Kaasma

Art by Raluca Marinescu for Ulraunt's Guide to the Planes: The Shadowfell

### Guest Appearances

*Miss Demeanor*, *Spire of Euclid*, *Bronn*, *Reunion: A World of Io Lore Session*

*"They speak to me. They tell me stories that are almost complete fabrications. They tell me of the lies you've implanted in my mind, the experiments you've done, the fact that you've tried to weaponize me in the hopes to arrive onto my homeland! It's too late for that, my friends. You see, you're already dead, from the moment you stepped foot in this chamber. They are the only thing I believe in now. And you are about to witness their rebirth. Pulled away and sealed by my own people. It was your mistake for bringing us here. It was your hubris for thinking that I would not be aware of what you were trying to do! You see, I understand in the Auroran belief system, in fact that you have none, that you've tossed away your old gods as fictitious dogma. Well, my friends, gods still exist! You too shall experience the majesty that is **Kaasma**!"*

-Lagos, The Emissary of the End unleashing Kaasma

**Kaasma** is a dead god that once orbited Io. A truly primeval being believed to have witnessed the birth of the universe, Kaasma is the enemy of all life. It bears a historic enmity with the Astari, who supposedly managed to seal it away in the past. However, the undying horror managed to influence the mind of an Astari named Lagos, who converted to its cause. Via a cataclysmic event known as the Jupiter Incident, Kaasma was brought back, though it exists only as an astronomically large corpse. It also gave birth to triplets; Kaasma Khara, Kaasma Thara and Kaasma Phar, who were scatted across different planes during the Nova. Kaasma is one of the largest threats to Io in Phase 2 and its influence has been felt in nearly all corners of the planet and beyond.

## Description

### Appearance

Kaasma takes the form of a gargantuan humanoid corpse. The most notable feature is that its head has been severed from the rest of its body. The head has been split open, and several tentacle like appendages can be seen extruding from it. Its purple and black skin is calcified and there is some instances of coarse black hair across its body. Across its corpse are several ruined buildings and structures made by the surviving Aurorans.

### Personality

As an ancient dead being, Kaasma's personality is difficult to fathom. From what is said about Kaasma, it is considered the enemy of all life, and its powers actively corrupt all living creatures. The reason for this hatred of life is currently unclear. It also held a deep grudge against the Astari for its imprisonment, so much so that it directly reached out to Lagos to free it and wipe them out. In this way, Kaasma displayed significant strategical intelligence by manipulating Lagos and by learning of his origins. However, since the Jupiter Incident, Kaasma itself has remained silent, making it impossible to analyze its character further.

## History

### Origins

It is unknown how Kaasma came into being. However, it is believed that Kaasma is as old as the universe itself, having witnessed the birth and deaths of stars and galaxies. It is unknown where and what Kaasma has done since its creation, but its burning hatred for life may have led it to directly corruption and ending all life it came across during its lifetime. Whatever the case may be, Kaasma amassed an immense reservoir of power, which manifested as Kaasma energy. It is also believed that during its lifetime Kaasma was worshipped by various cultures under different guises. One such culture was apparently the Aurorans.

### Feud with the Astari

At some point in its long history, Kaasma came to Io. The native Astari people became a target of its ire. However, in the Astari Kaasma found a worthy adversary. Using their magics to protect the planet via a barrier, Io was spared the corrupting power of this foul deity. It is unknown how long this conflict with Kaasma lasted but eventually the Astari managed to overcome Kaasma. Though they were unable to permanently rid themselves of the god, they were able to seal it away within the planet Jupiter. There Kaasma stayed for centuries, while its enemies continued to thrive in its absence. The Astari never forgot the threat Kaasma once posed, passing down tales to subsequent generations. They remembered this malevolent entity with a combination of fear and awe.

