Pariah Session 8 - Play Report

Use the tags to find previous and for some more details.

This session mostly consisted of a dungeon - a localised “solid” in the sea of the Beyond.

Their companions set to guard their forms, the Band imbibed the puffball tea once more. Each felt their skin dissolve layer by layer, their muscle fibers unspooled and their bones ground to dust before being reconstituted after an age in a void broken by only pinpricks of cold burning light. Between each member of the Band was a vibrating silver thread, connecting each to one another. From Blue Grove extended another thread leading away and into the darkness - intuitively, he knew it would lead them home.

Amongst the stars, they saw a globe of solid reality, seemingly cast by a campfire. Gathered around it were six figures, human at first. As they approached, they saw each was skinless, raw and bloody, draped over with skin stolen from various entities known and unknown. The band negotiated with their leader, draped in scaled hides and calling themselves Lizard-Skin. It revealed that they had been severed from their silver threads, and wished to return “home” - in exchange for travelling home with the Band, they promised to lead them to where Idle-Quiet’s name - and a piece of their soul - was being stored. Using a nonchalant walk, they penetrated into the darkness and took the band with them.

They found themselves in a narrow corridor of flat grey stone, unmarked and ageless, unbitten by tools. The Skin-Wearers promised to guard the Bands silver thread, leading to a confrontation - they were unwilling to trust such strange beings. Eventually, they were convinced to accompany them into the complex of chambers and corridors.

Within, they saw found two directions - one with walls made of a material resembling a black plastic bag filled with meat and bleeding a dark silvery serum, the another stone corridor terminating in a flat surface, split vertically by a thin crack. Checking the floor, they found strange dog-like prints leading towards the stone corridor, and elected to follow them. As they approached the split stone, it slowly ground itself open, acting as a door allowing entry in a large chamber. The ceiling of the room was lost to darkness, strange pillars simultaneously bending and straight reaching upwards as if seeking something. To their left, another intrusion of the strange plastic-bag-flesh formed a passage, whilst opposite them was another door. Electing to continue following the tracks, they found a chamber filled with fleshy aquatic stumps, each about knee-height. Each was crowned with finger-length tentacles ringing a fist-width opening. The Band elected to work their way around the perimeter of the room carefully, aiming for another door opposite their entry point.

As the door slid open, Purple Point peered through. Within were four creatures resembling mobile anatomical diagrams of dogs - two walking on their hind legs, heads held high, whilst the other pair walked on their front, bodies hanging above them with the heads limp. From the opened chest and bellies of each a plethora of entrails and organs acted as limbs, caressing one another and their environment. Purple Point tried to give them meat, opening his pack and finding the nuggets of meat dried and hard, reduced to coal-like nuggets. Attempting to feed these to the Unfolded Dogs only angered them - the party defeating them without losses, although two of their number were injured. As the creatures were struck down, the bodies continued to twitch and growl.

The Skin-Wearers had a conversation with the Band, discussing the corrupting nature of the Beyond, and how some of the Band already bore its blessing. Shedding such taint in a bid to return home is how they ended up skinless, taking on fragments of new names manifested as their borrowed skins.

Opening the next chamber, they beheld an emaciated cow with a long silver-grey blade emerging from its ribs. The Skin-Wearers explained that the being was infested, and only appeared as a cow to them - assuming a form comprehensible to mortal eyes. Cunning Mountain approached to remove the blade, which followed them like a snake. Seemingly puppeteered by the blade, the cow stood and broke its own neck to face Cunning Mountain side-on. Its mouth opened slack, and a malicious whisper emerged from within - it asked for a challenge, denying any to pass by before it had been defeated. This back-and-forth continued until Golden Other challenged the being - asking who had the most fingers. Twelve digits erupted from the spine of the cow - only to be met by the 60 of the entire band. Defeated, the blade tore itself free, leaving the cow to die. It asked each to wield it as they based, and each denied it.

Continuing along their way, they found another fire, sat at by a single figure who bid they join it. Each time it spoke, strangle gurgles and croaks escaped the form. As it conversed, they slowly realised it was many smaller segments of skin, seemingly hollow and puppeted from within. Backing up in fear, they found nine figures approaching from behind - each of these further hollowed-out hosts. Blue Fallen threatened to kill themselves with their axe, denying the thing a name and form to steal if the band was not let free. The being acquiesced, and the band beat a hasty retreat.

If you would like notifications for blogposts and product releases, please sign up for my mailing list.