Interlude I: Outlaw's Horizon

"Interlude I: Outlaw's Horizon" is episode 8 of SuperQuest Saga. Two months have passed, and Carter, Persephone, and Sebastian are carving out new lives in this futuristic universe. It's time for new skills, new powers, and new duds!

Introduction

 * Will Stark will be your joyful dungeon master for this evening
 * Josh Freeland is playing Sebastian Crenshaw, half-orc paladin
 * Your Special Guest Jake is playing Persephone Goldpetal, the firbolg druid
 * Brian is playing the human warlock Carter Huttenburg

Recap
Last time the party made it off the horrible planet of Meridar 3 and made it to a brand new shiny city.

Two Months into the Future
Carter, Persephone, and Sebastian have acclimated to their new surroundings, they’ve learned some new skills and relearned how to read. The Brunhilde has been docked in an area near the city’s center called Starwind Bay and the expensive repairs have been ongoing for the last two months.

Outlaw’s Horizon is an enormous domed metropolis laid out in a disc shape divided into eight different districts. It’s an independent city state in Draconic Star Sovereignty territory. It originated as a mithril mine but is known for its casino resorts and has a mobster reputation.

New Look, Who Dis?
Carter, Persephone, Sebastian, and Primina have updated their looks for their lifestyles. Carter still wears a three-piece suit, but he’s gone for a more modern look. He looks a little disheveled because he’s been having trouble sleeping. Persephone got a haircut and she went for a steam-punk inspired look with a pea coat, pants, and boots. Sebastian has adopted the new futuristic heavy space armor with a helmet that reveals his face. He’s accepted more of his orc heritage now so his tusks have grown out and he looks a little rougher.

All three have had interesting reactions from others when they’re out in public. Most people don’t know what Sebastian is. Persephone notices people look at her a bit longer than normal. Carter has learned humans are in a bad position in the galaxy, they’re generally of the lowest class and the biggest population of humans are slaves in the elven empire.

Victoria has offered them jobs on The Brunhilde, and they agreed to take her up on her offer. She gives them 800 creds a month and has set them up with their own bracer jacks, pulling some strings to get them ID cards. Sebastian’s race is listed as half-human to try to avoid questions. They now have internet and database access where available.

They’ve been operating mostly in the fourth district which is more touristy. Primina has been apprenticing under Watt learning how to repair machinery and computers. Watt has made her bracelets that project a holographic image of a more realistic skin tone to help disguise her identity. Her bracer jack identifies her as Primina Wainwright, they’re passing her off as Watt’s half-human granddaughter. She chooses to spend her free time with the party a lot.

Carter has been spending most of his free time learning to read and write in his quarters, but he does take time to try to establish points of contact with people of use. He’s managed to form a contact with a human named Fred Luo, an incredibly low-level member of a local gang, the Dreadstars.

Persephone spends her free time hanging out with Primina and trying new exotic foods, she’s a bit of a foodie, and going to the bar with Sebastian. Primina and Carter have a standing invitation to go out to the bar as well; Primina joins them but Carter has only been once and things got weird.

Sebastian has a new taste for alcohol so he’s becoming a whiskey connoisseur. He’s been doing a lot of research to find out about his orc heritage but is finding there are not many resources. He also spends time researching cybernetics after seeing how powerful the cyber-troll was on Meridar 3; he’s interested in how the process works and seeing if he can build anything to give himself more power. Watt has been teaching Primina and she encourages him to sit in on her classes.

The Initiation
After familiarizing himself with The Book of The Nine Paths and the religion of Enneanism he’s decided to follow the Precept of Dominion. Dominion is about dominating others, but also dominating life struggles, mastery and skill, and autonomy. He’s been spending time at the Iron Temple with the local chapter of The Iron Legion, followers of Dominion. Members of the Iron Legion act as a private city guard to their community.

Sebastian’s duties as a volunteer initiate include very low level tasks around the Iron Temple, a three-story tall archaic looking structure of stone and steel. The temple is manned by 20 Legionnaires, 3 Officers, 6 Initiates, and Commander Davarax. For the last month Sebastian has been attending to the temple 20 hours a week, and benefiting from free training and religious tutelage. This lifestyle suits Sebastian, it reminds him of the routines he had with his strict, religious father, and he’s earned some notoriety among the higher level officers because of his prior experience and hard work ethic. His devout and natural embrace and understanding of the Precept of Dominion has caught their eye. Master Sergeant Cylon informs him that he is being recommended for induction into The Iron Legion, should he accept he will be inducted the next day.

