Session 405 - Blue Whale Blue Goblins

Date: 15th April 1625

Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous

Moon Face: Dragon Face

Zenith Deity: The Scorned

New Backstory:

- Maxwell had an angry drunk for a parent, which made him force humour into situations to keep them pacified. +2 Dexterity

- Bulgur Son of Borgar shouldn't have kissed that cow, but it made the first move! Once per session, cause someone to make a romantic advance.

Events:

--- Changing Weather

- With last session's dramatic reveal that Gifflewim is now re-infected by the Idea of Thorns, the party sits on the edge of the peculiarly normal well and look out over the glistering blackness of the ferrofluid flats. They are all still weakened by their demon debt, so getting back to Julgoor is the priority.

- Bulgur gives a quick prayer to The Scorned who lurks at zenith today, granting his strikes extra power.

- Also above, barely visible in the dawn light, is the gibbous moon. Its slow spin has brought it's Dragon Face forward - the black silhouette and impact crater of Apocalypse Dragon Ereshkigal as fresh as the day it was thrown at the moon. The party's steps are lighter, then heavier, like breathing. It's easy to misjudge your stride.

- They set off on their various steeds, and as they leave the grassy verge around the well the rain begins to fall. Everything touched by the rain changes subtly. Whorls on skin, new buds on dead wood, dulled edges on steel.
- Those on steeds cover their heads with cloth to keep the rain off, but Zeppelino and his goblin minions instead strip off and walk nude through the metamorphic rain, their skins rippling with strange patterns.

--- I've Got Crabs!

- They carefully navigate the flats, sticking to the rills and mounds that emerge from the black ferrofluid. Other than a squall of particularly bad rain, and a stuttering stop that sends Zeppelino plunging into the ferrofluid, it's a straight shot to the great big bucket walls of  Drudgespar.

- Or so they thought! As they cross a particularly large hump of dry land, white stones pop up and claws whip out to clutch at legs and clamp on arms! Some of Zeppelino's goblins are immediately dragged under the stone trapdoors, their screams dying with them!

- It's crabs! Some sort of trapdoor crab! Maxwell leaps into action but stumbles! Bulgur wrestles the one that attempts to grab him, but Zeppelino is grabbed and pulled into one of their holes!
- Two of the crabs, sated by goblin flesh, start to burrow their way down with their meals. The other goblins run to help them, but to no avail!

- Zeppelino yells for Maxwell to chuck a grenade down the hole where he's wrestling with his crab. "Just do it!!". Both goblin and crab take a chunk of damage, but survive! Zeppelino uses the distraction to gain the upper hand and kick the crab out of its hole, where it falls under the steely knives of his minions.

- Bulgur manages to wrestle the other remaining crab out of its hole. It tries to escape down a different hole, but is crushed by Bulgur's pumpkinhead axe and more goblin stabbings.
- Surprisingly hurt, our heroes field-dress the crabs and claim much crab meat. At least they got dinner out of it!

--- Back in Drudgespar

- The weather clears on their final leg to one of Drudgespar's entrances. It's now a pleasant Spring day!

- They gain entrance, as usual, via Zeppelino vouching for the rest as his minions. Strangely the entrance seems higher up than before.
- They travel through the long oozeblock-lined tunnel and come out into the Buildup. The sun is shining above, bathing the inside of Drudgespar with light. The huge shadow of the blue whale balloon looms overhead. It's no longer half-deflated and in fact looks full to bursting!

- They head through the city looking for the nearest Julgoor shop. Since the city is constantly building on itself, diversions pop up and street layouts change like the whole place is one big roadworks.

- They find a Julgoor's pretty quickly anyway, they're all over the place! Behind the counter is everyone's favourite gold-masked Greed Demon. Behind him something writhes in the dark.

- He's very happy with everyone and removes their curses, although he is surprised to find that his "silly prank" against Gifflewim actually worked that well...

--- Nightmare Scenario

- They find lodgings to rest up in. These are common in Drudgespar, the eternally sinking city means that there's always a slice of the population moving upwards from sludge-whelmed lower homes to newer still-dry places higher in the Buildup.

- The party corrals their ingredients to create "Cancer in a Can" out of crab meat, potato, beans and.. communion wafer. It's merely palatable.

- They go to their separate beds and...

- They wake up in a nightmare. A great tree, covered thickly in THORNS, writhes. Gifflewim is here. He's wrapped in THORN VINES. He spits curses at the party for doing this to him. Julgoor forgave their debt by transferring it to him. He owes Julgoor their debts by the end of May. Red Sand may be enough to break the contract, but that's an unknown. The IDEA OF THORNS will dog their step until his debt is repaid.

