Ulisses North America

Act I

Nicosia, Cyprus

The Storm Knights are called to a meeting with representatives of the Delphi Council to discuss the current state of affairs. During the conversation, Bianca shares a Kabbala text that seems to suggest the ritual that was involved in Dr. Sconce crafting Adam Harrison. The witch posits that Harrison’s component parts include the head of Earl Kennington (William’s brother), the arm of a Yakuza double-agent named Stan Hokusai, an Aylish artifact known as the Amber Heart, a mummified leg from the Nile Empire, and internal organs from an Edeinos. The secret society led by Lady Barantyn (The Seekers of Kali) appeared to want to tear out the Amber Heart at Golo’s request, but the Knights obviously foiled that attempt.

According to the Council’s research, Harrison was crafted by Dr. Sconce at the behest of no less a personage than the Gaunt Man himself. What the High Lord intended for the animated composite of various Cosms remains a mystery, but it is believed that Earl’s spirit was able to break free of Sconce and the Gaunt Man when Harrison confronted William face-to-face.

Clive, the former werewolf from Orrorsh, warns the party that rumor has it that the Gaunt Man has taken an interest in locating William Kennington III, possibly to target him for revenge. The Council asks the team to focus on the Western Hemisphere to put some distance between themselves and their enemies in Orrorsh and the Nile Empire. For that purpose, they are told of a mission available in the Living Land near the American city of Atlanta. There is an outpost there that has asked for Council assistance dealing with some infighting between Edeinos clans, and it is hoped that Kash, lone survivor of his own tribe, can help negotiate a peaceful solution.

The team makes some requests for survival gear, including some explosive arrows, a jeep, bug spray, and rations. Harrison spots the goblin Vix on their way to the rooftop, and he finds that the Aylish monster has stolen a Delphi Council security card. He takes the card from the goblin and William thoroughly convinces Vix that their escapades in the Living Land will earn them a lot of valuable loot.

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Joe the Realm Runner flies the four Knights out to Houston, Texas and then to Marietta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta near the local border with the invading Cosm. William drives their jeep into the jungle reality, approaching the alien wilderness that has now overgrown the Southeast United States. The party has to go offroad after an overpass comes to an abrupt end, utilizing the winch and cable on the Jeep to get through a primeval bog. William disconnects while driving and Harrison has to tow the inoperable Jeep to the SunTrust outpost, their destination.

The party meets with Marlene Watkins, the head of the outpost, local Possibility-rated technician Liphorst, and the spiritualist Krystal. Marlene asks the Knights to look into the fighting between a nearby encampment of Redjaw Clan Edeinos and their rivals, a smaller clan known as the Razor-Talons. She is concerned that her people will be harmed by the warring lizards, and she suspects that the recent lull in fighting points to some building tension.

Liphorst helps repair the Knight’s Jeep, then asks them to check out the ruins of a National Guard Armory where there are guns, ammo, and other gear that could be useful to the outpost. Krystal talks with Kash about the power of Lanala and her desire to commune with the goddess by ingesting hallucinogenic mushrooms from a place called the Orange Meadow. Kash seems smitten with Krystal, and he tells the others of his intentions to arm the Razor-Talons and attack the Redjaws. Harrison and William try to convince the Edeinos to take a less violent approach, noting that their orders were to try and find a peaceful solution.

The party departs SunTrust outpost and goes to the camp of the Razor-Talons, coming into contact with a scout named Thraks, an optant named Jurino, and the chieftain, Powak. They convince the Razor-Talons to hold off on attacking the Redjaws for the time being and see if they can negotiate with the followers of Baruk Kaah. Thraks helps guide the Knights to the Redjaws’ camp near Stone Mountain.

The Knights discover that the Redjaws’ village has been completely razed to the ground, with many Edeinos bodies littering the ground. A feathered, poisonous reptile that Thraks calls a “Skizak” is eating some of the corpses, making for a dangerous wrinkle in their investigation of the site. Thraks and Kash bravely taunt and distract the deadly dino while Harrison and William sneak into the ruins of the camp to search for clues.

