Chapter 2 Session 3: Sea, Sobriety and Strings

General Summary

The morning started with Mimsi finishing off her cooking wine and knowing that she was soon going to run out of time and become sober.
When the party reached the top deck of the ship they saw that they were in an endless sea, undisturbed and with nothing interfering the sights. Thordak felt overwhelmed by the sight and found the endless vastness of the sea deeply unsettling, Kodo meanwhile found it deeply relaxing and meditative. They decided, as Gwydion was training and Mimsi was practising parkour, that they'd find a net and try catching some fish in the sea... it surely must have been teeming with marine life.
As Kodo and Thordak cast out the net Mimsi suddenly stopped and collapsed to the ground. Upon checking her over they realised she could see straight, she seemed sharp and attentive... it had happened... Mimsi had become sober...
She became unmotivated, moody and sullen. Almost entirely unwilling to work with anyone in the party and failed to see 'the point' in anything.
Thordak and Kodo expressed a deep, horrified concerned at this 'new Mimsi' whilst Gwydion tried to play her off as fine by making her investigate the rigging by telling her there was a bottle of rum hidden there, Mimsi believed him and became upset when she realised Gwydion lied to her.
With that Mimsi went down to the crew beds and hid under the covers from everyone else.
Thordak wildly started searching the ship for any crew willing to give out alcohol. He found a bottle of Peach Schnapps from Maria Cartwright and he entered what can only be described as a game of chance with Panic who had mixed up her alcohol bottles and her poisons in her pouch. Thordak tried three different vials that were all necrotic and deeply damaging poisons before giving up on the game and leaving Panic to find her alcohols herself (she failed completely at it).
While Thordak searched, Kodo stayed with Mimsi in the bunk house where she expressed confusion at the fact Kodo was sticking around and not just leaving her alone Kodo expressed that he was her friend and would always support her in times of need.
At this point Mimsi revealed to Kodo that she'd always felt like she wasn't enough. She wasn't a normal goblin but she also wasn't good enough for the monks who constantly expected Mimsi to be something she's not, this idea that she could never be enough for the monastery is what led her to the Yurshi horde where she realised people only liked her when she was intoxicated and being useful.
She then explained that Kodo is only staying with Mimsi because he's Kodo and is incapable of being annoyed... Thordak joined the group at that point and they decided to plan revenge on Gwydion together.
While the three were in the bunks Gwydion decided to take over fishing and managed to catch 30 small fish and a shark that was still wildly thrashing around, he went to move the net and was bitten on the arm, halving his hp and destroying his right arm. At this point the ship started screaming at this and the party went to the top deck to watch Gwydion shoot the shark in the face, Thordak joined to attack the creature that then suffocated moments later.
When the fight ended Mimsi saw a chance at petty revenge and and grabbed Gwydion's shattered right arm to drag him away to help her look for the rum he claimed was amongst the rigging... Mimsi's pressure on his arm nearly made Gwydion pass out from the pain.
Lyren moved to the top deck at this point and used a spell called 'Life Transference' to heal Gwydion's arm.
The party carried the shark downstairs and prepared shark steaks after that point, Gwydion made Mimsi a shark tooth necklace as a way of apologising and reassuring the goblin that he likes her both drunk and sober. Thordak also made a charm for Olympia's friendship bracelet from a shark tooth.
After that, the party saw that a single rowboat had settled in the centre of the endless sea space and, sitting inside the rowboat, was a single man with a tireless smile and bald head.
The man stood and, in the same manner without dropping his deep smile, announced that he was the 'Puppeteer' he offered fortunes and readings to those interested whilst his puppets told a story. The party and ship were DEEPLY DISTRUSTFUL of this strange individual. Gwydion climbed up the ships rigging to get the puppeteer in his sights and Kodo watched with Lyren whilst Thordak and Mimsi climbed down to the Puppeteers ship to speak to him.
As they questioned the strange individual a few strange things happened:

• Thordak realised there was a wooden stiffness to the puppeteer, he had plastic glassy eyes and skin was lined like he was a shaved piece of wood whilst his lower jaw moved unnaturally and his smile was constantly painted onto his face as he spoke and laughed.

