Season 4, Episode 4: "Heat of the Forge, Part 3" Report
General Summary
In the wake of their battle with Gregar Taxus, the Dream Team finished cleaning out the warehouse, recovering Cromwell and tying up the placated Lollipop until further notice.
Chamas revealed that he knew some of the mercenaries in the compoud, and was eager to hunt down their captain -- a man named Ross, who had wronged Chamas during his mercenary days.
On the other end of the compound, the ancient Android warned the party that time was of the essence, evident by the rising core temperature and radiation levels on the Forge, and briefly explained recent events as he percieved them.
Deku had been torturing Cromwell for the access codes to the planet, but seemed to have given up after the arrival of the Hellknights, and was likely considering drastic actions that would destroy Isra's home.
While he did not know the state of the Children of the Forge, the party informed him that their defenses had crumbled, and thus the group decided to rendevous with the ship and head deeper.
However, they found the Aga Jain missing, and a crater in its place.
Unable to reach its comm unit, they made a beeline for the Mantles -- cutting through the upper levels via the graviton elevator, pushing back resistance from the Aspis Consortium until the last legs of the journey.
After reaching the Lower Mantle they rendezvoused with Denerin, Cromwell’s second lieutenant -- one of three remaining Androids who had preserved their memories since the beginning of this battle.
While elated to see Cromwell, he was horrified by his condition, and shared his own grievances with Isra.
A sea of decaying bodies, the central structures of Forge life destroyed -- a hollow shell of a tortured existence.
He joined the group on their way to the Core, just in time for disaster to strike at the edge…
A cohort of mind-controlled Witchwarper Androids lashed out, pulling the group apart, and spreading them all about the Forge.
Alexander Marcus attempted to capture Isra, but was intercepted by Valentina Terris, who arrived shortly after detecting the trap.
Lockette Endrinmaster began a shootout in the dark, as Poppy's laughter echoed through the hall.
Tesin manifested her blade in time to parry Skittles, his eyes alight with gleeful madness.
Abelina was able to pull in Cromwell at the last second, but suddenly found herself in a brawl with Sarge, defensive magics latent in her fists.
Mist and Chamas landed together, encountering Nakira and Ross in a thin hallway, designed to keep the Ysoki away from his trusty bow.
This left Isra to deal with Deku, high on power from Hastur and Szuriel, but surprised to find his opponent at the very center of the Core.
The ensuing battle royale was rife with near-misses and near-deaths. In the end the Dream Team prevailed, but not without paying a steep price...
Tesin toed the threshold between life and death in her duel with Skittles, ending in a desperate stab into the creature’s heart, and a death curse buried deep into her mind laden with Moscaroth's influence.
Abelina fought to keep Cromwell safe from Sarge, only to be beaten and captured, unable to aid her team.
Mist and Chamas faced off against old rivals, and found them more akin to boogeyman -- shadows hid a smaller form, as both Nakira and Ross fell to the Hunter's blade. Mist awakened the first aspect of his Mantle, and was taught the price of power.
After a frustrating bout, Lockette gathered all her lucky stars, and bore a hole through Poppy's head, stopping the rogue from fleeing as their ambush crumbled.
Deku found he was no match for Isra’s wit, the power of the Challenger and Shield of Light, and the mystery of the Shard of Ignorance. He fell into a pool of his own blood, cursing Isra in name, but unable to produce a curse of the soul, abandoned by Szuriel for his weakness.
Outside of the Dream Team's brawls, Alexander Marcus defeated Valentina, and took her into the dark. As Mist went to intervene (having finished his fight the fastest), Jun Zhao revealed his true colors, giving Marcus time to escape, and then vanishing with his true allies. Just before he fully disappeared, he called Mist a "Sinner", with a foreboding weight that made the Ysoki's skin crawl in response.
Isra’s newfound control of the Forge could only barely save Cromwell from capture, but soon rid the planet of its invaders.
Taking stock of the damage, they found Chad and Ragarot unreachable, and confirmed that Abelina and Valentina had been taken.
Isra woke Cromwell, who then transferred his admin rights to his protege, and was forced to reveal an old secret.
The existence of Wynrey, former tenant of Isra's body and Cromwell's wife -- a lost mind that shares in Isra's soul.
Luckily, the Forge recognized her regardless, and Isra was able to put the Forge to rights, and located the Aga Jain drifting in Hell.
Nearby the loading bay, Mist and Chamas were first on the scene, and witnessed the horrors on deck. Mining Team 4 -- save an extremely wounded Ricardo -- had been slaughtered by Jun Zhao, who had used Ooblat's connection with Wachowski to Skip onto the ship from Ezorod. T.R.A.V.I.S.'s real form (a disembodied head wired into the ship itself) had been horribly wounded, but had been saved by Mist's earlier interference, as Jun Zhao was forced to retreat.
The group then checked in on Ezorod, and found the area besieged from two sides. Jun Zhao used the on-site portal to bring cultists inside, resulting in the death of Lod Coster, while Charon, Moscaroth, and an army of Void Hags assaulted Night. Although Tesin's family had been spared, many were wounded, and Carrot's dragon (Nightshade) had gone missing in the turmoil.
Worse yet, the Access Beacon had been heavily damaged, after Jun Zhao conducted an experiment with his own cultists. The group found wretched corpses in the pods, as if they had been cooked from the inside out, which then crumbled into dust after being disturbed. Without a Drift Beacon Engineer the fate of their avatars was a mystery, but few were optimistic.
Then, when all seemed hopelessly lost, the Road Key began vibrating in Isra's pocket, pulling desperately towards a door...
Rewards Granted
Tarot Deck
- Lockette used a Card of Good Hope.
- Mist used a Card of Good Hope and the Blessing of the Hunter.
- Isra used the Blessing of the Challenger and the Blessing of the Shield of Light.
- None
Created Content
New and updated articles for:
Tesin Movahesh
Thunder in the Mist
Lockette Endrinmaster 12 2.0
Isra
Report Date
29 Jun 2021
Primary Location
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