#rogan underbite

Vera - white skin, dark eyes, different ears.

Rogan - engineering the ship to make it go quicker by focusing on the physical parts and ignoring the magic ones. He succeeds! Power has been returned to the guns.

Koi - checking navigation and approaching Daravana.

Rogan can shift power between weapons and speed.

Fred wakes up and gathers everyone. Tells them about Vera. That she wanted freedom. Fred is convinced this is the entity that was chasing Viliam.

Koi checks in with Mara to ask if she knows Vera. Mara doesn't know. She knows that the creature trapped was an entity not a creature. Mara confesses to Koi that once Koi "knows what she is doing" Mara will leave.

Party talks about Vera's interests and agree Fred will do his best to find out what she wants.

Daravana is deemed unsafe due to "corruption", no ships had come and gone from there. Party made a plan to head to House Naatica. The ship travels through a channel, passing other ships, no discernable damage or life. A ghost town.

Koi remembers the palace might have people holed up in.

Party scouts out the paths.

Man made islands with buildings in the centre and walkways between.

While walking towards the Floating Market, a skeleton is found. No skin, stripped by the elements? Torn clothes, by what? Niko spots fabric caught in doors as if shut on them as the people were leaving. Aaria sees another body in the house.

No sounds of life in this city.

A compound with "Naatica" above it. The party enters.

Koi attempts to message anyone but gets no response. Niko spots one gondola and poses that the family evacuated. The party enters the courtyard to check if the family was able to leave.

Rogan investigates the fountain, Fred heads to the open door. Koi and Aaria head towards Koi's parents' flat.

Koi + Aaria

Enter flat to find the house "stopped". The flat is in a state as the inhabitants appear to have grabbed what they needed and ran.

Koi's mother had been painting an abstract image of her - "Love, mum".

No bodies appear to be there.

Koi notes her mum's paintings are gone so they had time to pack and leave.

Fred

Enters the main manor. Finds the table overturned. With bodies. Fork in the eye of someone.

Explores the manor, empty, no sign of activity.

The party follows Fred to the room. Koi recognises her family strewn about. Nadia ha the fork in her eye. Her husband is holding the fork

Nadia (Lord Naatica), Teran (husband), Mira (successor), Shoal, Cora (Lord Quirin), Lyer (Koi's mum).

Lyer has silver knife in the back.

Niko + Koi try to detect magic but the zombies reach out to grab Niko and Koi. The party fights. Lyer stabs blindly at Koi. Aaria reveals her ascended form.

[The above is a fleshed-out transcription of the following notes]

Fred approached Niko about walking to see the ruins.

Deep sea ravine with ruins.

Foundation remains reclaimed by the ocean. Deliberately geometric, simpler tha Rosa Mors.

Water Walk

Heavy suit but floating.

Kelp forest covering buildings, fish and other creatures.

Niko + Fred investigate the area. Fred is on guard due to his instincts. Niko finds a clay pot with several waves on the outside, patterns constructed with absolute precision (every symbol is the same). Following a path, denser buildings. Statues looking down with armour and weapons. Leads to a square that is clear of kelp, but it's covered in a dome. Statue in centre, female figure arms open, looking down and behind her is a semi domed structure. Upon entering there are symbols on the back wall. Under it is a stone table with a little chest covered in algae.

LEFT: One child figure offering orb to massive face.

CENTRE: Statue from outside, people praying around skirt.

RIGHT: Grand female figure holding moon + stars. People beneath offering magic.

Same person getting older.

Various theories of the creation of Cantata.

Chest contents: antique platinum pieces, sealed golden locket, blue spinal (worth 100gp), ruby (worth 1000gp), quartz (worth 50gp)

Niko notes down the carving and talks with Adelaide. Muses on the creation myths? The birth of a champion? How the champions get their power. Alarion the Lord of Earth. Niko thinks we should head to visit.

Aaria muses that this is the consecration of the champions.

While the party discusses this, Fred gets a feeling/flash of realisation of Tangar (moon) dreading it. The moon surrounded by darkness. The moon is the same in first and last panel.