• As they discussed whether or not they wanted a reading the puppeteer pulled out two puppets and made them dance on their strings before they magically danced alone. Thordak used a charge of his inquisitors blade to test if the puppeteer was using Aist magic.

• The puppets that the puppeteer revealed were spitting images of Inquisitor Dairon and Olympia. Notably, as they danced Olympia made a point of performing for Inquisitor Dairon who watched with disinterest but clapped nonetheless.

• At this point Gwydion had had enough of this and took a shot at the puppeteer, a head shot that rocked straight through the creature's head and elicited no reaction. As the shot rocked the puppeteer the Olympia puppet gripped their head and dramatically collapsed to the ground as though they were the one shot by Gwydion. The puppeteer became distressed at this and cleaned off a red paint splotch that had appeared on Olympia's temple.

• As Mimsi and Thordak continued to discuss the puppeteer explained that he would charge them for a reading by carving puppets of them. He also explained that, after the reading, they could ask him a question but he would take a secret in return.

• After this, the puppeteer pulled a small set piece that looked like a workshop called 'Schmitt's Workshop' and as he clicked a switch on it silhouettes moved on the inside of it through the windows. Four silhouettes. As the shadows moved Puppet Olympia continued to perform for and distract Puppet Dairon before the inquisitor had enough and moved towards the warehouse.

• At that moment, the window for the warehouse opened and four black shadowy vapors leaked out as the puppets approached the warehouse. Dairon waved for Olympia to go in first and, as the two puppets went inside, the lights on the warehouse all turned off and the doors clicked as though all locked.

• Mimsi and Thordak watched for a time and continued to ask for a price before a wild loud knocking came from within the warehouse prop piece and the puppeteer explained that it must be for the two of them to answer.

• Thordak opened the prop piece and found that the Olympia puppet had been torn to pieces and the Dairon puppet had changed into a snarling gorilla like beast, a Barlgura Puppet.

• The puppeteer explained that he wanted the party's puppets to make sure the scene made sense... Olympia didn't die because the party saved her in the real world but in this situation, Olympia is all alone.

Kodo aggressively rebuked the puppeteer at this moment, and explained that he was simply an evil creature emotionally manipulating those around him. The puppeteer then showed Kodo a prop piece of the Monkey's Paw with a puppet version of Kodo's protege cooking like a child unsure. Kodo then asked Gwydion to stop shooting the puppeteer and he sent Lyren to make sure Olympia wasn't damaged.
Mimsi asked for a reading at this point where the Puppeteer started rapidly carving her out of a block of wood. As he carved he asked her loaded questions and built her features based on the results, expressing that Mimsi only half understands things and tries to admit she does not truly see, he twisted one of her hands for her inability to know what she values but he balled the other hand into a fist with three friendship bracelets as she expressed that if anyone hurt her friends she would kill them, the puppeteer agreed with this sentiment. He also forced a question mark in the puppets spine to show Mimsi's lack of conviction and confidence.
After he built her, he forced the puppet hooks into the form and attached strings, at which point, Mimsi felt her own arms and shoulder involuntarily lift as though she was being guided by strings of her own.
The Puppeteer then brought back the now fixed Olympia doll and had her perform a song for the Mimsi doll who started rave dancing.
Mimsi then asked the puppeteer a question: How can I protect my friends. The puppeteer answered "When the eyes watch and the voices speak in the sea of chaos, close of your sight and your hearing... that is how you will protect your friends from yourself."
The puppeteer took away Mimsi's relationships with the Yurshi horde as payment for this question.
Thordak rejected the puppeteer's offer for a reading and went back to the ship where the other crew members went for readings.
Mimsi went below decks to mull over what had just happened, Kodo went to meditate in Lyren's room in order to find peace within himself and put aside his disgust towards the puppeteer, Thordak trained for a time before going to make sure Mimsi was okay and expressing that he was there for her and that she belonged with the group before hugging the goblin.
Gwydion and Archania then went for a reading together.
During Gwydion's reading, the puppeteer expressed his notion that Gwydion has an issue in duality. One half of Gwydion is the optimistic, wise cracking and theatrical hero whilst the other half is mirrored, a mask he wears for protection from others because of the broken, selfish creature he hides inside.
The puppeteer turned one of Gwydion's hands into a gun, expressing that he is defined by this and then asked Gwydion what he values, Gwydion answered that he valued his dream above all else. Because of this the Puppeteer made one hand a gun and the other hand was held out like a beggar or mugger. The Puppeteer expressed that Gwydion is likely the kindest but most ruthless of thieves and bandits.
As he finished the reading Gwydion asked a question: Will I achieve my dream or will I end up in a ditch for trying to chase it?
The Puppeteer answered that he isn't sure but is confident that Gwydion is more likely to achieve his dream by turning on and manipulating everyone around him, but, would Gwydion truly feel like he'd won when he achieved his dream and paid for it with his friends lying in the blood soaked dust around him?
The puppeteer took away the context of Gwydion's dream as a price for the answer. Gwydion wants his dream more than anything else but has forgotten the years of bullying, ridicule, abuse and naysayers he'd grown up with.
At this point the puppeteer began Archania's reading where he expressed that Archania was:

