The Ship, a week out from the Steadfast, no shore in sight, carries in its hull the latest expedition that is the brainchild of not just the Amber Gleaners, but a number of other organizations that call those kingdoms home. Their destination, not some part of the beyond to the north south or even east of the area though of as the “civilized” lands but a strange realm known to few and that even fewer know how to reach. The city of Anepus, nestled on the eastern coast of the living continent known as The Head, where everything lives and nothing dead or artificial may survive for long. The land known to some as The Liminal Shore.

One morning the travelers notice that a new strange sail has replaced the old one on the jib and that the water no longer resembles the pale blue of the day before but is now teal and more solid, like a weeping slime or sludge literally carrying them atop it, The crew of the ship turns it back, assuring their passengers that they are not giving up and heading home but indeed are but a few hours from the grand city Anepus herself, and surely as this is spoken the horizon gives birth to a thin coastline which grows in size and detail as the “water” now referred to as grume by the crew carries them in.

Desantion Lamet, the senior Amber Gleaner and official leader of the expedition takes in the site of the city seemingly grown from a massive entanglement of living tree plant and foliage, stares in wonder. He is joined by the lively Envoy Janaka, the expedition’s representative of the League. The Sarraccenians are represented by the reserved by sunny Gardener Asu, and the Aeon Preisthood by the cantankerous and self important Bartarmas. Alongside them are our heroes, brave adventures who have left their lives behind for a taste of adventure in the strangest of strange new lands. Vireth Ka’el, a Protective Glave who Radiates Vitality stands ready, checking to ensure his shield, the sole weapon he typically wields, is nearby. The Inquisitive Nano who Controls Gravity is Fjorta Frey, she considers what it is she might sketch and document first once they make landfall. Last and certainly not least stands Ffilc Notrub, a Cheerful Delve who Rides the Lightning, brightening the day of all who may find this new world strange and unsettling.

They make landfall along the deep blue land, called Marl by some, and toss a rope onto the dock fashioned or “tamed” as the locals say from living branches. Upon arrival Desantion explains that he had arranged for the crew to purchase and provide Tokens for them, small seven sided discs that when worn or carried arrest the debilitating effect that the shore has on inert, non-living items. The problem however is that they were unable to procure enough for the roughly 30 members of the expedition so a conversation would need to be had. Vireth, who is one of a few responsible for providing defence, takes one and Fjorta, not really paying attention, takes one on a whim. Ffilc refuses, even though cautioned of the fact that the shore will affect the Delves very mechanical parts just as much as anyone else. Ffilc  still turns it down simply stating his mantra that what will be will be.

Others take the discs as well, including Barmartas who states it is important for him to have one due to his status and the need to maintain the trappings of his stature. A few others take them leaving Desantion with a single remaining token, Vireth offers to take it, but Desantion points out that, as Vireth already has one, the last will be staying with him.

The heroes’ first order of business is to find Desantion’s understudy, a young woman named Wres who has been along on the shore for at least a few months. Desantion tells them that she is to meet them with their guide in a tavern called the Silver Gullet due to its colour and shape. It take a bit as the group is quite taken with the sights, sounds and smells of the docks of Anepus, Some asking around is done with the heroes, especially by Fflic and Fjort who are fascinated by the myriad assortment of creatures, called tasm by the locals. This requires a refocusing on of the groups and finding the establishment only to learn from Wres that her guide did not show up as she should do.

Wres, a slender woman with short reddish brown hair and a tasm which appears to be several interwoven tendrils that she calls Silk,  tells them that she thinks the would-be guide Mende did not simply take their muxen and run, but may be trying to get her brother Amuz out of trouble that likely came as a result of the latter’s gambling problem. While Desantion decide to return to the expedition to give the worrisome news to the others and to come up with a back up plan, Wres enlist’S the heroes’ aid to search for Amuz in a place they know that he frequents; a den of inequity known simply as The Cove.

Making their way to the structure, which resembles a cross between a mollusk and armor plated octopus, is easy, The area is even more lively than outdoors with various strange games of chance and event to wager of  in every corner in every space. They decide to split up and ask around about Amuz, but not before they exchange their shin for the violet jewel like bugs know as muxen that are used for currency. Thankfully the exchange is wone to one, and the place keeps them in a coral box that has a token on it. Fyorta, with Ffilc in toe to keep her safe, starts asking all of the wrong sort of questions. These questions do not get her answers but instead the notice of the club’s security and also its owner, a large bulky woman by the name of Chindra. 

Seeing the guards, who are now nervous as Fjorta is moving quickly towards their boss, the nano uses her gravatonic abilities to root their feet to the floor. Chindra is not amused with the Nano, who Vireth warns to take this meeting carefully nor immediately with Ffilc, who has unfortunately been caught in the middle of things. Chindra, irritated with the groups focus on Amuz, who she tells them she banned from her establishment for his own good, finds herself in the awkward position of describing Tasms and Tasm etiquette to a group of newcomers. She decides to make them a deal. Leading them to the lounge in the back, with its marl and branch chairs covered in a vibrant yellow soft mossy substance, she lays out the terms.

She needs a fighter to go up against Gogol. The fighter that she did have lined up came down with a serious case of two broken legs for not paying his gambling debt. This news snaps Fjorta out of her current flighty mood, she now begins to realize the seriousness of this. She tells Vireth, who as the only skilled fighter among the three is essentially volunteered by the other two, that if he makes the bare knuckle fight look good and if he goes down convincingly in the second round, she will tell them what she knows of Amuz’s likely location and even through in two tokens. Ffilc and Fjorta are then escorted out by guards who clearly carry a grudge for the earlier gravity manipulation and find a good spot near the ring, which looks like ropes made of sinew on a mat made of the same flesh as tongue. 

