Sailing the Starlit Sea

You know not when the first ancient ones rose from the depths of the sea. Massive creatures, reminiscent of whales, yet ancient and terrifying. Your ancestors made the pact with them (or perhaps, more accurately, they made the pact with your ancestors). In the centuries that followed the Aspidochel have served as your people's living ships -  the only safe conveyance across the dark and dangerous waters of the Starlit Sea.

Deadly things dwell within, you know, but nestled safely in the bowels of your living ships, you are safe.

You are the crew of the Aspidochel Rechidar, tasked with conveying passengers from one continent to the other. Each direction is a ten-day journey, impossible for normal ships, but relatively mundane (daresay, boring) for an Aspidochel and its crew so long as the proper rituals are performed, for journey is not without cost. In order to fuel the journey, a traveler must be joined to the Aspidochel, their memories preserved and their bodies absorbed. 

For passenger ships, like Rechidar, a lottery is held after all passengers have boarded the ship - one passenger is selected at random from amongst those making the voyage (or in rare cases, a pre-determined "fare") and led down into the depths of the Aspidochel through its maze-like passages to the ceremonial chamber. There they are dressed, anointed, and placed in the absorption chamber where they will be absorbed over the course of the journey. No substitutions can be made at this point, the sacrifice must be completed.

Things were going smoothly for the first five days of the trip, like every other journey you had taken before. Suddenly, every member of the crew received a telepathic message from Rechidar (an unusual occurrence, as it usually only talks to the captain): "The pact has been violated, the sacrifice freed. I do not possess the requisite strength to hold the Starlight back. Please prepare yourselves for stellar breach." It didn't take long for all hell to break loose. They appeared at random, devouring whomever they came across before vanishing back into the dark, back to the sea. To make matters worse, Rechidar has become increasingly erratic, vacillating between insensate and manic - sending waves of psychic dissonance into the minds of the crew. His corridors and chambers form both sanctuary and slaughterhouse - sometimes capable of repelling them, sometimes drawing them in.

The captain has ordered the crew to stay alert and find the sacrifice and return them to the chamber, as that's the only chance you have to complete the journey and make it out alive. Your small group has been traveling together, occasionally catching rest in what safe chambers you can find, but you're running out of time - without aid Rechidar will sink, finishing off the few who remain. Your only hope you can find the sacrifice before it is too late. 

Areas of Note: Control Brain, Vascular Chamber, the Venous Routes, Crew Quarters, Passenger Quarters, Backup Brain, Bowels.

Goal: Find the sacrifice, return them to the sacrifice chamber, and hopefully complete your journey across the Starlit Sea.