Sebastian arrives at the temple and finds two officers awaiting him, Corporal Brank and Corporal Sigrun. They stand at the altar and between them are some descending steps that Sebastian has never seen before. Sigrun steps up and states he has been called upon to undergo the Trials of Mastery to earn a place amongst The Iron Legion. She asks if he answers the call. He does, so she instructs him to lay down his arms, strip himself of his belongings and clothes, for these trials he will be armed only with his will and dominance. He will be tested in mind, body, and spirit, only through mastery of all three will he prevail. She directs him to walk down the stairs when he is ready.

At the bottom of the stairs is a stone walled room roughly 20 ft. wide and about 40 ft. deep filled with iron blades that form a nearly impassable wall. A stone inscription stands before the entryway into the blades, Sebastian can see there is a kind of path through the blades that looks difficult to traverse.

"Those of true mastery let no drop of blood be spilled."

Sebastian has a very difficult time getting through because he is just so big and so strong. He squeezes and crawls but it feels like every step of the way he’s bumping into a blade. By the time he makes it to the other side he is covered in blood.

He sees a metal doorway and is immediately hit by a wave of heat as he enters. Through the doorway he can see there is another room, a long corridor with a pathway in its center, flanked by huge flames held back by iron grates. On the right side of the entryway is a large, spherical rock of granite, and behind that another stone inscription.

"True mastery is a great weight to hold. Only the truly strong may bear it, and only the truly disciplined sustain it."

Sebastian lifts the stone and begins to carry it down the hallway, he’s hit by unbearable heat and the rock is heavy. He sweats and drops the rock taking some fire damage, lifting it only to lose his grip and drop it again as he’s halfway to the end. Again he lifts the rock, and once more he drops it when he’s almost at the end. He picks it up one last time, burning himself again, and carries it to a scale dangling next to a close door.

Placing the stone on the scale opens the door to reveal a dark room. In the center of the room stands a stone inscription with a light from above shining down on it. Another door lies at the end of the room.

"The power of the mind can enslave us or empower us. Those of true mastery of mind are masters of their destiny."

The door behind him closes and he is left alone in the dark. He hears a voice from behind him, a very familiar voice, the voice of his father. “You’ve failed me, my son, and I am ashamed. You’ve abandoned your god, your family name and honor, and now you’ve turned to some dark, pagan path? You mourn the more primitive side of your heritage and scorn the pride and tradition of your father’s house. What has happened, my son?” Sebastian turns around to see his father standing there in his full knight regalia.

Sebastian looks at him for a moment and takes a deep breath. “Father, you led me down the wrong path; you told me to hide my orc heritage.” His father dismisses Sebastian's words, declaring that if he passes through the door he is "no son of mine." Sebastian responds "I am my own man," and walks through the door.

Beyond this room is an audience hall, its right and left walls lined by legionnaires. At the end of the hall is a throne-like chair with Captain Davarax seated upon it,  Master Sergeant Cylon, Corporal Brank, and Corporal Sigrun standing to one side. Davarax tells Sebastian to step forward and examines him for a long moment before speaking. "When The Legion demands your life to secure victory over our enemies, what say you?" "Yes, sir!" "When your weakness and folly leads you to failure, what say you?" "If I must fail I will rise each time and master my faults." "When the weakness of your superiors threatens the whole, what say you?" "I will take authority for my own and become the master."

Captain Davarax stands and unsheathes a massive greatsword, holding it over his head, and commands Sebastian to kneel. With a stern look on his face, Sebastian kneels. Davarax glares and commands him to say the words. "I will hold the laws of the land and our order. It is the mortar that holds the stones of civilization together. I am willing to do what must be done for the sake of order and for the advancement of The Legion. I shall rise to master myself and the world around me so that I can bring order to the discordant cosmos. Through mastery I will find enlightenment, and with it, freedom from all masters." Captain Davarax places the sword on Sebastian's shoulder as he says "Rise, Legionnaire. Tonight we feast in your honor." The crowd roars, Iron Legion Jake and Brian are hyped and use Lay on Hands on Sebastian.

Space Coachella
Persephone has found that since she’s been on Outlaw’s Horizon she can’t wild shape into Toasty. There are no animals and no moon here. After asking around she finds the name of a possible druidic contact, a practitioner of the natural arts. Her name is Yuma and she runs the local apothecary called The Natural Elixir, it’s the only building in the district made of wood.

Persephone walks into The Natural Elixir with a big smile on her face. It’s a wonderful shop with herbs, spices, wild potions and poultices all over the place. A voice from behind the desk welcomes her in. Percy thinks this is the best store on this asteroid and a feminine figure comes from the back office, a species Percy has never seen before. She’s a plant-like humanoid, her skin appears to be made of smooth wood, hair of leaves, and fuzzy antennae on her forehead. Her torso is humanoid but from the waist down she has an insect-like abdomen with six wooden bug legs. She wears robes made from leaves. She is surprised to see a Singer in her shop.

