Session 20: Return to the Graveyard Report
General Summary
Introduction
A red and purple haze surrounds you. There are no discernable forms...just silhouettes. Figures in the midst dancing, lounging, fornicating. Heat, mist, and lights spiral around you. Forms surround you, covering the floor, the ceiling, lounging, crawling, plunging. Hands touch you. Drinks flow. Are you holding it? How long as it been there? A deep breath consumes you. You feel the pulsing around you. Where did the drink go? Are you lying down? Is this a couch beneath you? A cushion? A person? Consciousness spills into sensation, sensation abandons reason, it all falls into ever-presence. The midst still exists around you. Deep Breath. You still exist. The Meeting with the Sanguine Sultan completed, contract negotiated, Dash and Kyra walked back to the Villa. Alicia and Mark await them inside, taking a moment to genuinely relax. The rest of the day passes into evening and still there is no sign of Kevin or Li. There is radio silence for hours on end until the sun touches the tops of the trees and the lights buried in the massive stone pathways of the city begin to reveal their lit paths to all of the greatest attractions. There is no bustling group of partygoers heading towards the Midnight Masquerade, still postponed pending structural repairs. The atmosphere feels weighty and even the small groups of people seeking entertainment seem more forced than before. Eventually, the hard-light barrier at the front door is broken abruptly by Marla and two guards. The guards both escort Li and Kevin with an arm under them, leading them step by step into the building. Their half-closed eyes are dilated, they both wear smiles on their faces, and their footsteps are not so different than Chiara's injured stride a few days past. A slight earthy aroma mixed with the salty smell of sweat drifts off of their skin and clothes both. The guards gently lead them to open couches and deposit them as Marla steps forward. Concierge Marla "Your friends have been retrieved from their admission into the 10th Pit. Their disheveled state is not uncommon, especially for those not used to the concentrated mists inside. I do hope they enjoyed the full benefits of obtaining a wing of the Sanguine Heart, at the Sultan's expense of course. I recommend hydration to stave off any impending headaches, they should be right as rain in a few hours. I do hope your meeting went well, though I was informed that you are to be departing Paphadis post-haste. I shall make preparations to close your accounts in the morn, should that be acceptable. Now, if there is nothing else?"Game Start
The Crew initially wanted to leave immediately, but allowed Guru Kevin and Tumerian Li Shen time to sleep off their partying. While they waited and recovered, Kyra set in motion her initial attempt to communicate with James Rowner Jr. Her attempt to make a connection with him was rebuffed and very negatively received. He seemed fully convinced that she was in some way in on a plot to set him up and left in a storm without being "dismissed". They rested for the evening and made their way under escort by Marla to the Spaceport. Enroute, they were "accidentally accosted" by Thessa Wheeler who very clumsily slipped a paper note into Tumerian Li Shen's hands. This interaction was very obviously noticed by Marla, who said nothing but seemed outraged by the encounter and likely to take it out on her subordinate. Marla closed out their accounts, granting the 500 to Kyra and Alicia in credits, 650 to Li in Duties, and 3500 in credits (per his won 'greater') to Kevin. They made their way aboard and back into the comfort of space.Travel
They jumped to a point just outside of the Hersperus Nebula. As they traveled, Dash made a point to confront Guru Kevin in his room. They held a private discussion regarding the nature of the Depths. William Blake awkwardly approached Dash and gave him his partially repaired Shield Belt as a thank you for his assistance in saving his life back on Xanti. Alexa and Li had a conversation regarding her desire to have a projectable holographic form to "actually interact with them like a member of the crew". She also somewhat accidentally revealed that she could communicate with Botley and understand his eye flashes as a form of binary code. Chiara spent her trip mostly relaxing and trying to recover in the common room. Mark attempted to repair his damaged arm unsuccessfully. Li confronted Alicia to attempt to have her help but she refused. Li and Dash did opt to return Mark's bow and quiver to him though, although his skills are diminished with his damaged arm. They were able to swap out the Power Generator with the Nebula Generator that "Mad Al" gave them freely. They dove into the Nebula and traversed the Asteroids safely, expertly managing to avoid getting lost or any collisions.Return to the Graveyard
