The Call of the Nautilid

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THE CALL
NAUTILID
The Black Sun have tracked down the Sunken Moon and have sent
a hybrid agent possessed by an algae demon to get rid of Marava.
The cultist found the Nautilid and unleashed his
demon inside, its algae strands quickly
spreading, slowly draining its life
force. The seaweed quickly
entangled the Sunken Moon.
Immobile, her crab armour is
protecting her, but she is stuck
in a battle of will with the
demon. Unable to planeshift,
the Nautilid sends a psychic
distress call.
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OF THE
THE PSYCHIC CALL
The call reaches the characters and some of
the local hybrids. Magic practitioners, artists,
and characters aligned with the Balance feel it
stronger and have to roll Doom.
All receive this vision: rotting algae spreading
around them and rapidly growing toward
the entrance of dark, sunken tunnels (the
smuggler caves), reaching a titanic irides-
cent shell-like structure (the Nautilid), and
creeping all over it.
The strands constrict, cracking the shell and
dragging it into the abyss, away from the
moonlight. The characters are left with a
sense of distress.
REACHING THE NAUTILID
The group can follow the vision or be contac-
ted by worried students of the Sunken Moon.
Without guidance, an INT test is needed to
find the entrance before the Deep Ones do. If
the group arrives late, the Deep Ones let them
enter the Nautilid before attacking, trapping
them inside the ship.
THE NAUTILID
The inside of the Sunken Moon's planar
ship is covered with creeping mutated algae.
Touching its inner walls transmits a feeling
of psychic distress.
1 Entrance. A ramp of cirri (tentacles) lead
to the beak. Corrupted algae are spreading
out from inside and preventing the beak
from closing.
2 Common room. A large chamber decorated
with coral objects from Mavara's homeworld
(see sidebar). Slick strands cover the room,
and three entangled corpses (all hybrids)
dangle from the ceiling.
3 Medical bay. Seaweed trying to creep into
a medical pod. Nellie, a hybrid nurse, sealed
herself into the pod. At the early stages of her
aquatic transition, she shows some graceful
piscean traits. She can heal characters for d6
HP with a healing gas bottle (6 doses left).
By Evlyn M. (text & art)
CORAL OBJECTS (d6)
Each worth 3d6x10 coins
1
Ocarina
4 Cargo hold. Algae
2
Miniature ship
growing around a
3
Fishing lures
sealed door, trying
4
Mermaid whistle
to reach hundreds of
5
Spiral spyglass
moon urchins softly
6
Ceremonial mask
glowing in a basin. A
river spirit guardian
called K'wsutsh is bound to a sigil carved in
the wall. Its only power is to keep the water
oxygenated and at the right temperature, and
it is desperate to protect the urchins. It will
enter a pact with someone vowing to defend
them from the algae demon.
5 Navigation. A spherical room where,
when it is filled with sea water, one can scry
other planes. Water fills the chamber to thigh
level; floating in it is the body of the naviga-
tor, strands of algae entering his gills. When
the living iris door detects someone is inside,
it shuts itself and the room fills with water
in seconds. An INT test is needed to open
the door (d2 drowning damage every turn).
The navigator is long dead, but in his belt is
a glowing blue pearl (once per day, telepa-
thically communicate for 1d10 minutes with
anyone you know or can see within one mile).
6 Power core. A beating heart encased in a
seashell, invasive marine vegetation feeding
off its pulse. A hybrid corpse entangled in the
strands is holding a charge rod (d10 electric
damage, d6 charges before it becomes ins-
table and explodes, damaging the wielder if
they don't immediately drop it).
7 Filtration system. Sheets of living abyssal
silk, crawling with little crustacean sym-
bionts doing their best to cut the strands of
algae trying to assimilate the system.
8 Vents. Biomechanical gills that can send
air or water to the life support system. Pelv,
the young hybrid who was scrubbing the
vents, is hiding in a corner. They know how
to communicate with the swarm of sym-
bionts. If convinced to help, they can make
the crustaceans swarm one creature for Ud6
ongoing damage.
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9 Pilot pod. A spacious chamber filled with
a sleeping pod and strange organic instru-
ments. Hundreds of algae strands sprout
from the body of the hybrid cultist infiltrator,
spreading all over the bioship and Mavara's
armour-clad body. Mavara is weakened
but still struggling, preventing the demon
from fully possessing the Nautilid. The algae
demon attacks if anyone attempt to touch it
or Mavara.
10 Planeshift engine. A crawl space passing
through dozens of psychic chambers leads to
the biomechanical planeshifting organ. As
one gets closer to the engine, their percep-
tion of reality fragments, allowing them to
access multiversal variants of themselves.
The journey to the engine triggers a roll of the
characters' Doom die. The engine radiates
immense, tantalising power; test WIS to
avoid 2d6 reality-shredding damage when
touching it. The contact upgrades the charac-
ter's Doom die one step above its maximum
size. (This is temporary.)
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THE ALGAE DEMON [LVL 6]
A parasitic mass of algae emerging from the Black Sun
symbol tattooed on the back of the cultist.
The demon first tries to suffocate characters who
split from the group. If the group tries to cut its
strands, the demon animates the five corpses in
rooms 2, 5, and 6.
H Strangling strands (DEX or STR): Ud6 ongoing
damage, can attack all over the ship.
H Touch the void (WIS): 6 to everyone Nearby; a wave
of darkness emerges from the host's body. (once per
fight)

• Puppet the dead: Turn a fresh corpse into an algae

puppet; try to reanimate a fallen puppet (comes back
with 1 HP on a roll of 5-6 on a d6)

• Cutting the strands: Disadvantage to attack; each

strand has 2 HP. Cutting a strand inflicts 1 damage to
the demon and stops strangling damage or neutra-
lizes a puppet.
ALGAE PUPPET [LVL 1] (7 HP)
H Bite or weapon (DEX or STR): 4
DEEP ONES [LV2]
Two Black Sun Deep Ones, Vaulnay and Maulgar, crawl
in after the party has explored three rooms. Their goal
is to finish off the Sunken Moon.
The Deep Ones have to make a reaction test if
presented with the elixir or a moon urchin (see moon
urchins, p. 41).
H Claws (DEX or STR): 5
H Bite (DEX or STR): 4 plus Ud4 ongoing damage
(bleeding)
H Frightening aura (WIS): Roll Doom
Vulnerability: Sunlight