Session 5 - A Trip to Remember

General Summary

Bars and Cookies

The group has purchased drugs! 
Meera immediately runs back to the Enclave to bake cookies infused with peyote. Gertie is there interrogating the knight. Sir Frederick has been broken down by "grandma guilt" and is now crying over his life choices. He promises to flee and never return (Gertie promises that the alternative is she kills him). Gertie then reluctantly helps Meera bake cookies -- mostly because she just gave them an assignment and now they're just doing drugs. But the cookies are made. Somewhat chaotically. Meera invites Kassan to tag along, and he does.
Meanwhile, the boys are all at Wavebreaker having some drinks. Abbit and Biscus dare each other to have a drinking contest for honor. They size each other up and then start chugging. They both overestimate their abilities and get a little dizzy after drinking too fast. After several rounds, Biscus eventually upchucks into a bucket the bartender runs over with. Abbit is very proud, but also very drunk. 
Krud eats two raw salmon at the table. Abbit orders a raw chicken. Biscus pokes it. They all debate if it's similar to Meera's skin. Very scientifically. They start to ask Krud if he could eat Meera in one bite. "Maybe?" 
Meera eventually finds them as Biscus exclaims: "SHE DEAD."
After some back-and-forth with the drunkards, Meera eventually convinces them to go on a "picnic" outside of town. She's made them cookies. Krud carries Abbit and Biscus, who are shitfaced.

Tripping in the Woods

They come to a clearing by the river north of town. Abbit nurses a hangover in the river. Biscus is initially passed out but wakes back up with some prompting. Meera tries to convince everyone to eat her cookies. Most are very hesitant. Krud nervously eats two (of the offered four). Hart eats one and saves a second. Biscus eats one and then uses sleight of hands to hide the second just in case they're awful. Kassan readily eats two. Meera eats two. Meera then tries to get Abbit out of the river. He attacks her with his tongue and attempts to pull her into the water, but after a contested struggle, Meera actually grabs his tongue and pulls him out of the water. Abbit then eats two cookies.
They taste pretty bad. 
It takes about an hour, but everyone starts to feel warm. Their hearts start to race. The world around them starts to breathe and pulse -- everything looks like it's rippling. Colors become exaggerated. They start to hear sounds. KRUD IS VERY ALARMED. Biscus, though, knows what this is and immediate eats the other cookie. Hart also knows what it is, but just sticks to the one.

Krud's Trip

Krud jumps into the river out of fear (and to cool off). His body feels better, but now the visual distortions are actually worse underwater because everything down there ripples by default. The clouds above start to change colors and dance around. Then they puff up like sails. They're all sails now. He sees hundreds of baby turtles pop out of the riverbed and start crawling to something in the distance. 
The clouds are now the sails of a huge ship -- like the ones in port. There's a tortle silhouette in the distance. But this tortle has bright golden claws! It stands in front of the ship. Then black ropes come down. And coil around the tortle again and again, until it entirely disappears! The baby turtles cry! Krud is sad and confused. It feels familiar, but he has no real memories beyond leaving the swamps of his homeland to look for food.

The Tree Incident

Biscus and Meera start bickering, which leads Kassan to pet their heads and try to calm them down. A drugged Hart sees this as an act of aggression, and Hart sucker punches Kassan in the face. Abbit panics and summons his spiritual weapon. It swings and misses at Hart and instead flings into a tree behind the group. Hart starts to attack the tree. Krud sees battle and decides to help -- sprinting directly at the tree at top speed and slamming into it with his shell. Between all three attackers and that last impact, the tree cracks and topples over. Victory.

