The Birdhouse

Act II

Session VIII (05/02/2026)

So the PCs have just lifted a blade ship and some mysterious boxes or something from a random asteroid on the edge of the blacksphere. Then they get jumped by five shardships.

They’ll be a dragon cruiser, two nautiloids and two turtleships, all overtaken by the black crystal - though the dragonhship not quite. It’s actually an ambush orchestrated by Darius working with the Syndicate, of course; the PCs can find this out if they board any of the shardships - they’ll find the interior only partially transformed, especially on the dragonship. It’s pretty freaky, with the crystal growing slowly out of the engine rooms (channeled through glitter, see this entry)

The PCs will almost certainly elect to get the hell out of doge upon seeing the ships; so where do they end up?

Can’t do the festival thingy since Az isn’t here, save that for later. So… what? They’ll be pretty close to the blacksphere…

Have them run into something in the astral sea, maybe? some curious character?

Perhaps, out of sheer chance, they run into a druid sect, aligned with the stargazers. A base of operations or something, supply post from before the cutoff, when it would have been much closer to the frontier. It’s an island called , built around a sacred divination device, a much larger armillary sphere looking thing. Sprinkle in some rumours of the origins of the device as relating to illithids somehow. There are also peaceful starlight apparitions hanging around - glowing ghosts, basically. They whisper sometimes, but don’t talk much.

The main druid who greets them is called Ember, and she’s a tiefling with kinda dark orangeish skin and ram horns. She’s a fairly young druid, in her 40s or so, and harbours a grudge against the syndicate and the alliance after her family trading ship got caught in some meaningless shootout between the two on the border. The ship wound up drifting to the island, like many damaged ships do, and she elected to stay.

If the PCs ask for information on history of any kind or any information on the remnants or shardships, they get sent to the lower levels of the island to look at the steles. There are two threats here: starlight apparitions and the tides of the astral sea.

The starlight apparitions (p59 in the menagerie) found in the lower levels are even less interested in talking than the ones upstairs, and attack on sight. As for the tides, some parts of the lower levels are below the high tide mark of the astral sea, and waves constantly (around every twelve seconds/two rounds or so) wash over them. Anyone who’s on the lower levels when a wave comes across takes 2d6 bludgeoning damage from being hit by a wave, and must succeed on a DC 14 dex save or be washed away, at which point they are trying to swim in the astral sea. It’s pretty easy to float, somehow, but they’ll be at the mercy of the currents.

The basic information on the steles is as follows:

  • The blacksphere was created by someone, somewhere
  • The remnants are linked to it, but the stele lists effects on small quantities of glitter right next to the sphere; not the kind of stuff that’s happening now.
  • There was some kind of illithid presence in the mid-circles before the majority of people got there. The peraxian empire spent a lot of time fighting illithid ships when it first tried to colonise the system a few hundred years back (time unclear from the steles, but longer than living astromancy archive, where they find out it can also cast locate creature and locate object. She also gives them a pole-vault spear (+1, can move to any side of enemy after attacking, +10ft jump height/length)

Then they head to Yuncheng (festival rock). As per the planning doc, they run into Az’s old crew in the back of the tavern, then get roped in to rescue the circus. Perhaps they have some remnants chained up in the back which the PCs need to take out in order to save the show.

Session X (20/02/2026)

Some stuff from last session:

  • A stargazer (probably rose) knows about pre-cutoff peraxian blacksphere research and the elf involved (it’s shuri lmao)
  • A different stargazer by the name of Silas is the one who experimented next to the blacksphere and first discovered remnants/remnant crystal (the black stuff).
  • The ‘locate person’ and ‘locate object’ on the astro archive have substantially larger range - a couple of systems or so.

Then the PCs head over to Yuncheng and drop off the cargo. Az meets up with some of his old buddies and learns over a hellbeer that there’s some nefarious goings-on at the festival. There’s rumours of some gladiatorial combat supposedly taking place at the festival on the weekend, and the festival’s been running very tight margins and doesn’t have the money for a healer or resurrections.

