This week, our session of Flowers of Algorab started to open up into the broader sandbox part of the campaign. We were without Paul (Meristo) this week, and his character was mostly played by myself.
I was away with work in a hotel room in a Days Inn, but the internet connection was rock solid. I managed to cause a technical issue by accidentally disconnecting the microphone (second week in a row) but I recovered it the same way as the week before. In fact, it was trying to recover this session that meant I could get Episode 10 back as well as I mentioned last session.
Our Crew
- Arda Qamar, a Guild Surveyor and Traveller who came from the Far Colonies from a Mining Combine operation. She’s the bird handler and Scout for the team. (Played by Hattie).
- Meristo Koulas, an Esoteric Coriolite Seer who grew up in the Fog of the Haze, and has ties to the Black Toad. (Played by Paul).
- Lieto Miesma, a Scholar specialised in Builder Archeology who came from deep inside the Factory City of the Turbine Halls, with a background in the Machinist's Guild. (Played by Graham)
- Fassour Faradi, a roughneck deep miner who also came from somewhere the eternal fog of the Haze, and - like Merits - has ties to the Black Toad. (Played by Simon)
- Rashid al-Masri, a scoundrel Hull Cutter who came from among the hulks and wrecks of Hull Town, and has connections to the Gardener's Guild. (Played by Andy).
- Corvus the Bird, a specter; cobalt blue, with a long beak, always observing. Usually handled by Arda.
The Session (Spoilers for The Flowers of Algorab).
The night before, Fassour received a business card from Misalem Vougir, an Ice Trader working out from Aluminum Bay. Handwritten on the back were the words that it would be good to meet up at The Last Garuda. Fassour recalled that Vougir was associated with the Toad, having taken a loan from them to establish his business. Although long since paid off, he was still used as a cut out from the criminal organisation, one of those persons who lives in the grey between different worlds, or perhaps in the dark between the stars. Without hesitation, Fassour headed out to the docks of Aluminum Bay, passing the Golden Ape and travelling further on the Last Garuda. Despite the late hour, the bar was in in full swing, with the scents of cirra-cirra, tabak and alcohol washing over the space, and the music from a live band drawing appreciation from a small collection of dancers, but more onlookers. The venue was busy, with definite signs of business being mixed with pleasure.
Fassour swiftly spotted Misalem, who was dressed in a red robe embroidered with gold, a matching round hat, and golden Coriolite galesh. Smoke puffed away from him from a pipe that he was drawing steadily on. Sat at a round table, he was in conversation with others, but then his eyes caught Fassour's and he gestured the Delver over. By the time Fassour had made his way across the room, Vougir's colleagues had left him. Misalem stood and embraced Fassour like he was like a close friend, and offered him food and drink, to which our hero responded by asking for a beer. Of course, during the handshake, the position of the Ice Trader's fingers confirmed that he was, of course, representing the Black Toad.
Vougir turned and called out to the bartender for two mushroom beers and two Pineshroom chasers which were swiftly brought over to the table. Vougir beamed, took a deep draught of the beer, toasted the Icons, and drew a long pull on his pipe before saying "So, my friend, I hear great things about you. Indeed, that you are blessed with a great discovery and an important mission". Fassour responded "You are dangerously well informed" with a quiet menace, to which which Vougir beamed as said "It pays to be informed. It pays very well, my friend". Fassour looked at him and asked him to cut to the chase. He did.Fassour countered with the fact that the mission was of such a nature that the guilds were falling over themselves to support the expedition, to which Vougir countered by observing that the guilders were untrustworthy, unlike an honest businessman like himself. Fassour observed that though this may the case, the significance of the planned mission was such that he was under close scrutiny. Vougir countered that he could provide receipts. Fassour nearly suppressed a smile at that, and when asked if he had a list of what he needed he demurred, saying that he had to go on a side mission first. He agreed to discuss it further on his return. He then asked about the Kumaranti. Vougir said that the Slipstream Cruiser had a good reputation, except there was something odd about the captain, because they hadn't been seen for a few years; they never leave the ship. The conversation moved away from business, and the Ice Trader's friends started to return.
Meanwhile, an algebraist, Camellia Marest, crossed paths with Arda at a bar, her dark eyes bright with curiosity about the enigmatic sphere. With Guild credentials flashed, she spoke of instantaneous communications and cosmic discoveries, her plea laced with an earnest desire to join the forthcoming mission. The Navigators' Guild had entrusted Arda with an important mission, kindling a spark of kinship as they shared their fascination for the unknown. Arda saw in Camellia a kindred spirit, and contemplated advocating for her inclusion in their mission team.
The next morning, the dynamic discussion about adding Camellia to the team met with mixed reactions. Some voiced concerns over overlapping roles and the necessity to liaise with current crew members to prevent discord. The debate stretched into broader concerns over other potential team additions, assuring all round contributions from different guilds and ensuring a fortified ensemble capable of traversing the cosmic seas.
With preparations underway, Arda seized a moment to assure alignments with the Mining Combine regarding navigating through their territories, fostering goodwill and securing potential aid for their journeys through starlit slipstreams.