- They wake up, all remembering the same dream. Bulgur was offered obols in the dream, but refused. Gifflewim demanded 2000 from Zeppelino and 6000 from Maxwell. They could ignore the debt, to be fair, since the demon curse is off them all. The Idea of Thorns being back, though...

--- Rumours and Businesses

- Zeppelino checks on his investment in the Attack Scorpion, and finds that there's solid growth in the company!
- Alas, Goblin Munitions has gone bankrupt in the interim. Maxwell extracts half the value in liquid cash.

- They hear rumours about town. There's a Nonanist church in the Buildup whose bell has gone silent. The clockmakers of Grendel know the path of the great dragon Mardük as it strides around the wastes. Activating Pylons allows one to mind-control the population of a connected Pyramid. All very intriguing.

--- Turgid Whale

- They're at a bit of a loose end at the moment, so they figure they should check out what's happening with this extremely swollen blue whale balloon. After all, Zeppelino managed to get the higher-up hobgoblin Steer Calmer to take a middle ground vis-a-vis the blue goblin invasion force.

- Getting up to the Rigging is easy in the calm weather. Goods elevators up Bucketsides are running constantly, so you even get a lift some of the way.

- The Rigging is all balloons of various sorts, mostly inflated animals skins. Everything is connected by ropes, rope bridges, long ropes with rope handrails, and further ropes.
- Zeppelino has the Higher-Up top hat (with emergency parachute propeller) and classic Higher-Up hooked canes, so he finds it very easy to shimmy around the ropework. The others take their time, but it's fine. Clear days are good days up in the Rigging.

- Below they spot a bunch of winged blue goblins burning down a shack in Bucketsides. Regular goblins run out of the burning building and are sniped by electric beams. Pamphlets scatter all over.

- The blue goblins up here are EXTREMELY impressed to meet Bulgur. He's the guy who fought and defeated their leader via a battle in the sky, and that all while Bulgur was steadily floating upwards! Real celebrity stuff!

- This gives the whole party the leniency to approach the Blue Whale Balloon itself.

--- Inside the Whale

- They clamber across ropes until they get to the gondola slung beneath the great whale balloon. It really is full, the skin strains against the gases within. There are handprints pressing out from the inside and slickering electricity.

- There's a rope slide down to the gondola. Within is, naturally, Steer Calmer! They converse, and he tells them that the goblins are splitting water into hydrogen in there, and their efforts are actually dragging Drudgespar out of the bog below!

- The party want to go in, but are warned that it's pure hydrogen in there so they'll need breathing masks. Bulgur will be fine, he's a barbarian, but the others craft (and test) Make-Air runes before they enter the skin.
- A guide goes with them and describes the situation. Hobgoblins are the foremen, minions are hard at work splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen goes up, the oxygen goes down, and so it goes. Ruptured gas sacks, once the main lifting device for the whale, are now rest zones for the goblin electrolysers.

--- Mark of Royalty

- Bulgur jumps up with his anti-grav shoes and reaches a gas sack. He sees rank upon rank of giant blue pea-pods in there. The resting goblins recognise him immediately and get him to sign stuff.

- Bulgur realises that the POWERLAD book he just signed was owned by a goblin who truly believes in feudalism! The goblin is called Murderperson and brings out a peapod throne and has Bulgur sit upon it. He truly contains the idea of Royalty.

- Bulgur gives Murderperson a box containing Rupert's Drops, such that he can burst the balloon when the time comes for Bulgur to ascend to kinghood.

- The others have since found out that the blue goblins plan to raise Drudgespar out of the ground and reveal the ancient Dwarven arcology beneath, the better to take that technology for themselves in their mission to kill the Immotile in the Place of Honour. Another thread to draw on later, perhaps.

- They leave the whale with many things on their minds. There's just a lot going on right now, honestly..

Total: 9000 exp

--- Foes Defeated:

- A clutch of Trapdoor Crabs (300 exp)

Total: 300 exp

--- OOC:

- Carter the Chronicler, Paymaster and Quartermaster (300 exp/level)

- Charles the Expedition Leader, Vanguard, and Chef (300 exp/level)

Exp Totals:

- Kitty / Bulgur, Son of Borgar, Level 7 Barbarian: 84543 (Level up at 128000)

- Charles / Zeppelino, Level 7 Goblin: 67769 (Level up at 128000)
*LEVEL UP! +1d6 HP! +1 to Saves! +1 Goblin! +Backstory!

- Carter / Maxwell, Level 6 Specialist: 39486 (Level up at 56000)