Vireth is given space to get ready. He is escorted out to a mix of mostly boos and cheers (with Ffilc and Fjorta, joined by the oblivious Wres, leading the cheering section). Not a moment after the massive Gogol, standing a full head and shoulders above Vireth arrives. The tap fists and the shell is wrung. Vireth starts off ducking and dodging, he then makes a step in and rocks the big man with an uppercut that clearly gets his attention. Sure enough this gets Gogol swinging, which Vireth manages to dodge long enough for the first round bell to ring. In the second round it is Vireth who starts off hard, swinging and landing a few more good hits that surely have Chindra worried of losing her wager until the glaive starts to “falter”. Gogol, not realizing the charade for what it is, moves in and belts Vireth, sending him to the mat. He stays there for a convincing amount of time before letting the others “ help” him up. The heroes cast an eye to the burly woman and her fox-like tasm. They”ve held up their end of the bargain, now will she ?

After the fight is over and the punters have all gone to cash in their winnings, Chindra takes our heroes out back, this time with Wres as well who is worried about the beating Vireth has taken during the fight. She is surprised to see the proprietor of the Cove pay him two whole tokens for his loss, the realization of what actually took place slowly dawning. Chindra then provides the much sought information of Menda’s brother Amuz, and how he has fallen in with a dangerous bunch of criminals known as the Grey Teng. The Teng prey on the weak and the desperate, will take high stakes bets on near anything that always tip in their favour, especially when addicts like Amuz are concerned. They always collect their debts owed, either in Muxen or in trade.

With this in mind, the heroes make their way back up to the Silver Gullet where Desantion waits. He is accompanied by the ever complaining Barmartas, the Envoy Janaka, as with the mysterious Aryx. The Gaian seems to have made a friend in the form of  a hawk shaped creature made out of leathery flesh, its pterodactyl style head ending not in a beak but in a protrusion that is home to a half dozen anteater like tongues that greedily wrap around and devour the grubs Aryx feed it. Fjorta is immediately a fan, asking Aryx, who responds in his heavy depalatalised drawl, anything and everything about it. She also takes note of the bowl, itself alive seeming to be made out of warm veiny cartilage, and the glass, a translucent gelatinous creature with visible organs and nerves, that makes a delightful “splork” sound when slammed down. 

Ffilc and Vireth discuss the situation with Desantion, ignoring Barmartas’ complaints. At the mention of the Grey Teng, the barkeep mentions it is better to forget their friend and move on. When pressed, the woman mentions the Teng can be found in an undercity-like portion of Anepus referred to as “The Tubes” hollowed out root-like structures tamed from large branches. The heroes decide to head down to find these Teng and hopefully Mende and Amuz as well. Asking around they find The Tubes, brown wooden walls with giant knots for doors and low glowing pulsating  bulbs that give off a low brown light. Dampness allows a light to moderate fog to hover above the floor. It is not long before they find a few members of the Teng where the fog is the heaviest and the most beige . A confrontation with a pair of the criminals leads to the location of Amuz, who is not too far away. It takes our heroes mere minutes to arrive at their destination.

Fjorta touches the knot and thinks of opening, the feature unravels revealing a number of men in the living grey cloaks associated with membership in the Teng, one produces a hairy clawed glove, another a length of living coral chain, pocked like a golfball and laden with barbs. Beyond them lies another knot leading deeper into the enclosure. A few terse words are exchanged before the Tengs attack. Fjorta hovers over the thugs and uses her gravity powers to trip up a would be assailant, while Vireth draws a would be attacker from her to him instead, battering the Teng with his shield with such force and fury that the man is instantly vanquished, nose broken and jaw snapped. Ffilc for his part, holds the third man’s chain weapon in high regard.  Using his own whip and expertise in such weapons, he manages to stop an attack by causing the chain to wrap around his forearm before demonstrating why people say he rides the lightning, delivering a shocking blast to the thug and seizing his weapon.

Fjorta manages to stay out of reach of her foe, whose ability to act is limited by his artificially increased weight. Unfortunately that is when the door behind her opens and three more Tengs, including this band’s leader, step out and first focus on her as the nearest target. Fjorta is thankfully able to react in time, moving out of the way quick enough to allow one to strike the other in folly. The leader watches, attempting to intimidate with his position, as his men fight our heroes, stepping in once he realizes that they are outmatched. Vireth redirects one of the thug’s attack back at the leader, who kills his underling for his incompetence before moving on to fight the glaive. The battle is hard pressed, and ends when Vireth brings his shield down hard on the man’s thigh, snapping his femur with such force it rips through the thigh muscles and punctures the skin in the back. Upon seeing this, the other Teng quit the fight and moved to flee. 

Ffilc and Fjorta make their way out back, finding Mende and Amuz affixed to the chamber via a length of elastic blue marl cuffed around their ankle. Vireth in the meantime, does what he can to keep Teng from bleeding out from his injury. Mende explains that she had followed a similar path to try and find her brother, but was captured and forced to tame cyphers for the Teng to pay her debt. She informs the heroes that even though she has a contract with the expedition, she will have to break it unless Amuz can accompany her as he will get himself into too much trouble otherwise. The heroes inform her that they can certainly work something out and make their way out of the roots and back up to the rest of the expedition.

When they arrive, they see Desantion negotiating with a massive creature, a wholkin guide by the name of Li Feng, who has agreed to lead the expedition across to the settlement site once Janaka and Desantion assure it that they have permission from the Empress of Everything. Fjorta, naturally fascinated, bombards Li Feng with questions. The wholkin for its part attempts to act comfortable with the fanatic level of interest Fjorta displays but the intensity of this prevents Li Feng from convincingly doing so. Janaka mentions in passing to Ffilc whose idea the hiring of another guide was with not so subtle gestures towards the cantankerous aeon priest. It is agreed that more is indeed merrier, all will go. Desantion thanks the heroes for all they have done, paying for a cozy room for them upstairs as thanks. They will need be well rested, for tomorrow they set out on their journey.