Niko muses that the fifth champion sacrificed themselves to hold the darkness in the moon. When the moon came down the fifth champion returned.

Koi tries to talk to Mara about when the moon fell: Alarion tried to control the damage. Velaldel went after him. Mara didn't know wha was going on. Fred + Mara were babysitting.

Aaria wonders if the moon champion is a sacrifice to keep the evil in Tangar at bay?

Rogan wonders if the treasure is cursed. Niko casts detect magic and senses enchantment/conjuration. Fred opened the locket and it was empty and in his pocket. The locket has arcane symbols on it, similar in the past, a sentence appears for Niko with Comprehend Language: "We serve the fifth, we serve the fifth".

Koi resurfaces from her conversation. Mara knew Tangar was bad. Either the ritual to put it up there was bad, Tangar was bad, the fact.

Aaria, Koi, and Niko discuss what this means.

Fred talks to Luca about the curse and lifting it.

Fred comes back and the party asks him if he knows anything about recognising the champion spark. Fred casts the spell on Koi and recognises her divinity as Koi the Champion of Water. Niko remembers this spell and begins writing it down.

Aaria talks to Adelaide to check if she has a spark. Fred casts it again on Adelaide. She has a nebula condensing into a black hole and then born again. No divinity though.

To get a baseline for the spell, Fred casts it on Rogan and sees the star again. Traces of divinity. The star is the first to rise at night and the last to fall at dawn.

Fred theorises that Niko + Adelaide togheter could be the end of something.

The party talks about Niko + Adelaide looking at the moon. Niko remembers an ornate breakfast table. Servants bringing food and sister next to him, gold tiefling sat next to them. Dressed nice. Alarion is very familiar to Niko + Adelaide.

Fred doesn't know who told him to separate them. Aurora thinks i was a group decision.

Fred wants to cast the spell on both Niko and Adelaide. As he does all 3 of them begin to float. Fred becomes a more primordial version of himself. Thunder booming off his arms. He's channeling his determination and guild for what he has done to these two people. Fred sees the connection between Niko + Aurora, there is "night" between them, a void. The "night" could be absolute in the starlight, be reborn. The spell ends and Fred collapses.

Fred dreams about a woman white white skin, dark eyes, and long, pointy ears. She asks for his help. He learns that she has children. She says to call her "Vera".

[The above is a fleshed-out transcription of the following notes]

The party are in the submarine. Their goal is to get to Dar Tarium.

An ancient world map was found, with main locations (Rosa Mors, Venas Adanath, Dar Tarium, Sum Nebula) identified. A fifth location was also marked, named Avarium. They get the impression it's located in a desert area, closest located to Rosa Mors, but Aurora hasn't heard of it. Aurora copies the map in as much detail as she can.

Adelaide sees the ancient map and recognises it as the place where "the lunar paths cross". The larger two moons, Randar and Yriad, circle in opposite directions, while Tangar used to move in a tighter circle at a lower altitude. This is the only place where the paths perfectly intersect.

Adelaide recalls that she visited or lived at the Lunar Avarium with Niko and their parents. Their parents were researchers of magic, wizards who maybe worked there, but only small spells and cantrips were cast around her and Niko. There were places where they weren't allowed to go — a door she wanted to see behind, but was led away. She remembers white halls, pillars, and tiled floors. It had the shape of some kind of compound.

Adelaide doesn't share with Aaria what her parents did for work, and Aaria thinks Adelaide is truthful when she says she doesn't remember. The lunar crossing point, however, is something Adelaide's parents talked about at home.

During the journey, the sea teems with life. Creatures give space, but it's like trying to wade through a herd of goats. They are stared at by various fauna and merfolk, often with looks of confusion and some fear.

A shift rota was established:

DAY SHIFT

Pilot - Koi

Gunner - Aaria

Engineer - Rogan

NIGHT SHIFT

Pilot - Luca

Gunner - Fred

Engineer - Niko + Adelaide

They expect at least a week's travel, but it could be longer due to currents.

Towards the end of the first day, the light dims. Animal life seems to quiet. The boat is briefly turned off-course by a current, but Koi catches it and manipulates the water to carry them out of the current.

