[Placeholder: a number of photos from the Yurtcon]
"You can't separate anyone's story from anyone else's." - Anemora of Talasantri
"No conventional battlefield, no riot, no "normal" breakdown in social order can possibly prepare you for the nightmare that is a city besieged..."
- Max Brooks
“Right or wrong, it's very pleasant to break something from time to time.”
- Fyodor Dostoevsky
"The presence of Fascism anywhere constitutes a threat to peace, and you do not need to debate it.”
- E.B. White
“Hatred is the most accessible and comprehensive of all the unifying agents. Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a god, but never without a belief in a devil.”
- Eric Hoffer
Returning from their reconnaissance of Talasantri, now sealed off by the Dome Guard, the heroes of Ancorato were surprised to find the Heroes of the Inordinate Amount on board the Lustiest Wench. Orag tackled Shroktath like a barnacle-encrusted puppy while Luckums did her best to hide her awkward possession of the G-Nome. A future version of herself had demanded that she and her companions take it back to Sentar and replace it after the time-slipped chronomancer had removed it to use without the Ancorato heroes’ knowledge. Warm greetings gave way to serious reflection on all that had changed for both groups since they last met in Wildspace. Without Talasantri, the path for Ochyuma the aboleth achieving its goal of wiping out all life on the surface of Sentar would be that much clearer. With so much at stake, they quickly agreed to work together to retake the city.
Over the next several weeks, they built their intelligence, organized the resistance, degraded the Dome Guard, recruited an army, and prepared for an attack. Between Basile’s planning and Luckum’s tyrannical mind, the unwieldy group learned to work as an unstoppable team, rising to the challenge and matching their skills to the task. On the eve of their invasion, they organized who would lead which of the diverse forces they had assembled on the day of the uprising. Crabmen, Locathah, underwater criminals and Ancorato settlers joined the civilian resistance in their fight. Although the city was well fortified, their attack took the numerically superior Dome Guard by surprise. The heroes’ forces quickly breached the coral lattice dome in several places, while also keeping the Dome Guard occupied by harrying two of the gates.
As the dome-breachers freed Rillkimatai and several other political prisoners from Grotta Azzurra, Chenwulf’s forces overwhelmed Whalefall Gate. Multiple insurgent attack groups then converged on Dome Guard Headquarters and City Hall, where Azariel narrowly avoided being defeated by Talstran and his Elite Guard. However, after a prolonged siege led by Stormfizzle and Orag, the Aquatic Elf coup leader was driven from his position and retreated behind his dwindling lines into the Threadfin District. A day after the invasion had begun, he fled the city. The Battle of Talasantri was over. Anemora’s rescue was secured during the initial clean-up operations. The formidable merwoman told the heroes that Talstran had tried to use his nephew, Argnos, as bait to draw out Drecissa, who had joined Rip's Raiders. When the smitten youngster refused, his uncle flew into a rage and handed him over to Naqualia’s terrorists. The heroes helped to establish Anemora as the City’s interim leader before a smaller combined group of them pursued Talstran to where their spies had found him headed. Towards the Deepening Trench.
Cast COVID aside, and the everyday world. Journey with me to ocean depths and the paths of adventure.
Let me explain. No there is too much. Let me sum up. A military coup has usurped the democratic government in the underwater city of Talasantri. It was provoked by a terrorist cabal but undertaken by the Dome Guard militia, which is dominated by fascist Aquatic Elves. A united Talasantri would be one of the few things capable of stopping the aboleth Ochyuma’s plans to wipe out all life on the surface of Sentar.
TALASANTRI
There's been a racially-motivated military coup in the coral-domed underwater metropolis of Talasnatri. The DM will command the forces of the predominantly Aquatic Elven Dome Guard, led the disfigured fascist, Talstran. The Players will command the insurgency that is fighting to take back the city and restore its multi-racial democracy. Ochyuma, the aboleth nemesis of the Heroes of Ancorato, sees a united Talasantri as potentially capable of thwarting its goal of wiping out surface civilization on Sentar.