Some ideas for magic acts:

  • The top of the tent opens up for a fireworks display (it has glyphs on the top)
  • Precision flying (tossed flaming rings) - an act called ‘the seven rings of fire’
  • highly elaborate rope-swinging trapeze-type thing, taking advantage of the low gees
  • Exotic performing animals (gryphon, space hamster)

The basic setup is that there are some remnant bozos hiding in with the performing animals for the gladiatorial combat. Darius is in the audience as a guest of the syndicate, in order to show off the fighting troops he’s just given them. The syndicate know that the PCs are coming (they overheard Az in the tavern), so they’ve lent the otherwise fairly defenceless circus some veterans and mages (MM 348 and 7 respectively). However, if the PCs raid immediately (within a few hours) then the syndicate don’t have time to pull it off.

See The Tome for the map of the circus campus. Notable features:

  • A storeroom with a bunch of random magic bits and bobs inside (a lot of firework stuff as well)
  • The back courtyardy area has a shitload of rigging and wiring between the four smaller tents, the big top and the backstage, with some explosives attatched at various points.
  • There’s a watchtower with a mage on it in the back corner
  • There’s a twenty-minute daylight cycle and the back courtyard is poorly lit by a single torch

Notable characters:

  • The festival master - Inverio, an old aasimar, crafty one with a couple scars on his wing; ex-stunt performer and always on the hunt for growth and the next big thing. Will take any risk, currently in bed with the syndicate in secret from his performers. Was the one who sold out to YGMC.
  • The current lead wiremaster - Thalia Fortuna, a tiefling from “far away”. Makes extensive use of her tail in her stunts. Flirty, but secretly in love with the gladiator. Dark, ashen skin, piercing hot pink eyes and an afro with edges dyed to match.
  • The gladiator - Danny Robinson, a young man putting on an innocent facade who only joined the circus on their last show. A sorceror trying to pass as john human fighter after a particularly traumatic and isolating upbringing. Thalia has figured him out, but no-one else.
  • The leader of the seven rings - An aaracokra called Graal, been running with the festival for a long, long time, considering retirement. You can see the singed edges on his wings. The rest of the seven rings are extremely respectful of him. Thinks selling out a few years back was a bad call, lost them a lot of talent. The rest of the seven rings are each of a different race, using magic tatoos to fly around:
    • Heimdall, a half-elf
    • Vane, a dragonborn. Manifests illusory dragon wings during flight.
    • Lars, a dohwar
    • Renzo, a hadozee
    • Oraxia, an air genasi
    • Perrin, a human
  • The fireworks maestro - Jackson Silver, an ex-merc giff with a thing for cannons. Hates the syndicate after they wrecked his old ship, and will refit the storm chaser with some fancy new ordnance if they tell him about it and then fix it. There are a bunch more people in the circus - some musicians, a few more junior wire jockeys, and some administrative/helper flunkeys.

To top it all off, someone from the circus knows where to find reggie (three systems coreward, roughly, at the observatory).

Session XI (26/02/2026)

What happened last session:

  • The PCs did some shopping
  • Like a lot of shopping
  • They snuck into the circus, then met a hadozee helper out front called jimmy. He was pissed about being posted outside during dinner time and told them a bunch of stuff
  • They met up with Thalia and Danny, who are more dating than secretly in love, and found out that the festival master is more unpopular than ever.
  • Some more shopping
  • They met up with Thalia and Danny in a side alley, and agreed to try and fight the remnants. Precisely what’s going to happen is not quite decided, and they still have a day to go.

The PCs have two options - fight the remnants in the back lot, where it’ll be safer for civvies but there are a bunch of syndicate goons, or fight in the arena, without the extra goons and possibly with danny, but where darius and a bunch of civvies are.

Also, Jackson wants to contact them after the events, tell them to head on to the observatory, after refitting their ship with some proper ordnance. If they contact him beforehand (somehow) he’ll also rig up some fireworks around the place to help the PCs out.

Besides that, it’s just a big fight, basically.

The place the PCs are going next is the golantio observatory, where they’ll find carter and directions to the elven fleet, possibly after some shenanigans or something.

Session XII (05/03/2026)

So we’ve still got a half a fight to do, so finish that off.