Utilizing acrobatic maneuvers and his skills as an archer, Kash is able to gravely wound the Skizak and avoid its venomous teeth, eventually forcing it to flee. William and Harrison piece together the clues at the Redjaw campsite and figure out that the place was attacked by a group of around thirty men and women armed with 19th century-style firearms. There are also tracks left by some sort of wagon which is carrying soil from the Living Land. Harrison suspects that this may point to the planting of Gospog seeds, but William is not so sure.

More worryingly, the tracks indicate that the band of murderous humans have turned toward the Razor-Talon camp, presumably to continue their bloody march through the jungle.

XP: 5 (65)

Act II

Stone Mountain Jungle

The Knights and Thraks set about trying to warn the Razor-Talons and slow down the human wagon train, splitting up into two groups to better cover the ground. The two Edeinos find some triceratops-like dinos to ride to the Razor-Talons, alerting the tribe and helping them prepare ambushes for the expected enemy force. Kennington and Harrison track the wagon train and discover the caravan of human marauders, who appear to be clad in attire similar to Civil War-era soldiers.

Kennington slips down from an overgrown overpass and lands amid the humans, and he has to quickly come up with a false identity to conceal his real motives. Harrison runs into the jungle when he too is discovered, and a band of militiamen pursue him into the mist. Adopting the name “Dale Hickok” and the manner of a Southern gentleman from Gaea, Kennington meets the leader of the human marauders, a bespectacled Stormer named Shaun Tinsley. Tinsley says that he is the Colonel of the Legacy of the Confederacy, a militia of humans who are “reclaiming” the jungles from the Edeinos. Both Harrison and Kennington can tell that there is a mobile hardpoint of some kind moving with the wagon train, providing a mixed-zone of Orrorsh and the Living Land, which allows the militia to use 19th century firearms.

During their pursuit of Harrison, some of the militia scouts discover a journal he dropped, and it is delivered to the sinister Mason, a Gaean gunslinger who serves as Colonel Tinsley’s lieutenant. Kennington manages to persuade Mason to hand him Harrison’s diary before he can read it, and gets assigned to a place with a company of soldiers led by an elderly militiaman named Cooper.

Harrison is aided in dealing with his pursuers by Razor-Talons and Kash, and Kennington manages to lose Cooper’s men in the mists of the Living Land to reunite with his fellow Storm Knights. He updates the others about the Legacy of the Confederacy and the group attempts to return to the Razor-Talons camp before their assault begins.

The fog clinging to the wilderness confuses the group and they end up in a scary wood where there’s a twisted tree with a human visage on its gnarled trunk. It radiates the Corruption of Orrorsh, and Harrison wields his holy symbol to try and ward off the Gaunt Man’s terrible influence. Kennington helps the others navigate the patch of sinister woods and they return to the vicinity of the Razor-Talons camp, finding the Legacy of the Confederacy already attacking the Edeinos.

Joining the battle, the Storm Knights confront Tinsley, Mason, and several ranks of riflemen. Thraks, the Edeinos scout that Kash befriended, is killed by the ruthless Mason during a lethal standoff with the heroes. After a tense battle fraught with danger, the Knights destroy a small tree (similar to the larger one they encountered in the mists) in a covered wagon that appears to be the source of the Orroshan influence in the immediate vicinity of the wagon train. A stampede of dinosaurs barrels through the wrecked village, scattering Mason and Tinsley and ending the militia’s assault. The losses are heavy on the Razor-Talons’ side, however, and they ask the Knights to help them find a new place to call home.

XP: 5 (70)

Act III

Stone Mountain Jungle, Georgia

The Storm Knights escort the remnant of the Razor Talons tribe to the SunTrust outpost, where they are greeted by the wary human village. They talk with Marlene Watkins, Krystal, and Liphorst about giving the surviving members of the decimated Edeinos tribe a home in their walled compound. The humans are reluctant to trust the lizardmen but are eventually convinced to let them stay.

The villagers make some requests of the team in turn, asking them to get some hallucinogenic mushrooms from a nearby field and also investigate a former National Guard Armory located in the shadow of Stone Mountain. They also have to decide how to deal with the Nightmare Tree they discovered nearby. The Knights agree and head out after a rest that night in the outpost.

The party crosses through the Living Land mists and finds the colorful Orange Meadow where the mushrooms they seek are located. As they are gathering the fungi, they breathe in some local pollen and feel themselves getting sleepy. With most of the group in danger of falling into a deep slumber, the Storm Knights narrowly fight through the haze and get away from the Meadow intact.

