A Relaxing Atlantean Vacation
General Summary
Having acquired a submersible large enough for the group, our heroes travelled to the bottom of the ocean where they found the legendary ruins of Atlantis. As they approached the ancient city, it was obvious that some unbelievable force was creating a bubble of air over a large portion of the ruin. The edge of this bubble was defined by a constantly moving wall of water obviously ready to collapse back in on the ruins beyond which vast black tentacles could be occasionally seen moving in the deep black of the ocean.
Surveying from the docks our heroes were able to identify four significant areas, between each of which was a large of low buildings assumed to be housing and the like. The four obvious areas of interest were a large Parthenon like structure off to the left, and a collection of unbelievably tall towers off to the right. The towers were so tall as to extend outside the airy bubble, and were obviously a source of great arcane magical power. In the center of the bubble was a large area of connected rectangles and circles, each surrounded by rows of elevated benches. This complex seemed to be similar to a Roman circus or Olymiad. Almost equidistant to this complex of fields as the docks were but in the other direction, were a collection of buildings that gave off the vibe of governmental or administrative offices.
After a short debate the group decided that they would stick together and head over to the Parthenon like building to investigate first. Flux fought through the arcane static that seemed omnipresent across Atlantis, to erect an illusory field to cover the entire group. As they made their way through the abandoned residential areas, they were able to spot several small groups of cultists moving around and searching the buildings as well. During their progress, Sam and Coyote noticed a single cultist walking down a nearby street. While the majority of the group kept together, masked by Flux's illusions, Coyote blipped away to pursue this cultist loner.
She found him in a small building whose roof had partially collapsed, using a prybar to try to lift the collapsed roof. Coyote sapped him on the back of the head and knocked him out. She stole the violet robes that he wore as well as his wallet, containing his ID that identified him as Jean Marcum. She then teleported back to catch up with group, offering the cloak to Flux to hold for any who might need it for disguise purposes.
When the group reached the Parthenon they were so successful in their attempts at stealth that they were able to get into position to clearly see a group of cultists, the few in shimmering black robes directing other cultists in voilet and the gargoyles to gather up various Atlantean artifacts and bring them to an area just outside the building. While observing this, Flux also notes that the power field around the Spires was fluctuating, like a engine losing RPMs. It had settled at point of stability, but it was a less powerful field than it was.
Many theories were fielded as to what this means, but the main consensus of the group was that at the very least gave them a timer to get things done. Approaching the central complex it became apparent that the cultists were moving the statuary and other artifacts down a central stairwell. Based on this idea, Flux was able to craft a torq made of Atlantean stone and their own magic. This small item allowed Flux to ignore the negative impact of the arcane static that suffused Atlantis.
Realizing that it would be impossible to maintain their stealth cover on the main stairwell they looked around and found a secondary entrance that lead down to a weird and confusing labyrinth. Cassiopeia used her remote viewing to work out that this labyrinth was acctually complex arcane sigil carved into the bedrock beneath Atlantis. She saw many cultists carefully positioning the statuary being brought in from elsewhere and performing rituals, empowering the sigil to block the arcane interference on a larger scale. Finally she found a part of the labyrinth that ended in a set of onyx spiral stairs descending even lower, however when she tried to send her remote viewing down the stairs her power was abruptly disrupted.
An extended conversation took place where the idea of Sam S.P.A.D.E. coordinating with the Maelstrom suit to nuke Atlantis by overloading both of their power supplies. However this plan was abandoned as it was decided the explosion would not be large enough to be impactful. Cassiopeia used her remote viewing to work out the quickest route to the onyx stairs, and the group rushed down to it.
Before they stepped onto the stairs, Cassiopiea focused her precognitive abilities on them, hoping to get a clue of what to expect at the bottom. She was used to seeing a web of possible futures, thousands of overlapping branches of likelihood that often seemed so variable and confusing as to be of limited practical use. This time however, the future narrowed to only two options: a future of quiet, cold and deep darkness or a tumorous growth spawning from this spot on the skin of the world to consume everything in a tide of all-consuming, all-encompassing flesh, bone and viscera. Her vision was broken but a sudden deep and ominous rumbling from below them. With growing urgency our heroes decide they need to get moving.
Stepping on the stairs instantly nullified magic and Neohuman abilities. The stairs were a tight curling set of black steps that lead down, down into the stony earth. They were claustrophobic and uncomfortable for those of our heroes that were used to relying on their powers all the time. The stairs eventually opened out into a large viewing gallery that looked out and down on an enormous room of basalt and marble, beset with enormous quartz crystals. Coyote, Flux, Cassiopeia and Sam S.P.A.D.E. recognized that the design of the entire room as being similar to Dr. Bordeaux's grand circle in back in the lab, being a circle in a pentagram in a circle in a vast pentagonal room nearly a quarter mile on the side.
The heroes watched as dozens of cultists performed various ritual chants and castings from other areas. The centermost circle, made of arcane purple flames, surrounded an pile of huge empty manacle cuffs and massive chains. Whenever that ominous pile of enchanted bindings was on the edge of vision, even with wide-spectrum omnisensors, it seemed like a link would move or a cuff would turn.
A quick discussion was had up on the balcony about the limits of the self-destruct feature of Maelstrom's suit. It was revealed that the while Alice could assist with aiming or make tactical recommendations, she could not actually trigger any of the weapons systems in the suits. The Power Suits were designed for the the ultimate sacrifice by the Trooper within. A plan was agreed upon that Sam would integrate with the suit to be able to trigger the self-destruct, while Hellfire would teleport out with Maelstrom himself, along with a digital copy of Alice and Sam. Coyote proved that the teleportation was at least possible by successfully teleporting herself and Cassiopiea back to the hallway at the top of the onyx stairs. The teleportation was slow and unpleasant, a struggle that Coyote had never had to make before. Cassiopiea immediately began to fly back to sub to prep it for launch.