The heroes are woken by Desantion Lamet gently knocking on their door to let them know that the expedition will be setting out from Anepus soon. They wake their way downstairs where the adventurous Ffilc decide to take the Silver Gullet’s chef up on the offer of some wiggly gelatinous breakfast, mostly orange in colour, it tastes of sweetness and citrus. The man describes how the hamper provides foodstuffs, and how someone had previously tamed the “hamper” that produces it years ago. The topic of conversation turns to tasms, the man having a bruise coloured bump that looks like a birthmark on his neck for his. They learn that  to gain a tasm, the land itself will try to “open” to them and “invite” how it does this, the man really can’t say, it feels a little different for everyone. Around this point, Barmartas’ loud “harumphs” and Desantion’s “ uhms and ahhs” not so subtly communicate that the characters need to hurry up. The chef gives them a bit of Orange Gel to go, served on blue marl trays.

They set out on their journey of several days in the direction of the community of Rahbmas. Spirits are high. The first day is quiet, but on the second, they come upon the strange sight of what appears to be around a half dozen pick axes lying on the ground near a wall of smooth blue marl. Mende tells the heroes that this is odd, as not many would need such tools to shape the land, only those who have not yet received a tasm or have lost it. Before they can question her much about this, Barmartas, impatient old coot that he is, status forward and goes to pick up the pick axes, very much wanting to keep moving. Fjorta tries to convince the aeon priest that perhaps  there is a learning moment here, and that they should proceed with caution, but Barmartas is having none of it. He picks up the pick axe and watches in bewilderment as it suddenly changes into 3 foot-long transparent slugs with rigid spines; mimetans.

All but one of the tools transform, they start biting Barmartas and leaping up at him. Those that bite the aeon priest divide, causing their number to increase. The heroes, along with a number of their fellow expedition members, run to the rescue. Ffilc, using the whip that he acquired from the fight with the Teng, strikes at the creatures, Vireth, careful aim, dispatches a number of the creatures with his disc launcher, and Fjorta, levitating into the air, uses her esotery to strike the creatures with raw force, blasting her fair share. In addition, Aryx and his winged pet attack , Amuz stabs one or two, Li Feng brings the fury only a wholkin can to a fight and Sora dispatches a number with her mighty hammer. In roughly a minute, all but a handful of the creatures are dead and gooified, with the survivors disappearing back into the living landscape. Lieri, the expedition's most experienced healer, takes care of Barmartas’ bites the best she is able. And the expedition continues on along the trail.

It is Fllic who first receives the invitation. Expecting and hoping for it, he does everything he can to convince the land that he is receptive, only to find a tiny glass caterpillar, barklight iridescent blue and violet skin on it, and with two small red tendrils that fall back over tis head like a mane, is perched on his shoulder. The little creature puts out friendly and happy vibes, which Ffilc reciprocates the best he can with his new friend. He names his tasm Jewel. Within the next few days, both Fjorta and Vireth also get the feeling that the land reaches out, Vireth’s tasm resembles a half meter long dragonfly with the wings of a bat whose veins mimic and ever changing topographical map, and whose tail ends in long wavy black tendrils. Fjorta finds a hexagonal limpet the size of her palm. The creature is covered in square and hexagonal shaped bumps that have the texture of smooth wood and a line of feathers on the top of it. Though slow (using sticky white pseudopods to move around) it communicates with feelings of bursts of energy. By the time the third day comes to pass everyone, even Barmartas, has opened up to the land and accepted a Tasm. 

During the trip Vireth, curious about the nature of Leiri’s talents, speaks to her on health, vitality, and medicine. He learns that the young woman has joined to learn about the medicines that a land such as this might provide, and mainly uses natural plant based salves and cures. The expedition comes across a quartet of Wholkins, modestly dressed in simple robes, heading in the opposite direction. The lead wholkin hails the party, discusses news of the road in their direction and is happy to hear that there is not much of concern along their course. They tell the expedition about the Monastery of the Word and the Word of God, a trio of islands that lay to the south of the Head, and the pilgrimages made by fellow members. One asks if the ground of the heroes’ homeland is truly dead, and becomes intrigued by Fjortas assertion that the ground is full of life, but in just a different way. The fourth shares and trades some of its bio circuitry to Fflic in exchange for a pair of cyphers. The wholkin missionaries peaceably and politely part ways, and the expedition marches on, Mende and Li Feng telling them that the rest stop village of Rahbmas should be reachable by the end of the next day’s journey.

During the journey to Rahbmas, Ffilc has noticed a worrying trend. The metallic outer layer of his form has begun to exhibit a number of bubbling and cracking, as if moisture has gotten underneath and has begun to cause some sort of oxidation, almost like a series of metallic rashes over his body. He and Fjorta have worked together to use the biocircuitry that Ffilc had traded for to make poultices and a salve to hopefully treat this development.

Along the same line, all unprotected gear and equipment not native to the Shore has broken down and, as the locals say, “gone back to the land”. This includes the clothing which has concealed Ffilcs nature, something that has drawn a bit of conversation and chatter as the expedition arrives at the traveller community of Rhabmas. Mende and Li Feng lead them into the area of the community known as the center pavilion; a large, roughly circular area known for its inns, taverns and street market.

The heroes encounter something new, fuzzy moth like creatures, apparently bipedal, conversing with each other and several merchants. Amazed Fjorta gets close, too close, taking note and composing sketches. There is a noticeable shift in the demeanor and one of them, in grammatically correct but slightly accented Truth, asks Fjorta what she wants. They quickly identify her as a newcomer and try to answer while at the same time slipping away. Eventually when Fjorta buries herself in a  particularly engaging note, she asks a question and looks up to see that the creatures, who call themselves Creel, have left.

Vireth comes across a vendor who pulls scoops of wriggling maggot-like creatures out of a plant-like hamper. They smell strongly of hashbrowns. The vendor charges Vireth two muxen for a mass of the creatures placed inside a folded over leaf. He decides to remove the heads of the creatures to stop the wriggling before eating them. They have a consistency of mashed potatoes and taste as they smell. While eating, Sora, the other glaive on this expedition, approaches. She mentions how unsettled she is by the presence of  “The machine man”, referencing Ffilc and offers to watch Vireth’s back and suggests they both keep an eye on him. Vireth gives a non committal response that feels a bit like a brush off to the Glaive, who heads off shortly after.