TALSTRAN
Talstran is an Aquatic Elven warrior and the Commander of Talasantri's Dome Guard. With the overthrow of the democratic government led by the doddering Aquatic Elven Oracle, Rillkimatai, Talstran is now the Head of the Council for the Preservation of Order & Dignity, Talasantri's new military government. Talstran is a racialist. He believes there is a natural hierarchy to the races of the world. In his view, Elves are superior to all other peoples, and amongst Elves, Aquatic Elves are the purist.
The murder of Talstran's socialite sister, Kormallis, at the hands of a Deep Merfolk assassin was the catalyst for his coup. Although, he had clearly been planning the putsch for some time, his wrath over Kormallis's death is genuine. Kormallis was killed during a party held at the home of her social rival, a merfolk entrepreneur, Anemora. Talstran believes Anemora's guests and business partners, the Heroes of Ancorato, were involved in Kormallis's death. However, he believes the real culprit to be the city's "degeneracy," that is the racial equality fostered by merfolk like Anemora. The actual assassin was hired by the terrorist Naqualia, who is looking for someone named Vallik and serves a shadowy figure known as "the Master."
ANEMORA
To call Anemora a commanding beauty is like calling the ocean pretty big. Her cool allure is compounded by the cache she has accumulated as a powerful businesswoman and patron of the arts. For many, she is all the more beloved for her ability to maneuver amongst the city's elite. However, she is also widely despised by those who think a mer-matron should know her place.
It's unclear what became of her after Kormallis was murdered in her home, Grotta Azzura, on the night "Night of Sharks." That is how the first day of Talstran's reign has become known, much to his satisfaction. That's the night his loyalists began rounding up known troublemakers and settling scores.
Dead or alive, Talstran almost certainly regards her as a threat to his plans. For the time being, her status and her profile are undoubtedly her shield. Her death would rally many in the city, but so too would her being allowed to live. His only real hope to disarm her would be her complete humiliation.
JURIX
Jurix is a Caecelias crime boss, and a leading figure in Talasantri's underworld. Before the coup, may in the city's underclass always looked to her for protection and employment. Now they look to her for leadership. Jurix's realm was the Undertow, a vast underground cavern below Talasantri. It is linked to the ocean floor beyond Talisantri's coral dome by a series of secret smuggler's tunnels.
Since the coup, the Undertow has been occupied by the Dome Guard and Jurix has been forced into hiding. She has made tentative contacts with the Hero of Ancorato, Anthony "Rip" von Rippingham. Rip stayed behind to protect his business interests as his companions sought out an artifact to unite the city.
Race wars being bad for business, Jurix and Rip have organized the spark of resistance against Talstran's fascists. However, with Talstran's forces hounding their every move, they cannot hold out for long on their own. Talisantri needs heroes, and the companions of Ancorato alone may not be enough!
DRECISSA & ARGNOS
The adolescent mermaid daughter of Anemora and the similarly aged Aquatic Elf son of her murdered archrival, Kormallis. Their own rivalry never quite matched that of their mothers, and their affection for one another never quite let them become true fr'enemies.
Drecissa is starstruck by the Heroes of Ancorato and Argnos has been a little jealous. She is very charming and dreams of travelling the world beyond the Coral Dome and confines of her privileged upbringing. Argnos is an earnest member of the Dome Guard, eager to impress Talstran, but how far would he go to win his uncle's respect?
Talasantri needs heroes. It got you.
[Placeholder: photo, battlemap of the city of Talasantri]
Heroes of Ancorato, returning from your initial recce of Talasnatri under lockdown, you return to the still listing Lustiest Wench. Orag – before you surface, your acute underwater senses tell that there are people aboard. How do you approach?
When you come over the side, it takes you a moment to register who you are seeing. In that time, everyone has weapons drawn in mid-battle pose.
The Heroes of Wildspace – the Crew of the Inordinate Amount! The goblin is very obviously holding the G-Nome behind her back.