Flux focused his will on shaking the very shape of the room, seeking to twist it into a smiley face and thus break up the clearly significant geography of the room. As he did so, some of the cultists below began to run for the stairs. As cracks began to appear in the walls and some of the large quartz crystals began to move, a figure stepped out of cover near the center of the grand pentagram. This figure was dressed in alabaster white robes and a red plague doctor mask. With a quick spell, this figure, the legendary Biomancer, broke Flux's influence on the walls and forced them back in place. Cultists began to charge up the stairs from below while others that were not invovled in ritual casting began firing spells up at the balcony.
Flux then narrowed his focus on the arcane chains and scattered them like so much metallic spagehetti. This revealed that there was a bizzare undulant mass of radiant colors whose form extended out into other dimensions beyond the binding circle of flames. This barely existent form began to harden and exist more and all those present heard a voice that spoke in transcendent tones echoing through non-existant spaces in dimensions broad and unknown that they now behold xxHul'issh, the Flesh that Lives!
Amoxi flew down from the balcony and tried to land a punch on the red-masked leader. He deftly threw up an arcane shield that blocked much of the damage, but it looked like some of Amoxi's power slammed through. Nearly simultaneously Maelstrom fired his sniper rifle at the Biomance, only for the shot to be blocked by a cultist sacrificing themselves, obviously some kind of magical compulsion inherent to the fleshchildren to protect their creator. Hellfire also threw hell-chains at Biomancer only to also be blocked partially by a cultist.
Coyote reappeared and grabbed Flux, teleporting him up to the upper hallway. Mere instants afterwards some kind of immensely powerful blood red sigils began to seep from the walls of the ritual space, moving to form more and more complex arcane warding. Biomancer, seemingly unconcerned by these sigils announces, "To late fools! Too late! xxHul'issh is here and soon the world will be flesh for my molding! Enjoy being the first to be consumed!" Biomancer then cast a spell and teleported away.
Maelstrom finished ejecting from his suit with the drive holding a backup of Sam and Alice and Hellfire yelled to Amoxi that it was time to go as cultists began to flood onto the balcony and smaller extrusions of xxHul'issh began to drop from it's mass and throw themselves on the arcane flames. Hellfire grabbed Maelstrom and ripped open her teleportation portal, pulling Maelstrom through with her. There was a sudden flare of cold arcane fire and one of the blood-sigils on the wall became branded on her forearm. She screamed as her undominable will allowed her to push through the pain and emerged through the portal again in the upper hallway. Coyote then had everyone in the hallway grab on to her to teleport to the dock. Flux slipped the torq he had crafted around her neck and with a twist of chance or chaos all of them appeared at the dock, just as Cassiopeia came flying in and starting up the sub. Amoxi applied his superspeed to flying up to the balcony, and then ascending up the stairs, leaving only Sam attached to the Maelstrom suit on the balcony. As the cultists charged the suit with robot detective attachment, Sam triggered the self-destruct in both the Maelstrom suit and his own robotic form.
As Amoxi was trying to rush as fast as he could to the sub, Flux focused his abilities in a way he had never tried before reaching down to a smaller scale than ever before, adjusting things on a quantum level to shift time around Amoxi allowing the Exo speedster to reach velocities never before reachable. He moved so quickly that time and space seemed to fracture around him, showing him myriad possible futures. Most of these show Amoxi, shadowed before the sun with his cape rippling behind him, flying over fields of slaughtered earthlings. These futures vanished as soon as he slowed while reaching the docks.
As the sub begins to power up, Atlantis groans and the water wall ripple. The Spires begin to bend and the wall of water begins to collapse. Kraken tentacles lashed down into the ruins, snatching up cultists and gargoyles as everyone in Atlantis charges for the docks. The Spires collapse as the water wall falls in and the sub begins to pull away from the dock. A massive crack splits the Olymiad.
The blood-sigils they had seen below began to seep up through the silt covered streets of Atlantis, moving and interlocking into horribly complex and powerful binding sigils. Hellfire's brand flared with sympathetic pain. Flux quickly worked out a coordination with Hellfire and Coyote to craft a ritual to turn these great bindings into an equally powerful banishment. Coyote suddenly pulled an impossible memory of an Atlantean phrase of power from her demigod mind and whispered it into Flux's ear. Flux's arcane control of stone and arcane energies surged to levels never before seen and the sigils twisted and locked into place, forcing xxHul'issh back out of this Reality. Thanks to Maelstrom's navigational planning while the sub was powering up, the heroes were able to avoid the Kraken and return safely to Lisbon.
Having saved the world from not only the emminent threat of the Fleshchildren, but the even greater threat of xxHul'issh, our heroes planned to spend a few days taking a well deserved rest on the beaches of Lisbon. Perhaps even loading Sam into some form of "sex bot" while a more permanent body is procured and the casinos are explored.
Nurse Flux Webisode
Hellfire identified the brand as basically being an arcane mark indicating her as a "escapee of Atlantis", should there be any wardens of that planar prison left to look for her. Flux attempted to "fix" Hellfire's brand, and succeeded at making it hidable, but causing it to ring on an arcane level across the multiverse. If any of those wardens were out there, they probably knew about her now for sure.
Jonathan Danvers
Kaylee Samuels
Amos Janssen
Report Date
28 Nov 2022
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