Abbit's Trip

Abbit's trip begins after his spiritual weapon attacks the tree. The trees start to breathe and pulsate more, and now everyone's skin looks like it is changing into bright colors. And becomes Gero-like. Now everyone looks like a very pretty (and tall) Gero. Meera and Hart are red. Biscus is somehow a hairy one. Krud is a giant green Gero. All so beautiful. He is reminded of home. Maybe this group can be his new clan? 
As euphoria sets in, everyone's voices transform into ribbits that he can still understand. His spiritual weapon multiplies, and now a dozen versions of Hoo'Axe'Dyuu circle overhead, chopping to a rhythm only he can hear, their googly eyes pulsing.
He hears a voice. "BEHOLD! The great savior and his champions, who shall free me from the back of the Infidel!" Abbit is touched and emotional. 
Later, he hears another ribbit. This one deep and ominous. He sees yellow eyes in the woods, watching him. This voice is in Aquan. It begins to speak while, out of the corner of his eye, Abbit sees a Zora woman run away and disappear. "Traitor," the deep Aquan voice calls. "You turn your back on my power, and you shall be punished!" 

Hart's Trip

Simultaneously, Hart dives deeper into his trip. All the commotion sounds like cheering crowds to him. All the bright colors remind him of pyrotechnics and posters. Audio distortions make him think a device in his bag is "buzzing." He picks it up and "answers" it, trying to talk to a voice on the other side. Strange device. Not really something anyone's seen here. Then everyone starts to look like a wrester in his eyes. All their clothes are exaggerated. He gets pumped up full of energy picturing their characters and potential routines. Krud is big! Meera is agile! Biscus can be tossed so easily!
Then he sees a figure standing still in the trees. Wearing a black costume. And a bright golden belt. He turns around, holding the belt overhead. He's wearing a black mask with a skull design on it. "Better luck next time," he says with a smirk. 
The belt glows, and Hart is forced to blink. When he opens his eyes again, the man is gone. 

Biscus's Trip

Biscus is having a jolly ol' time, having done this before. Everything looks like a passionate rainbow of colors. His friends all seem enamored by his presence. Every voice and noise becomes a cacophony of joy. Everything starts to sound like a great chorus. He knows what this is. The whole world is made of magical strings and music, and only bards have the ability to hear the "song of the planet," and he finds himself moved to tears being able to experience it again. 
He sees etheral fish and fairies floating around, and they remind him of his fantastical home, especially with all the bright colors. Maybe that's why Biscus has always been drawn to these experiences. They remind him of his fantastic home, and he just wants all of his friends to share in the joy and love! 
After kicking his feet around in happiness, he begins to conduct the symphony only he can hear, lost in the music.

Meera's Trip

Meera experiences the same distortions as everyone else, but chooses to concentrate on the visions she had a few days ago in order to trigger further memories. And it works. She sees the knife she was stabbed with, but then moves through it. A man is cradling her face. "You're back! I thought I'd lost you!" She sees visions of family life with a man and some children. 
Then she's somewhere else, dancing with armored people -- and she's a big lady with red hair. Then another somewhere. This time she's dancing in a formal ballroom with many well-dressed people, and her hands appear more masculine. Then swinging across a rope from the Equinox with the crew, swashbuckling with another ship. Drinking at a tavern later. Then she's somewhere else again. Still drunk. But now in the middle of an orgy with unknown people. There are red drapes around them.
She flashes back to the first man, the one who cradled her face. Now he's mad. He's brought paladins with him. "That's the demon who stole my wife." The paladins -- wearing Olimandias colors -- attack and smite her into dust. She reforms. Now she's in a cathedral or palace. Very rich. She's being attacks my Olimandias guards. Now her hands are masculine. Green and grey skin. She fires her necrotic bolts into someone, then attacks with a bow. She yells out in a masculine voice: "Take me to him! I demand the truth!"
Then she's flying above a battlefield, firing the bolts down at soldiers on the ground. Olimandias soldiers. Her hands are masculine still, but pale. Wearing fine clothes. Troops begin to take aim. She shouts, again in masculine voice, "I'm not going back!"
Shift. She's in another battle now, but this time on the ground. The soldiers are wearing silver-and-green and red-and-black, the latter group's armor being piecemeal and improvised more than regulation. Magic volleys are being exchanged. A brown-haired woman wielding a spear is to her side -- the same one from the last vision. Skeletal wings emerge from her back, and she terrifies the soldiers on the front lines. A magical wave erupts from Meera as she casts something. The wave comes with a shrill screech. Suddenly, many soldiers heads start to pop and explode from within.
Meera looks down. Battle is gone. Now it's just her. A moment passes. Then a shadowy hand rips open her sternum from within and starts to flail about -- trying to break free from the inside. Then it's gone. And all returns to normal.
Meera screams and starts to descend into an existential crisis. Kassan, Hart, and Abbit all confirm that red and black was the signature colors of the Labyrinth. Kassan holds up a clasp with the symbol on it, confirming that the colors are exactly the same ones from Meera's vision. Kassan also confirms the identity of the skeletal-wing-spear-lady as "Selena."

