Session 8:
One of their crew, the ooze known as lookout, had been magically replaced by a powerfully built woman with a strange weapon, through seemingly random happenstance. The crew found they were unable to communicate with her as she spoke no language they knew. Puddle, taking no risks, used his magical nova to eat away at his gemheart to open communications with the strange woman. She introduced herself as Cedar Heinrich and captain Kasey quickly drafted her into the crew. Cedar seemed to accept this.
Hopeless noticed that Studs was flying a white flag of parlay and split the crew, half would be going into the city to get ready for a fight and to get the shard. The other half would take the ship and meet with Studs to parlay.
Bluebell, Hopeless, Alister, and Ubo joined the captain on the ship while Puddle, Yipe, Cedar, Dishonest, and Macphade entered the city. Macphade told Hopeless that he hoped everyone came back and he would be upset to see his crew members die. Everyone made fun of Macphade for this and said he would buy the first round when this was over. With that, the crew split, but not before the captain could give a bottle containing an ooze to Puddle, telling him to destroy the shard if it would fall into the hands of Studds.
Inside the city half the crew rushed for the tower while looking for a good ambush location. Eventually dishonest realized they needed to start to prepare and picked a narrow street that would force Studs’ crew to pack together and asked Macphade to set the cannons down. They parted ways, some of them knowing this would be the last time they saw dishonest. As they continued their rush for the shard the party noticed movement in the empty buildings. Puddle, now able to communicate with all things, approached and spoke to the things moving. The language was ancient but his magic prevailed and he learned that they were the Constructed, left behind when the humans who created this city marched to war. They were the street sweepers, the lamp lighters, the repairmen, and a hundred other jobs that were left behind when the combat constructed were taken to war. Puddle negotiated their help getting to the tower of the shard, known to them as the piece of divinity. The constructed began to lead the party through the literal maze of a city speaking of their possible worthiness to bear the shard.
On the ship, the crew met with Studs who was joined by several of his more intimidating crew. A dingy launched from each ship and met halfway. The captain, Bluebell, Cherub, Ubo, and Alister, leaving Hopeless on the ship to ensure nothing funny happened. Studs, an arrogant man, demanded the treasure they sought and offered Bluebell a place in his crew. Naturally the crew disagreed and their counter offer was for him to fuck off. Tense words were exchanged and some of the crew noticed Hopeless in the water, rising next to The Lust of Revenge and slowly attaching goblin bombs to the ship. The crew began to discuss that there was no one here who could out them as breaking the rules of parlay, threatening Studs. Studs reminded them of their position, a smaller ship with no cannons, less than half crew, and open to a broadside from his ship. Studs went on to promise Ubo that his new wife would find a home among his crew, perhaps as his new plaything. Ubo had enough and leaped the distance of the two dinghies to attack. All at once chaos exploded around them as Stud’s crew drew weapons and Hopeless screamed in defiance at the evil pirate as he detonated the bombs, blowing a hole in the Lust of Revenge at the cost of his own life. Studs, realizing he needed to save his ship cursed Kasey and her ship, swearing he would chase her to the city on the water and kill her crew to the last. Kasey, never one to pass up an opportunity, quickly got her crew back to the Disgrace and fled at full speed to the city. Ubo spoke words for his now dead shipmate, “that how it go”. Not bothering to raise the sails she called all hands to brace for impact and smashed into the pier, abandoning her ship and rushing into the city.
As the captain lead the crew they noticed the same movement as the other part of the crew and chose to sneak past them, breaking through buildings to make a direct path to the shard. A brief reunion with dishonest pointed them in the right direction. Hearing about the loss of Hopeless, Dishonest expressed that he never liked that guy. Eventually they came out onto a street with a canal and noticed that down the way was the other half of the crew. When reunited the party had some laughs at Macphade’s expense as he told Ubo that he was glad they made it back. They caught the captain up on what was happening and the captain accepted they would have to follow the constructed to the tower. Just as they heard the sound of Dishonest’s cannons going off. They knew their time was limited. Ubo spared the words “that how it goes” for his shipmate. Strangely, the sounds of battle followed, it seems that Studs has chosen to cut through the constructed instead of ignore them.
Finally the crew arrive at the tower, its brilliant light shining high above as they looked up at it, feeling a sense of vertigo. As the constructed with them began to discuss the matter of worthiness the captain rushed inside, soon followed by the crew who all laughed about this silly concept of being worthy and who could judge such a thing.
Their first test was a flight of stairs spiraling into the darkness above. For someone with one foot the captain raced up them rather easily. Ubo told Macphade to carry him and created a grove of trees to feed the minotaur. Bluebell looked at her lovely angel Cherub the saltwater crock and her little legs and asked Macphade to carry her. He agreed but stated that he wanted her bandana.
Next they found themselves in some bizarre waiting area. An ancient man told them to take a number and wait to be called. Some of the crew took numbers, getting numbers in the fifties as he called number sixteen. Bluebell wrote in the number “16” on her slip and left with no issue. The captain put a gun up to the man and demanded she be allowed to pass. She was told to take a number and the crew tried to talk her down. Tensions rose and she pulled the trigger, killing the man and racing for the exit.
Again the crew was confronted by stairs. Macphade scooped up Cherub and simply told Bluebell that she owed him. Ubo, said Macphade agreed to carry him up the stairs and had to do it again. Soon they found themselves racing up, the kobolds hitching a ride on one crew member or another. When they reached the top they found a door which lead to a chamber full of crabs. Thousands of them simply covering the floor. Kasey decided to rush past and immediately began to sink into the crabs, screaming in agony. She was fished out and as they heard the door open down in the darkeness below. they reminded puddle that he could speak to all things. Puddle simply asked the crabs to allow them to pass and the path was made.
