Session 11: Interview with a Ghost Report
General Summary
After his late night encounter with Valizar, Lord of Codyssa, Malach was unable to sleep, instead waiting until Captain Trem Phoenixwinds awoke to discuss her plans for herself and the crew, then go to The Library of Codyssa to schedule an interview with Eleqium. Trem had a meeting with a merchant specializing in Juthannan artifacts to assess their haul's value and either make an offer or make recommendations on potential buyers.
When Malach reached the Library he was met by Qrum who offered to be his escort to where Eleqium was kept, explaining that while it should be safe, he would be an added safety precaution as he was already dead and couldn't be affected by any mental pressures that Eleqium might attempt. Qrum led him through several underground passages, with a variety of security measures, both magical and mundane. On the 3rd subterranean level, he entered what was clearly a massive prison, multiple levels of cells with flat metal bars made of a green metal, filled with creatures of all varieties. Malach was brought before a cell with a human sized, black, shadowy spectral figure, and Qrum presented him with a tuning for made of the same metal, with the instruction that if he struck it on the bars that he'd be able to communicate with its occupant.
Malach tried to communicate, but the spirit took no notice, quietly whispering to itself, but once Malach asked about The Deep One Eleqium's attention snapped on him and rushed the bars, speaking directly too him, causing him to reel from an intense psychic presence. Malach took a quick respite, then resumed his attempts to communicate with it. Instead of replying, it whispered nearly fervently to Malach, seemingly gibberish, but repeating a word or phrase numerous times. Eventually Malach was able to make it out, as it was hard to understand, but while it was strange, at the same time it seemed almost familiar.
C̸͏̦̫ͅḫ̨̭̖̫̫̥̺͈̕͘r̹͞u̧̫̟̟̪̝͝ͅư̯̗͓̲̘͙̞̼̩͜͟ḷ̨̪̰̰v̛̝̩̦͙̹͝'̱̥̖̠̠̗͙̭͟d̡͉̱͎͓̹͓͓͞r̤̹͜á̵̤͎̙̯͙ͅz͏҉̤̺̼̙͉͚̙ͅh̟̣͢a̩͔̪͞s̯̤̰̺̗ͅ .
Malach was suddenly elsewhere, reliving his memory of when he formed his pact with the Deep One. He realized that not only had portions of his memory of the event been repressed, but that The Deep One was able to actively interact with him even through just his memories. The Deep One told Malach that was part of why he had told him to get stronger before, so that his mind could handle the connection to him. Despite severe pain from talking directly to The Deep One, Malach pushed him, asking for a goal, a directive, anything. The Deep One decided to test his mettle and sent him mental images of a young woman in what was clearly Ardcaster, the capital of Shatia, where Malach had grown up, and told him he had to go there and find her, then sent Malach back into his body.
Malach woke up on the floor of the jail in the library, covered in sea water and deafened, being comforted by Qrum, Eleqium's cell was empty of all traces of him. After several minutes his hearing returned, but he also began to see The Deep One out of the corner of his eyes. In shadows. In place of people. Everywhere. Malach was terrified, and having trouble just walking, but between Naki and Qrum, they managed to get him to the first subterranean level and to a research room where he was able to rest and recover for a few minutes while they brought an Arbiter to assess him. The Arbiter said he couldn't do much but brought him to a temple of Adilia, the Goddess of Life where they cast several spells before finally he was able to fix Malach visions and terrors with a Greater Restoration spell.
Malach began to make his way to the Winddrift, but noticed that on the land for the temple of Adilia that there was tucked back into a corner was a small, shabby temple to Phirulla, the Goddess of Death.
Missions/Quests Completed
Character(s) interacted with
Notes
Session Length: 90 minutes
In game time: 6 hours
In game time: 6 hours