Moving toward the Armory ruins, they come across the Orrorshan tree and work together to destroy it. The death of the Nightmare Tree ends the influence of Orrorsh on the vicinity and clears some of the mist that is shrouding the jungle. The Knights press on to their next destination and discover that the Armory is also being explored by an outsider, a Storm Knight from Terra named Dr. Aaron Hardin. Hardin is a square-jawed explorer who is coincidentally investigating the ruin, and he talks with the party about the surroundings and the dangers of the region. He tells them about other camps in the region, including some religious Edeinos who live atop Stone Mountain. Kash is suspicious of the stranger, but the others direct him to the location of the SunTrust camp.

Searching through the mostly ruined supplies inside of the Armory building, the team discovers an intact Barrett M82 .50 BMG rifle. Harrison gladly takes the massive gun for himself, grabbing some loose ammunition for the anti-material weapon. The team exits the Armory with what other supplies they can use and begin to make their way back to SunTrust.

When they return to the human village, the party meets with the local leadership. They hand over the mushrooms to Krystal, but Kash sees that she has hit it off with Dr. Hardin.

In a shocking development, several explosions go off in the vicinity of where the Razor Talon survivors are camped out. Many Edeinos are wounded or killed, reducing the tribe’s numbers even further. As they do what they can to help out those harmed in the bombing, the Knights discern that the camp’s mechanic Liphorst was the one who prepared the bomb. He used materials brought to him in secret by the traitorous Vix the Goblin. In a message left behind by Liphorst, he reveals that his true loyalties lie with the Legacy of the Confederacy and that he could not stomach SunTrust sharing living space with the Edeinos, whom he views as subhuman.

Liphorst and Vix have fled the camp, heading toward the ruins of Atlanta nearby. They join up with a patrol from the Confederacy group, killing Edeinos they come across and looting in the city. The Knights track them down to a former jewelry store, and a firefight breaks out between the two groups. Vix is slain as he tries to flee with pockets stuffed with gemstones, and Liphorst is captured alive.

The Delphi Council team heads back to SunTrust with Liphorst and some other surviving traitors in tow, leaving them to the judgement of the village. A heartbroken Kash sees Hardin and Krystal are now a confirmed couple.

The Knights learn that while they were away, the Council called for them, asking for them to return to Nicosia for a special meeting.

XP: 5 (75)

Act I

Clues Here:
Three victims, all children, ages 7-11
Two found near a railway junction, middle one in the city center at Kindlifresserbrunnen (Child Eater of Bern) statue
Killings took place during different phases of the moon
Killer supernaturally strong, left behind smell of sulphur, smooth fingerprints, and an imprint of kris dagger

Session Notes Here:
The team gets a mission in Bern, Switzerland, to investigate a possibly supernatural serial killer.

Bern, Switzerland

Get briefed at a market square by Bianca the witch.
Kash picks up the trail of the killer from the site in a city square where one of bodies was found
Storm Knights follow the trail through the sewers
The trail leads to a railroad crossing - same location other bodies were being found
Discover a black market container facility run by Tariq Rauf

The Knights talk to the black marketeer and suddenly a Church Police force arrives to raid the place. The team and the cyberjacker gang get into a chase with the police, and they escape after taking out some cop cars.

XP: 5 (80)

Act II

The team escapes to an underground location where they meet up with Antonin Dufek, the best decker in Bern. They meet up with Olivia Sparks and Bianca down there, catching everyone up on the goings on. They make a plan to try and catch the killer before they strike again, using a map of the sewers and Antonin’s decking skills on the security systems. Once inside the church near one of the murders, Kash finds the smell of sulphur deeper into the church, in the cardinal’s room.

As the cardinal leaves with the inspector, the group finds that the police are going to start making examples out of the protesters. The Storm Knights followed behind them, Harrison jumping in the way of the police’s attempts to fire into the crowd. The cardinal was there, but despite the full moon being out, he did not transform into his werewolf form. After a brief skirmish, and aided by revolutionaries, the protesters were saved and Inspector Ammann was captured. Not really having time to interrogate him, the team dragged him down into the sewers.

