OSC1: Rime of the Psionic Mariner (END)
General Summary
When we last left our heroes, they had just revealed the grizzly fate of their recent companion Bumpy Coleman: mind flayed by a... mind flayer! Taken aback by the hostility, the mind flayer pleaded his unusual case: Naihboor, as he calls himself, claims to be a lone agent traveling through the Abyss and crashed into Cabochon unexpectedly. Hotly pursued by githyanki vessels, he enthralled Orikeer pleaded protection from his enemies. After overhearing a posse dispatched a red dragon in the icy wastes, he commanded Orikeer confront and persuade them to cross the Marbled Sea. Now armed with the a legendary Gith Silver Sword, Naihboor had all the bargaining chips he could want.
Conflicted, our heroes agreed to spare Naihboor, at least until they reached Otway. They cared little for their 'caricatured gnome' partner and as an alm, the party offered the rest of Bumpy's brain for the mind flayer to sustain himself for the journey.
Irma provided a small at-sea burial Bumpy's remains and Amare was able to snag a scandalous note from their dragonborn skipper. Towards the middle of the final day, strange roars were heard on the wind. The ship was suddenly torn asunder by mortar fire. An aerial githyanki brig descended on the wreckage. Three dragon wyrmlings and a familiar, livid githyanki captain equipped with a glaive boarded the remaining flotsam. After brief deliberation on whether or not to give up Naihboor, Succ voted to take on the githyanki. And thus, the final fight was on!
Nearly all the wreckage ignited in dragon's fire. Our heroes all concocted separate plans on how to win the day. Most recklessly ambitious, Azure forcefully mounted one of the wyrmlings and haphazardly forced it upward toward the ship. Dodging cannon fire from the floating vessel, Azure directed the dragon's fire toward the ship, disabling a number of the portside artillery. Wrestling the dragon skyward, the rest of the party accepted the near impossibility of a victory. Regardless, Amare overturned a barrel and began taking potshots at the dragons. Irma lay hands fully on herself and completely resisted her werehare lycanthropy) gaining an inspiration point. Succ, accepting the goliath jedi he'd become, began to continuously lay into the scorn githyanki captain with his sunblade quite literally 'disarming' him in a frenzied rage. Now partially armless, the captain misty stepped attempting to wrestle his once precious silver sword from the hands of the mind flayer. Helplessly unable, Captain Dendric fled toward his dragon wyrmlings. Before he could attempt to mount one of the dragons, Naihboor the mind flayer proclaimed "I'm tired of running" lightninging through one of the red dragon wyrmlings and electrocuting the captain into his icy, watery grave. Amare slid in an epic combat maneuver across the flotsam firing a fated arrow down the gullet of the remaining wyrmling deftly dispatching it.
Azure, now at the height of the ship's deck jumps of the wyrmling, ejected the remaining cannons and crew on deck with thorn whips and gusts of wind. Inciting the leadership of this vessel, Azure was given a last ultimatum: hand over the silver sword and mind flayer or face a fate worse than death with his companions. Realizing the nature of the ship, Azure gathered all his arcane might, crouched on all-fours, and critically cast dispel magic on the now falling vessel. As if straight out of an action movie, Azure was barely able to grasp a claw of the wyrmling coasting at ships height. Dragging the dragon down along with one of the brig's leadership, Azure fell from the dragon into the icy sea... taking half damage as Bryseiss' used thaumaturgy to break the water's surface tension.
Azure wild shaped into a tiger shark and began to drag fallen githyanki survivors that emerged from the ship back underwater. Naihboor latched onto one survivor and started his 'mind sucking action'. The few survivors including the aforementioned gtih leadership (a phoenix sorceress lieutenant and the brig's commodore) and a few stragglers surface, all deeply exhausted from the frigid water. The remaining wyrmling assisted the leadership onto flotsam and nearly dispatched Irma before being disemboweled by the small halfling herself. Pissed, the commodore planar shifted scornfully. Succ started to frenzy the gith sorceress wreathed in flame. The sorceress launched a fireball at Azure who dodged and dived as deep into the water as possible. Angered, she followed up with a terribly weak sunbeam. Amare ran and pludged her shortsword into the sorceress felling her. With a immolating scream, the sorceress errupted in fire as a baby phoenix escaped her body into the heavens in a flash of light.