### The Jupiter Incident

During the ceasefire between the Auroran Federation and the Astari, Kaasma found its chance to be freed from its prison. It used its telepathic powers to contact an Astari serving as a Petty Officer with the Auroran Navy, who was stationed on Jupiter. It somehow discerned the truth behind the Astari's origins and conveyed them to him; that he was a clone of an Astari warrior who had been captured by the Aurorans and experimented upon. It told him he was being weaponized against his own people, who has abandoned his original self to his fate. With this revelation, the Astari Lagos became disillusioned and sought to get vengeance on both groups. Kaasma then offered Lagos a path to this vengeance; to freed it from its prison and unleash it upon the world once more. Lagos agreed to serve Kaasma, and was granted a portion of Kaasma's power. Using this energy, Lagos released Kaasma once more to devastating effect.

The release of Kaasma caused the gas giant to go nova, unleashing a massive eruption of fire that consumed Jupiter, Io and the Auroran Fleet. The catastrophe had many consequences, not least of which was the annihilation of the Astari and the near-annihilation of the Auroran Federation. During the Incident, Kaasma manifested into the Prime Plane once more, but things did not go accordingly. For one, Kaasma managed to give birth to three children; Kaasma Khara, Kaasma Thara and Kaasma Phar. However, the triplets were swiftly displaced from their parent and scattered across the different plane of existence. Kaasma Khara was banished to the Astral Veil, Kaasma Thara to the Shadow and Kaasma Phar to the depths of Dead Space. And perhaps strangest of all, Kaasma did not survive the Nova. Its head was severed from its body and its corpse was left to float aimlessly in the space between Io and Jupiter. Another piece of Kaasma landed on Jupiter creating a region that would become known as the Charred Carcinoma, birthplace of the Kaasmanites.

### Colonizing Kaasma

In the aftermath of the Jupiter Incident, some of the surviving Aurorans made their way to Kaasma's corpse. The Aurorans attempted to establish a presence on it using their remaining technology. They managed to construct a base above the brain of Kaasma called the Kaasma Mind Facility, as well as other disparate facilities. However, the Aurorans came under attack by unknown forces. Over time, the Aurorans were wiped out, with their corpses strewn across the vast body of Kaasma and their facilities left in ruins. These facilities, especially the Kaasma Mind Facility, came into the possession of Lagos, now bearing the title The Emissary of the End. He managed to free his brethren, the other seven clones, and began to draft their plans to destroy for Io once and for all. Though Kaasma was dead and silent, it was still the key to the completion of their revenge.

### Creating the Clan

Through the Kaasma Mind Facility, the Eight Lagos' were able to siphon Kaasma energy to empower themselves and to create followers to aid their quest. This newly formed clan included creatures like Beholders, the Kaasma Klaw and the changelings that would become their sleeper agents. Lagos and his brethren divided their forces between them, with Lagos the Failed Simulacrum taking the bulk of the forces and command of the Kaasma Mind Facility. At some point later, the Eight Lagos managed to locate the three Kaasma children. They then concocted a plan to use Kaasma Khara to penetrate Io and infect it with Kaasma energy to corrupt and destroy the planet. They managed to implant a large crystal in Kaasma Khara and insert one of their number, the Insidious Parasite, to pilot the undead child. However, they required more time to allow Kaasma Khara to become powerful enough to traverse to the Prime Plane from the Astral. In preparation, they unleashed the Clan of Kaasma, populating Io and the Astral with their sleeper agents.

## Phase 2 Story

### Rediscovery

The threat of Kaasma did not go unnoticed. With the reemergence of Kaasma Khara, an institution of learning in the Astral Veil began to organize a defense against the diabolic child. The Headmaster of the Academy, Levin, used his divination magic to identify a source of origin for Kaasma Khara and managed to construct a leyline to that location. He was completely unaware that location was the corpse of Kaasma. The Academy's task force, with the last minute addition of Khairen of the Miss Demeanor, was teleported onto Kaasma. The task force explored the surface for some time, coming to the horrific realization that they were on a giant corpse. While they were there, they were noticed by Lagos, the Failed Similacrum, who interfered with their leyline and set his Kaasma Klaw on them. The wizards and their druid ally managed to fight off their assailant and made their escape. Back in the Astral Academy, they and their Headmaster identified the location they arrived at as the parent of Kaasma Khara; Kaasma itself.