Once in the sewers, they became aware of the demon’s sulphuric smell, where Kash tracked was still nearby. Kronos, the demon in question, used a magic spell to create a wall of pure darkness, using it to try and taunt and confuse the knights. Harrison charged forward at where he thought the demon was, getting a firm stab in his back. The others use the moment to hamper the demon’s efforts, then unloading a charged beam and a silver bullet into the demon, which caused it to collapse into itself.

With the demon slain, the cardinal turned back into a werewolf due to the full moon, and caused some damage elsewhere. The Knights worked together with the Resistance to find and fortify some locations further from the cities.

XP: 5 (85)

Act I

Paris, France

Getting the supplies to the Paris Liberte Militia safehouse, the group was told that there were flying saucers that have been stealing equipment from the PLM in the cities. Reports of the saucers were varied other than their targets. The Knights meet up with the local leader of the PLM, who talk about the saucer problem. They investigate the series of thefts and find the UFO’s next target: The Louvre. The Knights set up at the Louvre, Kash and Kennington on the inside, Harrison and Olivia on the outside.

The thieves drop down from their spaceship, but get taken out by the combination of Kennington’s tactics and Kash’s arrows, while Olivia tries to catch up with the ship and Harrison tries to take out the anti-grav device. The Red Roc, the one in charge of the thieves, manages to get the spaceship away from the group but the Louvre is protected against most of the theft.

XP: 5 (90)

Act II

Montrueil, France

The Knights try to find a car in the nearby Cyberpapacy lands, setting off some security in the vehicle while hotwiring it. They head to Montrueil, a possible location for the flying saucer in the nearby suburbs. While investigating, some locals start talking about a local plague and some of the local gangs as Church Police close in. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, Kash’s stealth skin goes haywire and the Church Police stop the Knights from hiding.

Gospog swarms everyone while the police fall to the Knights, pushing the group towards an empty supermarket. From there, the team sees that the nearby theater shows unusual lights, giving them their next target. They manage to sneak into the theater, but before they can get their plan in motion, the Red Roc manages to hear something unusual, sending his two people out to try and investigate, leading to a skirmish.

During the skirmish, the Red Roc was killed in a gruesome if unintentional manner. Once the Red Roc was dead, the surviving thief transforms into a very large martian-looking creature with four arms and manages to steal the spaceship. About the same time, more Gospog shamble into the theater.

While trying to save at least some of the valuables in the building, Olivia slides the hovercar through the closing doorway, managing to disconnect and flip the car, barely getting out of the way of the now flaming wreckage. The team barely manages to get out of the building in one piece, using rope and Olivia’s jetpack, as centuries of French artifacts burn in the accidental fire.

XP: 5 (95)

Act I

New Orleans, Louisiana

The Knights head to New Orleans, where there is a Core Earth stronghold looking to try and get an oil rig out of the Gulf of Mexico. They work with the Cajun Navy, a group of civilians who’ve worked as assistance during natural disasters. The Knights head over with tugboats to try to move the platform.

The team makes it to the control room still hidden, but found out they needed a lot of work to get the oil rig. A group of Edeinos were aboard the rig, calling themselves the Rust Jaws. They work together with Michelle, one of the Cajun Navy, to reactivate the rig and get it moving. While scouting them out, Kash was unfortunately seen by the Rust Jaws, which cause them to attack while the others try to get everything working. After a skirmish where Olivia fried a number of the Rust Jaws with a single blast, Kennington was able to talk down the leader, Cogeye, into surrendering for the moment.

Once the rig was attached to the tugboats, one of the legs would not retract fully. Kash gracefully fixed some of the hydraulic lines, finding an extremely large megalodon in the waters going after the tugboats and the lines. With quick thinking, Kennington used the crane on the rig to pull the megalodon out of the water long enough for it to pass out and die, keeping the sailors safe from the trouble.

Once back to New Orleans, the Knights get asked to name the rig, calling it Danger Island. Cogeye and the Rustjaws were turned over to the Delphi Council for interrogation.

XP: 5 (100!)

The God Box - Act I

The team is summoned on the aircraft carrier the USS Theodore Roosevelt to discuss a rescue mission around the Washington D.C. hardpoint. There are a number of settlements in the area that are holding out around the area, but will need help to get to Fort Washington, the name given to the hardpoint. On the way to the Fort, the Knights’ C-130 plane is attacked by a Lakten, crashing in into an overgrown tree and ripping part of it open.

