Owls Not Well

The Mejika Isles.... a land of trade, opportunity, new experiences, and, now, Leviathans. Will Potha make it through unscathed? And will she be able to resist the call of such a dangerous adventure?

The Isle of Airka

First stop on the Island chain is the great island of Airka, a pluralistic island of trade and syncretecism. The first city the ships stopped in was Udeka, a welcoming city where the threat of Leviathan attack seemed as distant as a storm over the horizon. First, Potha sent letters back to her family and girlfriends, filling them in on what had happened across Garadel. Then, Potha and Keen split off from Sarket and Losaro to explore the city. Keen recommended that they visit the local Zesheko community, and they were greeted by Vicar Sparrow, a charming woman that seemed to be friends with Keen's mentor. Sparrow welcomed them to a barbeque they were hosting that night for a different guest, a mysterious warlock - Potha was immediately concerned.  
At the party that evening, Potha and Keen got to enjoy a Zeshem community welcome and talk with Vicar Sparrow. The wonderful night was dampened by the ominous warlock, named Kovien, who spoke only through telepathy and brought news of the End Times. Potha suspected that he was an agent of the Rot - the apocalypse that Makar had been facing in Ekraht - but Kovien assured her that he was a warlock of a different entity, an Elder Leviathan named Old Skybane that served the "True Masked One". Unfortunately, Kovien seemed hostile to the Architects and wanted to help Skybane assert dominance over the Zeshem community.
After the party, Keen and Potha tracked the warlock through the city and were able to hunt him down to his tavern room (despite many spells and tricks). Keen snuck into his room, was caught, and all hell broke loose - he ran, Keen and Potha pursued, and the warlock died. The death was an extremely foolish thing, possibly enough to make a Ghost. The pair looted his room and ran before they were associated with the guy. They found a letter from someone named "Harwen", a letter of recommendation from a different Zeshem community, and a whalebone mask. 
The next day, Potha and Keen talked with a visiting wealthy Octoperson seeking to negotiate protection for their voyage. The Octoperson, Olma, agreed, but absorbed all of what Potha and the security team would have made. 

The Isle of Iniska

The ship, with aquatic guides and defenders, were able to avoid all of the chaos around the isles. As the ship passed by the edge of the Leviathan maelstrom, though, Potha was struck by a strange dream: she saw the Referee, the primordial being who told her the limits and natures of her power when she first was Halcyon all those centuries ago; she saw her fellow Architects in mortal form. The Referee informed her that, at the heart of that maelstrom, a power beyond the Two Sides of God and Apocalypse was gathering power. There were other possible endings than Gods Ascendant and World Ended, they explained - beings of great power were plotting to interfere with the game and take the world for themselves without necessarily ending it. Facing these other parties and winning could offer the Architects great advantages in the great game, but they would need much more experience and power before they could make such an attempt. The Referee also revealed to Makar and Potha that they could access a special power when all the Architects united: they could make an edit to the universe, but the apocalypse would get a greater edit in return. That power established, the two Architects chatted with the Referee, who seemed interested in their general opinions. 
After sailing for some time, the ships finally reached the Isle of Iniska, at the trading port of Chessel. The port seemed Zeshem-dominated, and the only way for Potha to freely walk the streets was with Keen at her side. The two went to the local Vicar Charity of Iniska, who referred the group onwards to Zeshem with an escort and offered them access to her library. Potha read Vicar Charity's writings on the three Immortal Buildings - Aysha, Mavara, and Suwota - and got a better sense of what their problems would be. Aysha was rebelling against her purpose, Suwota had used her obedience to justify an oppressive worldview, and Mavara had given into despair. 
And, with the escort ready, it is time to sail onwards to Holy Zeshema! And then on again, to either Samvara or the warzone of Movoto (to meet Halcyon's apocalypse).

Components

Goals

QUEST GOALS

• Visit Holy Zeshema
• Reach the Empire of Shirpatra
• Meet up with the other Architects
• Scout out the equatorial area to learn more about the brewing doomsday
• Learn more about Old Skybane and whatever is claiming to be the masked one

Relations

Allies

Coco and Cobi: Potha's moa and falcon respectively. Coco is a moa with a sweet tooth that is unusually friendly for a moa; Cobi is a falcon with a sense of determination.
Keen: Virtue's apprentice, who prefers a more hands-on and personal approach to assassination than their master. Keen is more aggressive, volatile, and xenophobic than their master, who they also seemed afraid of back in Loanua. Tentative friend of Potha. Scared of new places and people, feels like the world is out to get him, and traumatized by his training as a Hunter of Norinar.
Losaro of the Sacred Flame: Losaro is a member of the Riders of the Free Flame , a Saraka n zealot who sees sedentary life on the fireplains as an abomination (as well as generally distasteful). Losaro looks on Potha as an admirable companion, and supports her quest to protect the birds of Loanua.
Sarket of Sosella: A human cultist of Hiku who is paying off family's sin-debts in service to Potha; a "gift" from the cult to her. Professional and skilled in many areas - a tinkerer, a musician, an artist - he is the butler of butlers. He is also an adequate swordsman. He is both paladin and bard, which makes him a perfect conduit for the Muse.

Neutrals/Bystanders

Captain Jyen: A friend of Losaro who has helped the zealot out of many tough situations, Captain Jyen is an old Pearl Pangolin who rides around on a wheelchair and with a broad pink (perhaps once red) hat. Jyen is quite grizzled and scarred, and may have been a tough fighter once, but now he is enjoying a legitimate life as the captain of The Firebloom.
Vicar Sparrow: Imperial Zeshem liaison to the Zeshem communities of Airka, Vicar Sparrow is a laid-back and friendly priest who enjoys her diplomatic posting. Sparrow loves adventure and learning new things, and is close with the foreign-facing Hunters of Norinar. Sparrow is close with Virtue in particular. The two apparently have a very close bond and worked their ways up the ranks together, and Sparrow might even have feelings for Virtue. The two have been writing regularly, and Sparrow sees herself as Keen's other parental figure within the clergy.
Vicar Charity: Imperial Zeshem liaison to the government of the Kingdom of Iniska, Vicar Charity is an ambitious academic bureaucrat with a short temper and an encyclopedic knowledge of theology. Overworked, stressed, and vaguely threatening at times, Charity nonetheless does her best when it comes to helping other Zeshem.

Competitors

Kovien, Warlock of Skybane: An ominous shapeshifting warlock, who was courteous but threatening.

Plot type

QUEST

Parent Plot

A Tern for the Better

Subplots

• Birds Versus Evil

Related Organizations

• Zesheko

Related Locations

• Mejika Isles