Reality Bomb

Historian: Caleb. Date: 07/21/2025

TLDR – Jericho gets his heart ripped out. Alphie does some combat school training. Gwyn and Astranna make a bomb, and Astranna gets a bomb dropped on her. We deploy our trusty bimbos on Cracklebones, before going and stealing a bunch of her totems. We get in a fight as we’re collecting the last few, but survive and portal out, with Gwyn throwing the bomb as she goes.

• Date: 48 Lionnir 777 AR.
• Dalton gives the recap.
• We begin with all of us in the lab with the Cosmic. He turns to Jericho, and asks if he’s ready to learn how to see the stars. Jericho agrees. The Cosmic says they need a room that’s nice, quiet, secluded. Jericho suggests either the roof or the storage room, and the Cosmic chooses the roof. They leave.
• Anja slips back into the library to look for info on the Cosmic. She finds nothing.
• Gwyn looks for information on the update symbol. She finds it fairly easily, it’s a symbol for “update” or “learn”. A rune that gives information. It channels magic. A small fragment of that symbol is “bypass,” to bypass the gaze or power of something. Like stealth. And that’s a little odd, but that’s all the information she gets.
• Alphie waits their turn.
• Astranna looks for Henrietta. The last time she remembers seeing her is right before the attack. She finds Henrietta pecking around in her room, and hangs out with her, also waiting for her turn to talk to the Cosmic.
• Jericho makes it to the roof with the Cosmic, and sees a sky filled with stars. He gets pulled into Side 1. They’re in there for a long time.
• When Jericho and the Cosmic walk back in, the front (and back) of Jericho’s body from the neck down is covered in blood. He’s nose-deep in a book, flipping through pages.
  • “So! Let’s see here. Alphie, I believe you had some training you wished to do?”
• We ask what happened to Jericho.
  • “Oh, we took my heart out. I put it back. It’s fine.”
• The Cosmic said they did some improvements, some tweaking. Jericho can see ultraviolet colors now. The Cosmic explains that oracles look with their hearts, and very few are born with the correct heart. Jericho wasn’t.
  • “But we built the heart better, stronger. He’s fine, just maybe a quick washing of the clothes at some point would be necessary.”
• Jericho has a splitting headache, and says he needs some water. The Cosmic tells us that heart’s good for at least the next 300 years – he can still die of other causes, but it won’t be his heart. The Cosmic’s ready for Alphie now.
  • “Gwyn, Astranna, I would recommend that, as we are away, beginning construction on a reality bomb. Specifics can be found in Morgen’s files. The specific bomb I’m referring to is supposed to destroy cursed energy. I have been in contact with Granny Cracklebones, and the stars have informed me that she will be launching an attack on us very soon. If we’re able to detonate the bomb, destroy the cursed energy she’s building up in the elder swamp, that won’t be an issue, especially if the scrimbimbolos are deployed ahead of time.”
• Gwyn asks about collateral damage, and he reassures her it’ll just be the cursed energy. The only collateral damage will be in the form of the totems – whatever we’re not able to take, it’ll destroy. He tells us that 20 is the magic number.
• Astranna asks how long before the attack, and he says not long. We should head out in the morning, which means if we’re wanting to employ the scrimshaw bisectors, now would be the time – specifically, in 15 minutes is the optimal time for deployment. He tells us he’ll open a portal here, and it’ll be ready if we choose to send the soldiers through.
• He waves a hand, and there’s a flickering in the air. Points of light begin to formulate, pinpricks that connect like constellations, before a portal opens up to a dark swamp at night.
  • “There you are. Now, Alphie, come with me.”
• At the roof, Stargazer looks them up and down. He reassures them that taking their heart isn’t necessary.
  • “So. You wish to learn how to fight. Well, you are a part of the phantasm school. A very rare one.”
  • “What does that mean?”
  • “Rare? Well, something that is rare is–”
• They interject and say they meant the phantasm school. He laughs and says he knows. He explains that the phantasm school is about dreams, and using your dreams to help fight. It’s a basal school, one of the foundational ones, even below what is taught today.
  • “You see, the martial forms that you know now were not the only ones. They are third-generation, if you will. Expanded upon, but lacking something. They’re designed to fight very particular foes, but the basal schools are much more diverse. That diversity is a strength, especially for you, since you are most drawn to the phantasm school.”
• He says he’s going to teach them the first form of it.
  • “This shouldn’t take too long. I know where the roadbumps are.”
• They draw their quarterstaff, and he begins to walk them through the chilling cortex. They pass through the forms. It helps to expand and grow their mind, as it’s moreso ideation that they’re practicing, as well as some basic footwork and movement. As the Cosmic is teaching them, it feels like they’re right at home in this moment. Before long, after a few hours, they learn the chilling cortex.
