Convergence, Session 19

General Summary

Recovering from The Darkest House

The Convergence Player Characters spend about a week recovering in Perpetual Bernville, after their traumatic experiences with The Darkest House and then mending The Hole in the World. During their rest, they acquire many new powers (reaching Tier 6 in Cypher System terms).
Meanwhile, Inquisitor Gallia Euphrati, The Comte de Saint-Germain and other Perpetual Bernville residents investigate the nature of the town's reality-hopping and the convergence of realities, which is slowly resolving itself. The Underwater Desert has disappeared, with its elements going back to their own realities. Similarly with the Chancery of Man and various parts of Falmouths. The largest magic circle to the southwest remains, containing other reality fragments.

Hunting Mothgdanon

The group decide that it would be unwise to leave Mothgdanon roaming free, so they head to the magic circle to the southwest, on its trail. Within this circle is a wasteland, based on Death Stranding, with few features. Two other reality fragments can be seen - one containing a part of a massive starship and the other roiling with chaotic energy. Mothgdanon is resting on the ground near where the other two circles are at their closest.
The group approach the creature and attack it as it rests. Using their most powerful attacks before it can get to its feet, they seem to do some harm to it, but realise that it is incredibly powerful. Taxi Varlik and Toho "Ultrathem" Tanaka team up to attack at close range after Iolo performs a stealthy ambush. Dvorak-46 supports in a fury with their heavy weaponry. Atreyu rides atop Artax, taking potshots. Trace grants incredible buffs to his allies. Cyprian Kernow summons a smaller version of Mothgdanon to fight it, providing openings to the others. Leofe uses her precognitive and telepathic magic to aid the group.

Mothgdanon Fight Sketch by Phoebe Herring

Mothgdanon flails its massive wings a couple of times as it tries to stand - the force of these blows heavliy injures Taxi, Toho, Iolo and Dvorak. Taxi is very nearly killed. The group start to consider fleeing.
The Dei-Phage wanders over from the chaotic reality fragment, watching the fight in amusement. It greets the group in a gently mocking fashion, claiming to be niether friend nor foe. Leofe takes an interest in it.
In a last-ditch effort, Trace uses powerful magic to teleport to Mothgdanon's head and then teleport both of them into space. He is able to survive there, so he abandons the creature to the void as he returns to the ground. The foe is defeated, but the group have sustained some troubling injuries.
The Dei-Phage congratulates the group and talks with them a while. It says that it is working on something in the roiling chaos circle - it invites them to join. All but Leofe are uninterested.

Back to Perpetual Bernville

The group return to town to recover again, having dealt with another major threat. Euphrati talks to them over the next few days about the ultimate fate of Perpetual Bernville, the other reality fragments in the Convergence Universe and themselves.
Euphrati and the Comte believe that they, with the support of other magically knowledgeable residents of Perpetual Bernville, could use the power source taken from PAA Corporation to tap into the town's reality-hopping nature. Given some time, they think that they would be able to steer the town somewhat. They'd be able to force all the remaining reality fragments to return to their origins, now that The Hole in the World isn't keeping them here. They'd also be able to return anyone who requested to their home realities, or even other realities - ones that are adjacent to their homes (similar branches) or completely different.

Endings

Taxi argues with Euphrati a little about branching realities and interfering with fate and destiny. Euphrati's stance is that Perpetual Bernville is capable of performing these actions and its residents have the will, so either this is their fate or fate doesn't exist. She asks what Taxi intends to do, especially with Prune here. They could stay in Perpetual Bernville together, they could return to their home reality, they could go to Taxi's superiors together, etc. Taxi thinks on it.
Euphrati tells the group (but especially Dvorak, who is struggling with lost faith) that she intends to stay in Perpetual Bernville, helping to establish it as a safe haven for those who have escaped or been ejected from their own realities. The invasions and random appearances of residents within the town are slowing to halt, but it will continue to hop between realities quite regularly. Most of its residents like this life, so it will continue. Anyone who wants to leave can be returned home. Euphrati has grown tired of fighting the awful systems of her home, seeing the twisted translation of the works of a great, divine man. Here, she can work to make sure that people are welcomed and cared for in a way that doesn't exist in her reality.
After a couple of weeks, once Perpetual Bernville is set up with the PAA tech and Euphrati is confident they can navigate to different realities, the remaining reality fragments in the Convergence Universe are all sent home. Euphrati asks each of the group where they would like to go.
Iolo returns to a branch of his reality where he is wealthy and powerful, bringing his incredible discoveries with him. He lives a life of relative luxury and comfort.
Atreyu stays until all lingering issues are resolved - until the quest is fully completed - before returning to Fantasia with Artax and the dog he rescued from the Darkest House.
Leofe hangs around with the Dei-Phage for a while, experiencing the The World's Warped Maelstrom, until they are sent back to their realities. After this, she just wanders, curious as she sees fit. She probably just returns home at some point, using her powerful magic.
Trace uses his magic to return to his reality, now more capable of continuing his fight and avenging his old teammates.
Cyprian also leaves under his own power, travelling to Satyrine and realising his true form as a Vislae (terms relating to Invisible Sun).
Toho wants to follow their instincts as an explorer and use the power of Perpetual Bernville to see many other realities. They start with the origin reality of the keyblade that they found. They travel to the universe of Kingdom Hearts and have adventures there for a while.
Dvorak really struggles to make a decision as they feel despondent and are questioning their core beliefs. Euphrati tries to help them through it but they seem to largely want to be left alone. Initially, they want to be left in a quiet place to live out the rest of their life in contemplative misery, but they eventually hear of another tech-priest who lost their faith - another of Euphrati's acquaintances - and choose to go and join them in their secluded, progressive home in a branch of Dvorak's reality (40k Branch Universe).
Taxi wonders whether Euphrati is capable of resolving the convergence using Perpetual Bernville and the PAA tech, so she jumps forward two weeks from her conversation with Euphrati, taking Prune with her. Seeing that everything seems to be resovled, she returns to her masters with Prune in tow, ready for another assignment.
Perpetual Bernville continues its journey through realities, with Euphrati and the Comte taking leadership positions. They are well-equipped and prepared for their adventures.

Character(s) interacted with

Inquisitor Gallia Euphrati, Mothgdanon, The Dei-Phage

Notes

A Bit of a Mess

We hadn't used the Cypher System for several weeks, due to running The Darkest House system, so we were beyond rusty with Cypher's rules when we jumped back into it. Given that the characters were all max Tier now, with complex and powerful abilities, the action was even more complicated than when we last played. We weren't ready for it, so there was a lot of clumsily glossing over rules and just fudging things. It was chaotic and I felt frustrated. It didn't last especially long, but I still felt that the experience was below what I'd normally want from a session, in terms of enjoyment and smoothness.

Related Adventure

Campaign: Convergence

Report Date

27 Jul 2021

Primary Location

Perpetual Bernville

Secondary Location

Convergence Universe