Licking their deep wounds from the battle, our heroes spot a tiny dingy with the dead blue dragonborn skipper that once piloted their now ruined transport; his body charred by dragon and phoenix fire. Barely squeezing into the dingy, the heroes entered Heaven's Cape and its comparatively calm and balmy waters. Landing on the shore far outside Otway, they shared a sigh of relief and disbanded.
Amare and Seriphina quickly "fucked off" (their words) into the Wylds and away from their doomed companions. Succ sang "We're in prison but now we're back, we're in prison and now we're back" as the group ventured into the frigid forest. After a few hours, the group happened upon a small valley and an even smaller encampment. The cold wood suddenly seemed warmer and less coniferous. In the small campfire, a pot of warm brunswick stew sat ready and waiting. Succ ravenously scooped up soup with his hands, tastily burning himself with vegetable goodness.
Azure and Irma slowly approached the cottage making up the remainder of the camp, knock, and slowly entered this strange fey building. A small fey imp-like creature greeted them and served the survivors a hearty meal of soup around his campfire. Eventually introducing himself as Lutin, this shriveled goblin-like man quickly identified Irma's affliction. He gave Irma a small garden snake to hold as he continued to fish in his mystical bag. Resisting her urge to freak out, Lutin praised Irma's true devotion to her deity and revealed the snake as a great fairy of Pan's creation. They agree to cure Irma. Brewing a potion over the next few days, including portions of Succ's Hulk jawbone he kept from years back, berylfolk blood from Azure, lycanthropic blood from Irma, and fabled Beryl Island silt. After a small bloodletting ceremony (which we mimed), the two fey beings provided the concoction to Irma who downed it immediately. Her body seized and tried to transform vomitting blood, water, and blue silt as well as a hare (with identical coloration that Irma had) now dead. Cured of her long affliction, Irma took a long sigh of relief and laughed at Azure now lapping up the strange vomit on the floor... just like a dog.
Conflicted, our heroes agreed to spare Naihboor, at least until they reached Otway. They cared little for their 'caricatured gnome' partner and as an alm, the party offered the rest of Bumpy's brain for the mind flayer to sustain himself for the journey.
Irma provided a small at-sea burial Bumpy's remains and Amare was able to snag a scandalous note from their dragonborn skipper. Towards the middle of the final day, strange roars were heard on the wind. The ship was suddenly torn asunder by mortar fire. An aerial githyanki brig descended on the wreckage. Three dragon wyrmlings and a familiar, livid githyanki captain equipped with a glaive boarded the remaining flotsam. After brief deliberation on whether or not to give up Naihboor, Succ voted to take on the githyanki. And thus, the final fight was on!
Nearly all the wreckage ignited in dragon's fire. Our heroes all concocted separate plans on how to win the day. Most recklessly ambitious, Azure forcefully mounted one of the wyrmlings and haphazardly forced it upward toward the ship. Dodging cannon fire from the floating vessel, Azure directed the dragon's fire toward the ship, disabling a number of the portside artillery. Wrestling the dragon skyward, the rest of the party accepted the near impossibility of a victory. Regardless, Amare overturned a barrel and began taking potshots at the dragons. Irma lay hands fully on herself and completely resisted her werehare lycanthropy) gaining an inspiration point. Succ, accepting the goliath jedi he'd become, began to continuously lay into the scorn githyanki captain with his sunblade quite literally 'disarming' him in a frenzied rage. Now partially armless, the captain misty stepped attempting to wrestle his once precious silver sword from the hands of the mind flayer. Helplessly unable, Captain Dendric fled toward his dragon wyrmlings. Before he could attempt to mount one of the dragons, Naihboor the mind flayer proclaimed "I'm tired of running" lightninging through one of the red dragon wyrmlings and electrocuting the captain into his icy, watery grave. Amare slid in an epic combat maneuver across the flotsam firing a fated arrow down the gullet of the remaining wyrmling deftly dispatching it.