The hemisphere of latticed red coral that surrounds Talasantri looms over the surrounding seafloor and darkes the city within. Partly natural and partly structured, it once glowed with wonder and welcome. An organically engineered boundary to the city inside, now it crouches, like a vindictive miser or hunching beast.
In places there are holes that look large enough for you to swim through, though razor sharp coral ridges and gnarled shell-spikes line these ingresses. Most points of such access have been further obstructed by sharpened nets. In other parts, tangled nests of coral and swaying sea plants block the view within.
Each of the city's three gates - Whalefall, Seamount and Threadfin - are sealed shut and fortified by barricades, heavy patrols and coral elementals.
Phosphorescent jellyfish once drifted within the dome, twinkling motes amidst a pale glow of luminous bubbles. Their absence looks like silence. The dome stretches hundreds of feet across, blending now with the darkening waters around.
The camera swoops over the open ocean. Suddenly it dives beneath the waves. Startled fish move out of the way. There are bubbles and watery sounds. The light grows dim and cool. It moves through a kelp forest to reveal a coral arena in which insurgents are plotting and training as grim-faced heroes look on and say “Again!”… You know what I need!
Azariel gives Stormfizzle a big sack of gold to make her a Headband of Wisdom. He demands a healthy tip. When he finishes, she puts it on in slo-mo, like Rambo. Next she is in the lotus position meditating on the meaning of it all. The camera falls in on the gemstone set in the forhead, then pulls out again to...
Hazel visits the local temples, talks to the poor and disenfranchised. He reaches out to acolytes in the religious districts and debates the importance of principles of faith in times of travail. Next he is seen drinking at a series of increasingly seedy bars, making friends. He winds up passed out somewhere in the Undertow.
Orag is surrounded by heavy metal tools, making modifications to the Able Abalone. He has a big torqueing wrench and is fantasy-welding massive clubbing pincer claws to its forearms.
Shroktath can be seen in the camera through flickering flames burning in a glass bubble furnace beneath the waves. Then he is practicing underwater combat with Orag. Slowly, getting the hang of it. Again! Then he is seen drinking his face off at a seedy bar. Then he is walk-swimming through the streets of Talasantri, dodging Dome Guard patrols with Hazel slung limply over his shoulder. Then he is tucking Hazel in.
Crabman scuttles from volcanic vent to volcanic vent. He is talking with other Crabmen. First there is just him moving side-to-side with his claws up in the air. Then, there are two others. One is limp scuttling. Then there are five more. Next scene there are dozens. Crabman is training peasant seamen how to swing a polearm over their heads and thrust it. Their “Hoo! Ha!” battle cry comes with lots of bubbles.
Basile is surveilling Talasantri from a high observation tower affixed to the inside of the Dome wall, contemplating the layout of the city. Then he is seen in a dry-land alchemy lab. He slaps a hand that is reaching for the unstable alchemical agents on the stout wooden table. He is exhausted by his work. Then he is carrying out discussions with underworld figures.
Woog’s entire montage begins as an anime. First he is at a firing range, but the person looking at the timer shakes his head in disappointment. Again! Woog can be seen from the back rubbing something in his lap. He looks over his shoulder. Tee hee. It’s Wind Splinter, getting a rub down with a sealskin shammy. Testing his new crossbow bolts, he pokes Orag. Orag falls over cross-eyed. Woog looks at the tips and nods. The reaching hand on Basile’s table turns out to have been Woogs’, Basile and Woog are seen doing mad chemistry experiments together. There’s an epic Dragonball scene, and then Woog is back at the range, making the guy with the timer weep.
Khalid is doing knife hand, so you know he is about to lay down some heavy officer-ing. He has a map. Then he is looking at a map. Then he is thinking about the map, before there is some action annotation. Then he is reading a policy report. The camera pulls out, and there’s a whole pile of documents. He is reading through them systematically, cross-referencing them and making notes before preparing the duty roster for the next day. His backpack and weapons are neatly placed in the corner by Shroktath but not yet ready for the fight: that work will come later. There is a cooling pile of food next to him.
