Session 50 (14 June 2024)

Location: At the Dawnseekers' compound on Karth, a desert moon orbiting the blue gas giant Tabernas in the Mendezo-Eeren system (Halcyon 2022)

Date: 328–5600

Travellers: Nogudnyk (steward), Jacobe Kyman (pilot), Griff Kodiak (gunner), Torka Jax (security)

[A note to readers: pleased be advised that this blog contains major spoilers to Joel Hines' excellent Desert Moon of Karth. Read no further if you hope to experience the brilliance of this superb Mothership scenario with your own group.]

You are standing in a rubble-strewn underground chamber beneath the Dawnseekers' silver spire, staring up at the night sky through a great rent in the ceiling torn by the immense telekinetic powers of the blue-grey blob that you have just freed from its crystalline prison. As it flies away to freedom, you are moved: tears flood Nogudnyk's eyes and perhaps those of others too. It is most certainly a Free Willy moment. 

But reality comes crashing in all too soon. You hear shouts from above as the Dawnguards express their dismay at the sudden loss of power and the Donors rush from their huts to see what is happening. Several faces appear at the edge of the gaping hole, peering down at you through lingering clouds of dust. Griff nimbly climbs out and calls for the villagers' help in lowering ropes to aid his companions. You raise Huwel on comms and bid him bring the camels on the double: it's time to leave. Dawnguards armed with air rifles are beginning to rappel down the sides of the spire.

Suddenly Asmod appears, flying through the air. He seems to be wearing some kind of anti-gravity harness, in addition to a smooth metal helmet and a flowing cape. He shouts commands to the Dawnguards: they are to seize you while he goes in search of the escaped seedmind. As he veers off in aerial pursuit of the blob, you fire your weapons in his direction. There are enough direct hits to kill an air whale, but miraculously he continues flying: it seems he has some kind of protective energy shield. (A few faint cries and grunts of pain suggest that he took some damage.) But soon he is beyond your reach and a new threat looms: the Dawnguards have formed two lines and are levelling their air rifles at you like Napoleonic soldiers. You dive for cover as their first volley whistles past. Griff tosses a grenade into their midst with deadly effect. As the survivors rally and reform their lines, you jump on the camels and goad them into a run, brushing aside the panicked Donors. A few stray shots whizz by but soon enough you are safe amidst the dunes under a vast star-studded sky. All is quiet.

(As a parting shot, Griff tossed a grenade back into the underground chamber in the general direction of Oledor's unconscious form. It would be a miracle if he survived...)

When last seen, both the seedmind and Asmod were heading in a northeasterly direction. You deduce that the blob was taking a route between two chains of mountains toward a strange organic structure that twists its way into the sky like a gargantuan anthill. On camel, it will take at least four or five days of travel. Concerned to prevent Asmod from recapturing the seedmind, you take this route, even though you doubt you will outpace him.

Captain Jonas Kelly

You put some distance between yourselves and the silver spire, rest for a bit in the shade of a rocky outcropping, then continue your journey. Near midday you approach a ship graveyard where, by some strange coincidence, many of the ships shot down by the ancient orbital platforms have come to rest. Your drones and scopes reveal a diversity of vessels: warships, freighters, yachts, all in ruins. But there is one ship that appears intact, as if it had landed there on purpose: indeed, awnings and tents have been set up and you see crew moving about nearby. They appear listless, bored: as if they are waiting for something.

You approach with caution. There are sentries, but they are not immediately hostile. Curious, rather. They seem interested in your provisions. They take you to their leader, a one-armed grizzled man who introduces himself as Captain Jonas Kelly. As you enter the camp, you get a good look at this crew: they're motley, well armed, and sullen. You're pretty sure they're pirates. But what they're doing here is anyone's guess. For the moment, at least, Captain Kelly seems interested in what you have to say. 

Image credits: Kelly portrait screengrabbed from YouTube video collage of AI-generated art.