Fiona invites Bree to join the mission. Bree finds it difficult to figure out how to spring ___ from captivity. The most important thing is to make sure the source isn’t destroyed in the group’s “reconnaissance by force”.
Logan is joining in Jericho’s military forces for the session. “Oberon being Oberon.”
Jericho asks the little girl what the source of the sorcerer kings is. She says she thinks she knew at some point and she thinks it can be unmade with a substantial sacrifice. What would he be willing to unmake? To sever the connection would require a “less horrific” sacrifice, though she’s much less excited by that prospect. It would probably spare his friends, though. “That is definitely an upgrade in evil for you,” Alyss says as she looks at Logan. She reveals herself to him and he starts to understand the crazy. “The soul of the dead ancient… the other name would be The Emperor.” The little old withering dude is a manifestation of the ancient.
Lots of planning and chaos and noise… No idea what’s going on but the GM is trying to get everyone to go together to do whatever. Silas checks with Bleys to make sure if anyone doesn’t make it back that there can be “insurance”. Bless neither confirms nor denies that this is possible.
The group travels by Silas’ boat, and when they arrive Lowen unpacks his goblin hoard. Arriving at the Emperor’s palace(?), the group sees the withered man appear on a balcony and he welcomes them. He then retires and leaves a few servants milling about. Silas inquires about a library and is met with noticeable hostility. Whoever the jerk is, he kicks out Silas and his retinue. Sineshaw, shmineshaw. Silas relocates to a tent he sets up just outside the castle. The rest are given run of the castle apart from a central area room which is off limits.
Brigid listens to the song and hears a voice talking to her. She explains that she is a student of the song and it offers to train her if she stays. Meanwhile it has to decide what to do with the others in the party. She relays that information to Jericho.
Bree talks to someone…. Didn’t hear the details. She talks to Gerhardt about it.
Silas and Jericho meet to discuss possibly using Undershadow to get into that room, which they surmise is the source of the Emperor's power. They had already been told the way to kill a Sorcerer King is to destroy or take away his source of power. Silas investigates and finds that the undershadow around the castle is populated by a vast swarm of killer bugs that are very hungry and want blood and souls. He experiments feeding them some of each (volunteer from his retinue blood sample and one of Lowen's goblins), but they just want more. Also, they don't serve the Emperor but he bound them there, and they cannot leave.
Silas confers with Jericho and Logan, and they decide to try and force the issue in undershadow. They bring Isabelle along. Silas opens a portal, and they advance on the swarm, but the numbers are seemingly endless. Logan uses his sword to create a swirling vortex of destruction that clears a path at considerable cost to himself. Jericho transforms his swordc into a white plasma flamethrower, and that combined with Logan is enough to advance to the the equivalent of where the room is. Silas peeks into the regular world and sees a room with darkness and abyss all around. Isabelle touches him and is able to see this, and creates a preliminary sketch for a trump of this room. This accomplished, they fall back to a spot equivalent of Silas' tent, and he opens another portal for everyone to return, just as…
Gerhardt and Bree look for Jericho and approach the tent, they see commotion through bright lights and shadows and suddenly it goes quiet. Logan is inside covered into cuts and bites, collapsed on the floor. Gerhardt examines him through the Eidolon and sees that he is healing through the Sorcerer King’s source of power. It appears he has been deboned and rebuilt with metal bones adorned with runes. The group decides that Silas and Isabelle should leave with the trump sketch and go out to sea. Then she could trump Bree to escape to Netherwing’s lands.
Gerhardt talks to someone who is fascinated by him. They explain that the full extent of their destructive capabilities has not yet been shown. They seem willing to “cease hostilities” for the time being. They want the Amberites to get rid of the pattern over their source of power and redraw another one somewhere else. Gerhardt says he’ll think on it.
Lowen makes himself into the ideal biology to allow Bree to add subroutines for Brigid and Bree to gather the information they need in his conversation with the Emperor. In fact, he ends up using Jericho as his meat sleeve. The Emperor doesn’t seem to detect any of this strangeness. He explains to Lowen that he has been granted sovereignty the only thing that will not be tolerated is invading his lands.
The group reassembles at a safe distance and Lowen relinquishes Jericho’s body while leaving a copy of the memories from the meeting. The Emperor really doesn’t seem to be much of a threat, maybe because he’s simply uninterested. The sentient bubbles (Emperor) didn’t bother Lowen, but Jericho has memories of it and finds it horrific. The knowledge from the subroutines is distributed accordingly.
Sounds like the party is leaving without Brigid. Bree is doing something to help Brigid stay safe? A lengthy debrief follows in Amber. Fiona is nonplussed at Brigid’s absence.