Aurora receives a message from Viliam: "I hope you're safe. I've called a full council. I believe that all of Fundat will stand with you. Some are hesitant."

During the first night the submarine is caught in a jellyfish swarm. Fred uses the submarine's guns to kill over half of them, leaving them adrift as the submarine pushes through.

In the morning the party debates whether to make a detour to Avarium, but agrees not to go there yet. They continue towards Daravana and Dar Tarium as planned, but add Avarium to their to-do list.

The submarine is attacked by undead merfolk. The party stuns them, which allows the party to escape. They note that the merfolk didn't take as much damage as was expected.

The night shift sees underwater ruins, and the ancient map indicates that there was a settlement here which no longer exists on modern maps.

[The above is a fleshed-out transcription of the following notes]

Rogan and Adelaide

Rogan asked if she trusted the group that had just let them out. Adelaide was cautious but optimistic since they did come and get them and no one knew where they were?

Niko and Adelaide

Niko found Adelaide as she was organising her spell components

Niko overheard Adelaide when she was first told where she was and that she said “I was right”. Niko asked her what that meant. Adelaide’s father Oakenwell explained that she was adopted and knew she would want to look for her birth parents. She’d also dreamed of a town with a river that resembled Waldstad and so began her search there.

Adelaide was made the heiress of the Oakenwell estate when she was 16

Adelaide revealed to Niko that their family name is “Merril”

Niko described his life in Nordhafen: 

how he was raised in an orphanage and then turfed out when he was too old. 

How he grew up on the streets and began to learn magic

When he tried to apply to the college and was almost arrested for assaulting a prominent student and his escape.

Adelaide describes what she knew about their family. Disjointed flashes of her parents. She remembers them talking about their research and knew there were places in the house that she wasn’t allowed to go

Adelaide asks Niko what he knew and he shared the first memory he had of her. Casting encode thoughts he handed her the memory for her to see for herself.

Next morning 

Party met for breakfast and began to establish objectives

Villiam had gone back to Fundat and left Alvin with the party who clarified that Villiam had gone to meet the other champions in Fundat and had asked the party to make their way back to Fundat as soon as possible.

The party agreed that Venas Adenath was better left as is, as it’s currently a safe zone and not in immediate danger.

Rosa Mors is currently being encroached by the corruption and potentially finding Velaldel could restore this, his last known location being Dar Tarium.

Aaria also wishes to travel to Dar Tarium as that is where the Lord of Earth currently is. 

Niko is aware that the Lord of Earth is a part of his past and as Adelaide is seeking their family she wishes to go as well. 

Vorin also says that Dar Tarium was close to figuring out a way to stem the corruption.

Remus offers up the use of an ancient Li'Shay submersible craft that could take us to Dar Tarium via Daravana, Koi's home town. Rogan and Wish go with him to establish its current functionality.

Aurora and Niko

Aurora checks in with Niko how his chat went with Adelaide

Niko expresses he’s more excited than he’s been in a long time and wants to get to know her.

Koi and Mara

Koi checked in with Mara and asks if anything has happened in Dar Tarium? Mara didn’t know anything of significance

Koi offered to talk things out with Mara, Mara offered no response

Rogan, Wish and Remus

Remus took Rogan and Wish to the submersible through the streets. Remus gives a quick but incredible tour through the streets filled with fish and the occasional body. Rogan notes the architecture.

Submersible is a metal structure with flawless joints powered by an arcane core with a non-arcane power back up (which Rogan approves). The submersible has a breathable cabin with space for 8 people, a cock pit, 2 arcane cannons and 3 diver suits that can fit 2 medium and 1 small person each with a 20 hour “breathe time”. 

Party

Rogan reports the submersible is in perfect working order and names the craft “Stingray”

Given the space available on the ship the party worked out who should be going. They agreed that Vorin should take Wish back to Rosa Mors, and that Aaria, Aurora, Koi, Rogan, Niko, Fred, Adelaide and Luca will be in the Stingray.

Aaria composes a short piece, hands it in a note to Vorin to be given to Velaldel's sister (Alaria).