Stormfizzle’s pointy hat comes into focus in the camera. Its as wide as he is tall. He is in disguise and using invisibility to sneak through the streets of Talasantri. He is recruiting locals, Locathah, Merfolk. Then he is talking to Jurix. They are arguing. Then they are shaking hands. Then they are laughing about something. Stormfizzle is walking away with armloads of resources for the resistance! Explosives trail behind him. He looks at the Dome an thinks about how to get columns of troops through it.
A non-descript person opens a door with an inquiring look on his face before it is irreparably caved in by Chenwulf’s fist. A strike force enters the room and begins to search everywhere, gathering equipment. Chenwulf sits cross-legged in the middle of the room and uncorks a gourd of sea milk, and quietly drinks until there is more ultra violence that needs doing. Everyone is busy around him.
Luckums is seen sneaking around through everyone else’s montage. Whenever they thought they were alone, it replays with the goblin wizard skulking imperceptibly in the background, creating a time web of linchpin moments in their preparations. Hers is the invisible hand assisting others when the were about to fail.
ATTACK WEAPONS SHIPMENT: Shroktath led a successful attack on a Dome Guard weapons shipment. They only saw the shadows. Blood, shadows and tears.
LOCATE SMUGGLERS’ TUNNELS: Orag found smugglers tunnels that led into the city, old enough to be forgotten by the Dome Guard's informants. Hidden in a coral forest, where many animals had actually made their home, even the false coral door has come to be covered with real coral.
RECRUIT GIANT CRAB: Crabman found a giant crab to ride into battle, and he and his approach, claws akimbo. The two touched mandibles and Crabman communicated, "My friends are awesome. If you want to be awesome, come with my friends." Hazel sweetened the pot by piling up offerings of fish poo and other undersea garbage, thereby fulfilling his call to adventure.
CONTACT RIP’S RAIDERS: Rip rejoined his erstwhile colleagues and brought with him a growing network of multi-level marketing enthusiasts and freedom fighters eager to make Talasantri safe for time shares and work from home business opportunities. Rip built his network through clandestine meetings, envelopes filled with coins and quipu, and dead drops. Lots of dead drops. Especially under seashells.
UNDERWATER EXPLOSIVE DEVICES: Ironically, Woog’s greatest contribution to underwater explosives that would be needed to breach Talasantri’s domes or do harm during the attack was not what he made, but he found in a random box. He may know stuff, but he can find stuff too!
LOCATE ANEMORA: Chenwulf’s initial skepticism of Anemora’s charm grew into a deep admiration and affection, so it was no surprise that he led efforts to locate where the Dome Guard was hiding her.
RECRUIT AQUATIC ELF RESISTANCE: When Khalid finally met with the Aquatic Elf resistance, they had nearly been hunted to their last. Those that remained were exhausted, broken and paranoid. As harried as they were, they were still elves, which meant they were proud. They were immediately taken in by Khalid’s military acumen and professionalism. He was struck by their racial tolerance and balanced views. Not all Elves, indeed! Now, with proper support, they are quickly becoming the backbone of the Resistance, and no one wants to take down Talstran more!
RAID WEAPONS DEPOT: Hazel’s plan to raid the weapons depot went off without a hitch. No one was hurt and by the time Dome Guard knew what was going on, the entire crew was long gone. Hazel approached the depot acting drunk and tipsy, creating a long distraction while Luckums and few others emptied out the supplies.
LOCATE RILLKIMATAI: Shroktath had already lifted Basile up to look over the wall of the Threadfin Barracks before he was gently reminded that Basile had to see through someone else’s eyes. Shroktath was more than up to the task. Through him. Basile was able to read the lips of several commanders discussing prisoner transfer to learn that Rillkimatai, the aquatic elven former leader of the city was being held in Grotta Azzurra along with many other political prisoners.