Ffilc for his part has purchased a goo that tastes like wontons in a paper thin seas shell type container, itself edible as well, from a vendor who squeezes it out from branches of crystalline coral. Desantion finds him and apologizes for bringing him here, due to the rumoured degradation of his metal body, Fflic reassures the expedition leader explaining that his metal form is not his choice and it is his hope that the land gives him back an organic body. Satisfied by the answer but still feeling responsible, Desantion Lamet tells Ffilc that should he need anything then Ffilc can come to him for help. The Amber Gleaner also takes Ffilc advice and gets himself a scoop of goop as well, but not before claiming a shopkeeper who is angry with Fjorta for commissioning an item that she cannot afford. Desantion comes to the rescue with some additional muxen and gives the mucosal extruded jewellery back to Fjorta, who is a little embarrassed by the situation.

Vireth approaches and fills Ffilc in on the comments made by Sora, he is unphased. Aryx interrupts their conversation to inform the heroes that there is a man who claims to be from Qi that tells stories in one of the nameless taverns. The five of them decide to head in and listen to the man’s tale about his youth in the legendary city, before passing around a fuzzy sock like item which the occasional listener deposits a few muxen.The man, in his 70s stands and slowly makes his way off of the makeshift stage leaving it open for any who would speak. Fjorta takes up this offer and give a heavily pantomimed oral description of the journey of food through the human digestive system. Strange as the tale is, it does earn her 6 muxen from the assorted listeners. A few others, including Aryx, give storytelling a try but none have quite the same level of success. Desantion has arranged for everyone to bunk indoors upstairs so, with Vireth waiting for the others to be secure in their rooms, he turns in.

The next morning the expedition finally goes off road east across the living landmass known to the locals as The Head, Ffilc uses his skills as a delve to help Mende and Li Feng to navigate the terrain. Even though they know roughly how to get where they are going, the living land changes, and a path must be found anew after so much time has passed. Later while Mende is thanking Ffilc for his insight, and discussing the realm below the skin known as the Underhunger (a subterranean domain of living tissue and organs that gives Vireth the heebie jeebies) she notices that a number of expedition members are setting up camp somewhere they should not. She calls out but it is too late, the long licorice red tendrils reach down and scoop up the four men. Their forms develop an aura resembling a gasoline rainbow which begins to leave them and spread down the plant, causing them to scream in pain.

Ffilc rushes in with his whip, which is particularly effective in harming the vines of what Mende calls a Shoredew. The barbs react to it and cause it to drop its victim, Vireth rushes in and drags the man to safety as both Fflic and Fjorta, after overcoming the shock, repeat the process as best they are able. Vireth continues to rush in, dragging the men to safety but the longer one stays in the Shoredewès grasp the weaker and more disposed they become. Eventually the lifeform gets luck and scoops up Ffilc only to have the delve deliver it a shocking grasp, causing it to drop him. Vireth, once all of the men are free and clear, fires a buzzsaw blade into the thin, causing it to bleed out whatever it has that passes for blood. Between the whip, buzzblade and onslaught, the Shoredew never stood a chance. Lieri and Mende tend to the injured as best they can, however Mende is also preoccupied trying to salvage a useful gel from the remains of the creature. They apply it to the injured and it begins to have almost immediate impact, the remaining doses, useful to assist with tame, should be handy as well.

The next day Fjorta and Vireth take note of the worsening conditions that the poultices on Ffilc are experiencing. An idea from Fjorta prompts a visit with Li Feng who is able to give them their introductory lesson in taming, though the Wholkin is at a bit of a loss on how to teach them something so innate to it. Ffilc is able to bend his branch and Fjorta is able to cause new flowers to bloom off hers, but she inadvertently causes them to expel some sort of pollen which due to her growing relation to the Kai and the Shore seems to have no effect. Li Feng offers to help Vireth, but he declines for now. Having made minor changes to the land for the first time, The four rush to catch up with the rest of the expedition, wondering what they will find next and what they may use their talents for in the future.

The heroes catch up with the rest of the expedition and not long after they arrive at what promises to be the first of a number of difficulties put up by the land itself. They have encountered a river of slime separating the fungal shelf they are on, and another sixty feet away and twenty feet below. Mende informs all that to turn around would take at least a day to make up the lost ground and would take them away from a village that she and Li Feng agree is reachable before sunset should they be able to cross. Ffilc points out a long dandelion-like growth, over 100 feet tall, which seems to have some sort of electric current running though it, as the only thing long enough to cross the gap. 

He is told that this is something called a luminiferous delion. They are notoriously hard to tame and there is risk due to the current that runs through them. Flic volunteers to help and the three of them, with Mende at the forefront, press Amuz, who has done nothing but complain since leaving the comforts of the main trade routes, to assist. It takes over an hour, but they manage to bend the delion down making a steady bridge. Fjorta, during this time, has successfully tamed a number of branches into long rope-like strands. She uses her gifts to drift across the goop and finds a good spot to tie the cords down, making a simple rope bridge that people can shift down and across. The decision is that Fflic, Fjorta Li Feng and a few others will lead the wagons and the pack animals across the delion which Sora and Vireth guide the rest of the people across the bridge.

There is mild disagreement over who will go across last, Sora of Vireth. Vireth does win a battle of the wills, sending Sora across before himself, with her promising next time it will be her watching his back. Once the others have the wagons and their mounts, smaller domesticated versions of the hawlda called the norhja hawlda about half way across, (potential) disaster strikes. A current runs through the stalk of the tamed delion, Fflic manages to brace himself against the effects but Fjorta and Ogdin - one of the young men who Ffic helped save from the Shoredew - are hit hard. Fflic manages to get his animal under control with a surprisingly expert hand while Fjorta, leaving nothing to chance, uses her powers to immobilize the creature until it calms. Thankfully there are no further issues and the wagons and expedition members are safely reunited on the other side.