### New Recruits

Not long later, the death of Levin caused the goblins he had hired to turn their coats in favor of Kaasma. They came before Kaasma Khara to commit themselves to it. Lagos, the Failed Simulacrum, agreed to allow them to join the Clan of Kaasma, and teleported them to the Kaasma Mind Facility. The goblins and their companions found themselves in an unfamiliar metal facility with technology beyond anything they could imagine. Through an intercom system, Lagos spoke to the goblins, interrogating them about their new adversaries. The goblins claimed they could learn more at the Academy if they were powerful enough to infiltrate. On this suggestion, Lagos admitted them to a laboratory on the station, where the goblins would be transformed into warriors of Kaasma. Drawing energy directly from Kaasma, Lagos had his underlings infuse the goblins with unnatural powers through a long and painful process. Though the goblins survived the procedure, their companion Dungo unfortunately did not. Lagos hid this fact from his new underlings and set them back to the Astral Veil to attack the Academy.

### Traitors on the Loose

Upon their return to the Kaasma Mind Facility, the goblins were reprimanded by Lagos for what he perceived as poor performance on the mission. The goblins were disgruntled at this and also became suspicious at the evasive answers they received regarding the missing Dungo. Despite being ordered to sleep, the goblins began to explore the facility. During their travels they located the laboratory where they had undergone the Kaasma infusion. In one of the pods, they found the desecrated cadaver of their ogre friend. Lagos, having noted their absence, told them via telepathy that he was trying to spare them the grief to ensure their focus would be uninterrupted. Outraged, the goblins declared they would no longer work for Kaasma. Lagos then sent his minions after them, including his Kaasma Klaw. During the battle, Lagos used his command of Kaasma energy to assail the goblins' minds and take direct control of them. However, Mottle used his Kaasma Draw ability on the Kaasma batteries in the lab, which he shared among his allies. They drained the batteries and caused the energy to surge outwards, overcharging their bodies. This temporary excess of Kaasma energy broke Lagos' control over them, which allowed them to search for an escape unhindered.

The goblins found a way out of the facility and onto the body of Kaasma. There, they discovered that the facility they were in was suspended over Kaasma's massive brain, which was exposed due to its skull being split open. While they explored for a way out, Klernt found an Auroran soldier's corpse, and used necromantic magic to commune with it. The corpse gave them some insight about Kaasma and its role as the destroyer of Jupiter. On the subject of leaving Kaasma, the corpse informed them that the space station of the Astari Studies yet survived, before the magic expired. Navigating across the walkways above the brain, the goblins were able to find a terminal that could open a portal to the facility the soldier's spirit told them about. The goblins activated the portal, defeated the creature that lingered within, and teleported off Kaasma to the Auroran facility the soldier's spirit told them about.

### Kaasma Revealed

While the attempt to infect Io via Kaasma Khara failed, the planar shift enacted by Lagos, the Insidious Parasite caused a tear in the sky barrier above Io. This tear was witnessed all across Io, especially by a group of Hunters in Etropa, a group of warriors in the Crater of Atlas and a gathering of clerics on an airship in Northern Qethos. Through the tear, the people of Io could peer beyond the barrier to see the vacuum of space from the first time. Along with the red sun of the Nova, for the first time, Kaasma could be seen in all its glory. The sight of a giant decapitated corpse floating in space greatly unnerved any who saw it, though the corpse appeared to only float idly in and out of view.

