Dramatis Personae

• Chessur (NPC): It’s a cat! It’s a bird! It’s a Catbirb!. Powers: Unknown. Tagline: “Chirp?”
• Jewel C. Collins aka “GigaJewel” (NPC): “Reformed” Criminal. Science Experiment. Bit scatterbrained . Power: Electrokinesis. Tagline: “I’m just wild about his crazy clothes.”

Previously . . .

The group is currently in the waiting room with no real discernable grooves or indentations in the walls or where the door was except for a single panel in the wall about the size of a hand that’s pulsing with light. Flit is sitting there slowly mourning and accepting the loss of his arm. Gigajewel’s laziness and wishes for someplace to sit or lay down causing beds to form from nowhere, obviously allowing for formation of furniture by thought. Fiona images a rather ornate upholstered chair that appears to be made from marble. They finally decide to summon someone using the panel that forms around her palm slightly and then releases it. A man appears soon that looks more human than Atlantean, no pale skin, purple eyes, or pointed ears.

A Throne, A Beast, and Her

Flit, Fiona, Harlowe, and Harvey
Atlantean Outpost
Sunday, May 17th, 2020, 1800 hours (EST) 
Somewhere in North America Elevation-7

Fiona tells him that one of her attendants is damaged and asks for something to repair that. The man doesn’t speak and leaves for five minutes before bringing back a pyramidal device. Pushing Flit into a chair, he moves around the device until it flowers open with such sights. Various instruments emerge from the device including a circular scanning device that’s 3D printing a new arm, a mechanical arm that looks rather white and clean that’s directly attached to the stump. A moment later and Flit is realizing that she’s flexing new fingers when the device makes adjustments to it for the owner and the man takes the device and leaves. She spends some moments investigating the hand, it feeling almost rubbery textured and she can feel through it, though the senses are slightly muted.

Fiona walks over to the wall and says that she desires entertainment options. A screen pops up, though it’s in Atlanean making it impossible for Fiona to read it so she leaves it alone while Flit is asking Harvey about her new arm and scanning it and they’re curious how much time has been passing.

When the three almost get too bored, the tall Atlantean from previously is standing there telling Fiona that she’s to come with him, her attendants are allowed if she so wishes. They’re led into another stark room that looks almost like a science lab. When questioned, the tall Atlantean says that it’d be called a hospital in their languages which makes Harvey rather excited. There’s a female Atlantean in there that speaks with them in fluent English. Fiona tells them that they’re there because her mother acquainted them with the diviner. The woman indicates that Fiona obviously doesn’t know what is going on and Fiona asks them to explain it to her like she was a child. The woman replies that she is a child.

The woman tells her that her name is Yyeff and that they’re ending their exile after years. Not coming back as conquerors but as teachers and guides but that humans have been lied to. That they’ve been told lies while the Atlanteans are there to bring enlightenment and hope and reach the pinnacle of evolution. That with their technology the environment could be fixed, that diseases could be eradicated. When Fiona asks what has triggered their return, Yyeff explains that they’ve detected a signal, something that has reached back to it. Fiona taps at the crystal skull she’s carrying around to see what it feels like only for it to feel almost like it’s not there, like it doesn’t sound like it’s there and Yyeff doesn’t even notice it.

There seems like it’s a bunch of propaganda being fed to them and that Yyeff keeps avoiding certain topics like where they’d settle or what would happen with governments that resist them. After giving her spiel, she moves over to what appears to be a microscope and manipulates it so that images pop up. Flit keeps asking for a manual while Fiona asks how difficult it would be to make new limbs similar to what Flit was given and how it would be used. She’s told to just tap the back of the hand for a neural dump. She does and learns all about it, including the ability to interact with Atlantean technology and that it works with wifi to interpret radio signals and inputs it directly into the brain. The group learns they use a variation of zero-point energy harvested from between dimensions. They also learn that the Atlanteans have launched manned expeditions into space as far as Ceres.

They ask about how they’re planning on completing their plan and convince the earthlings. They’re given three factions, the scientists, the soldiers, and the watchers. Currently the scientists have been in control of things for the past couple hundred years. When Flit asks what happens to those that aren’t fit to be in any of those three groups, she’s given a cold look and told that anyone not worthy enough is are made into servitors. Fiona mentions that she heard she was there to be sequenced and asks what that’s about. Yyeff explains that they believe she’s from a certain ancient bloodline of sorts and wishes to investigate and confirm that. She’s pointed towards a device with a reclining seat and is told there’ll be no invasive procedure, she’d just be scanned and her signature analyzed and stored while Harvey watches very closely.