Koi says goodbye to Wish, Koi asks Wish to check in with her other partner but is “uncomfortable” about how that conversation will go and leaves it to Wish’s discretion.

Rogan takes the party to the Stingray where he begins to teach them how to pilot and crew it. For the first leg, Rogan is appointed machinist (M), Koi is pilot (P), and Fred is gunner (G). A second crew will have to be established.

Rogan also scavenges materials from the museum to make adjustments to the small diving suit to make it fit Aurora or Koi.

Todo

Conversations with characters

Rogan and Fred

The session starts in Gre'gel, in the workshop of Rogan Underbite (PC), a dwarven engineer and inventor renowned for experimenting with flying contraptions. In Rogan's company is Luca Myrk (NPC), a long-serving half-elven doctor of the Benfer Army currently stationed in Gre'gel due to the unrest and ambushes in the surrounding Gilpfel Mountains, and Wish (NPC), a tiefling engineer who has come halfway across the world to see Rogan.

Wish has only been around for a couple of days, having left her companions, Zia (PC) and Aaria (PC) at the Bardic College in Nordhafen. Luca, on the other hand, is a good friend of Rogan's. The two have worked together on multiple occasions to develop various tools for Luca's practice, especially in recent time as Luca prepares to leave the army, marry a doctor from Nordhafen (Aurora, PC), and settle down.

Tonight, Rogan is making plans for an expedition to Waldstad, a town – barely large enough to be called such – a few days' travel from Gre'gel. His research indicates there might be some natural resource there he might harvest in order to get his flying contraptions off the ground, so to speak. Wish offers to accompany him, and Luca has a few days off and decides to accompany them.

During her time in Gre'gel, Wish is staying with a wealthy patron, Lady Adelaide Merrill (NPC), and upon mentioning the expedition, the Lady expresses a wish to join them, as her family used to run some business in Waldstad and she should like to visit again.

In the morning, the party sets out.

In Waldstad, they take rooms at the Perlen Tavern. Rogan makes enquiries, and eventually finds his way to the Herbarium – an overgrown building with a few loose tiles, ivy, and a veritable jungle inside. Rogan takes the time to repair the loose tiles, and the proprietor, Maggie, a red-haired half-elven woman, emerges. She is happy for it to be repaired, as her landlord has made no move to repair any of the issues yet.

Rogan finishes with the tiles. Inside, Maggie offers tea as thanks. In return, he offers to make any other repairs. (In the morning, he fixes a leaky tap in the bathroom.) From Maggie, Rogan learns of a lily-like flower called an Aerfleet Plant. Supposedly, this plant can be used to create a substance that helps constructs fly. As far as Maggie is aware, it grows best north of the Flachwasser, the river that runs north of the woods encircling Waldstad. There is an old path through the woods in the north-western corner of the town, to where there used to be a bridge. Whether it's there still, she doesn't know.

Rogan spends the night with Maggie. In the morning, they express a mutual desire to see each other again, then Rogan leaves, gathers his travelling companions, and sets out to find the Flachwasser.

After an hour of trudging along a partially overgrown path through the Walden, they reach the slope down to the banks of the Flachwasser. It's 30 feet across, and the majority of the bridge seems to have either collapsed into the river or been scavenged. Rogan lays his foldable travel ladder across and, after some poking about, discovers an invisible wall running along the centre of the river.

The party is attacked by a spectral being and, despite their bests efforts, are consumed by it. Rogan is the last to be captured, and in his final moments his mind expands and reaches for anyone who might hear him: "If anyone can hear me, we need help. Some bullshit magic north of Waldstad. It's got Luca, Wish, Adelaide, and me. Come find us."

In the late morning of Nordhafen, five people hear the message: Niko Warren (PC), a homeless wizard; Aaria (PC), a travelling bard; Zia (PC), a travelling story collector; Aurora (PC), a doctor looking forward to her wedding; and Frederic (PC), a mercenary guard on his way to work.

There are no traces left of Rogan and his party, except a 2-foot crack in the invisible wall, right where the bridge ends.

STAT BLOCKS: Luca Myrk, Wish, Adelaide Merrill