Washington, D.C.

The Knights fight off the Lakten, but the pilots did not survive the crash and the supplies got scattered all over the crash zone. They climb down from the tree, and end up in the foggy darkness on the ground. On the way to the fort, a swarm of gospog chase the Knights but they escape without having to fight through them.

Once they get to Fort Washington, they are greeted by Major Chandler, the one currently leading them as Colonel Chavez was killed in an Eidinos ambush outside of the fort. After resting the night, the team goes out to try and get some of the refugees to the Fort. Using a riverboat, they go down the Potomac to try to get people back to the fort. On the way to Henson Creek, the group finds a military Hummer in good condition. Also, a Picasso original rolled up in a sturdy plastic tube is found, held on by a dead body in the Hummer.

When the Knights show up at Henson Creek, there are a group of religious sorts, believers of Lanala who don’t want to go. Kash convinces them to leave with the help of a miracle. The team helps the refugees back to the boat, where Kash finds an Edeinos he met before. He talks his way past them, convincing them to check out the now-vacant Henson Creek. They head back to base, but on the way, have to deal with a whirlpool threatening to pull the ship down.

After clearing the whirlpool, a group of Edeinos on raptor and triceratops mounts try to stop them, but one of the triceratops gets eaten by a creature below. The boat gets rocked by the sudden attack, launching one of the refugees into the water.

Scarlett is rescued from the water, boat engine dies but gets restarted by Olivia, proceed back to Fort Washington
Back at the fort greeted maj. Chandler, meet up with Kennington, celebration for the successful rescue of the refugees, talk with people about the situation in Washington and about the backgrounds of the Storm Knights, interrupted by an edeinos attack
Storm Knights escort the refugees to Castle across the mall park, get attacked by a group of edeinos, wipe them out pretty easily
Maj. Chandler tells that the fort got attacked by Baruk Kaah himself, who got hit by a rocket launcher, the First Nations exhibit at the Smithsonian was broken into and a Mayan artifact was stolen, also Dr. Maxwell and Billy were taken as hostages, Scarlett accompanies the Storm Knights on the trail of the looters/kidnappers
Come across a swamp on pursuit, find strapped together double doors to use as a raft, paddle across the swamp towards a hospital that has a massive tree growing through, get attacked by giant leeches when getting ashore, squish them to oblivion
Get to the hospital building and the tree, Kennington recognises it as a dimthread tree, rescue people trapped in the pods of the dimthread tree
Malacryx got through portal with beat up warriors, met up with Baruk Kaah, told him that she would get God Box from Fort Washington to get rid of doubters/rebels. Headed through portal with hostages.

XP: 5 (105)

The God Box - Act II

Meritikka, aka The Land Below

The Knights move into the portal, and end up in the Land Below, a wild and unique place full of greenery. While initially following the trail, Kash finds a carnivorous plant that tries to eat him. The team deals with the plant without too much trouble, then make their way to a camp that was seemingly made by Core Earthers. One of them had a journal with information about some locals who knew a way out.

They continue on, finding a warrior in a hole covered in spider webs. Olivia goes to help the person speaking in tongues, opening the cocoon as three giant spiders come to ambush the team. The ambush causes a bit of chaos, with Harrison disconnecting while trying to slash at the spiders with his magic sword and Kennington fell into the pit that held the fighter. Surviving the fight, the team follows Prince Chakan to rescue his friends.

On the way there, the team talks to Chakan about the Helephez (the unmoving sun of the Land Below), their gods and knowledge about the situation. He says his friends could help us out of the Land Below, finding a way out now that the trail on Malacryx has been lost. They take a pair of canoes to the Misty Gorge, where the prince’s friends are being held by the Darooni tribe. The Knights avoid some more living vines by Olivia jetpacking around.

Once they get to the Darooni temple, they find Spencer still relatively unharmed and yet to be impregnated by the eggs of the massive insect queen. The group gets into a ritual combat with the Darooni tribe, successfully beating them with non-lethal means. Chakan takes the Darooni’s champion as a wife as a result of the win, trying to end warfare between the two tribes while the Knights and Spencer run towards baskets that lead the group towards the higher lands. Behind them, the Queen of the wasps along with wasp soldiers following them.