Fiona questions about the sun looking different and asks about it and how the systems are connected, Yyeff just replies that they’re on the seventh elevation. Harvey asks for more information and it’s explained that the Earth split into multiple different timelines and dimensions after the fall. Some of them left, some of them scattered, and they ended up in other places and times. Some of the elevations are slower and some of them are faster. The seventh elevation is one where humanity never truly evolved past a certain state. She sits Fiona in the chair where Fiona feels like she’s being vacuum sealed into it.

A few moments of scanning, a visible projection of her body and DNA is shown above her. Some things are being zoomed in and out looking at her body, her aura, her DNA sequence as Yyeff continues to look through it via a control on her arm. Yyeff lets out an audible gasp and speaks in Atlantean saying “at last”. Everything disappears as Yyeff explains that she’s got the necessary gene sequence. Fiona says that she’s sure that it was likely to be diluted by generations of interbreeding and that she hopes to contribute greatly. Asking if Fiona means it and after getting confirmation, Yyeff presses a few buttons on her wrist and Fiona is bound to the chair where she starts to experience pain and Yyeff explains that she’s reworking Fiona’s DNA.

Fiona screams that she changed her mind when she can’t escape by changing to water and Flit cannot remove her from the chair before threatening Yyeff. A second later, the process stops and she emerges from the chair mostly unharmed but looking far different with the pale skin, the pointy ears, white hair and purple eyes of Atlanteans. She definitely feels differently and her senses are improved from what they once were. She also notes that she’s can also read and understand Atlantean, noting that when she thinks of one of a word she’s got memories of it actually learning it as from her mother. Harvey samples Fiona’s DNA again and compares it her old DNA. It’s more or less the same, though there’s now another helix attached to it, a triple helix strand. As Harvey keeps looking at it and looking around for another sample from another Atlantean to compare, the tall Atlantean watches him as though aware that Harvey is using his ability. Though investigating things, it appears that Atlanteans natively have triple helix DNA and they have something similar to the Scion gene in humans that’s way more pronounced than in humans.

Yyeff tells them if they don’t have any further questions, they’re going to allow them to rest. Showing them to the tallest spire in the building with actual furniture, blankets, pillows and similar and with additional rooms off to the side with sparser accommodations. There’s also changes of clothing in the wardrobes and drawers, the same style and cut of those in non-warrior caste in white trimmed severe cuts. There’s a window showing outside, the jungle outside and plenty of colorful foliage. Fiona speaks in Atlantean, enjoying the weird sensation in her mouth, that she’d like to see a map of world and a projection of one pops up. With similar continents as their world, it appears like they’re in around the area that the 1700s New York City would be.

Flit finally notes that they forcefully modified Fiona’s DNA, she asks if Fiona’s not concerned by what or how it would help the Atlanteans. If they want her to do something like breed with them. It’s noted that Fiona doesn’t have any junk DNA in her and things are now sort of fully activated with the addition of the third strand. Even Harvey is interested in the why, if they’re looking into modifying humans in the same way. Though they also start quieting down once they realize they don’t know if there’s listening devices in the room or not. Questioning what to do now, Fiona steps into a restroom and sticks her head into the jacket and asks the skulls what the hell is going on. The skull merely tells her “Not time yet.”.

Something feels off, there’s no clue idea why or how but it just feels off. As Flit investigates her powers, if they’re still working. Harvey questions if they’re still able to make a portal elsewhere to observe and she’s able to do that. Fiona asks in Atlantean for it to display news about current events. As Fiona looks through it while simultaneously translating it for people that there’s directives for each of the different castes, almost like a news bulletin that’s weirdly put together like reports from early 1900s. The first thing that Fiona notes is that they have trouble with interdimensionality and the entire building is a moveable structure to move through various dimensions. There’re resources and reports from multiple different castes and servitors about something called The Capture and The Beast Below.

Harlowe spots a distorted figure from the corner of his eye a weird shimmer of impossible colors and a weird distortion of face that looks familiar. Looking at it for long enough, what he sees is Warren, just as if he was standing there with him but made from impossible colors made from lines and silhouettes trying to mouth something. Saying to nod if he can hear them, which Harlowe nods to. He mentions that it feels like things are coming apart and it’s hard to detect them. He asks if they’ve spoken before which Harlowe shrugs to. They’d met previously but Harlowe didn’t get a chance to speak with him before Flit and Fiona burst the bubble. Warren explains that the Atlanteans are trying to do something with an aperture which is bad, but they can’t stop it from happening. That it’s like stopping a cannon, it has to be fired and he can’t explain it better. The one that told Warren told them that he can’t explain more and starts giving Harlowe musical notes and numerical sequences. Telling Harlowe that he needs to try to stop things.

