Session 32 - Oh, Oiakis

General Summary

The party has been teleported to Oiakis! We arrive in a dark room lit by bioluminescent plants placed along the black stone walls. It’s the temple of Thalakyma and it’s made of basalt. He wants us to wait in the temple while he entreats the elders to hear Ionessa’s cast to come back into the city. It seems there’s really just one guy who’s keeping her out at the moment, his name is Anytos, but Ionessa is confident that given the opportunity to meet Kovu and see that he’s not a horrid monster the other elders will allow her to return.
Ionessa takes us aside and tells us to respect our elders in Oiakis, we should assume everyone here is our elder because we’re not very long-lived. Also we absolutely should not lie. Everyone looks at Kestor for some reason. One of the elders is 700 years old! Kestor asks about the person who doesn’t want Ionessa around. He’s a priest who tried to divorce Kovu and Ionessa but couldn’t, and there was a lot of talk of bad omens and so he just banished her instead. She found Kovu’s parent in merrow territory where she shouldn’t have been.
We’re probably going to have to testify to Ionessa and especially Kovu’s character. We should leave out times where she protected monsters, and maybe explain how Kovu isn’t a mindless monster but rather an intelligent person. Kestor intends to do a little anthropological research and maybe write a book when he gets back to land, Ionessa convinces him to do the same the other way around and write about the surface for the people of Oiakis, which leads him to plan to learn how to write with seaweed. Also we should stop and give words of prayer or an offering any time we pass by a shrine.
Tidecaller Axiokeanos shows us around the temple, it’s HUGE and made of basalt. Vertically built with lots of underwater arches, it’s quite beautiful. Lots of religious trinkets and offerings are tied down or kept in fastened containers to prevent fish from getting them. If you sleep you have to strap yourself in as well. There is a section for aspiring clerics where we meet Halina! We learn that the Tidecaller shirks some of the tradition of seniority hierarchy. A lot of that hierarchy stems from the traditions of Saemenos (what does this mean…?)
Kestor asks Halina if she can help him learn to read down here, and she says that Phaedeon (one of her cousins) may be able to get him into a lesson with some of the younger kids. It might be embarrassing but Kestor has no shame. Halina is confident in Ionessa’s case because she has the Tidecaller and Elder Itherea (Ionessa’s great, great aunt) who will be in her corner. We tell Halina that we met Ektikori and Mikroterikori, she has never met any of the gods but she has seen one of the gods, Protikori, the god of family, during a festival.
We catch Halina up on what we’ve been up to. We get on the topic of the kraken and think about which god might have sent it (Thalakyma or Tegissa) to go look for the ember in the strait. It seems that krakens might be under the domain of both gods, but it could be either. She then teases Ionanthos about their relationship and reveals that Ionessa’s family is all coming in for a wedding between one of their cousins, Thyrsos, and someone else! Halina has been good, she’s been going out helping people with her magic as part of her studies.
Axiokeanos returns and offers to lead us to the elders! We head out into the city, it’s all very vertical, built up from the seabed far down below and tower high into the “sky?” Tritons, merfolks, aquatic elves, genasi, tortles inhabit the city swimming in every direction. Bioluminescent corals and plants provide light to the city, painting it in various colors. Xanthos tries to get Kestor to take his shirt off (what else is new?) We follow the Tidecaller to a building where the elders meet to discuss matters of state and what not, outside is a shrine to Saomenos. We all take turns thanking him for his blessings.
Inside we are introduced to the elders. Elder Aegon of Clan Nyima, Elder Ino of Clan Psoura, Elder Itherea of Clan Chorekyma (Ionessa’s clan?), Elder Proxenes of Clan Xotarchaio. They argue a little bit about whether this matter should have been brought to them in the first place when she was banished initially, but technically her transgression was not committed within the city walls. Ionessa is compelled to testify about how she found Kovu; she was trapped by the dragon and fatally poisoned. The dragon said that she would have to free him in exchange for her life, but she couldn’t and so instead she was tasked with taking care of Kovu. She returned home and Kovu followed her, and when she panicked her parents called Anytos, who tried to separate them and then banished them due to Kovu being an ill omen.
Anytos gives his testimony. He tried to perform cleansing rites to remove curses and diseases from Ionessa, which did not work (because Kovu isn’t a disease lol.) He says Kovu is a representation of Tegissa and to allow him into the city would be a disaster, so he believes it was in his rights to banish them. He apologizes for not seeking the counsel of the Elders first.
