Session 14: High Demand
General Summary
The Shard's power was felt by everyone. The party talks with the Black Eye about it, and it reveals that the shard itself is not on our current plane of existence. One who manages to get their hands on the shard could gain powers that could rival a god's. He tells the party to give him an evening to pinpoint its location. Privately, Ruuch receives a message through sending from someone or something.
########################## EDITOR'S NOTE: ???: "A shame, if only I had registered your mission a few days before. Perhaps we can reach an agreement." Ruuch: "Perhaps an extension on my other task, if this one strikes your fancy." ##########################
Usze'Taham goes off to chat and hang out with Lydia Rhapsody, telling her about their last adventure. Later on Palanthus comes in with dinner, and joins them. Arulo goes off to find a bathtub (to potentially drown in). After a while, Raine goes off in search of Ruuch. She catches him using his napkin for messaging, and asks him if he is able to let her communicate with her father. He agrees.
########################## EDITOR'S NOTE: Raine: "It's Raine, I am safe. Are you okay? What is your location?" Kinnarath: "Hello daughter! I'm so happy to hear you are safe! I am at a campsite near Kalanthus. I am safe too! see you soon." ##########################
With that she releases a sigh of relief, and thanks Ruuch for his time. She writes down her father's message. Now looking for Usze, she finds both him and Palanthus tipsily leaving Lydia's room. With some effort she is able to whisper to Usze that she knows her dad's location. Usze (somehow) instantly sobers up and tells her they will discuss the next day. Meanwhile Ruuch is talking with his son and gives him an old thick leather-wrapped book, his old spell book. His son Jeremiah is fascinated by it. It's revealed his mother didn't want him to study magic for it could prove dangerous. Ruuch tells him he'll teach him some stuff the next day.
########################## EDITOR'S NOTE: Ruuch: "I'd say magic is complicated, but I just wave my hands around. That's it really." ##########################
The night comes to an end and everyone heads off to rest. During their sleep, they are all seemingly whisked away to a strange world, where they meet a familiar man, Darrin (see Session 3: All Tuckered Out). He suggest a team up between him with his entire Nahiki brood, and our heroes. He says he can provide them with knowledge, and merely asks if the party could, once with their shard powers, move him and his Nahiki allies to another plane away from this damned world. The party needs to think it over, and he leaves them be.
Dawn breaks and Arulo awakens first, heading off to the eye to ask about Saan's Manor, and whether or not he could teleport him and his companions there in order for him to find the item he seeks. The eye tells him he could teleport him near the entrance, but not inside. Something is keeping him from being able to "enter" it. Furthermore, the eye says the shard is of upmost priority, and that he has learned more of its location. Arulo goes off to gather the rest.
Usze is also awake and awaits Raine, but Palanthus enters instead, bringing breakfast. Afterwards Arulo slams open the door to announce the eye needing his presence. Arulo then slams open Ruuch's door and sees him practicing magic spells with his son. Jeremiah talks about the pulse he felt yesterday, and Ruuch and Arulo drop the bombshell that the shard of myth is real. He needs to process it for a minute, and Ruuch (getting up like a dad) walks out with Arulo, who compliments him on his son.
While they're walking, the two are contacted by The Brain, who is mind linked to them as well. Ruuch asks about the mirror Usze handed over the day before, and the brain tells him about how it sees into someone's past. Not only that, but he also mentions Usze has used it on both of them. Understandably upset, they tell each other they won't inform Usze that they know just yet. The brain says he himself can tell Usze, but won't if they both prank the Lizardfolk. He quickly offers an alliance for the shard, but before they can really think about it he dismisses it. This part is heard by everyone in the party.
They pick up Raine from her room, and everyone makes it to the eye's chamber. Next to the eye is Saan's lizard pet, who seems to have grown significantly. The eye mentions it is here to act as a messenger for Saan who is also proposing an alliance. The party favours Saan over Darren, but before they can come to an agreement the eye mentions he and his brothers want to form an alliance with them as well. Usze immediatly agrees, but Arulo is still unsure. Ruuch suggests they vote on it. Most vote for the eyes, and an alliance is made. The lizard is shooed away.