True to Mende’s assurances, they arrive in a small village near nightfall. The village Vellivar, is small and consists of a number of homes tamed from one or more giant toadstools and fungal growth, and a large circle around a thin central mushroom tower three stories tall. Fjorta talks up a labourer carrying a sack of moving objects. She learns that the village’s main product is the spores that grow from the mushrooms. Offered one as she had never had one before, the puffy softball sized object is delicious. The merchant, Cora, is happy to answer questions at first, but is soon overwhelmed by the sheer number of questions - and the detail needed to answer them - posed by the inquisitive nano. He soon makes an excuse to try to leave, but Fjorta, not taking the hint, follows him to the central structure, which is the towns food storage.

Vireth, seeing a good opportunity, decides to give taming a try. Finding a secluded space and focusing on what he saw his companions do, as well as remembering the words and advice of Li Feng, he concentrates on a branch and, opening himself to the world, manages over the course of an hour to tame 12 usable discs for his buzzer weapon. There are some imperfections when compared to the genuine store bought item, but the glaive is satisfied that his “homegrown” ammunition should function just as well as the originals. 

Flic speaks to an older lady that he sees sitting out and relaxing. He learns the name of the village, what the village does and the source of what looks like bites or chunks missing from several structures. Lynara Kett, who turns out to be the matron of the community, explains that there have been large floating creatures that began to show up a few weeks ago. The villagers have managed to fend them off, but not before some damage has been done and some injuries have been sustained. She offers to put up Ffilc and the other members of the expedition in the community overnight and, upon learning that they intend to continue further into the head, cautions him to avoid the beasts. 

With almost perfect timing, she calls out, as she notices one of the creatures - a translucent jellyfish like being with bioluminescent shapes and organs inside it, arrives and moves towards the village. The beast is nearly 40 feet tall, 10 in the body, 30 in the dozens of tendrils. One tendril reaches out and stabs the roof of a home, sucking a chuck of the roof out and up into its body. Three men arrive and strike at it with clubs, the beast hits two of them causing a horrible burning sensation. The heroes spring to action. Fflic being the closest snares a tendril with his whip and drags the creature down to the ground while Fjorta and Verith try to close the distance.

Flic quickly discovers the danger of this creature, not only does it have ample focus and tendrils to attack any and all within range. Its whip-like strikes burn -even metal skin. Despite his most valiant efforts, it is not long before Fflic must fall back and let his comrades take over. He notices that in some places the burning has exacerbated the issue with his rashes. Some of his metal skin has fallen away revealing something smooth and white beneath.

Meanwhile Both Fjorta and Vireth strike form a distance with their mental powers and buzzer respectfully. It takes a few hits from each to finish the work that Ffilc started, but it is not long before the beast has been felled and others are able to start tending to the injuries of the defenders. The heroes learn that this is simply one of a number of such creatures that are in the area, normally as many as four have appeared at any given time. This is the first one that has fallen, and that has been slain in defense of Vellivar. Will our heroes let it be the last? Or will they delay their journey to help these poor people?

Our heroes set about getting answers and taking a little downtime to recover overnight. Ffilc and Lynara talk and she mentions again the trouble that these jellyfish creatures have been attacking the community to feed on their homes, and the defenders have not always been so lucky as to avoid major injury, pointing at a young man with a winding vicious looking scar on his torso. Many of the townsfolk come out and mingle with the members of the expedition, sounds of conversation; people figuring out where they will be spending the night, a spore hawker selling his tasty wares, and so forth. Lynara insists that the heroes of the day take her spare room before wandering off to mingle with the townsfolk.

Sora attempts to strike up a conversation with Vireth, but finding this difficult, feels rebuffed and leaves. Ffilc stikes up a conversation with Desantion Lamet, mentioning the idea of helping the community of Vellivar with its problem in a more complete way, Desantion likes the community minded idea and, feeling that they could use some friendly neighbours out here in the middle of the wilderness, asks to accompany Fflic to speak with the community leader. They are first joined by Fjorta, who is inquiring after Ffilcs condition and health, Ffilc feels relatively fine, however the battle with the jellyfish creature has caused more “rusted" skin to break wavy exposing and ivory looking hard white skin below. Next Spetzcawl, also curious, joins them. The charming nano asks if the companions have noticed “it”, gesturing to the starry night sky above. It takes a minute, but Fflic, an expert navigator, suddenly realises that the moon is missing from the sky, and has not been there since they arrived in Anepus.

Spetzcawl slips away. The heroes approach Lynara asking for more details about the troubles. She tells them that they know the lair of these creatures, and counting the one the heroes killed, there are at least 4. She tells them she will send Seelah, a young woman who is an experienced scout, with them tomorrow to track down the creatures. When asked about the young men carving up the corpse, she tells them that the creatures appear to be a source of various iotum. It is when she is asked why the moon is not in the sky that she becomes confused. She asks what a moon even is, as to her the sky looks as it should. Fjorta goes through a number of explanations, however it is difficult as Lynara has no reference point for what the nano is talking about, often misunderstanding what is being said for a second sun “at night”. Fjorta, not the sort to give up, tries to use a page from one of her books to show the increasingly confused woman what the moon looks like (most of the time). She thumbs 

Through the pages only to find the one she looks for is missing. There is an IOU from Barmartas on a scrap of paper in its place. Defeated for now, and annoyed with her patron, Fjorta decides to be satisfied with Lynara’s partial understanding…for now.

The group sleeps, though some have some very bizarre and unsettling dreams. Not Ffilc, who in contrast to most of the expedition has one of the best sleeps since arriving on the shore. They meet Seelah, and with Aryx, Ogdin, and Sora volunteering to assist, head north towards the lair. They encounter a truly horrifying sight, a globby fleshy wall that is partially see through and wobbles as if made from some sort of lovecraftian gelatin. Perhaps the most horrifying part of all are the creatures seemingly fused partially in the wall. Ogdin vomits at the sight of this. Seelah informs them that this horror is a Melding Wall which, contrary to what the party suspects, is not eating the creatures, but is partially assimilating them to feed off of their slowly renewing kai, a fate truly worse than death. Fjorta decides to volunteer use of her phase cypher, which will make the wall passable without becoming a part of it. Though it is out of phase, walking through the wall is still a terrible and mentally unpleasant experience.