They entered the Graveyard once again. They were accosted by an unfamiliar Hornet pilot before Taylor Mormont and Luke Warzen were able to swoop in, vouch for them, and send them on their way. From the Tempest pilots, they were able to learn that Harbro had been gone for days, Lady Ash was "holding court" in his stead with the The Brothers Shieldbrov, and "Mad Al" was not currently on the KPO Demorte. They also learned that the Hornet Pods were running double shifts and had no clue why, but the "shuffle" was about to occur. They flew down into the Demorte and saw the Courtyard being packed up for transit.Boarding the Demorte
Dash, Li, and Alicia all headed down the ramp into the Demorte to try and contact Lady Ash to finish their mission. Kyra remained behind with the rest of the Crew while looking out of the main viewport.The New Girl
Across the Courtyard at the partially broken down stripclub, a redheaded girl (Rose) watched the incredibly brightly painted ship land. She saw the crew disembark as well and clocked the displeasure several of the locals seemed to have while staring at one of the crew. She enticed the drunk man near her, Marky Mark, to go and have a scrap with Dash as he'd been complaining that he wanted to "avenge his friend Jonesy". He happily complied and she slipped out the back stealthily, pretending to be sick, and headed towards the new possible ride off of this ancient ship's hull. Meanwhile, Kyra had clocked and told the ground crew that there were no guards at the main hallway leading to the Court itself. She also noticed something shimmer over in that area briefly on the ground. The crew were distracted by Marky-Mark's drunken charge and demand for a fight with Dash. Dash complied while Li pulled a Katana to keep the bar patrons from interfering. Kyra ran out of the ship after the group and passed Rose on the way up the ramp.Losing Gravity
As Marky Mark went back to swing, they all heard a loud pop and whine throughout the ship followed by a faint explosion. Everyone scrambled for purchase on anything attached to the floor. Everyone managed to except for Rose (who used her magnetic screwdriver) and Alicia (who used her gauntlet to propel herself backwards into the floor repeatedly. Very other people in the courtyard reacted in time and they all began to float up towards the 4 stories high ceiling. Alexa fortunately locked down the clamps in time (just prior to Li's request). Li looked back towards his ship and recognized Rose as Brier Bellock, the Law's daughter, from his training to be a The Gavels (specifically the 2nd attempt in the larger arena). Rose managed to maneuver her way across the floor to the nearby ship's ramp and climb aboard the Intrepid Explorer with some difficulty (almost losing her purchase with the screwdriver at the last moment). The gravity returned, slamming everyone to the ground, with only Rose taking some of the full impact as she'd started to float off. Up above, people screamed and unmanned ships crashed down towards the group. Rose attempted to crack the doorpad but failed to hack the dual-lock system that was set up to prevent Alexa from accessing it. She opted to position herself in the corner and begin to cower. Alicia and Kyra ran back to the ship as quickly as possible as William Blake, Chiara, and Mark made their way into the Cargo Bay. Dash and Li ran for the main hallway as people crashed around them. Li narrowly missed being hit by a falling human, but his blade was struck along the side and snapped from the falling soon-to-be corpse. They ran into the hallway and saw two forms running the opposite way wearing bright red armor with a tank on their shoulder while carrying an SMG and a long blade. One of them turned and fired a spray down towards them and continued running. Li recognized them as Krasian SpecOps, nicknamed Demons, which he'd been trained to recognize in his military training. William Blake posted up on the cargo door as Alicia and Kyra arrived back inside. Dash and Li ran after the Krasian soldiers. None of them noticed in their various pursuits the high-pitched whine and eventual boom as the hardlight barrier protecting the isolated atmosphere exploded. The bodies and objects scattered along the courtyard began to be sucked out of the Demorte into space...along with Dash and Li, who had left the hallway door open behind them.Rewards Granted
[Minor Milestone]
Guru Kevin
Tumerian Li Shen
Kyralin Straussedorph
Jason Black - Player Copy-
Savannah Cruise
Jason
Dash Reynard
Report Date
24 Aug 2021
Primary Location
Secondary Location
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