Another flight of stairs, another free ride for kobolds and another favor that Bluebell owes Macphade. This time, as they reached the top of the stairs they heard and saw the explosion of fire in the darkness below. Studs was gaining on them.
Opening the door at the top of the stairs they were confronted by a comfortable tavern… people here that they knew. Bluebell’s parents waved her over. Her father disappointed and a little hateful of her life choice, her mother glad to see her. Ubo met the high scribe of the blackbacks, who offered him the crown, as a sign that he was always meant to be the king of the tribe. Puddle recognized the minotaur children who looked after him and eventually spilled their mothers jewels into him. Yipe saw her father and her six mothers, who were proud of what she was doing and agreed to stay in this room to fight for her, to buy her and Ubo more time to which Ubo offered a “that how it go”. Macphade seemed occupied speaking with two people who looked remarkably like him, clan members of his. Alister was met with the man who brought him into his faith and looked after him, asking what could be happening and telling his student that he should allow him to bestow a blessing before he leaves. The captain seemed to be meeting with a beautiful goblin woman wearing a beautiful dress and heavy makeup. Cedar saw a man in strange pajamas, Keith Fischer, her friend and paramour who was confused but glad to be with her. Alister seemed to be sure this was an illusion and dismissed the offer for help and herded the party out of the room, knowing danger was close. Just as they closed the door behind them they heard all hell break loose on the other side of the door as Studs and his crew entered the room and began fighting.
A new set of stairs and another ride for the kobolds, even this close to danger, spirits remained high as Macphade stated this was another that he was owed and everyone joked about having to carry the kobolds as they rushed up the stairs. Interestingly, it seems that the room was no illusion, Ubo still wore his crown and Keith Fischer was with them.
As they reached the top of the stairs they found themselves in a large flat area with the brilliant light of the shard nearly blinding them. The massive domed ceiling above them held up by a series of pillars around the edge of the platform. Puddle raced for the shard ahead of everyone and they heard a call to stop. Studs had caught up. In his arm was the captain, with a gun pressed to her ear canal. Kasey seemed defeated. The wind out of her sails and had no more fight left in her. The crew hesitated, unsure of their next move before Kasey looked to Ubo and simply said “that how it goes” before the crew sprung into action, puddle racing to the shard and pouring the bottle of ooze on it.
Battle begun, The crew seeming to have the upper hand with luck and the powerful and strange combatant Cedar Heinrich on their side. Studs’ larger crew seemed to matter little as the funneled up the narrow stairs and those that were here fought to the last. Studs himself was thrown prone by Yipe’s tangle-centepede. As things seemed to turn in their favor Studs summoned a hulking cyclops, nearly 26 feet tall. With its massive club it seemed to tie up the crew of the disgrace’s best fighter. Studs, ever prepared, drew a pistol and nearly killed yipe, even as Macphade, bluebell, Ubo, and Cherub struck down a pair of Studs’ crew who had rushed into battle. As more pirates poured from the stairs Alister drew his bow and killed one, helping to control the flow. Finally Yipe blinded the giant and allowed Cedar to slip past it. She wasted no time dispatching Studs’ unable to understand his words as he surrendered and begged for his life. With Studs dead, his crew started to die off, their hearts exploding in their chests.
With the chaos of battle dying down the party took an assessment of itself even as the shard reflected light strangely. It seemed the ooze poured on it had created something new. It called itself “Bottle” and its power was clear, a gemheart ooze formed with a piece of divinity in its heart. Its first act was to bring back the captain who was returned to the prime of her youth, her body restored. She thanked the crew for following her into hell and back, for being ready to lay down their lives for her and her foolish dream. She told them simply, she wasn’t going to stick around, she was done, her story was told and this is where it ends. She gave her ship to Bluebell, what was left of it, and Ubo was quite upset, he had dibs. She laughed and offered him what was left of Studs’ ship. The captain was laid to rest again and Bottle told the crew that what they had done was nothing short of incredible. The odds they had overcome, the things they had seen and done. He could see it all and offered each of them a gift, anything within his power. With each of their gifts given they were scattered, Bluebell, Ubo, Puddle, Macphade, and Yipe returned to oozeport with a wave of Bottle’s pseudopod. Acastus remained in the city on the water, claiming it for his god.
Detailed below are the wishes of the crew:
Bluebell: wished that Blacksoul Harris sneeze every two minutes for the rest of his life.
Ubo: wished for his new ship to be restored and a crew of kobolds to man the ship
Cedar: Wished to go home. She could not because she was already home, Keith could because he was not. Cedar was sent away, to a place of heroes, a place that Bottle called "The House of Legacy", they would find her true place in the multiverse as she was not from Hodas and did not belong here.
Alister: wished for dominion over the city on the water and its maze like structure for his god. Bottle agreed, he was not meant to linger here and knowing it would have a new divine spark to protect it would satisfy him
Puddle: wished for there to be more oozes than ever before and was told that it will be.
Yipe: wished for the hold of the Lust of Revenge to be full of apples
Macphade: Felt any wish he would have wanted would be dishonorable. Despite the crew telling him that he was a real pirate now and didn’t need honor he persisted and gave his wish to bluebell, wishing for her to have a psychic connection to Cherub. Bottle, moved by this, poured power into Macphade’s weapon, creating “The Shipwrecker” from his massive boarding ax.
Cherub: Wished for big fish.
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