It is not long after that they arrive at their destination. A number of branches naturally bending into each other over what looks like multiple patches of “blue mud”. They manage to pull two of the creatures back out of their layer towards the heroes, the seven of them make short work of the creatures, largely staying out of the way of them. With one left, victory seems assured, but is it too soon to be sure ?

The Heroes move in to defeat the last of the bizarre jellyfish like creatures, towering as it does in its lair above the blue mud. Now with superior numbers Vireth and Fjorta move in. Attacking it and dragging it out. Vireth fires and backs off with his buzzer, while Fjorta uses her powers to weigh it down, making it heavier and slower to move. Fflic, Aryx and Ogdin stay back, while Sora rushes up to attack with her spear. A combination of buzzer and onslaught hits batter the creature, which itself gets a few good hits in. Vireth, backing up, puts his foot in a pool of blue mud and begins to sink up to his knee. Ogdin and Ffilc rush in to help while Aryx rushes to Vireth. Ogdin unfortunately falls while attacking and Ffilc, who gets a few good hits in with his living whip, discovers that hitting the beast the wrong way has caused his weapon to go limp and become stunned. 

Fjorta brings the creature down with a particularly potent mental blast and Vireth, with Aryx’s help, is able to free himself from the blue mud. Ffilc sets to work with the aid of Fjorta’s biology know-how, to salvage what he can from these gelatinous monsters finding sacs of mimetic gel bluish apt clay, and a couple of useful cyphers. At Seelah’s encouragement, they make their way back to the village, taking steps to avoid the horrifying Melding Wall this time, even though it adds a bit of time to the journey. They arrive back in Vellivar around midday as heroes, the locals more than happy to pass on their congratulations. While Ffilc would like to stay the night and continue in the morning, the ever cantankerous Barmartas pushes to leave as soon as he can, not wanting to experience any more strange dreams. A compromise is reached and Lynara rustles up several days worth of food and treats over the next hour for the expedition. Not long after they are on the road again, having made a friend of the people of Vellivar.

Ffilc has also made an interesting discovery regarding the new ivory skin beneath his metal exterior. He can feel it. When he touches a patch with his still metal covered fingers he can feel the touch of his hand on his body, but not the body on his fingers. A marked improvement over his previous situation and further confirmation to himself that he has made the right move on joining this expedition. Fjorta has also taken notice of an interesting discovery; the lattice of bent interlaced branches could only have been done by taming, it seems that the creatures of the Liminal Shore themselves have such an ability in at least limited capacities. She also learns that disruption of the Kai, even to set up defences, is a sacreligious and taboo action, to do so invites all manner of disaster as the living land instinctively responds with a number of potential harmful actions and reactions. Vireth continues to  work on taming his own ammunition for his gun which has been getting better the more he has done it.

A day or so passes when the heroes notice a bizarre creature in the woods that both looks and does not look like an actual complete animal.  Fjorta directs Mende’s attention towards the creature, and the guide's face drops all colour. She identifies the beast as a Fusura, a horrible creature that kills and melds parts of its victims body into itself. The creature has seemingly been stalking and surveying the expedition and chooses that moment to break cover and charge at Sora. Vireth moves to block the attack with his shield, taking the beast on head to head. Fjorta and Fllic rush in and between whip attacks, shield butts and mental blasts the creature realizes that it has bitten off more than it can chew and retreats to presumably lick its wounds and hopefully not try again.

In the moments after, the expedition resumes, heading ever deeper into the centre of the continent and their eventual destination. What other dangers await before they complete their journey?

Ythack stands back by the caravan, his truculon Nibu at his foot and his tasm,  a prismatic creature that appears to be part koala and part insect named Pim, hovering around his shoulder. He watches as the expedition approaches its latest curiosity and possible obstacle, a field of long white stalks of what almost looks like wheat with white puffy blobs of pollen-like matter clinging to the tops and drifting throughout the air. As he approaches he sees Fjorta, Vireth and Ffilc taking stock of the same, it appears to be at least a kilometer across and extends several in either direction. Ffilc is talking to the guides Mende and Li Feng, neither of which seem familiar with this particular phenomenon.

Ffilc decides to test the waters a bit, he has an uneasy feeling about this grass, he takes a bit of the puffy white substance floating in his hand,;nothing. He gently moves his hand over the top of the wheat, like a pianist might with the keys of a piano, and immediately understands why he felt the way he did. The “wheat” makes a sound when brushed and moved, it strikes something deep inside him that causes uneasiness and nausea.  Whatever this stuff is, it's bad news, and he recommends to Desantion Lamet that they go around not through. Lament accepts the wisdom of this suggestion and begins to make plans to go around.

Almost as if on cue, Barmartas rears his head to protest how much time that will add on their journey, a bit of an argument begins with Ythack stepping forward to support Ffilc. The detour is happening, period. Defeated, the old aeon priest huffs back to his caravan, preparing to point out that he is right the moment even the smallest thing goes wrong. As all are packing up, Ythack speaks with Gardener Asu about these plants. The soft spoken woman, a hint of age to her voice that would suggest she has years that her soft features conceal with ease, investigates and with the Jack’s assistance, harvests one of the stalks from the marl. She looks curious, saying it is much more like plucking a hair than harvesting a plant and takes it back to her caravan to study as the nohrja hawlda pull the carts north and around the strange plants. During this a few of the heroes notice that Asu is speaking to Desantion about the wheat grass, pointing out something of interest to her, but are unable to hear.

The trio is also surprised that they have previously had such infrequent interactions with Ythack, however it is quickly explained by them both contributing to the expedition in different ways during different times. They continue on without even for the next few days, the four of them catching up and getting a chance to be a bit familiar with each other as the caravans continue south east towards their destination.