Axiokeanos speaks briefly on her behalf, and then the party is given the opportunity to speak on her behalf. We sing her praises! Virtue, honor, compassion, hope, mercy, selflessness, basically Ionessa is the best. It’s seriously like 15 minutes of us all just telling the Elders how much we love her and how much she has changed our lives for the better. They ask Neo whom he worships, he tells the truth, and then they ask if he has seen any omens in Ionessa. He says the gods have continued to aid him as he travels with her, and believes if she were a bad omen they would have abandoned him. They ask for clarification as to whether he has spoken to the gods himself, and he reveals his role as an oracle whom the gods speak through. They ask him to call upon the gods now.
He does so, and a voice moves to speak through him. The voice is minty, refreshing, and cold. “I, Ikrima, speak to the mercy and the dedication of my votary. Her will is as my will, and her kindness far beyond that of the mortals I have witnessed in this world. I would not question her character without questioning mine own.” The elders are taken aback by this, Axiokeanos looks smug as hell. Finally, they ask Ionessa if she believes she will bring bad tidings on her people. She gives an emphatic no, Kovu just needs to be taught, he shouldn’t be judged just because of what he looks like and where he came from.
They ask her if she has noticed any omens. She reveals vague details about the ember, just saying she found something from a god without giving any real information because the secret is being kept with Ektikori. She mentions the kraken as well as Pearl, who was born of a clam shell and is a child of Thalakyma, perhaps we can bring her back to Oiakis now. She mentions speaking to the Oracle at Korymour, it regarded Kovu, lots of fire and scary imagery. Being spoken to by gods, especially Ektikori. And lastly, meeting the rest of the party! We’re heroes, we help people, we’re rebuilding a town, it’s all very lovely! Imagine a social encounter where the way we win is by talking about how much we love each other.
We leave to let the Elders deliberate, and when we’re outside Axiokeanos asks her about Pearl. He’s very interested in this talk of a child of Thalakyma! Ionessa is very overwhelmed, but it seems like we gave a good defense. She asks Neo if Kovu is a bad omen, and he says omens are open to interpretation. Even if he is a bad omen, he believes being in Ionessa’s presence would subvert him into something good, but ultimately he doesn’t think Kovu is bad.
We return to the Elders, they announce that Ionessa may return to Oiakis under two conditions: any trouble caused by Kovu and the party is her responsibility. Anytos defers to the wisdom of the Elders. We head outside and hug and celebrate, Ionessa is eager to show us around the city. We pass by a shrine of Protikori, covered in living coral that melds her into the residential area itself. We approach the Protea, a communal space where people can bring food and such. Someone calls Ionessa’s name; it’s Maret, one of her cousins. In fact there are LOTS of cousins! There’s Leo, Herippe, and Zenoda, all children of Phaidion and Iaera. The kids are cute and the parents are tired, guess things aren’t all that different down here. We also meet Gord, who seems to be Ionessa’s stoner cousin.
Meret brings us food, Kestor asks for information about everything he eats for his encyclopedia. Ionessa’s parents are on the way. We also meet Maiana, Meret’s wife and Ionessa’s aunt. They ask us about the surface, mostly about the concept of dryness and things burning. They ask if Ionessa has seen Akatios, it sounds like he’s an ex of hers and has been asking after her. Kestor asks what Gord is on, he’s definitely on something, there’s no alcohol or anything here so there are alternatives. Ionessa asks him to take us out on the town that night, he’s got a wife and kid, Iphis. There have been some merrow attacks lately, and there was a big party a couple of weeks back. He saw a really big crab near the sea floor where the vents are, he followed it until some guards asked him to stop because it was dangerous.
Kestor asks about Akatios, confirms that he and Ionessa dated and broke up amicably because he got conscripted and had to move far away. Xanthos is insecure, and Kestor only makes it worse by asking Ionessa if she’s going to stay here now. She says she doesn’t know yet, there’s a lot to do on the land but this is what she wanted for a long time, but for now she just wants to enjoy it. We can maybe go talk to Akatios to learn of the troubles in the area, maybe we can help with the merrow or the Infinity Crab? Xanthos wants to see the Coral Gardens, Neo wants to see the temples, Kestor wants to see everything and to use his spirit ritual to learn comprehend languages and spend some time in the library and learning to read/write.
We head to the temple of Saomenos, son of Thalakyma with nine daughters collectively known as the Kori Palirroies, the oldest of which is Protikori. Has a powerful magical crown called Stelassa made of coral. Tegissa is not represented very well, like someone who went bad and is looked down upon by the pantheon and their worshipers. The Koris are as follows: Protikori, Defterikori, Tritikori, Tetartikori, Pemptikori, Ektiokori, Evdomikori, Ogdoikori, and Mikroterikori. They are in order from oldest to youngest.