Azure, now at the height of the ship's deck jumps of the wyrmling, ejected the remaining cannons and crew on deck with thorn whips and gusts of wind. Inciting the leadership of this vessel, Azure was given a last ultimatum: hand over the silver sword and mind flayer or face a fate worse than death with his companions. Realizing the nature of the ship, Azure gathered all his arcane might, crouched on all-fours, and critically cast dispel magic on the now falling vessel. As if straight out of an action movie, Azure was barely able to grasp a claw of the wyrmling coasting at ships height. Dragging the dragon down along with one of the brig's leadership, Azure fell from the dragon into the icy sea... taking half damage as Bryseiss' used thaumaturgy to break the water's surface tension.
Azure wild shaped into a tiger shark and began to drag fallen githyanki survivors that emerged from the ship back underwater. Naihboor latched onto one survivor and started his 'mind sucking action'. The few survivors including the aforementioned gtih leadership (a phoenix sorceress lieutenant and the brig's commodore) and a few stragglers surface, all deeply exhausted from the frigid water. The remaining wyrmling assisted the leadership onto flotsam and nearly dispatched Irma before being disemboweled by the small halfling herself. Pissed, the commodore planar shifted scornfully. Succ started to frenzy the gith sorceress wreathed in flame. The sorceress launched a fireball at Azure who dodged and dived as deep into the water as possible. Angered, she followed up with a terribly weak sunbeam. Amare ran and pludged her shortsword into the sorceress felling her. With a immolating scream, the sorceress errupted in fire as a baby phoenix escaped her body into the heavens in a flash of light.
Licking their deep wounds from the battle, our heroes spot a tiny dingy with the dead blue dragonborn skipper that once piloted their now ruined transport; his body charred by dragon and phoenix fire. Barely squeezing into the dingy, the heroes entered Heaven's Cape and its comparatively calm and balmy waters. Landing on the shore far outside Otway, they shared a sigh of relief and disbanded.
EPILOGUE
Amare and Seriphina quickly "fucked off" (their words) into the Wylds and away from their doomed companions. Succ sang "We're in prison but now we're back, we're in prison and now we're back" as the group ventured into the frigid forest. After a few hours, the group happened upon a small valley and an even smaller encampment. The cold wood suddenly seemed warmer and less coniferous. In the small campfire, a pot of warm brunswick stew sat ready and waiting. Succ ravenously scooped up soup with his hands, tastily burning himself with vegetable goodness.
Azure and Irma slowly approached the cottage making up the remainder of the camp, knock, and slowly entered this strange fey building. A small fey imp-like creature greeted them and served the survivors a hearty meal of soup around his campfire. Eventually introducing himself as Lutin, this shriveled goblin-like man quickly identified Irma's affliction. He gave Irma a small garden snake to hold as he continued to fish in his mystical bag. Resisting her urge to freak out, Lutin praised Irma's true devotion to her deity and revealed the snake as a great fairy of Pan's creation. They agree to cure Irma. Brewing a potion over the next few days, including portions of Succ's Hulk jawbone he kept from years back, berylfolk blood from Azure, lycanthropic blood from Irma, and fabled Beryl Island silt. After a small bloodletting ceremony (which we mimed), the two fey beings provided the concoction to Irma who downed it immediately. Her body seized and tried to transform vomitting blood, water, and blue silt as well as a hare (with identical coloration that Irma had) now dead. Cured of her long affliction, Irma took a long sigh of relief and laughed at Azure now lapping up the strange vomit on the floor... just like a dog.
Thus ends this tale from Cabochon.
Character(s) interacted with
Naihboor, the Mind Flayer
Orikeer, the Survivor
Githyanki Captain Dendric,†
Offeith, Spark of the Autumn Phoenix,†
Githyanki Commodore Yevgin,†
Lutin the Imp Prince
Orikeer, the Survivor
Githyanki Captain Dendric,†
Offeith, Spark of the Autumn Phoenix,†
Githyanki Commodore Yevgin,†
Lutin the Imp Prince
Notes
Almost finished an entire bottle of port by myself for this battle. Who says God can't be drunk!
Also, Jeremy Soule's 'Sovengarde' still doesn't get old after blasting it for over 3 hours.
Also, Jeremy Soule's 'Sovengarde' still doesn't get old after blasting it for over 3 hours.
Comments
Author's Notes
Irma's curing epilogue is directly inspired by "Le Prince Lutin" by Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy.