The Prodigal Child Returns
With things settled at Shirpatra, the Gods readied their list of quests and selected their best opportunity to slow down and subvert the apocalypse. They chose to send their NPCs onwards to the Khilaian Isles and to Holy Zeshema, to better investigate False Chimera cults among the Selkies and in the West. Meanwhile, the Gods would teleport to the Empire of Zerua to hunt the still-developing Plague Engine of the Rot there. The Gods said their farewells, gathered a few companions to take with them, and ventured forth. It was time for Makar, the prodigal child of the Zeruan court, to return to their homeland!
The group was teleported by Haru's friend, Majesty, to the Zeruan Capital of Argena, under the banner of Haru. Thanks to this divine support, the Gods were welcomed as important guests and given courtly costumes and lodging in the grand palace. The sprawling palatial complex, large enough to contain hunting, fishing, and lush picnic grounds, was a walled cradle of opulence and political maneuvering. The group made contact with the representative of Makar's old court patron, Princess Maina Eramzir, and set off to meet with Emperor Sophan Eramzir himself in a private meeting.
Sophan revealed that Zerua had, since Makar left a year prior, entered a wildly escalating war with the Kingdom of Esedeta over access to Kilusha and control over Vikasha - with Sophan arguing that fighting the plague and fighting Esedeta are necessarily intertwined, as Esedeta was denying them essential medicine and contesting their blockade of ground zero of the plague. The Gods pointed out that a war would only further spread the plague, and the Emperor agreed, but stated that he would need outside help forcing Esedeta into peace talks now that hostilities had begun. While Sophan was not eager for peace himself, the arrival of anti-Paladins and monsters in Makal in the last month had convinced him that there were more pressing threats. But Esedeta would need more convincing than him. The Gods urged him to de-escalate in preparation for the peace talks, and he seemed largely unwilling to do so without indication that Esedeta wouldn't exploit this.
After the meeting, the Gods met with Princess Maina's representative, who told them that corporate interests would be willing to aid in the peace process (using connections in the Esedetan camp to broker a full ceasefire) if the Gods were willing to help them and Maina in a major (and likely underhanded) way. While never stated or even clearly suggested, Makar was essentially slipped the possibility of a coup, or at least some kind of major power grab by the princess in government. The Gods said they'd consider it but were noncommittal. Avoiding such politics, they acquired an elite warship bearing the seal of the Zeruan emperor to speedily take them along the Zeruan coast, to inspect the various infected cities and search for where the engine might be hiding. On their way out, they terrorized a number of performing clowns at Morika Village (the old-timey entertainment district of the capital).
Before searching for the plague engine, Makar returned to Etekamo to meet with their family. Things at home were not so great, as the plague had forced their immuno-compromised (by Gem Plague) father from working - their younger brother was having mental health issues and was being bullied by their older sister, who was herself going through it trying to cover their father's lost income. Their father and mother were fighting, the neighborhood had been taken over by the Circles (as many of the local city guard had been conscripted away to the war), and the general community mood had turned grim and hostile. Makar talked with their family, revealing who they were. Their parents didn't believe them (but were willing to 'play along'), but their siblings understood and wanted to help. Ultimately, Makar told them to just get out of Zerua, and arranged for them to be evacuated to Suwirsha. Things would be getting worse here, even if the Gods succeeded at every goal.
Meanwhile, Arzet and the crew visited Ezia's neighboring house and realized that she was a "mob princess" of the Circles; her grandfather held notable rank in the Circles, and the brewery her family ran was partially tied to Circle money laundering. Now that the Circles operated blatantly in control of the district, the family was much more open in what they did - and Ezia's messed up family dynamics became much more clear. She was apparently considered 'in debt' to her family for the food and lodging they provided for her as a child, and she was working on paying it off. Luckily, her powerful new friends made her family much nicer to her (as she provided real access to power), but Arzet and Makar assured her that this was still not normal and deeply unhealthy as a way to treat a child.