  • What’s Darius up to and why doesn’t he come out and kill the PCs?
    • He wants to show of his new bruisers to the syndicate
    • So he comes out and zaps the PCs into the arena in their moment of peril, healing them so he can see a good fight
    • Actually, he zaps just the enemies in, so that the rest of the circus has to try and fight them until the PCs figure it out and get in there.
  • Aftermath
    • The circus asks for their help to oust inverio, the festival master, and ask az for advice on where to go next. as a failsafe, they instate danny as temporary leader in light of his heroism
    • Jackson silver works with kira to swap out the catapults for something more fitting, three souped-up cannon turrets
    • upon mention of the storm chaser, Thalia reveals she trained at golantio for a bit and says she knows a professor there who wouldn’t shut up about it.
    • Jimmy politely declines the PC’s offer if it gets made
  • Where to next?
    • The observatory & academy, to meet up with reggie and find the elven fleet.
    • What’s up with the observatory?
      • So the storm chaser is going to be the key to finding it, somehow;
      • But I want to make it more interesting than just ‘slot in the macguffin’ or whatever
      • Idea: the academy outfits the ship with a magic amplifier so that it can amplify the engine’s weave imprint and locate similar patterns
      • This requires running the engine at max (since none of the PCs can produce the magic required), then exactly timing flying in the path of the telescope/finder/thingy to locate the fleet
      • But some shardships show up last-second as Darius tracks them down

Session XIII (13/03/2026)

Last session was basically all finishing the fight lmao. After that, there was some consideration for what’s next for the circus. Also the storm chaser now has two turrreted 12-pound long guns as well as a 36-pounder front-only cannon.

As for what’s next for the big top, they’re packing up and moving out, heading away from the blacksphere. Inverio gets unceremoniously demoted to tailchasing syndicate mfers in dive bars.

See above for loosely what’s the plan for this session. Basically, head to golantio academy, meet up with professor Blackstaff and his wife/teaching assistant Alice Blackstaff. She’s also a halfling, but a storm herald barbarian. Blunt, to-the-point and extremely protective of basically everyone. ‘get behind me’ type person.

Session XIV (19/03/2026)

At the end of the last session, The PCs have just been jumped by Daruis showing up on a big ship with three other slightly smaller ships as backup. The big ship is used by Daruis as a magic amplifier; the three smaller ships are:

  • A minelayer - does what you think it does.
  • A missile boat - shoots a missile which arms, and on its next turn, shoots out in a line, damaging the first thing it hits in that line.
  • A turtle ship - beefy but low damage and slow.

Precise ship stat blocks:

Turtle Ship

AC 18 HP 144 BP 22 SPD 2000ft (4sq), 90 deg. Features:

  • Advantage on saving throws against mega spells
  • When the ship is reduced to 0 hitpoints, it is instead reduced to one. Once activated, the ship must be fully repaired for it to be used again.
  • Once per turn, the ship can reduce the damage it takes by 1d10. Attacks:
  • Three reduced-damage cannonades (+7/2d6), one each on the front and sides, fixed position. May also have more health; it is the tank, after all.

Minelayer

Base stats are that of a galleon, with reduced HP. AC 14 HP 100 BP 22 SPD 3000 (6sq), 45 deg. Features:

  • Minelayer - As an action, place a glitter bomb in an adjacent square. This bomb explodes when an enemy gets within 1000ft (2sq), damaging every ship within 1000ft of it for 6d8 fire, or half on a DC15 DEX save. Attacks:
  • Single front-mounted cannonade, +7/2d6

Missile Boat

Base stats are that of a galleon, with reduced HP. AC 14 HP 100 BP 22 SPD 3000 (6sq), 45 deg. Features:

  • Missiles - As an action, deploy a missile. It may travel to an adjacent square. It then arms, choosing a destination square. At the start of your next turn, it fires towards the selected destination square. It hits the first thing in the line, whereupon it explodes, dealing 3d10 fire damage. Attacks:
  • Single front-mounted cannonade, +7/2d6

Big Boy

Base stats of a hammership: AC 16 HP 196 BP 30 SPD 2000 (4sq), 90 deg. Features:

  • The exact same gimmick as the caster guy, but mega. Attacks:
  • None - casts spells.