RECRUIT LOCATHAH HUNTERS: When Azariel and Orag approached a School of Locathah hunters about joining their cause, Orag was able to offer them a new way of being and seeing the world through his coral encrusted self. They had never seen anyone quite like him before, and they loved it.
DENIAL & DECEPTION CAMPAIGN: For some reason denial and deception came naturally to Luckums. She was able to weave together an intricate narrative that not only left the Dome Guard knowing less about what their adversaries were doing but also believing they knew more than they did. By planting false intelligence and spreading credible lies and half truths through conventional means and time slips, given long enough, she could have had them believing that water was air, air was dirt, and that they all breathed mud.
GATHER UNDERWATER ADVENTURING GEAR: Stormfizzle crafted a great deal of underwater adventuring equipment and magical gear in anticipation of his co-conspirators eventually recruiting surfacers from Ancorato to fight along side them in liberating the city. Yessir. Someone is going t o recruit them any day now…
LEARN DOME GUARD TACTICS: Shroktath spent a lot of time observing the Dome Guard, talking to Resistance members with direct experience of the Dome Guard, and thinking about the Dome Guard. Filtered through his own experience as a soldier, he began to recognize the patterns in their doctrine, tactics, and logistics. What were the specialized types of units? What were their strengths and weaknesses? And how many were held in reserve and where?
DRAW OUT DOME GUARD: Orag, being Orag, before the battle was enjoined, he was able to infuriate several Dome Guard units into following him much further outside the city than was even remotely sensible. He made a crude mannequin of Talstran and rode it in front of the guardians of the Threadfin Gate. Grunhilde the octopus was near at hand and squirted ink in the mannequin’s face right in front of them all. Thus began his merry chase.
BUILD INTELLIGENCE NETWORK: Building an intelligence network proved difficult and took time and the subtle claw-work of Crabman to achieve. The problem was infiltration by enemy agents. Imagine, if you will, two guys talking in an alley. They are exchanging information fed to them by the Resistance precisely for the purpose of weeding out enemy agents. After one of them leaves, the other lingers so that they are not seen together. While he waits, a mound of garbage rises up behind him, a halberd raised above its broad head. Problem solved.
CONTACT JURIX: One of Rip’s first stops inside Talasantri after his compatriots departed for Blood Lily Cove in search of Seaspike, was to the Undertow: “Jurix, you son-of-a-bitch.” Scene.
ALCHEMICAL DEFENCES: After finding more alchmical stashes, Basile and Woog worked together to prepare alchemical defences that Resistance troops could use inside the city: squid ink smoke bombs that would block line of sight! Cue another cooking montage!
IDENTIFY FORTIFIED POSITIONS: Hazel seized an otherwise tranquil moment to block a Dome Guard caravan and seize vital intelligence. He learned which roads and other sites inside the city they had begun to fortify.
CALM RACIAL TENSIONS: Together with some of his compatriots, Chenwulf made several clandestine visits to plazas and other gathering places inside the city. They would speak to as many people as they could about succeeding by working together as mixed racial groups. Diversity is the strength of the Resistance. Defeat fascism with love!
LOCATE TLASTRAN: Khalid followed every lead, worked every network, sent out countless agents. Finally, having followed a tortuous analytic path to narrow down the possible locations, he got a vital piece of information that forced him to consider a different viewpoint. That’s when he pinpointed their nemesis: “I’ve got you, asshole!”
MAKE A HOLE IN THE DOME: Lamenting that it took “way longer than it should have,” on the eve of the attack, Basile found the best method to burn through the coral dome, and the best places to do it.
STIR UP THE PARTISANS: Anyone who was ready to join the Resistance did so in the early days. There were still so many fence sitters. Azariel performed the sensual Azlanti Fan Dance of Uhura to build support and stir up the partisans.
RECRUIT CRAB PEOPLE: Luckums looked on as Crabman did his crab dance for the people. Soon, the whole crowd also did a crab dance. “What the hell am I looking at?” asked Luckums. “Crabman,” said Crabman.
