Winedark, Blood and Therapy: In the Bowels of the Hippowhale

General Summary

Wherein The Therapists embark on fact-finding cruise, get swallowed by a massive sea creature, and come face to face with a kind of creation.

Something Strange in the Water

Having a full tenday of rest since their last excursion (in which ██████████ was discovered), The Therapists were ready and willing to report to Six Bottle for their next Harboreye assignment. Six was very glad to see them, as he has heard troubling reports of "sea monsters" emerging near Awa Harbor. Normally, these reports would be chalked up to the tall tales of sailors, designed to horrify and delight. But, things being as they are, and in full awareness of the type of mutated creatures that The Therapists have dealt with, Six has decided that these reports merit a bit of investigation.
To that end, our Therapists are to accompany Ulli Hornbroke, captain of Slug, which has been chartered for a short tour of Awa Harbor and its environs. During said tour, our adventurers should be on the lookout with anything that seems especially mutant and sea-monstery. The resolution of such encounters with said creatures are up to the discretion of the Therapists.
With no time to waste, our heroes got underway. Ulli "entertained" them as they patrolled around Awa Harbor with stories of sea monsters and the beguiling and horrifying products of The Vast, which the keenly observant Gnorbitt detected as total bullshit. Just when it seemed that this voyage was wasted (or, perhaps just turning into a nice pleasure cruise), a sea monster was spotted. But, this was no ordinary denizen of the Vast--this was a (the?) hippowhale and it is the size of a small city.
Of course it swallowed them whole, Slug and all.
The Therapists emerged from this harrowing experience and found themselves somehow stranded--and trapped--inside the whale. Ulli promptly had a fit, but everyone was thankfully unharmed. Now, to see about how one escapes a living whale. After some discussion--and some Artag fireballs to provoke indigestion(?)--it was decided that perhaps venturing deeper into the whale will provide a clue as to how a departure from the creature might be arranged.

Navigating Jeevek

A couple of things were noticed as The Therapists move further into the recesses of the whale. One, there were strange black and green polyps everywhere. And while they appeared to be ever-present, none of them seemed to be part of the whales intended anatomy. Rather, the relationship seemed parasitic in nature. These polyps grew "angrier" and more pronounced as the party progressed into the whale. And two, there were signs of a settlement within this creature. 
Just as our adventurers were pondering who (or what) could be living inside this whale, that question was swiftly answered. A cavalcade of "slimefolk" emerged. One of them, called Mire, welcomed them to their village in "the Mighty Jeevek," which is, apparently, the name of this creature. After a discussion of the merits of measuring time as it relates to sub-whale living, our Therapists asked about ways to possibly leave Jeevek's embrace. It turns out, as expected, the only way out is through. 
A path was charged that would take them into the "realm of The Anathema," which is apparently a mutated individual obsessed with "creation." Individuals that venture in that direction do not return, so it is possible that an exit lies that way.
To get there, though, The Therapists would endure attacks from stomach acid worms, increasingly disgusting polyps (this time, with teeth), and Artag Overdale would experience a particular harsh baptism in intestinal bile, as if Jeevek was saying hey, man, cool it with the fire, yeah? But, eventually, they found themselves before a passage so choked with polyp and growth that it must lead to whatever this "Anathema" is. And perhaps "out," however that might manifest.

A Kind of Exodus

And, yes, of course that passage did lead right to The Anathema, who engaged our heroes in conversation about the nature of creation and the advantages of devotion to a patron who can provide the necessary power and resources required to achieve the marvels currently going on within Jeevek. The Anathema seemed entirely unconcerned that this is probably killing the hippowhale and instead insisted that this is all part of "glorious transformation." Artag immediately identified this as a tenet of Hottim worship, probably because this kind of thing has been Happening A Lot.

With the discussion at a seeming impasse, the only thing left to do was fight. Combat commenced, and it was a doozy, as it was easily the hardest battle The Therapists have faced yet. Dennis found himself either on the brink of unconsciousness or decided incapacitated for most of the fight, to say nothing of the blast of necrotic energy emerging from The Anathema that nearly did for the rest of the party. But, luckily, the story of The Therapists doesn't end here. They emerged victorious, destroying The Anathema. Almost immediately, the polyps plaguing Jeevek began to whither and receed. That seems like a good thing! Well done, everyone!

Now, to see about getting out. A quick conversation with the Bone Janitor (see "details) revealed that there is more than one ship contained within Jeevek, and since they presumedly did Jeevek a solid by getting rid of its parasites, maybe they could ask the whale for help? More bonkers plans have been attempted before. A quick trip back to Mire to pick up Ulli revealed that Ulli is, in fact, staying with the Slimefolk. Nice to have some place to belong, I suppose.

With that, Artag commenced a relatively successful communication with Jeevek, convincing the whale to both surface and let them leave via the way they came in, from its mouth, aboard the Slug. The party was then rescued from their broken vessel and taken to Six Bottle to give a full report. Six, as is his wont, seemed distressed, and promised both to look into more potential Hottim worship and to inquire about their own missing ship, the Evening Therapy. With their reward in hand, it was time for The Therapists to enjoy some much needed rest before their next mission.

And That's Where We Left It

We'll see what other schemes Hottim is hatching when the chronicles of Blood and Therapy continue.

Various & Sundry Details

• Rainbow, a Prophet of the Vast, was at last reunited with his beloved ocean. Much communion was undertaken. Don't worry (or ask) about what that means.
• Jeevek has its own custodian in the form of a three-headed, six-armed skeleton "ratking." The Therapists promised it a job "should work here ever get, y'know, boring."
• Gnorbitt did a lot of hiding in the "folds" of what was presumably Jeevek's intestinal process, and, as such, will never be clean again.

Character(s) interacted with

• Six Bottle, Waterspeaker of Awa 
• Ulli Hornbroke, captain of Slug, recent immigrant to Jeevek
• Mire, slimefolk resident of Jeevek
• The Anathema, acolyte of Hottim, "creator"
• Jeevek, majestic hippowhale

Report Date

14 Nov 2021

Primary Location

The Vast

Secondary Location

Awa Harbor

Related Characters

• Artag Overdale