Story

## Session 1

Mickey and Sabina meet each other for the first time in the industrial city of Lelow, located within the United Lands of Fria, within a local bar. As they get to know each other, observe the room and finish their food and drink and head out to leave they are pick pocketed by a child who starts to flee, but is eventually caught up by them. Mickey asks the child to lead them to the White Ribbon, his informant and contact within the city and his current focus, Sabina tags along out of curiosity.

The White Ribbon scolds the boy who turns out to be his son, sending him away before talking about the job he wants Mickey to fulfill, he is to go to a refinery owned by Thurm Chemicals Co. and destroy their recently aquired shipping container of raw materials with a Metahmatter Bomb, a device capable of sending a small bubble around 20ft in radius into the Astral Plane, and then set off a fiery explosion afterwards, this needs to be done because the refining of these materials have been making people get really sick within the area, causing their insider contact within the company to reconsider their employment, giving them a window of opportunity to infiltrate and sabotage their business.

Mickey takes the job, being given the explosive and directions to the disgruntled employee, Sabina joins Mickey for the job. They both make their way into the refining district, a smoggy polluted area where residents without breathing masks seem to be afflicted by some sort of problem, they seem weak but as they breathe in the surrounding air they seem to have a temporary relief like they were just administered a sedative, but only for a few moments before they start to act manic and in pain, this cycle causing them to become malnourished, withered looking and eventually die if they are not careful.

Going into a nearby shop that sells breathing masks they meet a blue tiefling who sells them both "deluxe" masks, two SCUBA type devices that use canisters of air to allow individuals to breathe in the worst possible conditions, even potentially underwater. After their purchase they meet up with their contact who seems to be eating at a sandwich stall, talking with a coworker, after Mickey brings up his reason for being they are both pulled into a nearby alley to discuss, giving them all the information about how to enter the compound, the best places to enter from, the floor plan, and his uniform, Mickey takes the outfit and they all begin to make their way to a breach in the fence around the edge of the refinery, leading them to the back of the building where the managers office is located on the second floor, accessible through a storm drain on the side of the structure acting as a makeshift ladder which nearly comes off the wall from his weight, barely making it inside the office and losing his way out.

He scours the office for loot and information and finds a ledger from the manager, as well as research documents from a scientist regarding Metamaterials and some of their uses. Continuing out of the office and down the stairs he spots the lime green and yellow shipping container with the Thurm Chemicals Co. brand, his target. Going inside he finds it lined from side to side with Metamaterials as well as an out of place sarcophagus in the center, out of curiosity he opens it up and finds Alex, an Awakened Human sleeping with a red orb in his hands who wakes up and seems confused but eager to leave.

Mickey tells him his intentions and tells him to get out, arming the bomb just as they both begin to hear noises coming from the warehouse they're in as employees seem to be getting back from their breaks, he finishes arming the device and stealthily goes back into the office with Alex, who accidentally knocks over something causing an employee to investigate, they rush into the office and barricade the door shut with a chair, Mickey ties a rope on the managers heavy wood desk, using its weight to rappel out of the building with Alex.

As they exit the area Mickey triggers the device which creates a rapid sound of wind being pulled in through a small hole, then a moment of silence before exploding loudly setting the area alight with an alchemical fire that acts like napalm or thermite.

Going back to the White Ribbon with his two new allies in tow Mickey says the job was completed and is given his pay, as well as his next assignment, him and his allies will be given tickets to board a train towards Nartik, a farming town that produces many raw goods like grains and other crops located in a neutral territory between Chaia and Vvandir.

They accept the mission and their tickets, agreeing to meet up with the Blue Ribbon, their next informant and contractor, and begin to make their way to the station, boarding it and starting their journey.

Meanwhile on Apotheosis, an area known more commonly as the Ethereal Isles to everyday people, Mikle becomes active and awaits his orders from the Hiver, the leader of this group of hivebots, synthetic humanoids created from stone, metal, wood, metamaterials, and countless other bits. After some time he is given direction and is tasked with replacing the rotting wood beams of the train tracks that runs through the Trackless Sea, the same tracks the train the other group is currently riding on.