WEALTH REDISTRIBUTION CAMPAIGN: Stormfizzle stole from the rich to give to the poor, thereby reinforcing the effects of Azariel’s Dance of Uhura. But it would all be for naught with a successful Hearts and Minds Campaign!
R&R FOR THE TROOPS: In a performance that surprises everyone, Shroktath, who is not renowned for his great charisma, put on a variety show that would have made Lewis proud. To the great delight of the hardworking Resistance troops, he built up everyone’s morale by telling the story of the Inordinate Amount. There were many wigs and a costume changes, and very little of it made sense, but given the amount that people laughed, that did not matter. With everyone much more relaxed and at ease, they were able to go the extra mile and give that much more.
RECRUIT ANCORATO RANGERS: Orag returned to Ancorato to recruit reinforcements. There were no dramatic speeches. He found his estranged wife hunting and tried not to look too surprised at how far along her pregnancy had come. He told her of Talasnatri’s need and without hesitating, she agreed to help. The next day there was a gathering at Government House. Anya stood up at the beginning and said, “You know why you are here. I will fight beside my husband. Who will fight with us?” They had to turn people away.
EYES ON DOME GUARD POSITIONS: With their patterns now thoroughly documented, and more citizens feeling empowered to provide information to the Resistance, it was all the easier to know where any given Dome Guard unit was at any given time. Woog took charge of organizing the “sneak and peak” efforts of entire neighbourhoods, creating systems to funnel the information back to where it could be operationalized. He even spent a lot of time hiding under crab shells himself.
INFILTRATE THE DOME GUARD: Rip is very suave and obvious and simply walks past the guards based on sheer personality. Once inside the Headquarters, he and Chenwulf grab uniforms and equipment without anyone noticing. Inside an HQ, everyone thinks they are supposed to be there. They actually help them abscond with uniforms and in the coming days, the systematically place their own people inside several Dome Guard units.
ATTACK SUPPLY SHIPMENT: Khalid led a textbook raid on a supply shipment to the Dome Guard. The skiff was being floated on partially buoyant gourds, and pulled by manatee. As heavily guarded as it was, and even though it took the long way, as it passed through the coral canyons and kelp forests, his partisans simply picked it apart. He almost felt sorry for the Elves. Almost.
BRIBE THE DOME GUARD: Basile found that many of the guards liked money more than they liked death. The end.
(BONUS) WIN HEARTS & MINDS: Thirty-three skill checks in 95 minutes. More if you count the failed checks that were later re-rolled. Plus a little mini-story for each. That’s an impressive feat and deserved a reward. So, through the course of their countless feats—great and small—on behalf of the city and its people, the heroes won the hearts of the ordinary citizens of Talasantri. More importantly, they taught them to be brave. And in the end, that made all the difference.
[Placeholder: link to spreadsheet covering rules]
The Aquatic Elf looks as though he has aged a hundred years in the past weeks
He his hunched and broken, in the corner of a tiny though comfortably-appointed cell. He looks at you with barely a hint of recognition, “Had we fallen so far? How can we ever come back from this?”
His eyes finally fix on Orag, and he looks startled. He rises to his feet and declares, “Wavewalker! You’ve returned in our hour of need… but you’re so much shorter now.”
“I’m too old to rebuild, and yet it seems that the depths need Talasantri now more than ever before.”
“The Elves descended from the first Gardeners you know, chosen by the Architects to cultivate Sentar. There have always been those amongst our kind that believe that our place is apart and above the multitudes. All that seems left in the hearts of the likes of Talstran is the rage at the thought that we were robbed of something once, though he could never tell you what it was. But we are not Gardeners. Merely their unfortunate children. We are now as much of the multitudes as any.”
“Who will lead us?”
As ever, Anemora glows. But her beauty is nothing next to her rage. She seizes the arms of the nearest of you, staring into your eyes with a passionate intensity, and for a terrifying moment, you think she is going to kiss you…
“TALSTRAN has taken DRECISSA hostage. She was free for so long, working with Rip to help build the Resistance. Brave, foolish girl.”
