#session 21

I played Sly 3 (PS5 version)

The 21st of Mirtul

After retrieving the sceptre from Myrkrheim, and fighting their way back from an apocalyptic future, our adventurers journeyed to save the one person who could properly wield the weapon-- Mara Moonwhisper, Krathux’s daughter and closest blood relative. But Acacia switched bodies with Mara to give up her own life instead, as Queen Selise Ravenire plans to trap the Lich’s soul in a mortal body so they may destroy him permanently. As they journeyed back to Myrkrheim for the final showdown, they got sidetracked when Forza was captured by an ancient Aboleth.

As Avyssos fired an arrow at the eldritch creature, it pulled the charmed Dragonborn into a small tunnel that lead into the ruins of Neritesh, the undersea city. The group decided to split up in order to save Forza; while Acacia (in Mara’s body), Davith, Gulthias, Selise, and Mara (in Acacia’s body) swam off to find another entrance, Avyssos, Lia, and Rock, the Dwayne chased after the most direct route. Lia shapeshifted into the form of a giant octopus and the pursuit began.

Once the Aboleth thought it was safe it stopped and demanded to know what Forza was up to. Forza successfully convinced it that he wasn’t with them and was quite as surprised as it was. The Aboleth introduced itself as Ozolp, the last of the Aboleths in this realm as Krathux had hunted and transformed all the others into undead thralls. Ozolp pledged that it would gladly help Forza, but that they had to defeat this party of intruders first. At that moment, Lia in her octopus form broke through and attacked instantly with her tentacles as Avyssos shot another arrow.

Setting off a trap that caused bursts of flame that boiled the water around it to shoot up from the hallway floor, Ozolp escaped through a small hole in the wall that lead to another passage; but now before Lia followed. The two tentacled creatures battered each other, one physically and the mentally, but neither was winning over the other when Avyssos shot a large burst of lightning through the hole that struck them both. Ozolp established a mental link upon Avyssos that charmed the high elf just as Forza seduced the otherworldly aberration and told it to run. Ozolp let go of Lia, but left a toxic ooze on her that biologically changed her skin to be translucent and slimy.

Once Ozolp had run off to figure out a plan, Forza swam up and slapped the charm out of Avyssos. They decided to split up and explore the dungeon. Avyssos stumbled upon a room containing a large emerald securely fasted to an alter by golden claws. Inspecting it and trying to steal it, she set off a trap that unleashed a burst of electricity throughout the room. She survived, though barely, and had to play dead when Ozolp came to inspect the room. Just as the Aboleth began to mentally nudge Avyssos, a loud explosion rang off from a distant room, followed by Davith’s voice calling out that he has come to save Forza. Ozolp ran off to fight the intruders, but Avyssos remained feigning death.

Meanwhile, Lia and Forza came upon a room full of Tritons, the aquatic humanoids who originally built the city. All of them seemed to be standing at attention, dazed and waiting for an order. Forza walked up to some and slapped them so hard that they broke out of the charm. Thanking Forza, they ran off to fight the Aboleth. Lia and Forza followed after and the group stumbled across the room containing Avyssos and the emerald. Fearing their ally’s state, they tried to break into the room through the large iron bars that blocked the way but inevitably could not-- until, that is, one of the Tritons unlocked the door with a quick swipe of a keycard.

Rock comes stumbling through the room and launches himself with a rolling charge at one of the newly allied Tritons, knocking it unconcious. Just then, Avyssos woke up from the fake death yelling “oh no, the waffles!” to the party’s confusion. At this exact same moment, as well, Ozolp comes rushing back into the room to warn Forza they have to escape, but Forza casts a silent image of Avyssos stealing the emerald and the Aboleth chases after it as the real Avyssos shapeshifted into Lia and stole the real emerald. After only a minute, Ozolp realized he had been duped and turned to see Lia still as an octopus, wrap her tentacles around Forza and Avyssos and swim at the speed of light with a haste spell out of the city.

The three of them rocketed out of the water and onto the beach of a small island containing a large, quite evil looking castle. Forza began walking back into the water and made it only waist-deep as Lia tried to grapple him. Failing to match Forza’s strength and determination, Lia was flung far off into the distance. Avyssos began inspecting the large emerald and realized that it served to focus psychic energy and enhance it; she realized too that the Aboleth had been using the gem to maintain it’s mind control aura on the Tritons of the city. After battling Ozopl’s mind over control of the gem, she released the Tritons from the Aboleth’s control.

Avyssos rode on the back of a phantom steed back down towards the undersea city, followed by Forza and Lia. They arrived to see the Tritons completely wrecking the place. Several of the pillars that held the city up over the volcanic vents broke into pieces and caused the city to shift sideways. Being under water though, the state of the city’s direction did not at all affect the ensuing battle.

Lia swam over to attack Ozopl, but the enraged Aboleth viciously beat her back into her Elf form. Lia realized with disgust that her skin was still slimy and transparent-- seeing this, Forza threw up in a corner. Lia shapeshifted back into an octopus and she and Avyssos continued to battle the creature. Seeing Forza, Ozopl cried out for help, admitting that it believed it had fallen in love with the Dragonborn and perhaps has never known love until now. At that moment, Davith came bursting into the room to save Forza, causing Forza to carefully choose his next course of action. Forza threw a vicious mockery at Ozopl, quietly saying that Davith must never know, and followed up with powerful dissonant whispers that killed the millennia-old, heartbroken aberration from the mysterious and oft-confusing Far Realm.

Avyssos stuffed the dead Aboleth into her bag of holding, claiming that such a creature would fetch a high price on the black market, and somehow secretly contacted her contact who deals with such affairs.. The freed Tritons offered their assistance in defeating Krathux as a way to pay their debt. They swim back up to the surface and find themselves at the island where Krathux’s castle sits.

I played Edens Zero (PS5)