Winedark, Chapter Thirty-Five
General Summary
Wherein the Blasters free an imprisoned scion, witness the eye of Dread, and envision the environs in which the fate of the Isles will be determined
Rothen, despite Maekrist's vehement objections, agreed to assist the Ender of Things with its objectives here on this plane in exchange for bringing his adored Forzi back to life. To ensure Maekrist couldn't interfere, she was "detained" in the cellar beneath the manor. Rothen then went about his dark deeds, the effects of which are all around the Blasters. And, of course, this bargain was not what Rothen expected--Forzi was returned to life, but as a husk of herself, as a zombie. Rothen then imprisoned what remained of Forzi in a cell adjacent to Maekrist and went about his brooding.
Maekrist seemed slightly upset at the death of her father. It seemed that they were not particularly close. Nor was Maekrist very close with her sister Forzi, but still could not bring herself to end her sister's half-life. Luckily, Kasula Neristina agreed to do this, and do it mercifully as possible. Maekrist was very thankful and agreed to help our heroes however she could.
Part of that help was to steer them in a possible direction for exploration. The locus of whatever entity this is--the seat of its power--seemed to be what was once the wine collection of the estate. She guided them there, but not before encountering a surprise waiting in an unassuming wine barrel--a giant Mimic. Once again, it was to arms. And, once again, the Blasters sipped from the cup of victory. Although, it came at a price--our heroes are bloodied and tired and no sign of rest appeared before them. Whatever waits for them in the wine cellar is certainly going to be a trial.
The Blasters didn't come here to talk, so it was time for fighting. And it was a brutal fight, with both Kharlo Chondricht and Water's precious skateboard spending some time among its tendrils. Throughout combat, our heroes were buffeted by troubling visions, put forth by the Eye of the Many-Fingered. Some of these visions were of possible futures, often with the Isles either destroyed or on the cusp of destruction. Other visions were of the distant past, detailing the countless times Vo'ku'a and Isler ancestors have engaged in violence. Like with most visions, these were difficult to interpret clearly by an individual.
Despite these visions, the Blasters destroyed the Eye, and with it, offered a glimmer of hope for the Isles.
As they left Scaraval, our explorers could make out at least two ships that seem to be sinking in the harbor. The "distraction" worked, but a price was paid. Such is the way of all things.
With blessed swift winds and fair skies, sailing was mostly smooth. Our heroes took advantage of this time to compare notes on their respective visions. After discussion, it was determined that all of this suggested one thing--Vo'ku'a is going to rise up through Kogo's Gauntlet. And the Blasters, along with the steadfast Bari people, will be there to meet it.
The Vast itself is not without dangers separate from the Many-Fingered, and our adventurers had to put down a rogue Shadow Dragon that decided to attack at midnight. Why these creatures always seem to attack at night is indeed a mystery.
But the Vast is also not without friends, and one such hopped aboard the VastBlaster unannounced. The mighty marid Shazzah the Beloved once again graced the Blasters with his presence. And, of course, the deck of the ship was instantly transformed into a feast hall. During the meal, our crew regaled Shazzah with their adventures, and warned of the threat of Vo'ku'a. Irk pointed asked for help during the battle that is sure to come. And, although Shazzah is not of this particular plane, he agreed to see what he could do, giving Irk a crystal that will summon him when the time is right. Irk was not the only one to gain a gift during this meeting, as Kharlo also came away with the much coveted recipe for Sushi Bagels.
The Blasters arrived in Awa Harbor in due course and set about undertaking preparations for what is to come.
Liberating a Suncaller
Before the Vastblasters could free Maekrist from her confines, she did it herself--Misty Stepping right into combat with her captors, which happened to be three Spectators. A battle ensued, as battle is wont to do. Ultimately, our heroes triumphed over these floating eyeballs and learned a bit more of the Suncaller story from Maekrist.Rothen, despite Maekrist's vehement objections, agreed to assist the Ender of Things with its objectives here on this plane in exchange for bringing his adored Forzi back to life. To ensure Maekrist couldn't interfere, she was "detained" in the cellar beneath the manor. Rothen then went about his dark deeds, the effects of which are all around the Blasters. And, of course, this bargain was not what Rothen expected--Forzi was returned to life, but as a husk of herself, as a zombie. Rothen then imprisoned what remained of Forzi in a cell adjacent to Maekrist and went about his brooding.