  • Chilling Cortex – gives extra psion points equal to your power score. When you remove 1hb, you can apply the staggered condition until the start of your next turn. If they die before your next turn, you can either regain half of your psion points or gain 1d6 hero points.
• Gwyn and Astranna discuss the bomb. They’re both hesitant, but agree to do it – Morgen’s data entries corroborate that it’ll only destroy cursed energy. They decide to send the scrimbimbolos through at the time Stargazer suggested, and make mental checks to build the reality bomb. Astranna gets 4 successes, and Gwyn gets 12. We complete it in record time, right about when the sun is rising.
• In the kitchen, Anja asks Jericho what happened. He tells her the Cosmic reassured him it’d be like ripping off a band-aid, right before tearing his heart out. He lost consciousness, maybe died, and opened his eyes sometime after the blood on his clothes had dried. There was a big scar (which he then shows Anja), but he could feel his heart beating, so, you know, it’s working. He looked up and could see the normal stars, but also some extra ones. Red, green, blue… even ones he didn’t know what the color was.
• Anja asks what her fabric looks like now. He says it actually looks good – the new colors he can see are accenting what she’s already got.
• He tells her he got some basic divination lessons, and is hoping to gear up to big ones. The Cosmic gave him a book on the stars in the Skybound Lands.
• Anja wonders if the pocket dimension the Skybound Lands are in is kind of like Alphie’s pocket dimension. Jericho stares off into space.
• Anja voices her distrust of the Cosmic. She doesn’t know what his deal is…
  • “I get it, but at the same time… this is… this is wild.”
• At this point, Alphie and the Cosmic return. The Cosmic is pleased that the bomb is done. Anja asks what new organ Alphie got, and the Cosmic says they’re fully intact. He asks if we’ve sent the scrimbimbolos yet.
• We tell him yes, and he says we should have a far easier time now. Cracklebones thinks herself invincible, but her curses have consequences. For a moment, the constellations on the Cosmic’s body sparkle, almost like he’s a bit giddy to get back at this witch.
  • “Now, my advice is that you go in sneakily, grab everything you can. There’s a high probability you’ll eventually be caught, but… I believe that you will, at the very least, be able to get far in this mission. Once you’re done, though, I shall open a portal for you, and you will come back through.”
• He asks Astranna to approach. She does, and he asks her to extend her hand. She asks if he’s going to cut it off, and he says he’s not overly violent. He touches a finger to her palm, and one of the constellations on his arm moves from his skin, and swirls about her palm.
  • “Just poke it a few times, and I’ll know you need a portal out.”
  • “It’s actually kinda pretty.”
  • “Stars are beautiful. Each one different, unique, born of cosmic forces that most cannot understand. That’s what makes them fantastic.”
• He walks over to the bomb, and waves a hand over it. It shrinks down to the size of a hand grenade. Constellations move over it. He gives it to Gwyn.
  • “Once the portal is open, activate that, throw it, and get out.”
• We ask about Anja. He says it wouldn’t kill her, but it’d harm her. That’s why he recommends we don’t stick around. He tells us all should be well – the scrimbimbolos are making sure Cracklebones is very much distracted, and when we get back, we can have tea and talk. He waves his hand, and another portal to the Elder Swamp appears.
  • “Also, Astranna, when you get back, we’ll talk more. [...] Be well, daughter!”
  • And he closes the portal behind us.
• The party takes a moment to process that. Astranna stares off into the middle distance. She wants to focus on the bomb.
• We begin a skill challenge to stealthily collect the totems. Each one of our checks has B1 because of the scrimbimbolos, and Astranna has an extra +2d6 on her checks from Stargazer’s boon.
• Anja pops her superhuman senses (1 min) potion to grab as many totems as possible. Because it’s only a minute, she gets +1d6 on her phys check (4 successes). She hears a faint buzzing sound the totems give off, and finds 4 right around us.
• Astranna makes a mental check (4 successes) to figure out the logic Cracklebones might have used as she was laying them out. The totems are laid out in a hexagonal pattern, focusing the energy to the center of the swamp. She tries to pick out the totems on the outside, as they’re less defended, using Anja’s hearing to avoid a lot of the fighting. It’s about midmorning at this point.
• Gwyn makes her check (1 success), but she’s distracted because Astranna’s in distress. She keeps looking back at Astranna, making sure she’s keeping up and not too distracted to follow closely, but by doing that is kind of sabotaging herself.
• Alphie makes a phys check (3 successes) to use their height to their advantage to find totems, as well as keep us out of trouble.
• Jericho uses his newly strengthened heart to resonate with the magic of the totems (2 successes). He’s drawn to an area ahead of us that feels like it has a great deal of magic and power to it. He picks up a totem, but at the same time, he sees something begin to rise up out of the ground ahead of us. The creature itself is similar to what we saw back at Fairfield, its flesh black and swirled, and as we all look ahead and it sees us, another one of its kind raises its head. But we see a lot of totems…

