WttSS session 32: 'Victory is Ours'

General Summary

A trip through the mountains

  Carrying three rescued Seeker initiates, the party flies their shuttle away from the Abouelkassem facility and north into the Nekatra Mountains, towards the village beneath the Northern Falls.   The initiates notice Murad's height but also his extra arms and it draws their curiosity: They shyly ask if he is indeed kharatuk. Murad admits that the truth of the matter is not entirely within his grasp but that he would assume not, as his existence owes something to the modern laboratory rather than a descent from beings of old. The initiates ponder this but offer that there is nothing to say the original kharatuk weren't a created being either, and links may still exist. Gentle conversation continues on the matter, in which the initiates take the place of excited children, thrilled to learn of the wonders of legend.   The initiates also share their experience of being held prisoner by 'The Rais':

• He was looking for word on "the entity" returning and on any others of its kind being found
• During their interrogations, his agents would ocassionally arrive to report the wherabouts of "The Key"
• The base seemed in preparation for a large uncoming operation

  As Khalil, Masruq and Zarzur rest, Kerman remains in the pilot's chair, just in case. His caution is thus rewarded when the computer alerts him to an atmospheric phenomenon ahead. It advises that the shuttle avoid the disturbance in the air. Kerman wakes the sleeping party members. Ahead of the shuttle is a small aurora that ocassionally projects out light reminiscent of a fireworks display.   Between Zarzur and Khalil's skills they observe that the display is connected to the appearance of particles that their various pieces of sensing equipment cannot pick up - particles of a type yet undescribed by current science. Somehow controlled so as to not cause large-scale destruction but nonetheless releasing energy, the particles decay away from their unapparent source.   Keen to get real data, Khalil gives Kerman control of a drone to pilot toward the aurora. His decision to give away control proves an excellent one, as the drone attracts the aurora particles in the form of a sudden movement, like a flame surging along a line of oil. Fortunately Kerman's skill allows him to ride the drone along a wave of outpouring energy, and though all data suggests the drone should have been consumed, he somehow rescues it (3 successes and crowd pleaser talent).   An overflow of energy washes passed the action towards the shuttle, seemingly doing little harm to it for the most part but awakening the experimental equipment that Khalil recovered from the Abouelkassem facility, which jumps about, inexplicably obtaining momentum from the inside. Murad, Masruq and Zarzur contain the dancing items, Zarzur even catching some of the motion on video.   The investigations reveal:

• The only known science the phenomena resembles is that of the portals
• The phenomena occurred over one of the jungle-covered valleys

...All data that could reasonably be recorded can be considered to be so.  

Northern Falls village

  As the shuttle comes into sight of the village, the mountain folk all come out to the meet the party. The villagers all remember the party from when they dropped off the Seeker Souhaila and by now the stories of the them have travelled throughout the mountains. All the tribespeople know of the holy warriors Kerman, Walker with Demons, and Murad, the kharatuk returned; and of the band of demons that travel with them. Souhaila too, comes out to meet them, delighted to see the three rescued initiates.   Children rush out to grab hold of Kerman and pull him towards their house. The adults come forward too, trying to tempt Murad forward in the same way. In the end both defer to Masruq, who diplomatically requests any gathering take place in a space by the river, attended equally by all. The village agrees. Though they don't understand the group being led by a demon, they acknowledge both Masruq's rank and the strange ways of the divine: who are they to question the agents of the Star Singer, come to save their people from nekatra and the Darkness of the Abouelkassem facility?   At the centre of an evening's gathering, Masruq, Kerman and Murad take pride of place in a round of storytelling, drinking and song. The villagers are keen to hear the tales of the divine warriors, which Kerman promises to tell as long as they trade their own story. He tells the story of the efrite Jihan, and though he never mentions himself or the party in the telling, the village attributes the tale to the two holy warriors nonetheless.   In return, the villagers tell the tale of their people. All mountain tribes once served the Dark Masters - the Abouelkassem - and all were abandoned here on Ghodar when those masters returned home. The tribes agreed amongst themselves that they should keep watch over the fortress of evil that the Dark Master had left behind and that the tribes would take in turns to be Watchers, to make sure that none of the Darkness the Abouelkassem toyed with escaped beyond the boundaries of their facility.   The mountain tribes all know that Erasyl's tribe failed in their duty as Watchers but none speak of that failure with any judgement or scorn, as they all know that no human warrior could have turned back the tide of Darkness released from such a place. Fortunately the Star Singer sent them the two holy warriors to do this and now all the tribes are free.   Whilst Kerman, Masruq and Murad enjoy the full hospitaly of the main table, Khalil and Zarzur enjoy the relative freedom from responsibility that comes with the lower table. Zarzur wanders over to the nekatra pack that came with Souhaila and that have made a peace with the humans of the village, whilst Khalil investigates the waterfall that appears to be a defining feature of the village.   Zarzur wonders if the nekatra remember her and offers one of them some meat from the gathering. It seems that they do indeed remember her, as the chosen nekatra looks somewhat horrified at the offer whilst its comrades look on and snigger. It does slowly and carefully take the food but brings the meat to its mouth as slowly as possible to give Zarzur a chance to turn away; but she doesn't and it is forced to eat. The pack watches intently as the meat is chewed but the chosen pack mate doesn't seem to die or turn into anything unnatural - yet - and all flee into the shadows. Zarzur remains the Demon Queen of the Nekatra.   Khalil tentatively examines the waterfall that is a central piece of the village. Though the mountain tribes still consume the jenilan plant that allows them to breathe the Ghodar air they still seem to recognise a value or importance in the waterfall, as they only build their village out to a certain distance from its base, a distance within which the air is sweeter and clearer, and capable of sustaining normal human life. Indeed the party and the Seekers can all happily exist within the village without breathing equipment of any kind, just as they could at the Seeker sanctuary - though the falls there are much larger the operation appears the same. Khalil's investigation reveals that the breathable air is somehow generated from the base of the falls, where the falling water sprays up as it hits the pool. He decides not to investigate further for fear of upsetting his hosts.  

Back to business

  Leaving the village well rested, the party returns to The Oasis starport. Checking in with repair operations on Ghodar Station, it seems that the repair of Caliban would be considerably easier if there were some spare advanced-computer parts available. Fortunately, the party have already stolen some from the Abouelkassem facility. Masruq leaves them in the care of the concierge Lila for transport and the party sneaks away without making a fuss beyond a quick resupply and fix of Zarzur's thermostatic suit.   Checking in on the rest of the system, they also learn:

• Only a 9-day has passed since Khamzi's reawakening, so not much has changed yet in local politics, but she has publicly declared herself unconnected to the divine and definitely not a child of the Star Singer
• The ruling council has yet to fully reorder itself but Bakhtiyar Yazdan fears that some will not give up their divine calling easily and that some form of cult may grow from the roots of frustration and dissatisfaction
• The Legion destroyer Harir, still within Yesheriti Diri, had a momentary power failure that caused it to collide with smaller asteroids - local news is reporting it to everyone's delight, though it is doubtful the news will pass through the portal stations out beyond the system
• Zarzur uses her hack into the Legion databases to dig up information and the party is gratified to learn that there are no reports of Abouelkassem sorcerer energy signatures aboard the Harir - the crew recovered the ship quickly but no-one knows what happened