48 Isle of Mystery
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Sept-Oct 2022

Having enlisted Captain Kassandra’s assistance to travel to the uncharted island the group embark and set sail. Pulling free of the harbour, they immediately spot a group of ships approaching with what seem to be hostile intentions, but the captain just laughs as the sails are unfurled, leaving their pursuers in their wake.

The re-appearance of pursuing vessels sparks an investigation, and a spirit is discovered bound to one of the cells in the brig. Ninevah releases it, leaving her to study the strange marking scratched on the wood. It is possible they’ve been tracking the ship due to a strange spirit and markings but no-one is quite sure.

Though shrouded by mist, Kassandra confidently sails among the waiting ships, sending them into confusion. There is a brief one-sided exchange of cannon fire before powering away backed by an unseasonal wind. The rest of the journey passes without incident, though they seem to arrive suspiciously well ahead of time. As the captain scans the island of West ZeeWasser, she points out the figure of a woman standing atop a cliff staring out to sea. A landing party is assembled and they cast off towards the place.

When they try to greet the mysterious woman, she is spooked and flees towards the mountain. Kat sets off after her and persuades her she has nothing to fear. Thus (rather naively) reassured, she opens the great stone doors into the heart of the mountain. There Kat meets the irritable Doctor Altair, who sets a puzzle for the group’s senior engineer. Jack is able to understand the blueprint and the young woman’s true nature. It seems the fair Miranda is a machine, not wholly human at all.

There is a lively discussion between the Doctor and the group at dinner and while he is very interested in all they have to say he gradually realises the reason why they have come to his island. With despair he cries:
“No! You cannot take my daughter from me!”

He hugs her with the desperation of a drowning man grabbing a raft. It appears she is the vessel for the object they seek.

49 Ferals
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Oct 2022-Nov 2022

“No! You cannot take my daughter from me!”

Dr. Altair hugs Miranda with the desperation of a drowning man grabbing a raft. It dawns on Jack that Miranda may carry the object of their quest within her. In fact, it is nothing other than her beating heart. The Doctor insists she cannot leave as he has to administer her medicine. A compromise solution is proposed, as the Doctor has another subject who might serve. He requests Ninevah’s assistance, making use of the Book, to revive his subject.
The procedure is all but complete when Percy interrupted, calling the Doctor a liar. He is pushed into a chair and his cries form help smothered. After being closely questioned, it is revealed the subject is in fact Fliss, one of the Hellfire Dragon’s crew, and he is forced to complete the operation with a gun to his head.

They then try to affect an escape with the doctor as a hostage, but their boat has been smashed and the camp destroyed. A poisoned dart hits Jack but he shrugs off the effect. They signal to the ship to come and pick them up but cannon fire causes them to veer away. The Doctor explains he cannot stop the cannon fire, and Kat loses patience with him and shoots him in the head.

Kat and Percy then go back to the mountain to deal with the cannon, which are manned by reptilian ferals. The forest is likely filled with more, but the bailiffs evade them. As they make their plans to return to the ship, the whole island begins to shake. They spot Miranda leading a few of the ferals and she asks to come with them. When Jack asks why she says simply:
“He lied to me.”

Despite the use of Ninevah’s portal they are unable to retrieve anything from the lab, which his ablaze. They return to the ship and make haste away from the island, pursued by a storm.

50 It's a Fliss-tery
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Nov 2022

“That’s not just a storm! It’s a Tsunami! Man the rigging!”
Captain Kassandra issues orders and the Hellfire Dragon turns sharply to meet the killer wave.

Just as the Captain is about to pull off the impossible again, lighting forks in the storm ridden sky and out of the heavens a steel bird, beating its huge wings as it plummets toward the frigate.

“Stormbird!” Kassandra shouts “Man the ballista!”

Unfortunately, the ballista breaks after its first shot, and the crew is reduced to engaging the metal monster up close. Meantime, Percy cries out the Fliss is possessed and she is blown half the length of the vessel by an azure wave. Henry is fully engaged rescuing damsels in distress while the battle rages around him.  As Jack is thrown overboard Henry catches him and propels him at the monster, allowing him to deliver the coup-de-grace.
When calm returns Ninevah explains that Fliss was feverish and shouted
:
“You must finish it. My lord Chac approaches! Bright down the lightning, give me wings of fiery lava, fill me with the seed of demons that I may fill the earth with his children!”
Percy and Kat hit on the idea of asking Nisse to help by entering Fliss’ dreams to try to rid her of the spirit which is possessing her. He reports that the words Fliss spoke were directly from the Book. The rest of the journey passes peacefully and they reach dry land via a secluded cove. Sending the salvage by a different route to avoid prying eyes, the group arrives safely in Corjen to find the Duchess’ troops in charge.

Jack confers with the Oracle, and discovers that Fliss had the potential to release Enkai from his current vigil, at which point he would revert to the blood-thirsty god he was before. Fortunately this crisis seems the have been averted, though she recommends they conduct a ritual at the Shrine of the Frog God to make sure.

The ritual succeeds, but at its conclusion Fliss makes another odd exclamation:
“Oh thank you for leading me here! I have waited so long to be completed!”
She lapses into a coma and the frog Shaman hands Jack a flint knife.