Basalt Isle Raid

Introduction

A record of the messaging associated with the Basalt Isle raid that took place on 236 Day in the month of Arhat the Fire Lion, year 439 after the victory of Lanival (2 Oct, 2021).

The Void

This was in the main saferoom for the Defenders to interact with.

a yawning void torn in the fabric of reality

>exam void

A whirlpool of steaming ichor, the yawning void pulses as it spins, rhythmically growing and shrinking by several feet. You believe you could STUDY it to learn more.

>study void

You understand some of the shape of this tear in reality, and see how it may be manipulated. You believe you could TOUCH the void to send a piece of yourself into it, INHALE to bring Them into yourself, or WAVE to direct an extension in support of the defenders.

>touch void

You reach forward, feeling the gap and sensing Them laying beyond, ready and waiting. As you extend your awareness into the void, They eagerly reach and grab, pulling your awareness to Them.

Everything changes.

There is madness here, unbound chaos and crackling mutability, possibility, and power. They show you eternity, borrowing your mind to fuel Their engines and pour more of themselves through the void. The connection severs, and you struggle a moment to suffer through a pounding headache as you gather yourself.

(also gave head wounds)

>inhale void

Leaning forward you take a deep breath, inhaling the steaming space of the void deep into your lungs. It tastes of sweet apples and burnt meat, and suddenly you feel something clawing its way down your throat.

Everything changes.

Your vision spirals wildly and pulls to a distant horizon point. Far away, you feel Them, racing towards you, empowered for the stability and structured flesh of your lungs. They grow closer, when you find yourself exhaling sharply and coughing as you draw fresh air, and the connection severs.

(also gave chest wounds)

>wave void

Waving your hand high in the air, the void ripples in response, a long pseudopod extending outward. Guiding the tendril, you direct it upward and towards the field of battle. The wavering tendril grows translucent and stretches needle thin as it whips towards battlefield. Though you quickly lose sight of it, after a moment, you sense that it has latched onto something, and watch as material begins to be pumped along the tendril, across the distance.

Undead creation

This was in another room that the Defenders had access to.

a pile of dismembered parts

>exam part

A collection of dismembered limbs, torsos and heads, the origins of which seem to be primarily recently drowned sailors. Various marine parasites are slowly consuming the corpseflesh -- scuttling crabs, burrowing sandfleas, and writhing worms move on and around the pile. A pile of salt nearby suggests some effort was taken to preserve the parts, next to which rests a chirugeon's toolkit.

>clean part

Not sure where to begin, you poke through the assorted parts searching for inspiration. A leg with shark teeth buried in the calf looks to be in fairly good shape. Some kind of segmented worm has taken up residence in the eye socket of its half-decayed head, though the material looks usable. You push some scavengers aside, and do your part by gathering a handful of salt and sprinkling it over the pile. You organize the pile a bit and when you finish, the parts look more accessibly usable for assembly.

>push part

Grabbing a needle and thread from the chirugeons toolkit, you gather an assortment of parts, brushing aside a sandflea as you set to work assembling a multi-limbed monstrosity. Pausing every so often to check your handiwork, you finalize even stitchwork and kneeling before the monstrosity, carefully carve a ritual design across a handspan of its body. You stand up satisfied that you have prepared it to arise as one of the undead, and lay the assembled body aside for completion.

>exhale part

You sense a swell of arcane energy available nearby, and feel a slight pressure behind the eyes as you redirect it along ritual lines cut into one of the arrayed bodies, and you connect each essential node in turn. Abruptly the power surges forth, a dam bursting as wild torrents stream into the body! You siphon off a tiny fraction of the energy and direct it into reconstructing damaged tissue, the body's flesh knitting together before your eyes. The creature's recumbent form jerks once and then, as if awakening from slumber, its eyes snap open. Flexing with newfound strength, the zombie levers itself upright and shambles off to join the fight!