### Within the Dreamscape

Meanwhile, on the Nova, a tribe of survivors were attempting to infiltrate an obelisk within the City of the Horn. To do this, they entered the Dreamscape, a mental labyrinth devised by the Minotaur seer Ewah. The seer had previously met and become suspicious of Lagos, the Emissary of the End, who was seduced the Grand Seer with the power of the Black Star. Using his people's magic, he extracted a memory from the Azure Astari, and hid it within the Dreamscape. When the tribe encountered and defeated an avatar of Ewah, it revealed the existance of this memory and sent the tribe there. The tribe witnessed the final moments before Lagos freed Kaasma and caused the Jupiter Incident. The memory of Lagos then began to engage them in combat, summoning apparitions of Kaasma's offspring to aid it. Finally, it summoned an illusion of Kaasma itself, much to the delight of the Kaasmanite T'las. The illusion was able to directly attack the lifeforce of the tribe during the fight. With the defeat of the memory of Lagos, the illusion disappeared.

### Departure from Io

Sometime after the success of his pawns in the Hellscape, Lagos, The Emissary of the End, was contacted by his original self, who remained alive somehow on the old Auroran homeworld. His progenitor requested that Lagos join him there, presumably to prepare another assault on Io. For whatever reason, Lagos needed to transport the corpse of Kaasma with him, an achievable feat with the combined power of Auroran tech, Black Star energy and Kaasma power. Before leaving, he came before the newly freed soul of his progenitor's father, Asmodeus, Lord of All Shadows. The two engaged in a heated argument over what fate should befall Io and its denizens as well as their tragic shared history. Asmodeus took particular umbrage with Lagos siding with Kaasma, his people's ancient enemy, and directly causing the genocide of his people. When the conversation finally reached a lull, Lagos announced he was leaving and taking Kaasma with him to meet with the original Lagos. With a bitter farewell, Lagos teleported back to Kaasma. Moments later, an earth-shattering boom was heard across the planet as Kaasma vanished, giving the people a temporary reprieve from its ever-looming malice.

## Phase 3 Story

Kaasma has not been seen by anyone for over 1000 years since its disappearance. However, its absence from Io implies it is likely somewhere with the remaining Lagos.

## Powers and Abilities

* **Kaasma Power**: Kaasma is the source of all Kaasma Energy. As such, all creatures that utilize Kaasma powers have gotten it directly or indirectly from the dead god.
* **Kaasma Telepathy**: Kaasma could speak to its servants through their minds. The most notable example of this is its communication with Lagos, the Emissary of the End to incite the Jupiter Incident.

## Notable Locations

### Kaasma Mind Facility

Above the brain matter of the dead good, nestled in its split skull, lies a pristine still functioning Auroran facility. The Kaasma Mind Facility, so dubbed for its location and function, acts as the control and command center upon Kaasma. It is from this location that Kaasma energies can be directly siphoned from the dead god, used by the Eight Lagos to infuse their minions with its energy. The facility contains numerous rooms, laboratories and servers and a communication room. Walkways exist all along the outside, spanning gaps far above the brain matter below. The facility still exists upon Kaasma to this day.

## Campaigns

The following campaigns and events take place on the dead corpse of Kaasma.

# **Goblins of Io**

## Mechanics

*Main article: Technical Details*
The world of Io is a heavily homebrewed setting with many experimental mechanics working at the same time. As an example, there are mechanics that apply only to a single campaign, and there're mechanics that are shared between multiple campaigns.

## Etymology

"Kaasma" appears to be an original name created for the World of Io setting. It is possibly is a corruption of the word "cosmic". which describes anything relating to the universe or cosmos, especially as distinct from the earth.

## Trivia

* Kaasma first appeared in Astral Academy Episode 3.
* Kaasma's status as a dead god is currently ambiguous. During Goblins of Io Session 20, Brett declares that Kaasma is dead, but is also considered undead at the same time, as are its children. It is also unclear if Kaasma was already undead prior to its imprisonment within Jupiter.
* According to the description of the Kaasma Turn in the finale of Nova Hellscape, Kaasma is said to have witnessed the birth of the universe and was worshipped under various different depictions by the original people of Earth, though it does not specify which deities Kaasma might have been.

## Images

### Official art

Kaasma as it can be seen through the tear in the Sky BarrierAn illusion of Kaasma conjured by the memory Lagos, the Emissary of the End in the Dreamscape