########################## EDITOR'S NOTE: Ruuch: "as a party, we have to vote on it democratically. Who are in favour of the eyes?" Raine, Palanthus and Usze: "Aye." Arulo: "guess I'll agree then." Usze: "I love democracy..." ##########################
The eye informs everyone he knows a way to get them to the correct plane, but he'll need something of great power to act as a source. Arulo mentions he really wants to find his item first, but the rest disagree and argue the shard is more important right now. The location of the power source is the old factory, the same place the party fought the Archon and the beast. The same place they met Killos, and lost Adalai. Palanthus announces that after this quest, she will return to the celestials and investigate what is happening up there. Then, everyone is teleported to the entrance of the factory.
Arulo sneaks in first, but almost trips over something in the dark. He manages to catch himself, only for Usze to trip over Arulo's leg and fall flat on top of him. So much for a stealthy entrance. Instead of going right like last time, the group instead opens the door to the left and finds a steep chute. Ruuch sends in his hawk and finds that it ends up in the room that was previously covered in sludge, but is now completely clean. Even the giant crystals are gone. Before the group can decide whether it is safe, Arulo takes a leap and slides all the way down, only for him to crack his ankles as he reaches the bottom (he still had fun though). Usze sends Gibby down to comfort Arulo, and the rest of the group decides to take the old route around. Before they take the right side door, Ruuch sends his hawk, now enlightened by Usze, down into the giant hole of the main room. Down below are many robots and crystals robots, seemingly altered with wires, working with some machinery. Despite seeing the bright hawk, they ignore it.
Entering the right side door they are greeted by two wired up tiny crystal creatures and one big robot. Unable to speak properly, the robot smashes words into the wall and asks why they are here. Ruuch tells him they are the factory inspectors. The robot of course does not believe him and signs them to leave. Ruuch then tells the truth that their friend is down below needing assistance. The robot approaches Ruuch, and in retort our hero threatens it that they will pass, either around or through him, and taps a finger against the robot's armour. In response, it becomes aggressive and attacks.
########################## EDITOR'S NOTE: Crystal monster: *Jumps at Raine, but her being too short misses* Raine: "I didn't know we were playing leapfrog?" Crystal monster: *dodges both Usze's Eldritch blasts* Raine: "Okay, no more leapfrog." ##########################
The party takes care of them and goes down to find Arulo, eating rations and straight chillin'. Raine gets him back on his feet. The group tells Arulo about their battle with the Archon and how she was built. They cross the room that was once covered in sludge, grabbing some coal from a furnace on the way out. They cross by the last corridor they saw Adalai, and find the door to the room they had the large battle with the Archon and the beast.
########################## EDITOR'S NOTE: Arulo: "was she hot?" Ruuch: "She had four arms." Arulo: "I don't discriminate." Palanthus: "Two arms were crystal." Raine: "I might discriminate." ##########################
Arulo goes first and pries it open, only to see the back of the Arkon. It seems she is now enhanced with more metallic parts, and all that was once crystal is now metal. The rest peek their head through scooby-doo style. The room seems to contain three incomplete pillars, and four bigger ones with wires all over them. They try to formulate a plan to ask her where they can find a power core. Arulo goes in and pretends to be a robot. He walks in all robotic and talks with a robot voice. Making his presence known, the Archon turns around. A green source of energy is spotted in her chest. Surprisingly, she lets out a cry for help. With that, the battle with the corrupted Archon begins.
Ruuch managed to melt off some metal from the nearest tall pillar to make a cover for himself, which prevented robots from spawning off that specific pillar. Usze runs up to one of the three smaller pillars and inspects it. The Archon is able to shoot out of the two new cannons on her arms, and summons missiles. A red shield forms around her and more backup comes, all the while she is still calling out to the party to help her. A ball of energy is released from her. Raine floods the room with 40 gallons of water, but then accidentally uses it all on Ruuch. Raine grabs her leaf and asks what the heck they are supposed to do. After what seems like an eternity, the party finally figures out to place the balls of energy she drops into one of the three pillars.
Arulo takes the first ball and basketball-slams it into the first pillar. Ruuch turns into a giant fucking ape and starts smashing robots around. Usze gets paralyzed and stays this way for a very long time. Arulo signals giant ape Ruuch to throw one robot into the other, and that he will give him a ton of bananas if he does. Ape Ruuch understands and gives a big ol' grin. At this point the party was able to fill all three pillars and the red shield implodes onto the corrupted Archon. She is then zapped with red electricity and the words "Mechanus' will shall not be halted" are heard. With that the Archon is powered up again.
