Episode 26 - The Songs That Free Us

Episode Description
The Crew find the traitor and some new friends. What sort of welcome party will they have?

Summary
Inugad, the man they were sent after, tells the crew his friends need new bodies, and they need to borrow theirs. Martle tells him he can walk away now and leave the things, they're all they want. They argue for a moment, then a rumbling voice tells Inugad to stop the games and hurry with the sacrifices. The cave shakes, and a giant crystal golem starts crawling out of the ground. It seems to be resonating with an inaudible sound coming from the crystal spire. As combat starts, Rell tries to grab the emitter, but it shocks him. Inugad says only his DNA can interface with it. Rell tries to pry it out with a rock, but doesn't quite manage it. While the others fight Inugad and the golem, Rell hits the spire with his staff. A few cracks form, and everyone hears screams of pain. Rell hears them screaming for him to save them. He hits it again, then turns to fight Inugad. He tells Inugad to hand over the emitter, or he'll break the spire. Inugad refuses, and says he had to harvest entire planets of souls. Martle asks which planets, but Inugad says they're inconsequential. Juniper goes to the transmitter as Martle shatters the golem. When she does, soul orbs fly from the golem into the crystal spire. Rell kills Inugad, and combat ends. Z sees that Martle was badly injured by the golem, and her perception of Martle as invincible comes crashing down around her ears. Martle heals herself, and Z calms down. Juniper uses some of Inugad's brain matter on Rell's staff to disarm the shocking device and takes it off. The voices start again, asking them to play the song that will free them. They fiddle with the harmonic resonator until the cracks in the crystal grow and the souls flood out with cries of jubilation. Z, who was growing more and more distressed as they struggled, cries silently on the ground, and Martle feels contented with what they've done. Juniper casts Shocking Grasp, and the crystal crumbles into dust.

One of the souls stays, and grows into the form of a well dressed man. He thanks Martle for releasing the souls before destroying the crystal, and says just destroying it would have had dire consequences. Z charges past Martle and tells the man to tell her mother that she loves her, sobbing. The man apologizes to Z, and says because he worshipped different gods, he would be going to a different plane than her mother. He had been in the crystal for many millennia, his soul torn to pieces to be the life force of the crystal creatures. He warns them that this is just the beginning; the crystal creatures they fought were merely foot soldiers. There are wiser and more powerful beings that want to do things to this galaxy that would make death a welcome thing. Whatever entity asked them to destroy the crystal shard must have been one of the old gods, gods that should not exist anymore. The one that sent them specifically was corrupted by these beings, and now wants to destroy them. But doing so destroys souls, and she does not care as she should, as her predecessor did. Her name is Lilith. Z asks what else he can tell them, and he says all he can tell them is to prepare for war.

Memorable Quotes
Matt: He's coming after Martle. Rebecca: Bring it. Matt: Does a crit hit?

Ben: Why a longbow? Jason: Because I did less damage with the damn rifle last time, might as well use the thing that worked. Ben: On the golem... Jason: Shhhhh.

Natalia: Z is going to charge past Martle and just interrupt her, and fall to her knees, and say, "Tell my mother that I love her," while she's just sobbing on the ground.

Man: All I can tell you is to prepare. Z: Prepare for what? Man: For war.

Trivia

 * Z has a feature that gives her enemies disadvantage for a turn if she moves her full movement speed.
 * Jason rolled minimum damage on Theran's first attack.