She goes on…
“ARGNOS would not hand her over to TALSTRAN. He took her anyway. As punishment, he handed ARGNOS over to NAQUALIA, who’d taken an interest in him, though for what reason, I know not. Find ARGNOS. Bring him back to us. He’s a good boy and DRECISSA loves him. As difficult as his mother was, he’s suffered enough.”
I think of myself as a fairly adaptable person. But the shit I experienced these last few weeks really takes the gujamellon’s core, as they say.
I admit it. I lost my temper with Luckums on the sinking skiff in the middle of the ocean. I was in the middle of tearing a strip off her for the continued focus on the damned G-nome when we were on the verge of drowning when all of a sudden I got tackled by something. I look down at one of the strangest bloody things I have ever seen in my life. Tentacles, scales, and yet a humanoid form about dwarf sized. “Hieronius’ holy arsehole!” I yelled, turning to take a good look at the thing that had bounced off my leg. I didn’t get any feeling of hostility from the thing - the opposite in fact. Then I caught its gaze. I knew those eyes? I knew those eyes! The creature spoke - “Shroktath, you ugly bag of bones!” - I knew that voice!
Orag? How…? No time! With joy in my heart, I tackled that wonderful bastard. I’d missed him. I had no idea what strangeness had happened to him in the meantime to make him look like this, but I didn’t really care, either. It was good to see my friend again. We laughed and wrassle-hugged around the deck of the sinking ship as the rest of the Inordinates looked on with questioning looks on their faces.
The Heroes of Ancorato followed on Orag’s heels and quickly filled us in on what was going on. I should say they filled us in as they equipped us for life under the waves. Yep. Magic, special gear, and - it was so neat - we could breathe and survive under water. Like I said - I’m an adaptable person.
Turns out the Heroes of Ancorato had gotten caught up in some serious underwater politics with some potentially deadly consequences for all of Sentar. Some sort of evil ocean force ultimately led by Ochyuma the Aboleth had captured the aquatic elven dome city of Talasantri from within, using elven allies. This was a key and a launching point for their plans to destroy the surface world of Sentar. We needed to take Talasantri back, but much easier said than done. The evil forces had the place wrapped up tighter than a clam shell in the clutches of a hungry octopus.
The task seemed almost too big for us, but we knew we had to help them, had to try. Basile put that big brain of his to work on the problem, and Khalid brought his take-charge, clear-headedness to the situation and really helped to sort out the incredible number of things we strategized that we potentially could do to help prepare for the upcoming battle for Talasantri. Supply trains were raided, allies were recruited, spies were planted, equipment was upgraded. Inspired by Lewis, I even gave a one half orc show of the journey of the Inordinate Amount. My impersonation of Charlotte wasn’t too bad, if I say so myself. At least the troops seemed to get a kick out of it, which is what we were looking for on that particular part of the battle prep.
After weeks of intense preparation, we were ready to launch our attack on the domed city. We split up among our troops to provide some extra backbone and direction. They had me with a mixed bag of Aquatic Elves and Crabmen (not a strange experience at all), and heading straight up the gut of the enemy. Well alright. All of our preparations seemed to have paid off. We got the drop on them, and were pushing them on all fronts. There was a group of enemy sorcerers that unloaded on Azariel and the giant crab to my flank, but I managed to have one of my units distract the sorcerers, threatening their flank, and quickly enough to give Azariel a bit of respite. It became clear fairly early that we were going to crush the opposition and, when things truly became hopeless, their leader of the evil elven insurgents that had gained control of the domed city, a noble but cruel looking aquatic elf named Talstran, fled into the tunnels.
We mopped up, and a few of our heroes, including Luckums, headed to the library to try and glean some Azlantl knowledge. Can’t blame them, I’d do the same in their shoes. Oh, and Orag has a woman! The reunion with her post battle had fire and tenderness in it. Good for him! Helluva woman - worthy of him, I’d say.