The basket fight was extended and perilous, trying to outrun and fight them back. The Leopard warriors help pull vines to bring the baskets they are riding in up the side of the cliff toward the top of the Misty Gorge, and Olivia flies around to run interference against the Darooni wasp riders and their mounts. Harrison is stung by one of the wasp’s stingers and nearly succumbs to the venom it injects, but William helps him with the use of one of his restorative medals. The Orroshan monster man tries to wield his big sniper rifle but runs out of .50 rounds at a critical moment. Scarlett nearly falls out of the basket but Kennington catches her.

The Queen Wasp pursues Spencer and several Darooni and giant wasps are defeated by grenades, ray gun blasts, and arrow fire. Kash freaks out at the sight of the wasp queen drawing down upon the party. One of the Leopard tribesmen dies heroically holding the vine and passing it to Spencer to finish the ascent. After the Knights reach the top of the cliffs, they get into the jungle to hide from the Queen and the surviving wasp warriors. Kash helps the group find concealment in a swampy pond using some native mud to cover the features of the Knights and their friends.

XP 5 (110)

The God Box - Act III

The heroes talk things over with Spencer and Leopard Warriors at nearby village, rest and then begin trip southwest to try and rescue Spencer’s kids Wes and Kathy from Serpentor slavers. Spencer says that there’s a portal he knows of but the team will need crystals only found in the city of the Pyrian Fire Tamers.

The Knights get transported through Merretika with the aid of the now-allied Darooni wasps led by Mira and Chakan. They show us the “Dreadful Joy”, a free-fall flying technique as they fly upward toward Helephez, the sun of Merretika. Spencer spends the remaining journey explaining the Pyrians and their social structures, and helping us fashion some turtle shells from the Boiling Swamp into fire-blocking shields. The party flees when giant orange crocodiles (Arnet Crom, according to Spencer) suddenly rise up from the mire to attack them.

Splitting off from Chakan and their tribal friends, the group walks toward Tanta Kellar, the capital city of the Pyrian Fire Tamers, which is built around a volcano with sluices carrying lava through its streets. As they get closer to the place, they discuss different options to sneak into city gates volcano location of fire temple where Pyrians worship two aspects of their god, Karruk and Darok (dormant and erupting, respectively). After debate choose to sneak within 20 km of the city and then steal a pair of merchants’ wooden cart drawn by anaks, two big-beaked scary bird-things. Knights hide aboard the wagon and when it gets to the gate, they create a diversion with an angry anak that draws off some guards and then sneak into the bottom level of the tiered city.

Meet a slave-worker who is cleaning a courtyard and Spencer questions them about Wes and Kathy. He learns from the slave that the kids were transferred up to the fire temple at the rim of the volcano at the very top of the city. They say that there is some sort of “machine” being built there and the children are working under guard.

The Knights elude Pyrian Thralls marching through the city and get to a simple lift system which carries mine carts up the sloped side of the city to the palace of the Pyrian ruler, Ar. They take out a Thrall guard and then help some slaves escape to create another distraction that opens the path to the temple. Blending in with the crowd of people ascending and descending to and from the temple atop the mountain, they check out the temple.

The temple is a large painted stone disc with large iron chains and four bridges suspended over the churning volcano crater. There are dozens of Pyrians, including artisans, Thrall guards, and Fire Priests. Around as many Leopard tribesmen, Keefee, Darooni, and other inhabitants of the Land Below work as slaves, helping to finish carving and chiseling features upon a series of obsidian columns rising up from the hole at the center of the temple-disc. Kathy and Wes are there, under the watchful eyes of their Pyrian masters.

The Storm Knights prepare to enact a daring plan to rescue the Core Earth youths and capture some of the crystals which several Fire Priests carry atop of their staves. As the rescue starts, a number of avatars of the fire god fire out of the volcano and start attacking the pillars, slaves and the priests. The Knights manage to escape with the children, and as they start leaving, the Darooni and the Leopard Warriors do a raid on the area, trying to free the slaves.

The team makes it to the portal, using the crystals to repower it and head to the other side, near Chicago.

XP: 5 (115)

The God Box - Act IV

Chicago, Illinois

The Knights end up on a boat in the middle of Lake Michigan, with a series of derelict ships as the only way to land without swimming. They end up ambushed by some fish monsters, a ship flipping over completely and ending up with Olivia, Harrison and Scarlet underwater. Everyone survives the encounter.