We head to the Gardens of the Palirroies, where there is a shrine of Tetartikori, god of sea life and plants. It is one of the most beautiful sights we have ever seen, a true bounty of nature that spans all dimensions. Kestor meets one of the gardeners, who he convinces to show him around and receives a first class tour of every plant and fish and other creature known to the great seas!!! Apparently Oiakis does receive a small amount of land-dwelling visitors from time to time, and they tend to be pretty disrespectful and can damage the gardens sometimes.
Xanthos is distracted because Ionessa might be leaving at the end of this visit. He doesn’t want to make her feel bad or try to sway her one way or the other, but Ionessa says he’s allowed to try to sway her. Oiakis is beautiful, he can understand if she would want to stay. She says that Oiakis is old and will always be there for her, Sideris is new and hasn’t had a chance to grow yet; helping the town to reach its potential is appealing to her, an exciting new project. He tells her he really wants her to come back, which she responds well to.
Then he brings up Akatios, continuing his long-standing tradition of talking about other men all the time. She assuages his worry by showing him a cool bunch of anemones, when you touch them they change color and your fingers get all tingly because of the light toxin. She asks him if there’s a way she can help him to worry less, but he says he’s just being irrational and scared of losing his new connections. They smooch. Gross!
That night (not that there’s a significant light difference underwater) we head out partying! Gord introduces us to his wife, Parthesis, and Thyrsos is coming too. Surprise visit from Akatios too! Everyone but Gord is a member of the guard or military dealing with the merrow. Thyrsos is marrying Gelon suddenly because things have been getting scarier with the merrow and so they’ve escalated their plans. There’s a communal money fund in the Protea, they use gold because there is a lot of trade with the surface but also a lot of ships sink with gold among them, kind of an interesting way for an economy to begin.
We make our way to the party, upbeat percussion and string music that can be played under the water. Gord offers us a variety of drugs based on how fucked up we want to get, they’re patches of seaweed with paste from various fishes and other sea life that you wrap around your arm and let the toxins seep into your BLOOD, NOT FLESH. We get asked a lot of questions, Xanthos fails to lie about King Bion not dying during the assassination attempt. The situation with the merrow is just getting worse and worse, and the merrow are becoming crusty? A kind of black-grey tough crust. They don’t know why they’re attacking, they might worship Tegissa.
Kestor goes to join in with the music, he’s a little slow on the uptake because playing an instrument underwater is quite different and the music is a little different too! Ionessa wants to dance, Xanthos turns her down and Akatios takes her up on the offer so that they can catch up. Lots has happened for both of them! She fills him in roughly on what’s been going on with her, he’s all “yo that’s crazy so are you staying here tho?” He’s got another year in the guard, he’s thinking he’ll probably go back to his farm with his newfound military experience and help protect it. He’s not super sure if he’s going to stick around or go back yet.
Thyrsos talks to Xanthos about Ionessa, Xanthos is kinda rude to begin with. Thyrsos advises him that the family is definitely going to try to ship Ionessa and Akatios unless they know there’s something else going on. He asks if Xanthos has met Ionessa’s moms yet, and he hasn’t, but the fact that Halina already knows probably means they know too. Neo chats with Gord, who tells him not to let anyone make him feel lesser because he’s from the surface. People aren’t spectacles! Wise words from the man.
On the way home, Neo notices a barracuda that swims by and looks a little bitey. Then he sees the same barracuda again, and then again, we’re being followed. Xanthos casts compelled duel on the fish to prevent it from escaping and rushes in to grab it. He shouts, “got you, seagull boy! I told you not to follow me!” And the fish legit turns into Idressi. He’s got a new arm made of glittering metal that lashes out and crits Xanthos for so much damage! Neo successfully dispels it, which deactivates it for a time. It seems not to be under Idressi’s control. It re-activates before we can remove it, and we manage to destroy the arm with a combination of shatter spells and Xanthos hitting it with a rock.
It turns out Idressi wasn’t actually here to spy on us, he just came to Oiakis to get away from DORIEN! He tried to escape from her after we caught him, she tracked him down and chopped off his arm, replaced it with the golden arm and told him that it would help him track down the people who “stole” from her. She described Ionessa and told him that the arm knows what it is looking for. Actually she dipped his arm in gold! He and Xanthos argue a lot but eventually we break them up and find a solution, we’re going to take him to one of the temples to have his arm removed and regrown. Idressi requests the temple of Thalakyma, and so we go.
The end.

Notes

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Report Date

12 Jun 2023