Elustran Days

Ashe spent the previous night being either bathed by a hapless Cupcake, or getting some beauty sleep. She wakes up a bit later than her usual today since she got the crud beat out of her the other day. She sees that Dahme'dre seems to be learning her way around the helm of the ship. Ashe looks around, wondering if anyone has any books (of any kind, really - perception 4) and barring that, she will look around for anything wooden or discarded to practice her transmutation magic on. She attempts to bend the shapes to her will.

(Which isn't possible, sorry Ashe.)

While the others are distracted with their own things, Ashe creeps below deck to see what she can find. Unfortunately, most of the personal items that she finds below are severely uninteresting. Nothing remotely spider related! However, she does find one small paper tome that seems to relate to alchemy and transmutation. It seems to tell the tale of a young child that learns alchemy in search of the philosopher’s stone. However, after flipping through a couple of chapters, you determine that this is clearly fiction and isn’t applicable to real life. That being said, it is at least an entertaining read. Cupcake meanwhile seems to enjoy reading a part of the story about souls. It’s good that he... she... it has interests!

As the sails are filled and the currents of the sea of stars flow around them, Dahme'dre can feel her Arcane power surge with raw strength. Usually her magic is like weaving a delicate tapestry of the finest threads, but this is like tying intricate knots into thick heavily braided ropes.

She's felt her power grow in these last days, and wonders how the adventures ahead will help her grow further still.

(Cupcake is a female purple widow, right?)

(I believe so!)

And so, the second day of your journey comes to an end. Overall, quite productive! However, Thuluku informs you that she has rested enough to be prepared for another jump.

The next day, you all settle into your positions to prepare for the... experience once more. Thuluku calls down from the helm, “It’s probably a good idea to let you guys know, this one is going to be a bit farther out, so we’re going to need to stay in the Ethereal longer. A lot of people tend to black out their first time so just try to stay composed and don’t freak out, got it?” Once again, before any of you have time to reply, the triton grasps onto the wheel and the familiar patterns trace across the ship. The sigils encircle the ship once more as this time, the ignition delays for just a moment longer and then, the thunderous boom. The Scylla is rocketed into the Border Ethereal at breakneck speed. Your perception of time slows as the color is pulled from the world around you. Now that you’ve done this before, it almost begins to feel like an adrenaline rush. The plane below you races by as the time dilation kicks into effect. There’s something intrinsically beautiful about it. However, a faint cry rings out amidst the frozen calm, the familiar howls of beasts. Now that you have heard it once more, it sounds almost pained, as if mourning for some great loss. Yet, the source is still far off. By now, it’s hard to tell how long you’ve all been inside the Ethereal... has it only been few moments? A minute? Maybe five? You can feel your paces quicken, and your breathing become more frantic. It feels like an all encompassing sense of claustrophobia steadily growing stronger. Breathing grows harder by the moment as your lungs tighten.

I need a CON Save from each of you.

With Thuluku's warning, Dahme'dre tries to Bless the group and the journey, if she can. (Herself, Ashe, and Wick. Alijurn is tough enough.)

(Con: (4)10)

(Concentration: (1)22 if needed)

(Favored by the Gods: 4... Feels wasteful.)

Dahme'dre takes a sharp breathe and grips the railing with white knuckles, trying to keep her composure. This one was more intense than she'd expected.

Alijurn does his best trying to hold on. 

Con save: 16

As the wave of discomfort hits you all, each of you manages to maintain consciousness. Ashe has no trouble with the travel, in fact, it’s a pretty enjoyable ride. These guys are just being babies. Alijurn meanwhile, hangs on through sheer force of will. His training does him well in this as he resists panicking. Wick is feeling pretty rough, but he keeps his eyes focused on Captain, who seems fairly on guard. Finally, Dahme’dre feels the wave of nausea hit her like a train. Her knees buckle and everything goes dark for a moment. However, as she falls, she feels something grab her and, in an instant, she regains her consciousness and her calm returns.

All of this is just in time to see the source of the baying. Just off the ports of the ship are packs of beast-like shadows running alongside you in the mists beyond your sight. While you cannot see the details of the creatures, you see that there are dozens of gleaming white eyes staring at you from the haze. For just a moment, you see dark fur exposed from the mist, then it all stops. With the same crackling detonation, the four of you are once again in the Astral Plane. In this moment, you’re safe.

Ashe takes in the majestic beauty of the Astral Plane. Its swirling colors and the strange feeling of the air. She lets Cupcake absentmindedly as she looks to the others, not realizing half of them didn't take to the jump so well, "Isn't that just a lovely feeling? I can't get enough of it."

As Ashe takes in the beauty of her surroundings, she does notice that the group is no longer near the Endless Sea’s rift. Instead, it would appear that you are in a relatively stable portion of astral space. After the past few days of having to deal with nothing but dead coral and manticore spines, having no obstructions ahead of you is incredibly pleasant. The colors beyond you swirl and twinkle, and it is easy to see why Ashe is so very fascinated with this place.