The Siege and Liberation of the Fabled City of Talasantri
(Days 202-295)
We effected what repairs we could on the derelict boat and got control of its sails and wheel. None of us were seaborne sailors and even a year on a wildspace ship did not prepare us for the immediate challenges of the ocean. We did not struggle for long however before we were met by the Ancorato Adventurers. They explained that they had been working to save the City of Talasantri. Even a year in wildspace and its wonders did not shield me from the shock of learning that fabled Talasantri was real and we were going to save it from a brutal civil war. We learned that the Adventurers had recently fought a dragon and then battled under a volcano to recover a mythical symbol of Talasantri’s unity. The cost of such warfare was Orag’s death and subsequent resurrection.
[Placeholder: image, sharkrider]
With Chenwulf’s return from Ancorato, he brought reinforcements to support the fight. It had only been three months since I last saw him but apparently for them only two weeks. Time seems to flow differently in Wildspace or perhaps the G-NOME moves us through time and space. Nonetheless, in so short a time, Chenwulf seemed so much more focused. I think his eyes were more purple somehow. We spent no time in gossip or drawn-out celestial palavers. We set out some basic plans and got equipped to operate indefinitely yet effectively under water.
There was no natural or appointed leader among the Saviours of Talasantri just a dozen powerful personalities. We held a war council of sorts on the deck of that ship and somehow a plan about how to make a plan emerged enough for us to descend the depths. We established our underwater headquarters and Basile’s powerful intellect organized enough of the problem to identify objectives. It was a gigantic game of chess. Woog and Shroktath were great soldiers but their view of the board was at best the width of a market square. Chenwulf might have been brave enough to brawl with a dragon inside a volcano but his view went barely beyond the length of his arm. Who was I? The son of a grape farmer that saw the world like a sergeant, like a skipper of a barque crewed by twenty misfits. My experience of battle beyond a dozen skirmishers came from a handful of history books taught to me by soft-handed school teachers. Heroes are made by popular demand and of the scantiest of materials… again. My mind’s eye turned to that wooden board and charcoal. I laughed since such things would not even work underwater. Even my pistols were useless there. My weapons were my mind and my will alone.
Happily the Heroes, by themselves or in pairs, under the guidance of Basile and Luckums identified missions, tasks and objectives that suited their abilities and went after them. We organized an extensive spying and intelligence gathering effort and used it to gather allies and weaken our foe. It felt like a dozen friends at a party putting pieces of a puzzle together. Only with the lightest of touches did I intervene or try to interfere in the hope of organizing a coherent game. I took on the boring but apparently essential work of coordinating shipping schedules, linking tactical actions and allocating weapons and resources. It was like managing my father’s farm and I could see him quietly chuckling at his wandering, grunt of a son shuffling pay records and shift schedules. I had to keep believing that directing a company of aquatic elf insurgents in a city was the same as positioning a single goblin wizard in a room. Just a difference of zeros…
I was surprised how successful I was at recruiting those aquatic elves. After three months dealing with the Ylfe and commanding Goblins, I seemed to have the right words in partnership with Chenwulf to bring them on to our side. He would command them effectively in the coming battle but I put the spear in their hand. Mostly to spite the imagined mocking of my father, I went into the field. It took three days without eating while hiding in gutters but I was happy to find and outwit that vicious monster Talastran in his own headquarters. The attack I led on his supply shipment was a stunning success as a result.
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When all was set, we encircled the Talassandri and attacked. I commanded a battalion of two companies of irregulars with Shroktath’s on my left flank. We broke into the north of the city and successfully captured our assigned vital points. Coordinating our moves we were able to repeatedly set the enemy to flight. There was one key difference between commanding companies of troops and individual men; the butcher’s bill. Even our careful planning and ruthless attacks could not keep our losses to nothing. The water was filled with blood and wreckage. To the north-west of the city, our forces broke into the city and together we rescued our allied leaders and surrounded Talastran. His forces check-mated though, the coward abandoned his troops and swam to his escape.