Combat begins

• Order: Jericho (13) → Gwyn (12.5) → Lesser Cursed (12, starting Round 2) → Anja (11) → Alphie (8) → Astranna (4) → Lesser Cursed (3)

Round 1

• Jericho shoots one, and finds out they each have an SR of 5. The body seems to slow the bullet down as it travels toward the creature. He uses his bg action to grab a totem.
• Gwyn pisses one off by trying to attack it.
• Alphie tries to use quintessence to pull totems toward them (0 successes). There’s a puff of snow from their palms, but nothing more. They give faith of the devout to Astranna.
• Astranna climbs up on a rock and uses Pyromancy I on one of them, taking health blocks and giving it the On Fire condition.
• The Cursed moves into water, extinguishing itself. One attacks Astranna, and drains -15 sp from her.

Round 2

• More Cursed show up. Gwyn rushes to one of the totems. Anja snipes one of the Cursed, and applies Command on it.
• Alphie kills one of the Cursed. She’s scared, but takes her rifle down, levels it at the creature’s head, and silently fires. She then summons Inora, who’s very startled to be in combat.
• Astranna fires at the Cursed threatening Gwyn, before moving toward one of the totems. She’s attacked for no dmg, but loses -15 sp.
• On Inora’s turn, she attacks, and then blink strikes closer to the totems. She uses fighting spirit on Jericho.

Round 3

• Jericho yells for Alphie to duck, and takes 2hb from a Cursed. Gwyn uses her bg action to grab a totem, before attacking the Cursed (0 dmg). She runs, taking the retreat penalty. Jericho points out we have 18 totems now. Alphie and Gwyn are attacked with acid blood curses. Anja picks up totem #19, and attacks one of the Cursed (0 dmg). Astranna picks up the last totem, and shouts for the others to group up.

Round 4

• The party starts trying to move into position. Alphie tries to yank Inora back, and only succeeds in ripping her sleeve. Astranna activates the portal… it’ll show up at the start of her next turn!

Round 5

• The water starts bubbling, and a Greater Cursed of the Elder Blood appears, sacrificing its bg action to go sooner. Jericho tries his first hotshot reload, and it jams. The Greater Cursed uses its Cursed Gaze on Anja, and she loses 10 sp and becomes cursed.
• Gwyn activates her Dusknight Aura (+5 ab). Alphie loses 1 ab from a slam attack. Anja uses her blighting hex on one enemy, killing it – her spectral arms rip apart the creature until it dissipates and falls apart.
• Alphie gives Astranna +10 sr and takes the guard action. They try to give Gwyn faith of the devout, but fail.
• The portal appears. Astranna tries to pull Anja through, but sneezes and loses her grip on her. Anja, Alphie, and Gwyn are attacked, with Gwyn taking it all on her armor. Inora takes -1hb from one of the Cursed, and gives Jericho fighting spirit.

Round 6

• Another Greater Cursed shows up.
• Jericho shoves Anja in the portal (2 successes). Anja’s clothing gets stuck on a rock, and for a moment he panics, before a small, white shape jumps from his pocket and gnaws off a bit of Anja’s fabric before jumping back onto Jericho. Jericho runs to the portal, gives a salute, and falls in.
• One Greater Cursed curses Inora, and the other attacks into Gwyn with two axe attacks and a bite into her. She’s able to take it all on armor. She sends Alphie into the portal with quick feet, then throws the grenade and goes into the fucking portal.

Combat ends

• There’s a slow-motion scene as all the creatures see the grenade. It’s tumbling end over end in the air with an instant fuse, and one of the big ones gives a roar of surprise. They all go running in different directions. As Gwyn’s falling, she sees the final moment as her reality bomb surges to life, light radiating out in all directions. As the creatures cry out and are destroyed, we end the session here. Everyone gets a level-up, and +3 hero points.