This week, our session of Flowers of Algorab we continued deeper into Fractured Library from the new collection of scenarios that Free League recently released. We were without Graham (Lieto) and Andy (Rashid) this week; when necessary, myself or one of the other players would run with the character.
Once again, this was a home based game and I had no technical issues. I think I've finally nailed what was causing the problem; as well as the systems settings for audio, and the selection of devices in Audio Hijack, there's an audio device selection option in Role VTT as well. It appears that may have been set to 'default device', so when I chose a different device to normal, everything went wrong from a recording perspective.
This session was very much a combat orientated session as the crew were defending the Kumaranti from a Wrecker raid. I don't find the combat slow in Coriolis: The Great Dark, but it does require me to keep a focus on pace so it doesn't drag. I'm also very aware that the way the dice pool mechanic plays out, we could easily get a character fatality which I'd really rather not have.
- 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 Meritso - 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).
In the 13th episode of the campaign, the party found themselves aboard the slipstream cruiser Kumaranti, embroiled in a plot involving treachery and plans to steal the sarcophagus containing the mummified body of the crew member of the Nadir. With the realisation that their ship was under threat from Wreckers planning to seize their cargo, they had preemptively identified the foe within and made strategic preparations, helped by the fact that they had identified and interrogated the misguided passenger supporting the raid aboard the ship.
Indeed, they had realised the whole raid was a mistake; the passenger - the Algebraist Gemez Paraoglu - was a member of the Children of White cult, who believed that a sarcophagus recovered from the White Fields of Albary was an avatar of the Icons, and that the sarcophagus that the New Seekers were transporting was the Icon herself. The Children of White wanted to liberate her from the sacrilege of being experimented upon. Unfortunately, there was no practical way to stop the raid, despite the passenger now realising that they had made an error.
Fassour Faradi and Alda Qamar, utilising their zero-gravity training, positioned themselves outside the ship to repel the incoming assault directly. Meristo Koulas, lacking zero-gravity skills, opted to stay inside as immediate backup, prepared to defend crucial sections of the ship, for example those along the connecting section between the fore and aft hull segments, where a key walkway and lift ran between the cargo containers. Lieto stood ready in the forward spaces, and Rashid prepared to back up Meristo. The crew members who could be spared from operating the ship also armed themselves and prepared to defend their sections. There was still no word from the Captain of the Kumaranti, who left their command crew to deal with the attack.
Their well-laid plans involved turning a would-be sabotaging bomb into a defensive mine and arming crew members to protect key internal areas, especially around engineering. As Wreckers approached in smaller vessels, launching spider kites—autonomous machines designed for disassembly and sabotage—it became evident just what the party was up against.
Utilising the ship's technology, Lieto, through a successful Data Djinn roll assisted by the party, managed to hack into these kites, turning one against another in a surprisingly effective if unsophisticated attack, taking two of the enemy’s units out of the battle before they could even reach the Kumaranti.
With their defensive placements set and their initial counter-attacks successful, the crew braced for the direct confrontation with the wreckers, ready to protect their vessel and its secrets at all costs.
In the heat of the skirmish, Fassour attempted a critical shot at an attacking spider kite using his fusillade pistol. Despite the complications from his bulky exosuit, which impaired his agility, he managed to land a palpable hit on the kite. However, his weapon failed to deal enough damage to stop the kite, though it did cause some damage before it malfunctioned, leaving him struggling with a jammed weapon.
Concurrently, Arda Qamar, strategically commanding her mechanical bird Corvus, initiated an energy attack on the weakened kite that Fassour had hit. With tactical precision granted by Lieto's prior hacking of the enemy's systems, Corvus successfully delivered a powerful blow to the deteriorating kite, causing significant damage.
The scene escalated as more Wreckers, clad in suits, emerged from shuttles, aiming to engage directly with the crew of the Kumaranti. Meristo, drawing on his resolve and experience, rallied his companions, restoring hope and determination among them.
Fassour, despite his weapon issues, boldly continued to engage the encroaching wreckers, taking shots where he could, his efforts thwarted by the damaged pistol. Meanwhile, Arda and Meristo, leveraging their positions and gear, also responded to the advancing threats with precision and force, contributing to their defensive stance amidst the chaos of incoming hostile fire and strategic manoeuvres by the Wreckers.
The crew members, through a combination of tactical prowess, technological aid from Lieto, and sheer determination, managed to fend off the first wave of attackers, regrouping and preparing for the next phase of their formidable defence of the Kumaranti and its precious cargo.
