Session 21: Xanadu

They defeated the kraken—Soern slowed it down so far it couldn't move, and then they all hacked at it. Just as everyone had decided this was thoroughly anti-climactic, Soern killed it with a blast.

And it came back as a zombie.

They defeated it again, and then started arguing about who should sleep, and whether they should sleep. They decided against it, on account of time being of the essence, and started arguing about who should go into the city.

Eventually, they decided to leave all the minions on the Fearful Lightning, and Sigrid told them that if she and the others weren’t back within a week, that they should return to Pental or Ao-Manasa. (Rellik told them, secretly, that they should return to his island.) Then Sigrid, Rellik, Soern, Blank, Paerk, Mark, Jocelyn, and Gannen sailed the Ocean’s Blade into the city, Xanadu.

The city was a maze of floating stone platforms, to which sea-life clung, and on which zombies shambled. Some of the platforms were stationary, some rotated around a central pillar. On that pillar stood Monala, who cackled, and disappeared down the stairs as they approached. This caused the crew to become a bit miffed, but they were pretty sure they shouldn’t follow her straight down, because she was probably counting on them doing just that. So Paerk asked a water spirit if there was an underwater passage (there was) and Soern cast underwater breathing on everyone but mark, and they dove down to a hole from which bubbles were rising.

The hole led to a room, which was filled with carvings like in the tomb of Ozymandius. There was a passageway, which they followed, and fought a few bloodhulks they encountered there. This was followed by some discussion of whether they should rest, whether Monala knew where they were, and the sudden realization that no one was on the Ocean’s Blade. Blank was in favor of going after Monala as quickly as possible, but he was over-ruled, and they returned to the ship, which they sailed back to the Fearful Lightning, underneath one of the stationary stones. (As the storm was still quite bad.)

Then they rested for twelve hours, with three four-hour watches—Sigrid and Gannen first, then Mark and Jocelyn, and finally Blank, Paerk, Soern, and Rellik. (Who slept through his watch anyway.) Before continuing on their quest, the two faen held a ceremony asking for the help of Jubilexis, the god of defeating Monala. (The others joined in, with the appropriate degrees of enthusiasm.)

They returned to the underwater complex, this time going down the staircase. They found their way to a pit, into which they descended, and where they found a door.