No, there isn't a session zero for this campaign. Nor am I GMing it; That would be my brother-in-law Kyle. The lack of a session zero will hopefully be clear by the time you get done with the post. If you don't see why that is please let me know and I will be more than happy to clarify. Thank you.
Teal awoke to water in his nose. About him was inky blackness, cold and utterly bereft of hope. Suppressing panic, Teal felt where his bubbles were going. Pushing up in that direction as fast he could wasn't good enough, however; Teal's lungs burned and he couldn't keep a level head anymore. So he rotated down, pointing his hands and feet towards the abyss. There was a FWOOSH.
Up.
Up.
Up. He popped out of the water like a cork. Into a dark storm. Into a titanic tidal wave. Teal looked down. He was up much higher than he intended; he was easily a quarter mile in the air. The tidal wave still dwarfed him, a quarter mile up! The tops of trees were being covered by the wave. Teal was going to die and he couldn't stop screaming because he was falling and he had a long way to fall. The wave smashed into Teal, knocking the wind out of him. But it didn't knock the sight of the incoming leaf-covered spears away from Teal. And the boat.
There was a boat.
Teal struck out toward toward it. He had one chance. His body briefly warped from the energy rippling through his fingers. The boat's lip cracked under Teal's grip, but he held on. Pulling himself up, Teal hoped the inhabitant was friendly.
The woman at the tiller was laughing, hair flapping in the wind. Her laugh went to cackle as they got closer to the trees.
Teal decided that maybe he should hang onto the side, out of the madwoman's sight, a little bit longer.
But those trees were getting closer and closer. Maybe that crazy woman wouldn't have so many pointy ends as what was coming at him. Teal pulled himself over the side. She didn't notice him as she continued that maniacal cackle. That crazy woman wasn't going to live. Teal needed to do something.
Five figures appeared at the front of the boat, causing Teal to jump. He doubted the crazed woman noticed them. Teal felt a magical weight descend gently upon him. "Survive" he heard one of the five say.
And then they were done.
Teal tackled the tackled the cackling madwoman, bracing them against the boat with his magic.
CRACK
BOOM
WHUMP
Teal had always been incredibly hard to hurt and that held true here. Not one bit of the boat was intact; wood shards pierced trees. The loony girl was unconscious, but alive. Somehow. Teal shook her. "Hey!" Teal yelled. She needed to wake up. So Teal slapped her. That usually woke people up, right? But nothing. Teal couldn't stop slapping out of some misbegotten notion this woman would somehow notice. But her eyes remained closed.
Teal slumped, leaning back onto a nearby tree. He finally felt it: there was no elan. Elan, the vital force that kept the world vibrant and beautiful... was gone. This was forest was ugly. Drab. It didn't sparkle and shine like he knew it should. What had happened here, what catastrophe had befallen the world to deprive any place, no matter how small, of elan??
Something large grabbed Teal. Something bony. Five talons. It came out of some strange ruby that lay nearby. Teal couldn't remember if it had been there a minute ago and right now he didn't care. Teal was being dragged to it by the gigantic hand. Screaming, Teal forced white-hot flames out of his hands. Calling forth sorcerous fire was something Teal was hardly skilled at, but he had to try.
The fire glanced off the ruby, which didn't so much as heat up.
And then Teal was in the hand of a glowing monstrosity, its being white from the emanation. "YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE"" boomed the mouthless face. "WHY ARE YOU HERE"
"I... I... I... woke up in an ocean" managed Teal. "I was being attacked by cultists and then I woke up to a tidal wave! And now I'm here! Who're you??"
"DO YOU NOT RECOGNIZE MY VOICE??"
Teal stared idiotically, but only for a moment. "Kenuel???" Kenuel the star?" Teal's calling had been to sit in the astral tower of Mount Kenuel, helping poor malcontents learn the will of the star Kenuel, servant of Thule, Lord of Fate and Magic. Teal and Kenuel had achieved a bond not unlike friendship over the last decade, communing through the astrological rites of Thule, who Teal worshiped with all his heart. "But, but it's so good to see you! Finally we meet! Why... why aren't you happy to see me?"
"HOW DID YOU ESCAPE?"
"Escape what?"
"THE NIGHT YOUR PATRON WAS KILLED."
"Thule's dead???" Teal tried to work his jaw further but nothing came out of his mouth a moment. "I- I- I- He can't be."
"HE IS."
"But- but I-"
A small nimbus cloud was formed in the void and Teal was placed upon it; the nimbus was surprisingly firm. The large form before him swirled into a cloud, becoming a mere nine foot tall woman, features defined as if in granite.
"How is Thule- how is-"
"A SPELL WAS CAST FROM YOUR MOUNTAIN THAT NIGHT"
"My mountain??"
Kenuel nodded.
"But they were nobodies when they broke in! Thugs! Malcontents! With clubs! One of them raised a club and everything went dark!"
An invisible force slammed Teal down, breaking his ribs, knocking the air out of him. "I looked for you" Kenuel stated as Teal gasped and wheezed. "The spell launched from your mountain wrecked the whole order of creation, cursing your mountain. But that was not you. You cannot kill a god." Kenuel stared at Teal a moment, the light emanating from her glowing softer. "But you can find out what happened". Kenuel snapped her fingers. The ruby in Teal's fist glowed.
Teal stood outside what he had hoped would be his tower. The great land of Thylia, that great continent of peace.. .was now an island. From the mountain top Teal could see the coast. The land about Teal was decimated. Roiling energy sparked off of the barren stones. Literally nothing could live here for long. Teal needed to leave. His ribs were definitely broken and he knew if he didn't hurry he'd starve.
The ruby was still in Teal's hand. Peering at it Teal could feel how connected it was, to everyplace, at all times. All he needed to do was ask. A less desperate man would have questioned where asked the ruby had come from, have asked what possible cost there was to using a power this great. But Teal's knees had began to knock against each other from sheer exhaustion and hunger. "Bring me to a place where I can heal and eat" he wheezed at the ruby.
A portal opened before him.
"Thule, you will be avenged. And restored" Teal whispered under his breath.
He stepped through, to a land of green.
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