Persephone asks what she is, and the woman asks if she’s never seen a wilden before, she’s surprised a Singer hasn’t seen one. Persephone explains she was drawn to the nature of the shop, it’s been so long since she’s been in a natural setting. Yuma asks what ails Persephone. Persephone has lost the connection to a planet and lost Toasty. Yuma looks at her and says a Singer who has lost her voice is something she must remedy.

Yuma trains Persephone to reconnect with nature and regain her forms with an interesting training regimen. Yuma has her do things like stand atop tall building ledges and listening to what passes for wind in this domed city, walking around with mud in her boots, sneaking into the smelting factory and meditating among the vats of smoking metal, attempting to catch one of the strange lizard-chickens that dwell in the sewer system with her bare hands. Persephone is all in even though she swears she is not gaining anything from it. One day, Yuma decides Persephone is ready and tells her to come to her house tonight.

Percy arrives at The Natural Elixir and lets herself in the back door as instructed. Inside is a small lobby with a small stairway and a long hallway with a bright light at the end. Yuma calls her from down the hallway and instructs her to enter the sitting room with an open mind and an open heart. Percy removes her shoes, which are still filled with mud, and enters.

There’s a large circular domed room with a blazing bonfire in the center, large cushions litter the floor around the fire and Yuma is in a kitchenette brewing some sweet smelling tea. Yuma hands Persephone a cup of amber tea that smells like honey and flowers and tells her to drink up as she sets the mood. Yuma pulls out some bongo drums and begins playing a gentle rhythm as Percy drinks the tea. Yuma then stands and instructs Persephone to strip to what feels comfortable and they’ll begin the ceremony with a dance. She starts a lively rhythm on the bongos and starts to dance around the fire.

Percy jumps up and joins her, after a few minutes she feels flushed and a little euphoric and suspects the tea was not just tea. She asks Yuma for the tea recipe; Yuma tells her it was a powerful hallucinogenic and they’re going for a ride, and she starts to laugh. Her laughter sounds musical and ethereal, all colors start to become more vibrant, and the rhythm seems to vibrate to Percy’s soul.

The room begins to swirl and spin around, reality becomes fluid and then falls away from her, she finds herself falling through an open blue sky. Yuma is falling too, and all around Percy sees giant liquid bubbles that are windows to different worlds. Below is a beautiful blue ocean of water that rises to meet them, and they fall deep in its waters. It is cool and refreshing. They don’t seem to need to breathe. As they continue to fall they pass through a beautiful reef teeming with exotic life. Colorful fish and aquatic life swim past and they fall further into the blue. A flock of wild birds sail past as if they were in the air. Percy can see light from below, and as she draws closer she realizes there is a water surface they are falling towards, and when they break the surface gravity rights itself and flips. Suddenly she's swimming in the middle of the ocean. Percy is treading water on the surface of this vast ocean, above is a breathtaking starlit sky. Yuma treads water near her and laughs. Persephone is laughing also, still asking about the tea recipe.

Yuma asks if Percy knows where they are. Persephone does not know. Yuma explains they are on the edge of her spiritual sphere, the stars above aren’t stars, they’re points of life, of every living thing in the galaxy. Persephone is stunned. Yuma looks up into the sky and points as something approaches. Percy turns around to look and on the horizon she sees a great shimmering light. Rising above the curvature of the horizon, a being so large it takes up a great portion of the sky, emerges.

Its wings are made of iridescent light. Though it is bird-like in appearance it is anything but a bird. Its face is a raptor-like mask with piercing, glowing eyes, its neck has a great feathery mane changing colors, it has reptilian legs with claws, and a long tail that tapers off and over the horizon. It hovers over Percy and looks down upon her, it lowers its face towards her, so close she can reach out and touch it. Percy reaches out her hand to touch the Galactic Spirit, and when she touches its beak she is overwhelmed with emotion and energy. It feels like vibrant and exuberant life. Through the Galactic Spirit she is connected to all living things because all living things are one. Here, in this moment, she knows this more certainly than she’s known anything in her entire life.

She awakens around a warm and glowing fire with Yuma sitting there. Percy shoots back up and asks if that happens every time you drink that tea. Yuma says the first one is a kicker. She encourages Percy to transform. She Wild Shapes into Toasty, she's reconnected with nature, and Yuma claps.

Trouble Sleeping
Carter has been having troubled dreams, nightly he wakes up in a cold sweat and can't recall what he dreamed save for a feeling of powerlessness. He’s not disturbed by anything ever, but he’s disturbed by these dreams. He falls asleep again and awakens on a cold, wet stone floor.

He looks around, and he seems to be in a craggy cave or tunnel. It is dark and there’s no light source but he can still see well enough. On either side he can reach out and touch the cold, wet stone, and the tunnel extends in front of him as well as behind him. He gets up cautiously, breaks off a stone from the wall, tosses it on the floor, and listens as it echoes pretty far in both directions. He starts walking the way he was facing, the tunnel winds and bends, until he hears the sound of splashing water.