With Makar's family evacuated and Ezia's background clarified, the Godsquad laid out their targets. The Zeruan government claimed to have the plague contained and quarantined in a small handful of cities along the coast. These cities are listed here, closest to furthest by sea from the capital:
First city on the roster was Zalkarak, the military-and-sports hub. The city seemed to care more about their charioteering matches and the war than the plague, which was dismissed by many commoners as 'just another sickness' like smallpox. Arzet attended the hippodrome games to look for plague, and discovered that the plague had infected the public water troughs used for drinking and cooling - these games had become a massive disease vector. Makar and Kipilu both investigated the quarantined districts. Makar found that two local plague warlocks had been spreading propaganda that the plague was easily cured by snakeoil, and were rallying local townsfolk to ignore plague measures to party and live life as normal. Kipilu found where the infected rats of the city most wanted to defend - likely the heart of the infection here. Potha discovered that, in the pollution-and-sewage canals, mysterious tunnels full of infected people had appeared.
The team decided to first ambush one of the plague warlocks in an alleyway, and demolished him with ease. They then ventured into the tunnels and found a "Plague Cradle" - basically a nexus that channeled life drained by the Rot towards the growing Plague Engine, to help it grow. They killed the second warlock there and destroyed the Cradle - and from the warlock and cradle, they were able to figure out that Iziri was actually not the Plague Engine location.
From the second warlock, the group acquired a cursed sword that, when attuned, uses charisma to hit and for damage - but turns the user into a constant plague vector.
With Zalkarak done, the group moved onto the next city - Elorta ahoy!
The Imperial Capital
Where the Heart Is
- Zalkarak, sports capital of Zerua and big military hub, ruled by the Princess of Azalek; most recently infected city
- Elorta, an city of pseudo-factories and workshops, ruled by the Prince of Mikena; one of the publicly worst-hit cities
- Kreniko, a city of high art and vast slums, miraculously only slightly hit by the plague due to the Prince of Mikena's harsh quarantine measures
- Ayzama, a bustling trading city near Vikasha and the first to be infected by the Plague; has been the focus of imperial disease-fighting efforts, and is the "success story" of the empire. Ruled by the Princess of Arasha
- Iziri, a military port with extremely pious commoners, undergoing a rebellion for some reason that is unclear to the imperial court. Ruled by the Princess of Arasha
Zalkarak
Components
Goals
QUEST:
- Destroy the nascent Zeruan Plague Engine, to prevent a new Plague Variant
- Scout out the powers and weaknesses of the Nemeses
- Make connections and allies
- Marshal resources
Relations
Protagonists
Makar: The Masked One reborn, from Etekamo . Divine Soul Sorcerer, Courtier Background (?)
Potha: Halcyon reborn, from the Sarana Tribe . Beastmaster Ranger, Outlander Background
- Coco: a friendly moa with a sweet tooth, Potha's bonded companion
- Cobi: a determined falcon loyal to Potha
- The Prison Rat: a rat with a sense of style, loyal to Potha
- Darana, a Nefkan Vesper priest who can speak with dead and resist fear, but requires burial of the dead
- Kiji, a Calazan Kobold explorer who can help Arzet super-leap, returns thrown weapons, but requires curiosity
- Sarwen, an Inasan dryad scholar who can see disease auras and helps with research, but requires everything to be recorded
- Siru, a Bilgazan Healing Church alchemist who can help Arzet make healing potions and increases Arzet's speed by 10 ft/round, but requires that the secrets of alchemy be kept guarded
- Thuma, a Nafenan squiddle blackguard who can help Arzet turn invisible underwater (when not attacking or casting) and increases swim speed by 30 ft/round, but requires Arzet to take no quarter against any foes
Allies
Zofara: A fatalistic warlock who presents as hyper-goth. Sworn to the Scarred One.
Eada the Sellsword: A mercenary and shapeshifter experimented upon by a strange magician
Ezia: A dryad childhood friend of Makar. Studying wizardry under Arzet
Topin: A Guardian of Hokzin, a child-soldier with a long rifle, a pious idealist
Imora: A Sunekan Fox Priest, a Sunekan secret police officer who has become hopelessly cynical
Plot type
QUEST
Parent Plot
Subplots
Related Characters
Related Organizations
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