The God Box - Act IV (continued)

The Knights move towards land, finding a tail-less Eidinos who looks like she was also assaulted by the water creatures. She tells us about Malacrix’s plan to use the Godbox to (do something). On the trail of the two human hostages, the group finds a sign of fighting between two Eidinos tribes, a death cult in the area and Malacrix’s people. While trying to sneak past, Olivia’s jetpack catches on one of the nearby beetle corpses, causing a loud noise and setting off a melee.

The group scuffles for a bit before managing to clear an opening up the stairs and blocking the door behind them. They rush to the roof, where there’s a dimthread tree with another priest on top of it, along with a group of Eidinos. The priest summons an avatar of their death god, a large three-headed undead creatures.

The team works together to deal with the avatar and then get split up after the avatar falls, leaving Olivia with the priest and the rest of the knights with the undead soldiers. Olivia tries to zap the priest, and due to the reality storm nearby, destroys the priest and sunders the dimthread tree.

The portal inside is still open, Olivia heading straight in. The portal shows visions of the wedding, then dumps the crew into the Yucatan Peninsula.

XP: 5 (120)

The God Box - Act V

Bacalar, Mexico

The knights end up being pulled out of the water into the nearby town of Bacalar, gear safe and sound. The townsfolk, including Lupe and Ricardo, tell the group that the Eidinos are currently gathered at Chichen Itza, where the wedding of Baruk Kaah is occuring, along with Malacrix’s ritual with the God Box. They meet Eduardo Sanchez, a Storm Knight and ex-cop who has reclaimed a police station from a local bandito gang. He shows them a massive totem of Kukulcan, a Mayan deity and warlord, which is actually an Eternity Shard. It can create a mixed reality of Core Earth in alien cosms for a bit less than a day. He suggests the Knights activate it with his help and transport it into the Living Land zone where Chichen Itza lies.

Accompanied by Eduardo, six other former cops, and around a dozen people of Bacalar, the Knights start a convoy of pickup trucks with mounted machine guns (aka “technicals”) into the depths of a neighboring jungle.

The team intervenes to save some primitive humans being hunted by the Goldsun tribe. The fight around the soccer field turns into a scramble, the Goldsuns focusing on the Storm Knights, but taking out the beast riders makes tricking their triceratops to run in every direction. The would-be thralls come to help us in the Battle at Chichen Itza, reinforcing our small force with another 20 bodies.

The team rendezvous with a fire team of soldiers sent by helicopter from the Delphi Council’s base in Mexico City. The five men are the last reinforcements for the small unit as they reach the Mayan ruins.

Chichen Itza, Yucatan

The Battle of Chichen Itza starts with the survivors and the vehicles trying to split the forces of Baruk Kaah.

• Throngs of edeinos, numbering in tens of thousands.
• Malacryx and Baruk Kaah himself atop the main pyramid, trapping Lanala’s energies in the God Box.
• Delphi Council airstrike outside of area to draw away Baruk Kaah’s forces.
• Primitive humans lure some edeinos away to temple of the Jaguar.
• Eduardo Sanchez and townsfolk from Bacalar use technical vehicles, go to Northwest area to draw off Baruk Kaah and more of his forces.
  The Knights ascend the main temple of Kukulcan to confront Malacryx and her numerous handmaidens. The Goldsun temple guards join the fight as well, surrounding the Knights on the pyramid’s precarious steps.
• Kash is drawn to the God Box and the spirit of his deity trapped inside. He confronts the evil Malacryx in a reality storm, straining his will and faith to prevent Lanala’s enslavement.
• The other heroes fight with the Edeinos followers, holding them at bay and trying to buy Kash some time.
• One of the five soldiers falls, but another has a Moment of Crisis in defending William from Goldsun warriors. He becomes a Possibility-rated Storm Knight as a result.
• Kash begins to lose his will and stamina, but he is buoyed by the inspiring effort of his fellow Knights. He rips the possibilities from Malacryx and frees Lanala, unleashing the deity’s wrath on the traitorous edeinos who sought to take her power. Glory in Chichen Itza. Malacryx is obliterated, reduced to nothing more than black specks that fade to nothing. A hurricane descends upon the region with sudden force, flinging the edeinos warriors and the scenery in every direction. Sudden quakes and bursts of lava erupt from the earth, and the very jungle seems to turn on the Goldsuns and their dinosaur mounts.
• Baruk Kaah is left in the ruin of the collapsed pyramids and temples, raging against the Knights who robbed him of a bride and of a god’s power.
  Lanala’s favor is granted to the Knights, and tales of the Glory achieved by Kash and the others spreads throughout the edeinos race.