Harlowe stops by Harvey, asking him to hook up his smartphone with his sunglasses to allow for live translation via google lens. He also gets Flit to connect her arm with Fiona’s library dongle to get the database updated which takes some time but finally updates. Shortly after, the tall Atlantean enters the room with Yyeff in tow, explaining that they need Fiona to start the engine so the structure can move. Requiring that they need someone from her bloodline to start it and the last had died some time ago and their current incursions were via smaller cracks. With the large structure it’s going to cause a lot more cracking of dimensions.

They lead the group to the top of the tower which is an open air affair and there’s a seat similar to the one she sat in before. All she has to do is sit down and think of home. She keeps asking more questions if where she thinks of is where they’re going to land, it’s explained that she’s merely there to connect the dimensions and that he’ll be the one actually piloting things. Sitting in the chair it feels like hot and cold all at once, electric, soft, hard, wet, and dry all at the same time as it’s directly interfacing with her nervous system and suddenly she’s somewhere dark and a soft deep thrumming sound like a heart beating.

At first it feels like maybe she doesn’t belong and she’s listening to the heart beat and it’s speeding up a little and it feels like it’s coming up from beneath. She can’t see it, but she can feel like something nibbling at the edges of her mind. It’s not quite invading her mind, it’s merely curious. The more she thinks about where she’s at, the more she realizes that she’s underwater. That it’s there and not there and something almost wrong with it in that it doesn’t feel like water, but kinship with it. She images a dance with the presence and it swirls around her, feeling like it’s absolutely huge compared to her, like she’s just insignificant compared to it, like it’s so far older and beyond her as she keeps thinking about dancing to try to become somewhat significant to it.

It becomes distracted by her dancing and almost like it’s interested in what Fiona is doing when she feels another telepathic presence appears and then more and more presences appear, two then four then eight and then it starts screaming in agony and Fiona is back in her body. Off in the distance they notice a large creature emerging from the water, almost lizard-like and covered with growths of crystals all over its body and its teeth too wide for its mouth. The crystals glowing and it starts roaring and reality around it starts ripping with pops. The tall Atlantean moves behind the chair and starts pressing buttons, saying that it’s time for them to go through. That the creature would make their conquest of the city much easier, that they will be there as liberators and educators but first they have to make them see. The Force Field around her starts growing to around the base where it starts glowing with impossible colors and they can feel things shifting.

Harlowe see’s Warren’s face come across the force field and Harlowe pulls out his harmonica and starts playing it according to Warren’s instructions. The tall Atlantean looks to Harlowe and asks what he’s doing only for Harlowe to stare back and keep playing when Yyeff pulls a device out and points it at Harlowe where Flit teleports it away from her and into her hands where it merges into her arm where she now gains a, potentially, non-lethal weapon which she turns on the tall Atlantean and knocks him out. With no one at the controls the feeling gets worse as the structure keeps going while Fiona gains control of the entire structure as she attunes it to the same frequency that Harlowe keeps playing. They keep blipping around between places until they’re finally there

Aftermath

As everything settles and the vibrations stop and they note the absence of the Atlanteans, excepting Fiona. They’re still on the top of the Atlantean tower and all around them is cracked, broken, wasteland. What they can see around them is what looks like New York shoreline. Flit is able to determine that they’re close to their reality, but they’re not there yet. The structure is slowly powering down while giving Fiona information, that they’re on the second elevation now but now it’s out of energy. Looking around more, they note that there’s building all around but caked in red dust. Fiona finally gets released from the chair and the forcefields slowly descend.

Fiona gets the feeling they need to get Harvey down to whatever counts as Engineering immediately and tells Flit to get onto it. They note that there’s no one in there as well, so Harvey, Flit, and Gigajewel head into there with Harlowe and Fiona behind. Engineering still has the same aesthetic as elsewhere and as Flit’s portal closes things fade to black as the power goes out.

After Action Report (GM)

That’s a wrap. That’s it. 47 sessions from 7/24/2022 to 2/4/24. That’s 80 weeks between dates meaning we played about 60% of the time. For modern roleplaying games with adults who have jobs and busy lives? That’s pretty damn good.

But how do I feel about the ending? I’m pretty happy with it honestly. It’s a huge cliffhanger and some of my players were concerned about never completing it, but I’ve been running AEON since late 2015 and I’ll be running it for many more years to come. Time. We didn’t have enough time. If I could have gotten another maybe 5-7 sessions I could have wrapped it up tighter, nicer, better…but it turned out pretty good. I got to introduce the concept of the other alternate worlds (i.e., Elevations), the Atlanteans themselves, and I got to throw a Kaiju at New York City – which is something I’ve been wanting to do. But B-Team gets to deal with that.

I wish I could have squeezed in more time for the players, but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and in the end that’s all that matters.

Other Notes

None.

Soundtrack

“Karma Police” by Radiohead
“Fly Robin Fly” by Silver Convention
“The End” by the Doors