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| The Troupe |
This game took place during the Thanksgiving school break and four of the players had not played since the conclusion of session #7 when they first entered the “City of Diamonds”. At the conclusion of session #7 everyone inside the Cyclone Werks eventually fell asleep. When DurBur Duke, Lyn, Squire, Simon and Robin woke up to start session #8 Chris-Tle, Topper, Fred and Mortimer were already gone. Now that these players are present, we can use a bit of Crypt Lord magic to go back in time a bit and see what happened to them….
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| Beese |
Topper’s swarm of 2,999 Beese are having some issues. They have been away a long time. As the time of this separation grows they are more likely to become so weakened that they will start dying. Topper is attuned to this and decides to use her teletransportation ability to get them back to Rubitron before they weaken any further. Chris Tle, Fred and Mortimer (who has Odas ceramic body) decide to travel with the flying hat into the very heart of the “Yon of Ofaz and to the fantastical gleaming city of Rubitron. Topper takes flight during darkness and leads the way followed by her Beese, who in groups of 500 are able to carry one of the other personas.
This is the first time anyone other than Topper has been inside the ‘Yon itself. They arc up and over the lands below traveling not unlike a supersonic transport. High above they get a birds eye view of the lands between the Cyclone Werks and Rubitron. First they pass over the Aanssk Desert and narrow opening of the “Yon. Beyond this are miles and miles of plain with mountains to the west and broken dead land to the east. The plain ends when they reach a vast lake of slowly burning oil. They start downwards at this point and approach an island jutting up out of the flames made entirely of Red Ruby. They have reached their destination, the city of Rubitron.
The city itself is a dazzling wonder to behold, it rests on a natural oval platform of Ruby which is almost a mile long. On one end is a 1,000 foot diameter golden red ball resting in the city like a giant egg yolk. Around it are thousands of roads, homes and spires of the city. A gigantic arm spirals up from the city's base, holding a glittering Red Ruby palace aloft just over the globe. It is to the highest spire of this palace they are headed. They slow to land on an open area just below the top. The Beese release Mortimer, Chris-Tle and Fred as topper lands gently.
They notice a glimmering silver and red sky chariot resting on the pad. Huge Swineki guards motion them inside to an elevator. Upwards they glide on polished Red Ruby. At the top they are motioned out into the top chamber into an upward spiraling hallway. They walk slowly past pairs of huge Swineki every five paces.
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| Swineki |
The way narrows and turns upward on itself, until they reach the final chamber at the apex. It is a largish chamber suffused in Red light. Not far in front of them is a stern looking Hume resting on a hovering throne of living Beese. She takes the four in quizzically over her long thin nose. Topper knows this person, it is in fact her current master, Tindoro. There is an unknown figure in the room, a thin smartly attired Hume woman. She is clearly both an Arcanist and quite bored. Behind Topper and the troupe stands the largest of the Swineki they have seen so far.
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| Tindoro's Spire in Rubitron |
There is an awkward silence. Finally Tindoro rasps sweetly, a voice not unlike that of a reptile filtered through Red velvet.
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| Tindoro |
Tindoro: (to Topper): “Do you have the power source?”
Topper: I do, but it’s somewhere else”
Mild petulance. Another pause. No one has acknowledged the other three personas existence.
Tindoro, sweetly: “Where is it?”
Topper: “...I have it...somewhere”.
Tindoro: “Are you sure?” Sniffs the air mildly. Once more just to make sure. “I smell it near”.
Topper: “What are you going to do with it?”
Tindoro, abruptly the velvet gone: “How dare you question me!”
Things are getting nuclear. A few players pause. Fred, the Slave master thespian of Chef Boy Ar-Dee’s Circus (now defunct) chimes in.
Fred: I like your nose. There seems to be something in the air here about today...maybe something is affecting it?”
This skillful diversionary tactic works, things return to a mild sort of anxiousness. Tindoro seems to let things slide, being a great leader of the realm of Rubitron, it is prudent to let underlings know that she can be mildly flexible. To this end she pulls out a Red Ruby time glass and with a flourish reverses it sending mico-grains of Ruby flowing up into the empty top.
Tindoro: “You have seven days to bring me the power source. And oh...I sense you will encounter a maleficent being made of water. This creature will appear as harmless, but do not be deceived. It’s goal is to bring disorder and ruination to the lands! If you find this creature, bring it to me. I am tired of this, now begone!”
They are hustled out by the giant Swineki. They are allowed to stay in one of the tower rooms for an OTU (eight hours). The Swineki, who they learn is called Javier is now their personal guard. They also learn the name of the other woman, “Leen Dah”.
During this time Mortimer repairs Oda,the ceramic warrior (killed a few sessions back). After some rest the five (Topper, Oda, Mortimer, Chris-Tle and Javier) are given a lift by Leen Dah on her glimmering sky-chariot back to the Aanssk desert where they find the rest of the troupe in their makeshift “Blorgmobile” (the hovel now equipped with legs) trudging back towards the wall and civilization.
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| Leen Dah |
The sleek sky chariot swings to ground long enough to allow the five passengers to jump out. Mortimer then departs the group heading off for parts unknown. The walking hovel with DurBur Duke, Lyn, Squire, Simon and Robin keeps moving closer to the wall. Topper, Oda, Fred and the Swineki Javier eventually convince DurBur Duke to let them inside. It is quite crowded inside the hovel and there is a lot of discussion about whether to keep going towards the wall or turn around and go back to Rubitron. Everyone is still metamorphosing, the most dramatic being that Squire is now a creature of pure water. Someone recounts the conversation with Tindoro and Squire perks up to say “Someone fears me? Let’s go to Rubitron”. There are a lot of groans regarding this. The troupe seems pretty split on the issue of either leaving or staying. They have come within two miles of the wall. Halfway between lies a large carved rock jutting up. Hiding behind it a number of Gnylls. The Gnylls stay put. The troupe ignores the rock. After much arm twisting and complaining DurBur Duke turns the hovel around and heads back the way they came, back to the “Yon of Ofaz.
The hovel is not a fast mode of transport, so DurBur Duke stows it away inside his mindshack. Several personas have a high ground speed, so they trot, the rest are able to fly. The troupe travels for a full OTU past the homesteads and around the Cyclone Werks to within sight of the narrow opening that leads directly into the “Yon. The mile area in front of the opening is choked by Shroom Poppies, an odd red flower and fungus combination. They are covered in a whiteish powder which rubs off and clings to those on the ground. There is mild concern at first, but the powder is harmless.
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| Winged White Whale |
Suddenly something rather large lurches up from the opening in the distance and is coming towards them on huge wings. The troupe has two full na-nutas before the thing is on them. Personas scurry around both on the ground and in the air. Chris Tle conjures a Wall of Razors hoping the beast will ram it. As the beast gets closer it becomes apparent just how large it is, the wingspan is 300 feet, the white whale body is 120 feet. It’s maw is a full 30 x 40 feet all by itself. It looked as if it were going to dive and molest those on the ground, but it pulls up instead to attack those in the air. The Winged White Whale does impact the Arcanist’s Wall of Razors. Huge strips of flesh are shredded off, however the beast seems to not even notice. Oda is flying (using rocket boots created by DBD) and deliberately powers himself directly into the creepazoids maw. He manages to avoid taking damage from the rows mini-van sized teeth. Others who make eye contact turn away, realizing that to look into its eyes could prove deadly. The monster swings upward…
Until session 13!
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