As they continue their journey through the fungal forest, the heroes spot what appear to be 4 large bird-like creatures  circling high above. Ffilc feels a gnarled hand on his shoulder, Li Feng is gently but firmly pushing him down into a crouching position. It glances up at the fliers and utters a single word in its gravelly, often distorted voice, within Ffilc detects a hint of fear, “Kel”.

It is not long before one of the creatures starts to swoop low to test the potential prey on the ground, Ythack and Vireth both decide to show it that the expedition has fangs with a well timed shot from crossbow and buzzer respectively. The lower beast lands ungracefully in a branch and begins snapping and biting at Vireth, where the remaining three use some sort of unknown ability to direct a focus of distorted kai at Ythack sending a white-hot electric jolt through his body and nerves. Ffilc and Fjorta rush in to strike with whip and force bolt the creature in the branches, pummeling it while Ythack gets another good shot in on its exposed flank. 

Vireth tucks and rolls away and comes up next to Ythack just in time to slam his shield into the jaw of one of the now two descending Kel, knocking it so hard off of its flight path that it bumps into the other. Vireth blocks and batters while Ythack assists with some well placed crossbow bolts, meanwhile  Fjorta slams the branch ridden creature with a number of mental force blasts pummeling it, while Fflic tries to wrap the whip around the creature's neck and choke it out. The monster gets a few nips in through the maze in the process tearing off a section of Ffilcs metallic frame and exposing the same white ivory-like material. Things are going well until, perhaps worried about striking her friend by accident, Fjorat obliterates with a force blast a section of branches that allows the panicked creature to  escape the tangle and flee to the clouds. It does not flee fast enough as Fflic’s whip catches it right at the base of the Kel’s skull  causing it to tumble dead to the ground.

Meanwhile, Ythack and Vireth have driven off one of their two attackers, however the other decides to try and get a meal to go, sinks its talons into Vireth and begins to carry him off. Ffilc leaps from the branches and wraps the whip around the Kels leg, the shock causes its leg muscle to spasm and unclench, leading both Glaive and Delve to tumble 10 feet to the marl below, thankfully with only minor injuries. The rest of the heroes decide it best to let the creatures fly off and hope that for now they have proven that the expedition is not a snack buffet.

With the business of batter resolved, now comes the salvaging. Ffilc looks over the body of the kel, thanks to the blunt nature of his whip and Fjorta’s onslaught it seems mostly intact. A little cutting and a little exploring the innards with his and Fjorta's knowledge of creatures and biology, he manages to find a chunk of amber resin in what appears to be a gizzard, a half dozen muxen in the stomach, and  many salvageable strips of octogenetic muscle. A good find. With that they process the meat for the trip, knowing that they will have to consume it over the next few days lest it spoil and return to the shore.

After nearly a week of travel, they finally arrive at the next tiny bastion of civilization in the middle of The Head. What appears to be a hamlet of a few dozen wholkin, no relation to Li Feng it seems, living on a branch structure that looks to be  in the shape of hands, only with too many fingers to be considered human (or wholkin for that matter). Li Feng suggests that they approach and show that the expedition means no harm, with that Ffilc, Li Feng, and Fjorta, ever curious about the new people and places encounter, approach the colony in the least threatening way they know how, but will they be able to impress and relax the locals? Or maybe even make an ally her out in the wilds? We will find out, soon enough.

Session 9

Ffilc, Fjorta, and Li Feng approach and are approached by a small delegation of three armed wholkins escorting a somewhat more important looking one. This regal fellow addresses Li Feng in the wholkin speech before switching to the Truth, explaining that the expedition has stumbled upon the hamlet of Aidrel, known for its healing sap. Inquiring about this leads to the leader, Jace, sending for another. The wholkin who arrives, addressed as Ca’rae, is a hulking creature with a deep and gravelly voice even for one of its kind. It leads to the hand and up to the grasp. Leaping and climbing up the fingers past the homes built into them or hand from and between. The heroes decide to entrust Fjorta with discussing the matter, as she is able to float up with ease. 

Ca’rae shows the nano the cracks and crevices in the fingertips where it is able to take out balls of amber sap that it must continuously move round with its tendrils to keep it whole. The two negotiate trade and agree on the trade of two balls of healing sap, one the size of a basketball and the other the size of a cantaloupe, for Ythack’s cypher, two units of Apt Clay, and a promise. The two travel further along the top of the grasp to a fingertip that has a hole similar to the previous ones shown but this is completely dried out, smooth and porous. Fjorta gets a glimmer of a small wholkin, an empty feeling from the branches and a flash of herself surrounded by pulsating organs, expanding and contracting out of sync with each other before snapping back. Ca’rae shares with Fjorta that it is becoming more and more difficult to tame the healing sap from the tree and eventually, the wholkin fears, a day will come where it is no longer possible.

Ca’rae wants the heroes to find what the Grasp “needs” to keep the healing sap coming, It brings them to another wholkin, one who can “speak” to the grasp and knows what it wants. O’on’vina is as small and lithe as a wholkin as Ca’rae is large.  O’on’vina says that the hands are missing “something” they are not sure what, but it is causing an emptiness directly in the core of the hands. O’ knows that whatever it is, can only be found in the Underhunger, it claims the hands have told them this. The heroes also learn that the nearest known anything to have to do with the Underhunger is a tower, often called “The Tower of Sighs”. Ffilc convinces Desantion of the value of the endeavour, how it could mean welcoming trading partners down the road, and encourages him to keep the expedition here at Aidrel while they head to the tower. Envoy Janaka, Gardener Asu,and to everyone’s surprise even Barmartas agree and give reasons in favour. With Aryx, Sora, Ogdin and Mende with a reluctant Amuz to guide them, they set off.