Carter follows the sound and it leads to an open craggy chamber, the floor is covered in three inches of water and the ceiling is domed. In the room’s center stands a nine foot tall silhouette of a vaguely humanoid monstrosity. Its skin black and oily, the ends of its arms are long and thick tentacles. Its legs are thick, fleshy stumps resembling those of an elephant, its chest and abdomen are humanoid but its head is a faceless, black tentacle. In one of its tentacles it is strangling an illithid. It squeezes the illithid’s neck with a snap and drops the body into the water.

Carter can hear the sound of countless voices crying out in agony from what sounds like a distance in all directions, but he notices strange movement along the floor and ceiling of the chamber. Upon closer inspection he sees hundred of illithid faces seemingly melded into the stone, all facing the monster and groaning or crying quietly in agony and fear.

The monster turns to face him, saying his name, "Carter Huttenburg," as it transforms into the black silhouette of a bald human in robes with two glowing white eyes, shrouded in shadow. Carter has no memory of this individual. The entity asks Carter to tell him if he’s been sleeping, does he dance among their entrails in exalted delight? Carter hasn’t done any dancing recently, he’s been in a new situation, but he’d gladly dance with them if that’s what’s desired. A strange black ligament like a giant black spider leg stretches out of the entity’s back, it reaches across the room and stabs one of the illithid faces. Blood spews from the wall as the face sputters and wails before falling silent.

Carter asks what he can do, but the entity says that's not the question he should be asking. Another spider leg appears and stabs a different illithid face. Carter asks what the entity is doing with the illithids. The entity stabs another face as it tells Carter he’s always liked him, if he didn’t hate him. Carter asks who the entity is, he has a guess. The entity tells Carter he’d rip out and eat his heart if he could. He’d use his entrails to string an instrument upon which he’d orchestrate such exquisite melodies. Carter interrupts, he’s heard it all before, and asks why the entity can’t.

“He’s been dreaming but not sleeping.”  The entity stabs another illithid face. “He’s been dreaming but not sleeping.” He stabs another. ''“You showed him something he did not like. He stirred within his unlit chambers and the cosmos quaked, and when he is done he’ll devour all.”''  Carter interrupts to agree. ''“You asked me who I am, Carter Huttenburg. I go by many names. The Faceless God. The Stalker Among the Stars. The Man in Black..” Carter interrupts with “The Crawling Chaos, yes I've heard your name.”'' “I am Nyarlathotep, The Crawling Chaos and I am but a tool in my master’s hand.” “As am I” “And he is always watching.”

An eye opens in his chest, staring at Carter. Carter takes a step forward, recognizing he is in a position of safety, and gets a good look at him up close. Eyes start opening all around the chamber staring at him. Carter looks around. Nyarlathotep orders Carter to stay close to the girl, she is the key. His warrior friend as well, he will play his part before this is through.

Carter awakens in a cold sweat in his room.

The Party

 * Sebastian Crenshaw: A level 4 Oath of Conquest paladin. He is his own man.
 * Persephone Goldpetal: A level 4 Circle of the Moon druid. She's all about that tea now.
 * Carter Huttenburg: A level 4 Pact of the Tome warlock. Never let a bad guy monologue.

NPCS

 * Victoria: A female tiefling. Their new boss.
 * Primina: A woman of mysterious origins. The MacGuffin.
 * Watt Wainwright: A male gnome. Now he has a last name.
 * Fred Luo: Lowest of the Luo.
 * Captain Davarax: Leader of The Iron Legion on Outlaw's Horizon. Looks very angry.
 * Master Sergeant Cylon: A male human. Part of The Iron Legion
 * Corporal Brank: A male gith. Part of The Iron Legion.
 * Corporal Sigrun: A female dwarf. Part of The Iron Legion
 * Iron Legion Jake and Brian: A way for Special Guest Jake and Brian to be included in Sebastian's story.
 * Yuma: A female wilden. Mama space bug.
 * The Galactic Spirit: A cosmic space owl.
 * Nyarlathotep: A shadowy figure. Has many names. Likes killing illithids.

Music

 * SuperQuest Saga Theme - by Brian

Behind the Scenes

 * This is the first Interlude episode. Interludes are world builders; they're informational, educational, and expositional.

Mechanics

 * Will came up with a bunch of homebrew skills for this game and the characters picked some up.
 * Sebastian has Cybernetics/Robotics and New History
 * Persephone has Astrology and Biology
 * Carter has Use Computer and Use Vehicle

Out of Character

 * Carter takes walks at night to see who is not locking their ships securely. He has no immediate plans to steal a ship, he's just scoping it out.
 * Sebastian wears boxer-briefs.