Ego Ascended

Year, Season, Month, Days: 5990 F.Y. Frinle, Novulu 6

Following the successful double ram, the party engaged with an additional ship’s crew in battle. Felicity recognized the Captain of The Ruby Renegade to be a former deckhand of her crew, whose previous job was swabbing the decks. Carrying two scimitars, Ramara Sal attempted to goad Felicity (whom they called “Flick“) into battle, but Felicity was unfazed.

Obliterating the enemy crew, Molly trapped the enemy casters within Beads of Force. Meanwhile, Felicity continued to wave away Ramara’s taunts and used her words against her, convincing most of the surviving crew of the false Ruby Renegade to switch allegiances for the universal one: money. Felicity reinforced that she did not like being a pincushion.

While the party was fighting the true Ruby Renegade, one of the members of the false Ruby Renegade informed the party that there was a bomb on the ship meant to take out Felicity. Molly took control of the ship with Tektun and pushed through the true Ruby Renegade in an attempt to move out of the range of the described explosion.

Molly contacted Novulu for aid, and the god stated if she killed the two allies with them, Novulu would provide assistance. With some deliberation, Molly murdered one of them in cold blood, apologizing before, during, and after, much to Tektun’s discomfort.

Vervain pulled away from The Ruby Renegade, unsure they could finish the fight safely. Felicity continued ship combat while Molly continued piloting the ship away. While nearing a safe distance for the explosion, Molly went below deck to investigate the bomb and found a Deck of Many Things alone in the first layer of the hold.

After pocketing the deck, Molly heard ticking below and found a clockwork contraption made of bags of holding and portable holes. It appeared the focus of the ship was to rip a hole to the Astral Plane. Molly realized her survival strategy would not prevent her and Tektun from being teleported and formed a hair-brained scheme to fly off the ship.

While running up the stairs, she found an opened letter with an unfamiliar seal of a hanging person: “We must take out Felicity at all costs. P.S. Molly give or take.”

Molly went over to the other ally and told them to “hold this” blade she slid into their stomach, summarily killing them as they choked on their own blood. Molly gave an unsettled Tektun their knife and was able to ride the River of Wind with her flight, carrying her and Tektun over to Felicity and her ship, saving a poor sailor hanging off the ship.

There was a ripple of magical energy as the ship’s clockwork rift detonated and a large portal opened, sucking in the sea around them. The Ruby Renegade slid backward into the rift, as did the illusioned copy. Through the thinnest of margins, the Vervain was able to keep itself from sliding into the portal but was caught in the concussive blasts of the waves filling the void. Felicity was thrown from the ship and was nearly crushed as the ship’s violent movement was going to land upon her, but Molly was able to grab her with a flying swoop. As Tektun was thrown from the ship, Molly flew upwards while Felicity reached out and grabbed him in midair.

The party leveled up!