The team headed to the Astrolaab Tower, down into the dimly lit depths and into a laboratory chamber adorned with ancient machinery and flickering terminals. Upon entering, their gazes were inevitably drawn to two significant objects: a metal sarcophagus enclosing the mummified remains of Nikovar, the traveller from the Nadir, and beside it, an open container cradling the enigmatic Singularity Sphere, meticulously nested within hardened foam supports.
It was in this foreboding atmosphere that the delicate nature of their mission was revealed. Due to the severe risk of blight contamination, both the enshrined remnants of Nikovar and the Singularity Sphere were to be transported to the remote Library Station for comprehensive analysis under the watch of Professor Banu Melitrades. The remote location of the Library Station conveniently circumnavigated the stringent blight regulations enforced in Ship City, presenting a safer haven for such hazardous research.
The discussion soon turned pragmatic as the team were instructed to verify the integrity of the relics before sealing them for transport. Sensing the gravity of the situation, Rashid employed his keen perception to ensure that all was as it should be, ably supported by his companions, who contributed varied degrees of assistance. The sarcophagus was sealed, and placed on a sled, along with the Singularity Sphere, sealed in a metal transport box. They headed out and towards the lifts to Aluminum Bay and the docks.
As they approached the lifts, the sharp-eyed Rashid noticed something amiss. Above them, hidden in the utilitarian shadows of the ceiling, loomed a black-hooded figure, nearly invisible against the backdrop, save for the indiscreet silhouette of a rifle. The assassin wore a Coriolite golden mask, and they recognise him as the figure who had attacked them previously with the robotic spiders.
With a calm underlain by urgency, Rashid alerted his team to the presence of the sniper and the potential threat posed. The well-coordinated team sprang into action, with each member drawing upon their individual capabilities and armaments to counter the sudden danger. Lieto and Fassour, armed with their respective weapons, managed to deliver calculated shots despite the chaos, marking the beginning of an unpredictable skirmish filled with peril and suspense.
Sure enough, the mechanical arachnids soon appeared, backing up the sniper. As the battle unfurled under the enigmatic shadows of the ancient structure, Corvus, under Arda's command, struck a crippling blow upon the spiders, disabling their nervous systems with his piercing call.
Amidst this chaos, Arda endeavoured to engage the sniper perched above on a balcony. Due to her lack of familiarity with her Mercurian blade, she opted for the more practical choice, firing her weapon, yet her shots went wide, missing the intended target. The sniper, taking advantage of his elevated position, maintained a steady barrage of fire, complicating the heroes' efforts.
Fassour, wounded yet undeterred, retaliated fiercely, landing significant hits on the assailant despite the sniper's attempts to retreat and maintain a strategic distance. With quick thinking and agile moves, the team managed to overpower the sniper. Lieto, amidst the skirmish, boldly confronted the swarms of spiders with his formidable Mercurian blade, showcasing a masterful display of skill and combat prowess that decimated the cybernetic foes with lethal precision. His actions not only secured their immediate vicinity but also lent a crushing blow to the lurking threats.
The beleaguered sniper, now gravely wounded and cornered, revealed under duress that others might soon follow in his footsteps, ominously hinting at a larger conspiracy aimed at disrupting the seekers of cosmic truths. With the immediate threats subdued, the team's focus shifted swiftly towards securing the nefarious technology and unearthing the deeper layers of the peril they had stumbled upon, leading them further into the web of cosmic intrigue and ancient secrets that awaited unravelling.
The aftermath of the skirmish left the adventurers with an injured and dangerous sniper in their custody, along with several items of equipment of his that they had secured. Under the stern gaze of Zapti Constable Lestrade, Fassour and his companions found themselves embroiled in the meticulous checking of licences and recounting the peril they had just faced. As Rashid smoothly navigated the questioning with a blend of charm and diplomacy, Arda and Lieto, backed by the authority of a special counsel, hastened the bureaucratic process with evidence and documentation.
As they coped with official scrutiny, lodged under the watchful eye of Ship City's law enforcement, Master Mosca's guidance and their credentials allowed them a swift passage back to their base. Here, more than their silvery trophies of high technology or arcane weaponry, the adventurers pondered the contamination risk presented by their acquisitions. The tragic irony that the very tools that could propel their quest forward were also smeared with the blight, left them in a moral quandary about balancing power against purity.
Arda, grappling with the practical and ethical dimensions, ultimately chose to let the blighted objects remain with the guild, forfeiting potential advantage for safety. Freed from the weight of contaminated assets, they continued their preparations, still reeling from the revelations of the dangerous tendrils of influence that sought to thwart their expedition.
The guild's corridors, once silent, now echoed with the swift steps of preparations as the adventurers, cloaked in the lessons from their recent confrontations, departed for the Kumaranti—a modest ship designed less for aesthetic appeal and more for the robustness needed to navigate through the slipstreams and ice fields that lay in their path to the Library Station. Arriving at the dock, Second Mate Leah Faramand of the Kumaranti chided them that they were late. They boarded the ship having seen their precious cargo secured in the external containerisation. As the gravitational doors of the Kumaranti sealed, the adventurers left the terrestrial confines of Ship City, setting their sights on the celestial expanses that beckoned with both promise and peril. The chapter closed on this segment of their journey with the hum of the gravimetric drives tuning to the frequencies of adventure and the unknown.
Source - initially Tabletoprecorder.com, heavily edited for names, clarity and brevity with some parts injected to explain or catch elements missed in the summarising.
