Session Date: 6/4/2017

The party scrambles to learn the basics of bubble car operation, fleeing the scene of Session 11’s near-TPK and heading northwest into the mists (off the shore of Area 15.)

(ed. note: Wow, that area map isn’t holding up very well. I had to convert it to black and white to hide an unsightly yellowish splotch.)

The bubble car appears to have a maximum altitude of about 100ft, and Flynn notices that both the bubble car and plasma welder seem to be “powered” by the same mysterious liquid. When the plasma torch ran out of liquid, it stopped working. The bubble car presumably works the same way.

After a long rest spent hovering in the mist, it’s time for some more exploration, this time with the comfort and convenience of a flying car. Strangely, the party emerges from the mist some two and a half miles east of where they entered (above Area 8.) Ovek posits that they must have drifted while hovering. Nobody makes much of it, and the group decides to fly over to the previously inaccessible island (Area 17) and check it out.

Area 17

This island contains:

• Two Eld guards, which serve as test subjects for the bubble car’s fireball ability. Turns out fireballs use a lot of fuel.

• A utility building with nothing of interest inside.

• A large fuel storage tank, which the party uses to refill both the bubble car and the plasma torch.

• A dock with two small metal skiffs of a design that looks similar to the bubble car, and with similar controls. One of the skiffs has a nautical chart showing safe approach routes for a roughly circular island, about five miles wide.

• Also docked is a galley that appears to be of standard Thulean make and design. It’s empty, but shows signs that a bloody struggle took place on its deck.

Next, the party the follows east along the coast, which soon curves to the south (Areas 1 - 2, an empty black-sand beach), and eventually they see a strange sight to the west through a gap in the grub ridges: a floating, oddly shaped structure (Area 3):

Illustration by Luka Rejec for Hydra Cooperative

Area 3

This oddly shaped building floats about 100 feet of the ground, and has a bubble car hitching post near its single entrance, guarded by a single guard named Mvixx. An ear wrenching scream of pain intermittently erupts from the building, causing the entire structure to shake.

The party immediately decides to investigate, landing the bubble car and making short work of Mvixx.

First Floor

Amazingly (or perhaps ridiculously) Marvus is able to convince two large, grotesque creatures that the group represents the Eld, and the party is allowed access to an elevator without incident (Room 1). The creatures let slip that some sort of “god” is contained in the building.

Second Floor

On the second floor, the party finds a cube that produces 3 specter-like creatures (Room 2). The specters are ultimately defeated by Flynn’s eldritch sword. Also found is a gallery of murals depicting oral torture techniques (Room 3) and a room full of Eldish machinery (Room 4) that greatly resembles the machinery found in the Lapis Observatory.

Also in this room is an Eld wearing a hat that is wired into the machinery. It appears to be in a trance, and Flynn performs a merciless coup de grâce with his sword.

Ovek tries the hat on, and (after making a saving throw to avoid who-knows-what) decides that neat things would happen if someone were to prepare spells or regain PSPs while wearing it (assuming that they made the save.)

At this point, Flynn began to develop bloody, painfully dripping pustules around his mouth, eyes, and anus. This condition is acquired  by not reading the session logs,  and causes disadvantage to all rolls until treated by a greater restoration spell.

Third Floor

Two more of the creatures from below guard the elevator (Room 5,) and Marvus can’t talk the group through this time. That’s okay, because he’s even better at pole-arming than he is at talking. Turns out the creatures can spit a line of bone-projectiles out of fleshy tubes above thier heads, and can vomit up near-invisible skeletal henchmen. A fun time was had by all.

After the battle, a secret door is found, leading to a secret supply room (Area 7.)

What treasures might lie within? Find out next time!

Session MVPC

• Flynn

Foes Vanquished

• 3 Eldish Warriors
• 1 Eldish Psychonaut Tech
• 2 Bonegrinders
• 3 Specters

Goals Achieved

• Learn to pilot the bubble car (Ovek)
• Slay an Eld with his sword (Flynn)

Loot Obtained

• A nautical map