1. Journals

64. Do Not Approach The Coral

April 25, 2026

6th Sypheros, 999 YK (4/12/993 FTC)

  • It's The Coral's turn! Bhaltair has just approached and tried to calm it with Garden of Healing.
  • The Coral sends out a wave of psychic energy, and Valaari finds that they no longer wish to approach the Coral. Bhaltair is unaffected.
  • The Coral sends out another wave, and this one stuns Bhaltair but leaves Valaari unaffected.
  • Valaari steps to the side, not getting any closer to the Coral but not wanting to leave Bhaltair alone. They attempt to Exploit Vulnerability, but fail due to the stupefied condition.
  • They use their final action to attempt a Recall Knowledge check, which barely succeeds. They learn about the Coral's regeneration and how to disable it.
  • Runmae tries to step forward and ends up somewhere else, right next to the Coral. She fails both saves against its Distorting Presence and Repulsion, so she is stupefied and cannot willingly approach.
  • She swims back into a reality distortion and ends up even further away
  • She does it again and ends up where she started. She used all three actions to move and ended up back where she started.
  • Warren's turn, and he's just seen all that happen but did he learn anything?
  • He tries to throw Eclipse at the Coral, but a starknife isn't the most aquadynamic thing to throw and it doesn't even get close, it just stops in the water and then flies back to Warren's hand
  • Oh (harbour) god
  • Warren tries to hide, but he's swimming and there's nowhere to hide.
  • Okay, he approaches the Coral and becomes stupefied by the aura of distortion
  • Maybe Naze will achieve something, cos no one else has so far
  • Naze casts Divine Wrath at 5th Rank, big blast. The beam of light wobbles a bit as it enters the Reality Inversion Event Horizon, but it connects and injures the Coral
  • They all hear a subneural warbling in their brain. The Coral was displeased by that
  • Zaphkiel moves through a Reality Distortion and rubber bands back into it. They try again and end up a bit closer to the Coral.
  • Oops, stupefied
  • Naze uses his last action to move a bit closer too
  • Bhaltair, stunned 2, does not sustain the Garden of Healing as they have only one action this turn (plus one from Haste).
  • They draw on the lesson they learned from [A Beautiful Song] and play a Fortissimo Composition (Courageous Anthem), boosting everyone's attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves against fear effects.
  • They turn to look at Valaari, and see that they didn't approach. Weird. They swim to Valaari, humming as they go. Even with the distortion underwater and the synapses being disrupted in their brain, it's...good enough
  • The Coral undulates, and a Tsucora Quori emerges from the space between Bhaltair and Valaari
  • What the fuck!!
  • It then targets Naze with something but his player is AFK so we have to wait until he comes back, as nobody else has actually damaged the Coral
  • Okay we do something else cos he's been gone for ages
  • A vibrant, dazzling pattern of lights appears around Runmae and Naze, blinding Runmae (though Naze is unaffected, the fuck)
  • Valaari's turn! Valaari tries to Recall more knowledge, and learns that the Coral's relationship with reality is loose enough that it can (as a reaction), just decide something didn't happen. It hasn't had to do that yet because nobody's achieved anything
  • Rude
  • They then use Intense Vulnerability to reinforce their weapon, and then throw their spear at the Coral, which does the most damage of anything any of them have done
  • Valaari is now enemy number one
  • Runmae's turn, she's blinded. She swims backwards into the reality distortion, and out again, ending up fairly close to the Coral, but unable to willing get closer
  • Naze's player returns and spills a can of pepsi onto his carpet, and goes AFK again
  • Runmae pulls a crossbow charm off of her Armoury Bracelet and summons an Arbalest. Nice. Not enough actions to fire it this turn
  • Warren swaps to their shortbow, hoping it'll better be able to hit the Coral, and looses an arrow into its cohesive mass, impaling a fish (which then gets merged into the mass)
  • Warren looses another two arrows, but neither travel well enough
  • It's now Naze's turn, but his player is not here.
  • We wait
  • He returns
  • Naze casts Protect Companion to boost Zaphy, and then shoots a Divine Lance at the Coral, which hits! Not enough damage to take its attention away from Valaari
  • All part of the plan
  • Zaphkiel then moves, but hits the repulsion aura and cannot willingly get any closer
  • "Champion, I...don't want to"
  • Damn that's really fucking em
  • The Tsucora, who is in front of Valaari, grabs them with its crab-like pincers. Valaari resists the Endless Nightmare curse, and then the Tsucora teleports next to Warren
  • Bhaltair breaks out into a dramatic retelling of a hero they once heard of, casting Phantasmal Protagonist, and summons Lozaal Daashor (!!!)
  • Lozaal swings their mighty, heroic hammer at the Coral, dealing mental damage (which disables its regeneration!)
  • Bhaltair has rocketed up to the top of its shit list, as it recognises the Lozaal is an effect produced by Bhaltair
  • The Coral sustains the Quori. It then targets Bhaltair with Phantasmal Killer, which causes severe mental damage and frightens them.
  • Bhaltair encounters the concept of fear itself