Maekrist seemed slightly upset at the death of her father. It seemed that they were not particularly close. Nor was Maekrist very close with her sister Forzi, but still could not bring herself to end her sister's half-life. Luckily, Kasula Neristina agreed to do this, and do it mercifully as possible. Maekrist was very thankful and agreed to help our heroes however she could.
Part of that help was to steer them in a possible direction for exploration. The locus of whatever entity this is--the seat of its power--seemed to be what was once the wine collection of the estate. She guided them there, but not before encountering a surprise waiting in an unassuming wine barrel--a giant Mimic. Once again, it was to arms. And, once again, the Blasters sipped from the cup of victory. Although, it came at a price--our heroes are bloodied and tired and no sign of rest appeared before them. Whatever waits for them in the wine cellar is certainly going to be a trial.
The Eye of the Many-Fingered
And what waited for them was a manifestation of That Which Will Swallow the World itself--a many tentacled thing with a giant all-seeing eye resting at the center of the tangled mess. It seemed to be slowly taking over the entirety of the estate, almost like it was consuming the building to fuel its own ends.The Blasters didn't come here to talk, so it was time for fighting. And it was a brutal fight, with both Kharlo Chondricht and Water's precious skateboard spending some time among its tendrils. Throughout combat, our heroes were buffeted by troubling visions, put forth by the Eye of the Many-Fingered. Some of these visions were of possible futures, often with the Isles either destroyed or on the cusp of destruction. Other visions were of the distant past, detailing the countless times Vo'ku'a and Isler ancestors have engaged in violence. Like with most visions, these were difficult to interpret clearly by an individual.
Despite these visions, the Blasters destroyed the Eye, and with it, offered a glimmer of hope for the Isles.
A Hurried Return
With little time to waste, our heroes hightailed it back to the VastBlaster, with Maekrist joining them, eager to be of use to help combat some of what her father has wrought.As they left Scaraval, our explorers could make out at least two ships that seem to be sinking in the harbor. The "distraction" worked, but a price was paid. Such is the way of all things.
With blessed swift winds and fair skies, sailing was mostly smooth. Our heroes took advantage of this time to compare notes on their respective visions. After discussion, it was determined that all of this suggested one thing--Vo'ku'a is going to rise up through Kogo's Gauntlet. And the Blasters, along with the steadfast Bari people, will be there to meet it.
The Vast itself is not without dangers separate from the Many-Fingered, and our adventurers had to put down a rogue Shadow Dragon that decided to attack at midnight. Why these creatures always seem to attack at night is indeed a mystery.
But the Vast is also not without friends, and one such hopped aboard the VastBlaster unannounced. The mighty marid Shazzah the Beloved once again graced the Blasters with his presence. And, of course, the deck of the ship was instantly transformed into a feast hall. During the meal, our crew regaled Shazzah with their adventures, and warned of the threat of Vo'ku'a. Irk pointed asked for help during the battle that is sure to come. And, although Shazzah is not of this particular plane, he agreed to see what he could do, giving Irk a crystal that will summon him when the time is right. Irk was not the only one to gain a gift during this meeting, as Kharlo also came away with the much coveted recipe for Sushi Bagels.
The Blasters arrived in Awa Harbor in due course and set about undertaking preparations for what is to come.
And That's Where We Left It
We'll see what form these preparations take during our next session.Varied & Sundry Details
- That same mermaid that swam around the Blasters (c.f. Winedark, Chapter Thirty-Three) once again appeared on their journey to Awa Harbor. This time, Water hailed her and was greeted with warm and a fuzzy feeling for its efforts.
- Captain Pitch has been rightfully wary of the Battle Mask of Balar Dhusti, but the visions they experienced made one thing clear--donning this mask will be key to understanding exactly where Vo'ku'a intends to break surface.
- Irk got to work on another carving, this one of Kasula. It seems a little less magnificent than the others--hands are hard to carve!
Rewards Granted
Level 10!
Character(s) interacted with
- Maekrist Suncaller, daughter of Rothen, determined to right his wrongs
- Shazzah The Beloved, a marid fond of feasting
Report Date
24 Apr 2022
Primary Location
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