More robots show up, and Raine banishes one of them immediatly. Ape Ruuch yeets one of the robots towards the other, but being affected by an intelligence attack he miscalculates and the bot flies straight at Usze, who is just getting up. Fortunately it hits two missiles and explodes. Usze takes out the remaining missiles. Arulo shoots at the Archon and tells Ape Ruuch he will give him an entire banana tree if he takes out the Archon. Ape Ruuch bangs his chest and starts ripping and tearing at the Archon, pulling out multiple wires from her mechanical body. It doesn't last however, as a second red shield emerges and pushes the ape back.
Three energy balls are dropped and the party goes on to fill the three pillars again. Arulo takes one and dashes towards the first pillar, but being the large ape that he is Ruuch picks one up and drops it in the pillar without a single step. He jumps on top of the pillar, and jumps off of it right on top of a tiny crystal robot, then starts bonking on another robot. In the fight he is damaged so much, that he turns back into normal Ruuch. Raine meanwhile dashes towards Palanthus who has taken quite a hit and is downed, helping her back to life. Arulo dashes with all his might and places the ball he had in the second pillar. Raine then picks up the last orb and runs towards the final pillar. Usze somersaults over her, grabbing the orb in the process, and slams it into the final pillar. This makes the second red shield implode on the Archon, and she is once again damaged greatly. Mechanus' will is heard again. Raine runs up to the corrupted Archon and literally melts her eye, pushing her hand through it. With a final cry for help, the Archon shuts down and perishes.
Arulo takes out his crowbar and attempts to gently pry out the green power core in the Archon's chest, but clumsily lets it drop on his feet, which gives him a massive shock and makes his hair stand straight up. With that they signal to the eye they were successful, and they along with the core are teleported back to the eye's chamber. Arulo and Ruuch talk about the bananas. With another mission complete, the eye asks them to give him a day or more to figure out how to use the power core. The group goes off to celebrate.
During the celebrating, Arulo convinces Palanthus to reveal her face. She does it privately to just him and Ruuch, who see that she is actually a beautiful blonde woman. Unfortunately she seems convinced she looks horrid, thus either A: Her standards of beauty are very different from us common folk or B: something is wrong with her that makes her see herself as a horrible monster. She tells them about one of the doctors who did this to her, and how he is actually in this very tomb. Arulo and Ruuch agree to pay him a visit and beat the shit out of him, despite Palanthus' protest. Ruuch then asks Palanthus about the mirror she gave Usze. She tells the reason she gave it. Ruuch then goes to find Usze, who is drinking with his old friend.
Leading him to a private location, he asks Usze about the mirror and demands to tell him what he knows of his past. Usze mockingly states "Don't like it when others keep secrets?", but does as he says and tells him everything he knows. Ruuch then places a hand on his blade and threatens him that if he ever spoke a word about it to the others, that he won't hesitate to kill him. He then walks off. Usze sighs and talks to Lucia about how he wishes he was still travelling around with Lydia and Adalai, then goes off to drink away the night.
Arulo and Ruuch meet up and go to the doctor. They barge in and fuck up his chemical research, then convince the body guard to leave them alone. Arulo wants to completely fuck up the doc's face, but Ruuch has a different plan. Using Suggestion, he makes the doctor go out to the partygoers, stand on top of a table and tell everyone about what he did in the past, down in the lab.
In the laboratory they tried to make an army to protect Drethildun. This army would be special in that it wouldn't just contain humans, but beings of all sorts and races. In order to create the best soldiers, they experimented on children around the age of 14 of all races to see how long it would take to break them both mentally and physically. Palanthus was one of them. They wanted to go so far until they died, but something went wrong. They got all the researchers out of the laboratory but abandoned the children. He then goes over to Palanthus and says sorry, only for her to full on punch him straight on the nose. Still under the suggest spell, he goes off to stand in a moist dark corner. Usze, now completely wasted, mentions that Killos must be the same, but the doctor says he was a different case.
Raine is appalled and stunned at this revelation that the man she worked for all this time was such a horrible man, and with tears in her eyes apologises to Palanthus, who understands she was never aware of this. Palanthus thanks her for saving her life earlier against the corrupted Archon, and tells her she is on the right path. Raine then heads off to her office to process all of what just happened. The rest parties on.
########################## EDITOR'S NOTE: Usze: Something something, Palanthuses pretty, soft hands (he was wasted) ##########################
The next morning, Palanthus is gone.
Report Date
08 Jan 2022
Primary Location
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