For when they like 6v1 darius, he just casts a shitload of high-level spells - the classic four from the caster but level seven, as well as:

Some attacks for Kira, Ember, Reggie and Alice:

  • Kira:
    • Arm cannon: +5/1d10
  • Ember:
    • Spirit bow summon (like capn jack lmao): +7/1d8
  • Reggie:
    • Six-shooter: +9, roll d6 for possible effects:
      • Force - 4d6 damage to target
      • Fire - 2d6 impact fire damage plus DC19 DEX in 5ft radius for 2d6 more damage (half on save)
      • Lightning - as fire, but as lightning damage, and instead of a 5ft radius, it’s a line between the target and reggie
      • Poison - 3d6 damage, DC19 for poisoned condition
      • Radiant - 3d6 damage, 10ft circle around target: DC19 WIS or blinded for 1min, save at beginning of turn
      • Cold - 3d6 damage and half movemen
  • Alice:

    • Basic: +7/2d8

    • Advanced: Sea. When this effect is activated, you can choose one other creature you can see in your aura. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw. The target takes 1d6 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 2d6 at 10th level, 3d6 at 15th level, and 4d6 at 20th level. Sea. When you hit a creature in your aura with an attack, you can use your reaction to force that creature to make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is knocked prone, as if struck by a wave.

Session XV (26/03/2026)

The PCs are headed to the parking swarm in order to fix up the storm chaser, and also obtain a spirit golem (spirit warrior variant tuned for oortlings). They’ve got to sneak past the lighthouses somehow, either taking a hit on cash to go around or try and sneak through.

Things they need to do:

  • Repair the ship
  • Upgrade the armour for atmo-breaking
  • Obtain a spirit warrior
  • Look for a fix for graves.

Things they see in the parking swarm:

  • A couple of wanted posters stuck up with their names on them (no images) and no bounty listed; an amateurish job. They can even track down the kid who did it, it tracks back to the syndicate, who do genuinely hate them, though not quite enough to put a sizeable bounty on their head just yet.
  • Loads more alliance ships. at least ten are buzzing around, including one almost the size of the parking swarm. Proper force projection.
    • This is because of escalating violence between the darius/remnant-backed syndicate and the alliance navy. Also means healers are hard to find and harder to engage.
  • Everyone’s more tense, and some people are moving out cause of the encroaching blacksphere. There’s also rumours around that it’s close to swallowing up Xiaojin, the closest of the nine alliance planets to the sphere’s edge.

After repairing and obtaining the spirit warrior, for which Eeta’ll have to duel again, but this time it’s against a (relative) normie and so an easy win. Idea is to get them on their way pretty quickly.

So - the elven fleet: where is is? who’s there? what does it look like? what’s going to happen there?

In order:

  1. A good couple thousand glitter straight into the outer circles. They need to use the armillary sphere in order to not get lost.
  2. At the very least, Hermia is still around, and Rose and Eivor are also there. In fact, Rose is there for the same reason as the PCs: to ask for help.
  3. It’s on a planet (though the PCs know this beforehand). Said planet is very earthlike - The elves left the kilometers-long shardship in orbit and the PCs recognise it as such immedieately. They’re mostly concentrated in a single city planetside, New Remuria. It’s not got many normal buildings on it, with most people instead living in the converted remains of elven capital ships suspended in kilometer-tall redwood trees.
  4. The PCs get jumpscared by a dragon on arrival, who reveals himself to be eivor. He informs them that Rose is planetside talking to Hermia, as they are old friends, and that he hopes their ship is outfitted for atmo. After they head down to the port of New Remuria, they are greeted at the dock by hermia and rose, who congratulate them. She also offers to heal graves.

So Hermia’s still bitter at Shuri leaving, and she was their best black hole/remnant/shardstuff researcher. She’ll let them have access to the elves’ libraries, but they’re massive and the PCs don’t have much hope of getting anything out of them.

The eventual solution is installing a massive weave conduit in the storm chaser, or perhaps turning the 36lb long gun into one somehow, then diving into the sphere alongside Xiaojin.