He grabs his equipment and makes his way there, and as he gets closer a storm starts to brew. Climbing up the beams he slowly starts replacing the wood with metal, using a provided rivet gun to secure them down. The storm only gets worse, and in a flash Mikle is struck by a bolt of lightning, an oil flask on his person detonates and the explosion destroys the weak wood beams, causing a huge structural failure that creates a large gap between the tracks just as the train is about to cross, the train derails and takes everyone down into the water and through the sea floor, the train ploughing through the walls of an underground leyline system knocking out almost everyone except for Mickey and Alex, killing most of the passengers and crew on impact, and simultaneously Awakening everyone present.

After the vision the two begin to wake up everyone unconscious, finding Mikle in one car of the train damaged but repairable with one of his Vorasmuth repair kits found on his person, waking him up. Mikle finds himself with more self awareness and freedom than before, thoughts are not being restricted anymore like a horse being freed from its blinders, confused he seeks help from the others, asking them for a designation or task.

After Mickey and Alex finish looting the cart they find some money and a handgun off of one of the trains crew, giving Mickey a revolver. They find one other passenger still alive but unconscious, a woman who is confused and in pain from the crash.

## Session 2

The woman cries and is in panic, Mickey slaps her to get her to calm down, she asks where her child is and he points to a nearby dead kid, she becomes a complete mess and cuddles his lifeless body in her arms, telling them her life is meaningless without her son as she spent all her money on education and that he was all she had left, as she leaves Mickey pickpockets a silver hairbrush from her, letting her grieve in isolation and darkness.

Mikle repeats his statement and asks for his designation, Mickey responds saying some keywords that triggers him to print out a rough general map of this island chain known as Apotheosis, and joins the party to help them out.

The four of them try to make their way to the base of the cave, Mickey jumps onto a car that is standing upright, opening the door and asking if anyone is alive, he hears a plea for help and Mikle in haste follows Mickey and jumps too, tying a rope and rappelling down, starting to dig the debris and corpses piled on top of this individual, eventually pulling out a tortle man who has a broken leg and seemingly only survived by hiding within his shell, the remaining two party members attempt to go down as well,

Sabina makes her way safely down, breaking open a window on the toppled cart as an exit, everyone exits and as Alex attempts to jump to the cart he overshoots and falls, grabs the ledge but slips, Mikle notices this and attempts to catch him, failing but acting as a cushion softening the fall and spreading the damage equally between the two of them.

The group finds a drill, futuristic by their standards but an old model from Mikles perspective, this place is Metah Mine #1 and its been condemned and sealed off for at least 50 years, the group hears hissing and rumbling from the train engine, on its side and seemingly ready to explode, Alex and Mikle volunteer to investigate, and are able to pull out three batteries each weighing about 50 pounds each before they go critical and explode, the rattling ceasing as they remove the car battery like battery bricks.

Alex takes one with him to the mining vehicle, fitting it into a spot Sabina found while investigating. Surprisingly it fits perfectly as if it was designed to take it, it powers on but isn't able to move from a lack of tires, the rims spin and spark but it cannot move, cutting into the stone floor.

Shortly after a large wave of airborn condensed metah washes over the caves, pouring through the collapsed tunnel to the West all the way to the East, this heals everyone, their tortle passengers broken leg is immediately mended, and shortly afterwards they hear the woman they left behind screeching, turning into a blood gurgling death throe, and thenu groaning, zombies begin to pour out from the train they were in, some clumsily falling 50 feet but still getting up despite the damage, a fight begins and a several zombies continue to assault them, coming from the other train cars.

During the fight Sabinas panther animal companion goes unconscious, but is able to be stabilized with the help of herself and Mickey, they head deeper into the cave and discover a jungle like environment, somehow not only surviving but flourishing here even without any sunlight, they see a single large mango tree and each of them grab one Metah Infused Mango, as they do the tree seems to immediately wither on that branch.

Alex gathers the dried wood and collects it as bundles of firewood, setting a fire for the group to enjoy a long rest around, as this happens Sabina finds a primitive looking mural painted on the walls, and notices other more recent activity down here besides the hivebot machinery and mining.

The mural seems to represent a story, a dragon flies over an island, clutching their wounded chest while holding onto something, as they fly it drips onto the island, transitioning from round looking rocks into kobolds, in draconic there is writing that reads "Vylanze, the Martyr's Sacrifice". The group huddles around the fire and takes shifts to long rest.