 "Lovely" Dahme'dre blurts (Deception: 18), she avoids betraying her weakness. (Apparently)

Alijurn looks at the twinkling lights and swirling colors of the astral plane. "I've said it once, and i'll say it again. It's wrong. I can't seem to grasp the basic laws of nature out here." 

Wick is feeling a little deflated. This isn't his first adventure, but he's used to having his legs beneath him and having more agency over his surroundings. The ship is lovely, the sea is lovely, but he's started to feel something almost like homesickness so far from his own plane. The music just isn't coming for a while.

For the first time in a long time, the ukulute is secured in his room with the rest of his belongings. In this calm space between the jumps ("leaps" would be a bit more fitting...) he has spent time getting to know his picardy and learning the ropes of the ship. Dah'medre can take the helm, but he's fascinated by the design and construction of the vessel. He and Captain have has spent hours walking along the deck and in the engine (?) room. Picardy waits (gnawing his manticore spine) at the base of a mast as Wick climbs the rigging to speak with rank-and-file crew members, hoping to better understand how the vessel actually works. His people aren't as keen at tinkering as their rock gnome cousins, but his thirst for knowledge of any kind is difficult to dampen, even with his spirits lowered.

He has also taken to joining Thuluku at mealtimes, gaining more and more knowledge about Everywhere and life in this magical ocean. He's particularly interested in lore (naturally), but Thuluku's exploits are worthy of a song or two of their own. 

Wonderful! I’ll say you can scour for info with a quick Persuasion check!

(that's a 20!)

So, let’s address a few points. Firstly, asking about how the ship works is a bit like asking how a jet works. You get a description, but its very much a layman’s definition. Essentially, the runic array of the ship interacts with the basic fabric of creation and causes the ship to float as if it was buoyant in water. Meanwhile, the runic array that appears at the back of the ship propels it forward. This seems to be predominantly evocation magic.

Meanwhile, in your conversations with Thuluku, they’ve become a bit more regular and she has taken to enjoying your company. Amidst the many games of Dragonchess that you’ve played with her over these past few days, you two have had plenty of conversations. In the most recent, Thuluku strokes her chin as she moves her piece, “Dragon to F4, your move. So, Wick, you want to explain exactly what those monsters chasing us are? Because I have some ideas, but I’m not sure I necessarily want to know.”

Wick's eyebrows shoot up. "Thuluku, I assumed you would know more about them than I do. Have you really never seen those monsters before?" Wick sets down his dragon, not really noticing where it lands. "I imagine Dah'medre or Ashe, maybe even that brass bastard could tell you more than I can... I know that they're some flavor of manticore, and that the ones who attacked the ship seemed about as smart as they're rumored to be. They seem to have a taste for human flesh, and they're susceptible to illusion magic." Wick takes a drink from his wine glass and scratches Captain behind his ears. "Regardless of what they are, we know that they seem to be waiting for us during the jumps. We have one more to make before we reach Everywhere, correct? We need to lay a trap: some manner of defense. Tell me, does the ship itself have any manner of firepower of which we could make use?"

(I think that any of the others would be better qualified to come up with a game plan. That said, Wick has a vast store of battle knowledge in the form of heroic ballads. He'll do his best to hash things out with Thuluku in crafting a strategy to fend them off in the next jump:

History: (discord) 17)

Thuluku stops the timer for a moment, “No, Wick, I don’t think you understand. Manticores don’t enter the Ethereal, there arent many things that do. The manticores were a fluke, an opportunity. These... these things have been following us for days now, and it started when you got on this ship. You’re being hunted by whatever these are.”

Wick scowls at his wine glass as things suddenly slide into place. "Ah," he says. "As to that, I have just had a thought. You're not going to like it, though, and it's truly not my story to tell. I will need some form of assurance that you will not toss my... friends? That you won't throw my friends and me into the cosmic waters."

“Simple. Two reasons, 1) I promised you safe travel, and 2) I enjoy your company, now go ahead.” Thuluku crosses her arms and legs, and leans back.

Wick considers the sea captain. "Fair enough. I will paint you the broad strokes. The others will need to fill in the corners, though."

Wick explains to Thuluku the party's run in with the W assassins. He explains that he has wedged himself into the affairs of the Port Masons at the behest of his dying "uncle", and that his friends seem to have run afoul of that group and some powerful figures who would prefer the party be either imprisoned or dead.

"Now, what I don't know about the ethereal plane would likely fill the ethereal plane," Wick says. "I can spot a pattern, though, and if we're still being hunted that means that whoever wants those three dead isn't going to let planar distance spoil their fun. Which brings me back to my first point: we need a battle plan, Captain."

He smiles at his dog and scratches his chin. "Also, Thuluku- any help you might offer in building a plan would be greatly appreciated."