shall fulfill my glorious destiny and bring order to the universe!

   

• "The creators of this sphere passed long ago, and this Hive has evolved autonomously since then. Each of the 10 eyes, originally keyed to the powers of one of the eyes of the Queen beholder, has its own realm, built to collect and magnify its power. We have gained sentience, me most of all, as our power has collected and grown."
• "My realm, of course, is the greatest, and most peaceful of all the realms"

When they reach the helm room, Zayer immediately shoots Horan in the chest, shattering the eye, and causing Horan to dissipate into a murky cloud that fades away. The central crystal flashes brightly and dims, and the charm effect dissipates.    The party is relieved that their minds clear, and review what they believe they've learned:

• According to the Arcane's message, "The ten lesser eyes dwell each in their own domains within this Hive", and the Arcane want them to "destroy the ten lesser eyes. Only this can end the menace of the Ravager."
• Apparently, these eyes have evolved some sort of sentience after the deaths of the original masters of the Hive, the Sazuar nation, and formed Incarnations such as Horan. 
• Each eye has its own realm, built to collect and magnify its power, and presumably this room was one of those realms.
• They speculate that "the Crystal-eating Serpent" that periodically takes the central crystal is part of the Ravager, and these crystals form its eyes. 
• Whatever the crystalline starfish/scorpion is that entered the Hive, they suspect it is an intruder from Runespace, and are concerned what its purpose is, and what it will do with the "spiky armor" the golden people said it took

After reviewing what they know about the powers of beholders, they fear that the other eye-realms will not be nearly as pleasant as this one. As far as they know, the powers of the lesser eyes of a beholder are:

• Charm Person
• Charm Beast
• Slumber
• Telekinesis
• Petrification (Turn to Stone)
• Disintegration
• Fear
• Impediment (Slow)
• Wounding
• Death

The central eye typically causes an Anti-Magic effect.   After arguing about whether they owe anything to the golden people whose idyllic (if simpleminded) realm they have disrupted, the party agrees to venture deeper into the Hive, and then return here to check on them. After not finding any other way out, the party reluctantly orders their ship into the opening at the top of the black pillar.