After their victory in Mexico, the Storm Knights get reports that the Delphi Council base in Cyprus has been attacked and Dr. Sconce has escaped….

XP: 5 (125)

Act I

Copenhagen, Denmark

Blake was summoned to Copenhagen to deal with a missing person case, with Prince Erik of Denmark having been found captured by a local group of vikings on a smaller island. Blake called his colleagues in Kash and William. Per Hanssen leads the briefing, with Liisa Markkula being an escapee.

Järnö Island is transformed from a Finnish listening station
Around 30 vikings, 20+ prisoners, which some dying and being replaced with new captives
A griffon has a nest atop the rocky outcropping which conceals the viking/prisoner hideout; William informs the Knights that griffons like raw meat, esp. Horsemeat. Kash suggests maybe trying to drug the meat. Hanseen notes that modern drugs would probably not work due to the Asyle axiom - could be replaced with natural herbs.

Danish coast guard offers a patrol boat and a Possibility-rated pilot. The extraction zone is on the Estonian coast, in Core Earth.

Codename Prince Erik: KIPPER

Take the rowboat, tugging the carcass of a horse laden with herbal sleep drugs. Spot trolls on the island nearby Järnö Island, possibly the monsters that Liisa mentioned were north of the stockade wall of the viking camp. Griffon flies overhead, attracted by the scent of the horseflesh - we cut the rope to the raft and row away.

From a distance the Knights see the Griffon getting sleepy on the raft. Vikings are seen on the southern shore, discussing the monster’s departure. The heroes change their planned landing spot to a location further to the northwest, just past the stockade. Kash is dropped off on the rock outcropping to watch out for the rest. He climbs up with a boost from his tail, and discovers the nest of the Griffon where a large egg is resting.

The Knights get over the walls, when some of the vikings head to the bait boat with a sleeping Griffon on it. On the way to warn their allies, Blake fires at the ship with his rifle, hitting a weak spot near the rudder, sinking the ship in a single shot. The Knights split up to set up traps and sneak into the cave entrance. Olivia and Kash set up a trap using some thorny bushes - Kash talks Olivia’s ear off about the Griffon nest, ignoring her scientific advice. Kennington tricks two Viking guards into coming outside, convincing them that a strike force is attacking the island. They begin to flee back inside but Blake shoots them down with his suppressed 9mm.

Blake and Kennington go inside and find a barred door where the prisoners are being kept. A trap with some falling rocks nearly crushes William beneath them, but he fortunately (?) trips and lands in some manure instead. The Knights speak with the 20 or so prisoners inside, checking to make sure they can make the trip. “KIPPER” (Prince Erik) is identified, and Olivia is impressed by the attractive man.

As the Storm Knights head out with the prisoners, Kash notes the approach of some pasty-faced Lurks coming out to stop them. The party fights them and Olivia is able to zap them dead with some help from the others.

A red-eyed Wight appears, leading yet more Lurks who pursue the team fleeing the island. Blake faces off with the Wight, drawing a longsword to duel the supernatural monster. Kash unleashes a flurry of arrows and speaks of Lanala’s power, showily destroying a whole team of Lurks and attaining a Glory. Glory near Finland. Blake reloads his handgun, blocks the Wight with the sword, then lands a point blank headshot on the creature, ending it’s unlife. The Lurks are finished off by a last blast of Olivia’s raygun.

The Estonian Coast Guard arrives to rescue the prisoners and Storm Knights, and Prince Erik is successfully returned to Copenhagen. A big celebration is held, and Olivia shares her phone number with Erik, who promises to get in touch with her. William speaks at length with reporters about the events of the adventure, offering a lecture on the pertinent details.

>K: “Does that make you a princess?”
>O: “No, that’s not how that works, Kash.”
>K: “Does that make Kash a princess?”
>O: “Definitely not how that works.”

XP: 5 (130)