Returning to Hatena / The Stolen Songs

At the conclusion of the trips, Biscus takes a big bow, and they start to recover. Hart and Krud are the most sober of the group. As they enter town, Biscus hears music in the plaza and they all go to see what's happening. There's a trio of performers -- all very pretty young ladies doing a dance routine to a bright, up-tempo song. Biscus recognizes the music.
It's his music! One of his unpublished songs! The group sticks around to watch, and after some questions and casual dialogue, Biscus learns the gals are working with an agent named Delenos Montgomery. Biscus's old fraternity brother from bard college back in Roslen. He "writes" all the songs and sends young, hip, pretty performers fresh out of college to go perform on national tours. They sadly do not know who Biscus is despite his previous fame and the group hyping him up.
He takes them into Wavebreaker and buys them some drinks. He successfully uses sleight of hand to put ground up magic mushrooms into their bodyguard's drink. The bodyguard eventually leaves to use the restroom and passes out.
From the girls, Biscus learns that Delenos is a top agent now, and making bucketloads of money off Biscus's unpublished songs. He is still living in Glenien, the capital city of Roslen. Which is about a week's journey to the west. 
Biscus attempts to seduce the girls along with Abbit -- but after Abbit shows off his tongue techniques, the girls mostly go off with him and Biscus is left out in the cold. Sad times. Biscus is left downtrodden and goes back to sleep at the Enclave with Hart. Krud goes into his shell and sleeps on the Wavebreaker's floor like a loyal dog, waiting for Abbit to return.
Meera also spends the evening at Wavebreaker. Having seen the Equinox crew is still in town, she moves in on Helena after having some drinks, and the two spend the night upstairs.

Dawn of the 27th

Abbit, Meera, and Krud all start to return to the Enclave the next morning. Town criers warn about an incoming blockade, and they can see ships in the distance. Helena runs out of Wavebreaker at top speed to return to the Equinox. 
Upon returning to the Enclave, they inform Gertie of what's happening. She makes a "call" (Sending spell) to an unknown person. She says that she can potential break the blockade with support from the Forsaken Fortress, but this might lead to open war, so she's hesitant to do so. She says taking out the Alleviator is now an even greater priority, as he is likely the one who called in the blockade.
The group discusses their options for what to do, and seems to favor approaching the Alleviator directly. But they decide to wait for Piers and Talitha to return before making any moves. Biscus has largely been tuning out the discussion, journaling in a mixture of sadness and fury. He slams the journal shut near the end of the session and commits to killing the Alleviator.
The group suggests using black powder to blow up the Risanna estate ("if need be"), though they're pretty sure Piers won't be on board with that.
Meera briefly wakes up Kassan and asks about his "in" at the Risanna estate. He's friends with a cook there. She says the Alleviator showed up about a week ago and pressured Angelo Risanna to surrender Hatena to the Olimandias Hegemony. Angelo refused, and the Alleviator warned there would be consequences. He hasn't heard from her since, but Vidar has discussed that the Alleviator is likely disguising himself around town. Since Vidar's been doing actual sleuthing while the party's done drugs.
Meera also asks Kassan if he knows of anyone in the Labyrinth who can make heads explode. He answers: "Chikara."
End session.

Report Date

14 Dec 2020

Primary Location

Free City of Hatena