The Shards of Oberon

Game Master FangDragon

Here, but probably won't be able to post till Monday with playing Santa and stuff. Sorry for the delay.

Happy holidays!

Merry Christmouse!

Happy Christmas folks!

Merry Chirstmas!

Been 00:00 here. Happy new year!
May it be a better one. ^^

I meant to update tonight, but it got late. Will post tomorrow.

I'll try and get a post up tomorrow, think we're just waiting for Xindrya's actions but I'll bot if needed.

I'll post an update tomorrow hopefully!

I need to prepare you a suitable map. I have an image in mind, if I can find it again.

As a reminder you've heard the name Nyarlathotep before.

Is this a dark horror world where we can't do anything about the evil at the core of the universe, or are all of these creepy Cthulhu type references something that we can latch onto for a quest and actually accomplish something?

(Not asking you to reveal the mystery of the city, or the cult we ran into or the black tendrils in the abandoned ship or whatever... just asking if there is actually anything we can *solve* or *improve* in all of it, or it is just background flavor in our quest for knowledge?)

I'm hoping you can find a way to kick the cosmic horrors out. Their victory is likely but not inevitable.

And here i am, watching several Call of Cthulhu campaigns over the past three weeks.

Worst things come to pass, we found the latest high order of madness....???

I recall Fang Dragon's PC co-started a cult to Yog Sothoth, at the end of a game. ;)

Something has an influence over our minds here.

Well, as long as The Overmind doesn't download itself into our person...

Re the neural lace, this has two effects: One should you die your brain-state will be backed up and it's possible for your body to be regrown in a vat. This takes a little bit of time and is quite an unsettling event for all involved, especially since your new body is usually younger.

Two it grants access to the unisphere if you figure out how to unlock it. In game terms that's initially a bit like contact outer plane once per week although given time your mastery will grow unlocking other abilities.

Thanks. That's cool. :)

Also, remember the "I'll get back to you re modules." from the April 3/4 conversation. Not important immediately, and not trying to rush anything, but might be important after we talk to Doctor Taproot, since that is where the chip implanting machine is.

____

Also, how do we resolve the party issue with Yukarii's trauma? I keep trying to get around it, but DM wants to keep the party together, so tried confronting it instead, and now we have an option to go elsewhere, but unless we split up we aren't going to be able to avoid it forever.

I can try to craft a strong sedative with alchemy?

Maybe design a crossword puzzle to take her mind off any medical procedures.

I did mean the sedative, or anestetic even, is for the two of us who'd probably be in more pain otherwise. Not drugging Yukarii.

Wow, I had some really bad typos this morning huh. Oh well, it was understandable, that's what counts.

I'm afraid I've lost track of the plot, so I really don't understand what our options are.

Well, off the top of my head...

We've discovered the city's electronic Overmind is at war with a dark entity from long ago, and it is a losing battle.

We're currently a bit stuck in this cyberpunk-ish city, and Dr. Taproot, the holo-doc, has informed us that another AI could potentially get us out. But we're going to have to bargain and work our way out.

Currently we're off on a list of items we'll need to maximize our chances in that endeavor.

Am i missing anything important?

Xindrya is correct, some overall plot points:

* Oberon used to be a technologically advanced society which caught the attention of the malign cult of Nyarlathotep. They engineered wars and summoned the darkness that rotted the core of the planet leading to the sundering, plunging the world into the dark ages.
* The Cult of Nyarlathotep is still active, they instigated the latest war between The Merchant League and The Kez.
* The darkness lurks in the rotten cores of the many island fragments, including below the foundations of Vesta. If the darkness was ever allowed to come to the surface of a populated land, it would lead to catastrophe. Finding a way to deal with the darkness is vital.
* Ultimately the world is broken, the Cult of Nyarlathotep will never allow the people of Oberon to better themselves and to climb out of the darkness to reclaim their place among the stars. The cult must be destroyed root and branch.

That's a good overview. More detail:

--The overmind is crazy and keeping its citizens alive even after they die because it can't let go, so we need to be careful how we deal with it.

--Whatever the Overmind is fighting against (Sapient Darkness) has the potential to destroy everything in the world ... and that is probably what the black stuff that we found on the mystery ship theoretically is as well. It might be mostly inert on that ship just because everyone is already dead.

--The Big Bag that Vesta is fighting (Sapient Darkness) was released by another Big Bad (The "Enemy") through a portal. ... So guessing that closing that portal will help.

--There are at least 3 other overminds: Herra, Ixtar, and Indar. Indar is the most sane, and can probably tell us how to defeat the Sapient Darkness because of a Solar Well accident that proved useful. However, to get to Indar, we have to get to him, on the planet Icarus, which requires either a spaceworthy ship (the Githyanki ship we were on is a possibility, but likely would require extensive repairs) or opening a portal. There happens to be a portal to Icarus at the Imperial Museum in Midderland.

--To use the portal, we need a microfusion generator. Taproot says that Vesta won't give it to us easily, but she does want the interlink to the high capacity datalinks repaired, which conveniently would also allow Taproot to leave the city with us (because it would theoretically connect to an existing system in all the cities). So, it seems there is a trade to be made. The repair which we should be able to do in return for the generator.

(oh, and ninjaed by the DM, but still a good reference for the details we need)

<---- is watching Call of Cthulhu, Masks of Nyarlathotep on youtube. :)

So you all know I will be out of town on June 8th through the 12th for Origins in Ohio. I will be effectively unable to post during that time.

The Flood..... are we starting a VR Halo match??

Could be... There is this orchestral music playing made from voices without words. Ooo-Ooo-Ooo-Ahhh-Ah-Ahh-Arrr!

So do the VR helmets work for all of us or only those with implants?

Should be everyone.

They work for everyone.

Since this is VR, we are relying purely on skills of combat, correct?

The city mind seems to be running a combat simulation game yes.

Do our spells and other abilities work as well? If not all of them which ones seem to?

Excellent question, yes they do. You might ask yourselves why...

Oh, one other question in case I missed it. Have we rested at some point since the last combat we got into? It's been long enough I am losing track if I should have reset and I missed it or not.

You rested yes.

Incidentally thought I'd mention that the technological style solution that Dr Taproot outlined (using a solar well to sear away the darkness) is not the only way to go. There's are also potential arcane and divine magic solutions but you haven't yet found any hints of those yet.

The solution you end up choosing will very be influential to the long term direction the world takes.

Good to know, although our characters are way, way out of their depths in terms of saving the world. I mean, we couldn't even stop them from starting a war... we did the heroic thing, but it happened anyway. If we're really going to be able to save everything, we're going to need a LOT of help. Hope the city minds are part of that.

Between you two, i'm getting a Mass Effect vibe. Save the galaxy by forming an alliance against the all consuming threat.

The blue light from the water looks rather like this.

I'm not near my computer tonight so I'll have to post the combat update tomorrow. Sorry for the slow running.

My header's been updated with current buffs.

AC is actually 28 with the buffs, as the mithral chain shirt allows extra dex to AC, max of +6.

Thanks, I'll adjust the damage log in my next post.

I'll move us forward tomorrow if needed.

I will be out of town Aug 3-7 at Gencon and won't be able to post much/at all during that time.

Have fun.

Have a good time!

Sorry I haven't had the time to level up yet, but pleased that we did. Will try to level tonight, or tomorrow.

I'm trying to remember how to level up a gestalt character in HeroLab. I keep making mistakes and have to start again.