WttSS session 54: 'In the Mind of Zarzur' - p2

Session report - Whispers to the Star Singer campaign

Written by Doctor Weather

General Summary

As with part 1, this session continued as two overlapping encounters - one in Zarzur's mindspace and the other on the Caliban Crow - and I've match part 1's write-up style: though there was back and forth in the session, I've written up the encounters separately for convenience and easier reference. And side note: less than 1000 words this time :)

Discussions of self - Kerman and the headpiece

As the fighting raged below decks, Kerman was still face to face with Zarzur's headpiece in control of her body. Moreover, he was left with the consequences of the stories with which he'd captured the AI's attention. He'd managed to enrapture the AI with stories of people controlling their own lives and of golems who came to life such that it was too distracted to stop Zarzur from rescuing the Portal Builder AI but this had truly inspired the headpiece: As Zarzur mind walked into the head of Ormazd Nahanashah, the AI recognised Zarzur's body as abandoned and fair game to occupy for itself.

• Kerman and the AI debated the ownership of the body
• The AI stated that Zarzur had left of her own accord
• Despite Kerman's protestations that transferring ownership of a body was a pretty strange occurrence, the AI countered that this party did strange things all the time and he was forced to acknowledge the point
• The headpiece gained further ground when it placed Zarzur's hand on his cheek and declared that it would now think of him as 'father'
• A stunned Kerman was only brought back to action when the AI decided that its best course of action in the face of Kerman still being unhappy with it using the ship's computers was to use Zarzur's talent to command machines to order Caliban to fly back through the portal
• Later, when Zarzur regained control and her memories started to reconverge with those of the headpiece, she 'remembered' that the headpiece was confident it could have kept both Zarzur's body and Kerman safe in the jump, despite it having destroyed all the stasis beds by power overload

JUMP TO CONTENTS

In the mind of Zarzur

Zarzur observed the bridge of Nasralleh's command and control to gain as much information as possible and then headed back to the chasm beyond which her real world existed. Using her new mind walking power she fought rebuilt the bridges back to her body and awoke on the bridge.

• She could have used Data Djinn to fight the AI for control but I ruled the mystic power talent gave her an automatic success here - when you 'mind walk' back to your own body it's different
• We'll assume that the PCs can ask questions about what Zarzur would have seen in flashback, as needed
• She appeared in time to convince Kerman that he no longer needed to worry about the headpiece controlling her and could focus on stopping the ship carrying them into the portal
• The Portal Builder AI has been freed of the headpiece but as yet the party have not followed up on what then happened to it

JUMP TO CONTENTS

Engine trouble

Below decks, two Legionaries were still causing trouble: one remaining in combat with Murad in the reactor room whilst the other was tearing apart the ship's service station. The latter had clearly suffered different type of damage from the Orb of Ghodar to the other two the party had held in stasis - a mental critical. When Masruq approached this poor soul, the Legionary thought him a demon summoned from whatever hell he perceived the service station now to be. The party defeated both Legionaries but then had to leave them tied up with their fellow, as the headpiece had broken all the stasis pods.

• Murad grappled the first Legionary and broke him in combat
• Masruq and Khalil co-ordinated to both release pent up energy in the engine and stop the Legionary in the service station: Masruq lured the Legionary into position and then Khalil unleashed the energy into the service station with 3succeses on tech repair of the physical engine
• The Al Sharaf blade once again asked if such a fight should inform what the blade should be and here Masruq told it that it should be a 'defender and force for Justice - providing any conflict with a proper ending' (GM note: this is then to be statted later)

JUMP TO CONTENTS

Aftermath

After the fighting, Khalil and Zarzur tackled some repairs.

• The service station received a 3-success repair and is left only a little untidy, capable of use to fix the rest of the ship
• The defeated the headpiece's control of the engine computer, returning it to their control - gaining an extra success they also trapped the AI back into the headpiece
• The engine is now functional thanks to Khalil's gearhead talent, though has suffered damage that needs a proper repair before it can be considered reliable

As the less-strong members of the party took the opportunity to get some sleep, Kerman and Murad were tasked with finding a way of hiding the ship from the Legion, whose forces might come through the portal at any moment. With 4 successes, they completed a little forestry on the trees at the end of one of the slopes down into the valley and drifted the ship into the treeline. Gently pushing the trees and squeezing a path inward, they caused the top of the canopy to fall onto and disguise the Caliban Crow. Remaining thus below the canopy, the valley's guardian spheres left them alone. The sleeping party were not disturbed and will wake to find themselves safely ensconced in the treeline.
GM note: I forgot about Zarzur's encounter with the boy in her mindspace; Zarzur leaves with the Messenger's calm, which continues into next session. The party now knows that both the Traveller and the Messenger are closer to the world here in the Portal Builder valley.
JUMP TO CONTENTS

34th day of the Deckhand
Campaign: Contract: Whispers to the Star Singer
Characters: PC group: Whispers to the Star Singer
Timeline: Campaign timeline: Whispers to the Star Singer

Campaign

Whispers to the Star Singer (concluded)

Protagonists

Report Date

11 Aug 2022

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Contents

• General Summary
• Discussions of self - Kerman and the headpiece
• In the mind of Zarzur
• Engine trouble
• Aftermath