The first day’s journey is fairly bland and uneventful. They set up camp as the Sun touches the horizon. Ogdin shows some domesticity and applies his developing understanding of the kai to tame a pillbug-like creature to provide a bark-like section of edible carapace tasting of cheese and honey. Ffilc and Fjorta attempt the same, with mixed results, Fjorta producing a nourishment tasting of feint watermelon and tuna, while Ffilc settles more on a desert, getting something that largely tastes of pineapple. Meanwhile Vireth is patrolling the edges of the space, tucking in, but not going too deep into the living foliage that seems to confront the heroes at every leg of their journey. He finds a stretchy spongy cluster of bumps that are now pale white in colour. On his way to look a number of 9 foot wide creatures with reddish bodies and clear white wings  start to encircle him. At first one, then shortly after as many as six of the creatures begin swarming around him, causing him harm in the process.

Vireth defends himself and cries out hoping he can rouse his travel mates. He hits one with his buzzer as Ffilc arrives on the scene by riding the lightning.  The creatures may be almost paper thin in most places but they are massive with nine foot wingspans. Their superior numbers give them the advantage at first but  whip cracks, shield butts, buzzer shots and then soon after crossbow bolts and onslaughts from Ythack and Fjorta respectively felt the majority of these beasties with the last survivor flying off with tattered wings. The heroes turn their attention to the battlefield, what spores or useful things might they find here?

Ffilc salvaged a number of items from the fallen whispers, some iotum for which the Delve has a practical use, but also  a pair of cyphers, one which appears to be a power kai driven healing device, the other a second skin made of protective marl. After this a different sort of harvesting happens and Mende guides the heroes into taming long sheets of coalescent fabric sheets to serve as tents. Vireht decides to go a little extra and tame himself some pants. Both feel and, to a degree, act like the still living things that they are.. The group passes the night under the moonless sky of the liminal shore. The next morning, a decision is made; Amuz will stay here to tame textiles for use by the expedition, Sora will act as his babysitter and bodyguard while the rest of the group make their way on to the Tower of Sighs.

The journey takes most of the day but is at the very least uneventful. The five storey tall tower is covered in pustules spouting mouths in a wide range of size and style. The maroon Tower is about ten meters in diameter, making it the equivalent of a small lighthouse or watchtower. Suddenly all of the mouths breathe in a sharp intake of air, and let out a long impactful sigh in unison, the effect is so disturbing that it constitutes a mental attack on the individuals and their senses. Ythack and Aryx do not appear to be disturbed by this but the rest find it highly disagreeable, and in some cases even painful.

To make matters worse there are no visible doors.Mende crafts some earplugs from a band of coalescent tissue that seem to stop the effect of the sighs. Vireth and Ytack get the idea to simply dame and opening so Mende, with the help of all able to offer it, begins the house and a half long process, focusing on one of the mouths and manipulating it, stretching and distending it until it is a locked open 5 foot orifice that seems to lead down into some sort of gullet. A bit unnerved by the nature of this opening, Ythack looks towards the back to see a super long uvula much like a fleshy slick knot rope ladder. The make their way down one by one hoping to not descend too far into the belly of the beast.

As luck would have it they touch down on flesh, hard callused flesh which almost feels like the padds on the bottom of a catès pawlé A terrible smell is coming from an opening in the distance. The heroes pull glowglobes out of their explorers packs as this bizarre cavern is completely dark in addition to being warm and almost tropically humid. They continue, following the smell which puts them in the mind of a mixture of vomit and fertilizer. They arrive at a cylindrical chamber with a floor similar in feel and texture to the inside of ones mouth. A raised caldera about eight feet across comes about 4 to 5 feet in the air, teeth of all manner growing up from it in no discernible pattern. The source of the smell is definitely whatever is resting inside as the air is sickly sweet putrid in here. The heroes feel that it is best left a mystery as they move around past to the other side.

Here they find an opening about five feet in diameter that keeps opening and very tightly closing. It appears that a number of muscle rings have become a tunnel, leading from the hero's current position to another chamber on the far side. The far chamber seems to have some sort of natural lighting as pale green shimmering luminosity is just visible for a few moments here and there. Before anyone can form a plan, the fetid smelling pool behind them gurgles and belches forwarded a  spray of green viscous sludge. Ffilc dodges it and notices that there appears to be something solid, a chunk of an enamel like substance that, if shook, appears to have a liquid inside. 

Back on track, Ythack times the open and closers, the muscle rings getting tight enough to easily crush limbs and snap bones and when the moment is right, sashes through to the other side. He helps the others, warning them against going when they shouldn't shouting out commands to others to help them through. Fjort accidentally crashes into Ffilc,causing him to drop the enamel and crack it. Upon a visual examination of the fluid, which smells awful, Fjorta is able to identify it as an antitoxin. They finally all have made it into a room with a keratin cliff like outcropping over a luminous green blue liquid, the fumes burn the exposed parts of the heroes faces, clearly acid. A creature floats impossibly in the acid, like a cross between a silverfish and a sea snake. As the extrusion suddenly sinks down, burning and hissing in the acid, Fjorta gets a better look at the thing and immediately recognizes it from her glimmer! She informs the others that this is the “thing” that The Grasp is missing, and that they must find some way to get it out of the acid, but how?

That’s when Ythack recalls that Ffilc traded him a Noom Skin cypher, putting it on allows the Jack to wade into the churning acid to attempt to trap the worm creature. Needing something to use to catch the beast up in, Vireth volunteers his freshly crafted pants, tossing them to Ythack and  accidentally catching the nano in the face, nearly knocking him into the acid pond in the process. The skin helps but it does not keep all the acid off of Ythack’s skin, leaving Jack pained as if he had a full body sunburn. Ythack manages and closes in on the worm. Fjorta uses her gravity manipulation powers to weigh the worm down a bit, making it slower moving in the acid , allowing Ythack to scoop it up in Vireth’s rapidly dissolving pants. Ythack tosses the bundle up over to the Glaive  who snatches it out of the air expertly. A few moments later, Ythack makes his way back and climbs up out of the pool, only slightly worse for wear. With only a few minutes left on their glowglobes the heroes have what they need, now they only need to get it back to the surface and the rest of their party. Will it go as smooth as things have so far, or is this just the beginning?