• Arrogant for presuming she truly understood fate.
• Selfish for the way she smiles and plans to make her targets strong, leaving them alone and afraid.
• Finally, he painted her puppets hands red. Archania seemed to understand the symbolism of this.

During this time, the Olympia puppet caught Gwydion's attention and, not noticed by Archania or the puppeteer, the puppet picked up one of the nearby ink pens and wrote on the table : A Will Take Her Chance, Beware The Sea of Chaos. She made eyes with Gwydion and looked at the writing once more, then back to Gwydion. As he nodded that he understood, the puppet dramatically fell into the ink sentence and rolled around to smudge it across the table.
When they left the reading, Archania was disgusted with the puppeteer and looked deeply frustrated whilst Gwydion was confused and left a little concerned by the experience.
The party moved to dinner and left behind the Puppeteer at this point where Kodo made shark steaks with a garlic mashed potato. He worked with Thordak to marinade Gwydion's shark steak separately to make it extremely spicy and impossible to eat... payback for his actions with Mimsi that morning.
Gwydion managed one bite before nearly vomiting and needing milk, at which point Thordak took two bites (hubris may be a flaw for the half orc) and he vomited over the side of the ship in response.
At this point the party mostly went to bed. Thordak spoke to Panic for a while and expressed a deep shame at his ability to torture and murder from a young age whilst Panic revealed she had children who were practising mages in King's Bay and that she couldn't wait to see them again when the current job was done.
Kodo took some time watching the sea at night where Lyren went to speak to him. Kodo expressed that he truly felt affected by the presence of the Puppeteer, Lyren explained a theory he had; he believed the puppeteer was the irrelevant part, he was simply good at reading people. The puppets were the key as they gave messages and shows to whoever sat with the puppeteer. Kodo remained convinced that the puppeteer was simply an evil creature trying to elicit a reaction.
At this point, Kodo made a strange request, he asked that Lyren give him some books on Fallrock so he could learn more and get some closure on the place he was born. Lyren gave him two books.
Finally, the party rested and woke the next morning to find the crew staring on shock on the top deck. The sea and skies were empty once more, except for one thing. A single rocky islet with an ivory white towering spire that stretches 150ft in the air.
And that's where the session ended.

Character(s) interacted with

• Panic: Thordak spoke with her about how their time in the horde affected them as well as learning that Panic has a human husband and two half-drow sons who are learning magic in the MAGUS centre of King's Bay.
• Lyren Killian: Was regularly around the ship throughout the day and notably tried to calm down Kodo's hatred of the Puppeteer and gave Kodo two books: The Fallrock Bestiary and A Guide to Fallrock: History and Conflicts.
• The Puppeteer: He appeared before the mistwalker with his puppet shadow and did reading for the crew including notably: Archania, Mimsi, Gwydion, Maria and Panic.
• Archania: Had a dual reading with Gwydion and was notably angered and shaken by what the puppeteer said.

Report Date

18 Oct 2020

Primary Location

Umala