Arda, despite suffering an attack that compromised her armour, prepared to deploy her mechanical bird Corvus in the following turn, maintaining her strategic posture. Meanwhile, Meristo, seizing an opportunity, cleverly positioned himself to take a potshot at an adversary, inflicting minor damage but fulfilling his role as a disruptive force rather than a heavy hitter.
Fassour found himself temporarily hindered after taking evasive actions but strategised to use the ship's architecture to his advantage, crafting plans for a tactical move despite being unable to attack directly.
Arda, now able to engage, commanded Corvus to strike the adversary she had previously injured, preventing them using the dangerous hull scissors that they were carrying. The bird’s attack proved lethal, utilising the breach Arda had made in the foe's suit to deliver a fatal blow, watching as the enemy drifted away lifelessly into the void of space.
The scene then shifted back to the Kumaranti's external struggles where enemy wreckers were grappling to access sealed sections of the ship. One particularly skilled Wrecker managed to detach a storage unit, only to meet a grisly end from a booby trap set by the crew, which explosively severed his arm and removed him from the fight.
Inside, Meristo continued to provide suppressive fire, choosing to focus on mechanical repairs rather than pursue those retreating, trusting in the crew's already significant defensive successes. Rashid joins in, making a key contribution in driving the Wreckers back.
In a dramatic confrontation, Faso invoked a blend of intimidation and diplomacy. Brandishing his radiant Mercurian blade menacingly, he demanded surrender from a beleaguered opponent, skillfully leveraging his dramatic prowess to enforce a grudging capitulation.
Through a combination of fierce combat, cunning traps, and strategic coercion, the New Seekers stoutly defended their vessel, repelling the assault with a mixture of bravery, brains, and technological prowess.
Amidst the chaos of battle, Dom, the GM, announces that Fassour successfully intimidates a wrecker, leading to his surrender. Recognising his need for assistance with the captive, Fassour calls for help over the comms, and Meristo volunteers, given his current lack of involvement in combat.
As the situation on the ship begins to stabilise, the Wreckers' ship starts retreating, pushed back by the crew's effective defence. The crew reflects on their manoeuvres and their success in using them for the first time, considering them for future encounters.
Meanwhile, Arda addresses her and her mechanical bird Corvus's injuries, resting to regain strength. The crew also attends to Fassours's malfunctioning fusillade pistol, setting it aside for repairs. The captured Wrecker is secured to hand over to the authorities; they'll most likely be a passenger on the return journey to Ship City.
As they near the Library Station, the GM describes the docking process and the place they encounter—a small asteroid shaped like a bird’s cranium, welcoming them with its modest facilities. They are greeted by station officials, including the stern Chief Azade Jaspel and Professor Nisma Kabakoutal-Doussa, signalling the beginning of their dialogue with the station's authorities.
The station's crew reveals troubling news about a disastrous experiment that has caused a dimensional fracture, suggesting that the expert they need, Professor Banu Melitreides, is trapped in an affected area yet possibly still alive. With the area sealed off due to contamination and ongoing danger, the responsibility of navigating this new crisis falls to our adventurers. They debate the ethical and practical implications of intervening or withdrawing, weighing their expertise against the perils involved.
As discussions proceed, the station chief and Professor Nisma provide conflicting viewpoints on how to handle the crisis, with Nisma advocating for a complete shutdown of the dangerous experiments. It soon becomes clear that there are two competing groups of academics on the station. Professor Kabakoutal-Doussa belongs to the more classical and conservative group, the Projection Theorists. She is the foremost authority on Slipstream mathematics in the Lost Horizon. Professor Banu Melitreides leads a group called the Continuum Modellers, a small, radical school that argues that the Slipstream is in constant flux and that it is defined by its instability. They designed an experiment - the Argumoda Experiment - to recreate and manipulate the slipstream in laboratory conditions.
The Projection Theorists opposed this ever being operated, but the Station Chief, being even handed, allowed the experiment to proceed. An artificial Slipstream was created, but rapidly became unstable, only being held in check by the power input, which was ever increasing. The experiment has created what could be described as a dimensional fracture, and parts of the library section are encased in a crystalline substance that is spreading. The rescue teams entered the area, but were unable to reach on survivors and were exposed to Blight. It is clear that Professor Kabakoutal-Doussa just wants to lock the section off and leave Professor Melitreides, killing off the credibility of the Continuum Modellers.
The crew is left contemplating their next steps, balancing their mission's requirements against the unforeseen chaos unraveling before them at the Library Station.
Source - initially Tabletoprecorder.com, heavily edited for names, clarity and brevity with some parts injected to explain or catch elements missed in the summarising.
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