  • Valaari then gets swarmed by spectral baby fish, tearing at their flesh (but actually their mind)
  • The reality distortions move
  • Valaari intensifies vulnerability, powering up their weapon, and throw their spear again, which doesn't make it to the Coral. They then raise their shield.
  • Runmae passes her save against the Blind, and shoots at the Coral with her Arbalest, but the bolt disappears. Runmae reloads, and tries again. This one kills a fish!
  • Win! Maybe!
  • Warren is very aware of the tsucora in his face, so addresses that by transforming into his hybrid form in a terrifying display. This actually intimidates the quori!
  • He then fucking bites it, which does no damage, because it isn't real
  • He loves that. His player is having a bit of a breakdown, but we move.
  • He tries to move closer to the Coral, and finds that actually he doesn't want to
  • He decides to swim near to Valaari instead
  • Naze hits that Divine Wrath again, and it actually fails the save!! Full damage and SICKENED (bad damage rolls tho)
  • Can't win em all
  • Zaphkiel cannot approach the Coral, so they go for the tsucora instead, but critically fails to hit it
  • The tsucora casts fear on everyone but Runmae. Naze and Valaari crit succeed, Bhaltair succeeds, the rest fail
  • Bhaltair sustains Lozaal, who then beans' the Coral, disabling its regeneration again
  • They then perform a Courageous Anthem, every little helps
  • They then swim to the right (haste) and then use their Drums of War to cast Force Barrage
  • The Coral sustains the quori again, and casts Shield on itself. It then casts Daze on Bhaltair, who succeeds, and it only does 2 damage :(
  • The reality distortions move, and then its Valaari!
  • Not gonna sugar coat it, intensify vulnerability and throw spear, but it critically misses :(
  • They then raise their shield
  • Runmae reloads and shoots, which critically misses :(
  • It's not going well, lads
  • Runmae reloads
  • Warren plinks at the Coral with his bow, killing a fish!
  • THE CORAL HAS HIT HALF HEALTH, BOIS!
  • They're having a crisis
  • Warren misses his next two shots
  • Naze hits that Divine Wrath again, but the Coral succeeds and takes only half damage which is paradoxically more than it took from the last one
  • Zaphkiel attacks the quori, which deals some damage, but less than they rolled. They swing again but the quori dodges this one
  • The Tsucora casts Sleep on Naze, making him Drowsy, and then it swims towards him
  • Bhaltair performs a Lingering Composition (Courageous Anthem)! This one lasts three rounds!
  • They then sustain Lozaal, who delivers a premium bonk to the Harbour God, disabling its regeneration again (MVP honestly)
  • They then cast Shield on themselves
  • The Coral casts Black Tentacles between Valaari and Warren, which grab and immobilize both of them. It then casts Shield on itself again
  • Valaari escapes from the tentacles, and then swim out of the tentacle area. They then complain about needing to use 2 actions to get away, and then Raise their Shield
  • Runmae shoots, misses, reloads, and misses again.
  • Warren escapes the tentacles, and swims away from the tentacles. He then shoots at the Coral with his bow, but misses
  • This is going so well. Nobody's died though!
  • Naze will save the day don't worry. He hits it with a Divine Lance and rolls almost entirely ones
  • Zaphkiel then swims up behind the quori and tasers it, which is less effective than hoped
  • The quori tries to show Naze a vision of his own death, but it doesn't affect him at all
  • It then pinches him with its pincers, dealing void damage, but he is unaffected by the curse
  • Bhaltair sustains Lozaal, who critically hits the Coral, and disables its regeneration!
  • Bhaltair then casts Moonlight Ray, but the Coral denies reality and decides they didn't do that
  • It's like a glitchy videogame
  • Bhaltair then swims into a reality distortion and emerges near Warren
  • The Coral lets the tsucora return to Dal Quor, and then yoinks another one. Fresh quori!
  • Runmae and Valaari then both get swarmed by spectral fish, but Valaari fends theirs off
  • Valaari's turn. You guessed it! Intensify and throw spear. It hits, but the Coral reflects it with Rebounding Barrier, damaging Valaari with their own spear
  • Valaari raises their shield and ends their turn
  • Runmae reloads, shoots, and HITS! Finally! A FISH FUCKING DIES
  • Reload again
  • See you next time Runmae
  • Warren looses an arrow, misses. They repeat this two more times :(
  • Naze time! 5th Rank Divine Wrath. The Coral rolls a natural 1, and has no reaction left to Deny Reality. Naze lights it the fuck up, and it implodes. All of the coral reef in the area is sucked into the black hole, as the Coral becomes a large pearl lit with a coral coloured glow.
  • The quori is dragged screaming and wriggling back to Dal Quor
  • They debate stealing the God, but there's too many witnesses. Bhaltair nevertheless picks up the pearl. They experience the same thing they did when they touched the shrine of The Grey, they see the Coral in its dormant state.
  • Dopboolp swims down and congratulates them! "Who wants tiny god?"
  • Valaari takes it, the Judgement Thurible, and 1900 bonegeld. When they make skin contact with the small pearl, they experience The Grey
  • Thus begins the debate around who gets each of the items. It looks like the Judgement Thurible for Valaari, and the god grenade is still up for debate.