Kricker Godridden |
Lets's get her to our bolt hole here, and search her for information and loot!
As the kobolds get ready to leave the elevator, Kricker checks her to see if she is still alive.
heal check: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
If she is dead, Kricker uses another channel energy. If she is still alive and stabilized from his last channel, he'll make sure to move the kobolds all far enough away from her to not catch her in this channel.
channel positive energy: 1d6 ⇒ 5
Draco Voodoo |
Krricker observes that if his shot didn't kill the android, the blast of radiation that left her exposed skin red and blistered certainly did. He sends another wave of relief over his companions and they drag their victim away from the elevator after disconnecting the clamp to disable it. From somewhere above, the alarm is faintly heard to continue until there is a loud clanging as if heavy doors were slammed shut and the noise is silenced.
The kobbolds return to their camp near the desert cave to inspect the dead follower of the Hellion further. She looks human surely, with pink squishy skin and fibrous hair, but her eyes have a strange reflectivity and the purple tattooes now appear as gray patches of metal and wires.
Besides the fire pistol that Jeji removed, the android has a spiked gauntlet locked to her left hand. She wears a fine chain shirt and bears a pouch containing strange googles, a white card, 11 silver disks, a roll of sticky paper and a mechanical stick.
Jeji the Unstable |
First Jeji checks on the net to see if it survived the explosion well enough to still be useful. Either way, she takes time and care to remove the body from the netting. She doesn't want to damage anything that may be valuable on the body. Once the body is clear of the net, she pulls out everthing not attached to it. Then she sets about inspecting each and every item that was salvaged. The white card and silver disks she slips into her pack.
Knowledge (engineering): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17 Mechanical Stick
Knowledge (engineering): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6 Sticky Paper
Knowledge (engineering): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20 Strange Goggles
Knowledge (engineering): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14 Fire Pistol
Perrik |
"Once I'm recovered I'll look over anything you couldn't figure out, Jeji."
Perrik has a +9 Knowledge (Engineering) check, down to +7 due to being sickened.
ETA:
Indicating the body, "It was just a pawn of this Hellion. We need to go back to Scrapwall and kill Hellion. Then our people can be safe there."
Draco Voodoo |
Jeji inspects the items. She's already seen the pistol in action so she is familiar with the laser pistol, but notes that it is timeworn and drains twice as many charges per shot (4 charges left on the battery = 2 shots). The goggles protect her eyes from harsh light and with a double blink they magnify aiding her vision (protect light sensitivity, +2 perception). The stick emits a spark when a button is pressed though why is a mystery as is the sticky paper.
Perrik figures out that the paper is a type of tape that can stick things together and when jolted by the electric stick it makes a nearly unbreakable bond.
Kricker Godridden |
I'll want to take a look at her tomorrow after I get a chance to reset my spells. She seemed awfully hard to hit for someone so lightly armored.
Let us rest here until Perrik and I get our spells back before moving on, I think there are two more decks of this "ship" worth checking out before we leave. Assuming that whatever happened to those machines hasn't made them inaccessible as well.
Kricker will offer to take first watch, and at the end of his watch, assuming he reaches it in one piece, he will use his last channel.
channel positive: 1d6 ⇒ 3
Draco Voodoo |
Nothing disturbs the kobolds' rest although all but Drahlneep feel no better after a night's rest. The radiation exposure leaves them all slightly weakened, some worsen over the night. All, but Drahlneep- fort DC 13 or 1 Str damage
Further investigation of the dead body finds muscle, bones and organs nearly identical to human, but the bones feel slightly different in texture and some of the tissue has a strange nearly invisible mesh through it. There is nothing else to find though Kricker realizes that her prayers to Hellion were answered bolstering her defenses. In fact, he notes the overly ornate gauntlet she wore resembles the strange claw-like statue spotted in the chamber the Gearsman guarded. The mechanical gauntlet must be Hellion's holy symbol.
Draco Voodoo |
all hp at full, but CON drain from radiation remains.
The kobolds ponder the lasting scars from blightburn. It is known that Gakzara's breath may lead to interesting new traits to kobold eggs in small doses if they are so blessed, but a strong enough blast leads only to sickness and death.
Someone recalls something Trett said which was discounted at the time. He mentioned a medicine named Rad-dose. Perhaps that heals the blightburn sickness.
Trett shakes his head and rubs his wide human jaw. "There aren't any wand makers in town. There is plenty of MedTEK though. I have surge serum and rad-dose on me. There are a couple trauma packs at the general store and I think the witch has cureall, hemochem, and cardioamp. She has more of those medlances, too. They're used to deliver the meds."
Jeji the Unstable |
"Couldn't hurt to try. We best try everything at our disposal before we move on. Rest a little bit to recover our strength, then head towards this Scrapwall you speak of. Is this...Hellion, a god I wonder? This robot woman seemed to think so."
Fortitude save: 1d20 + 4 - 1 ⇒ (11) + 4 - 1 = 14
Drahlneep |
Drahlneep wakes feeling better than he has in weeks. "I can't imagine anything in there will top yesterday," he says with a toothy grin, "But I can't wait to find out."
Jeji the Unstable |
Jeji slipped the goggles over her head and pulled them down over her eyes. She blinked numerous times as her vision tried to adjust to the dimmed light but eventually shrugged in satisfaction. The laser pistol she handed to Drahlneep. "Here, you seem to know how to use these strange heat weapons."
"What we really need is to find a place to trade at. Are there those who would trade with us in this Scrapwall?"
Kricker Godridden |
But, before we leave here, let us check out the remaining two levels to see if there is any other knowledge, or for that matter, loot, to be gained here. I suggest we start with the Crew section as that seems like where we might expect to find the belongings of the crew of this "ship".
Perrik |
There is also a possibility that we might find locals here who are willing to trade with us.
"I would not trust them to deal fairly. They are jealous of our draconic heritage, and try to kill us when they find us." He coughs, bringing up a little blood. "When we are strong we can take what we want from them."
Draco Voodoo |
Drahlneep awakes ready for further exploration though his warrenmates are a little more cautious. Jeji offers the laser pistol to the enthusiastic explorer while Kricker's inspection of the chainmail reveals that it is well made, but not magical.
The question remains how to treat the blightburn without risking further exposure or assault from horrible humans. It is decided that at least taking a look at the other levels might be the best option now. A return to the elevator ends in disappointment, however. Attempts to direct the room downward to the crew and docking levels or back up to Engineering are met with a mild voice that states in Androffan- "The deck you have selected is off-line. Please make another selection."
By tapping on the floor of the room, it is obvious to a trained miner's ear that only rubble lies below and you know that the level above was sealed against the spread of blightburn.
Kricker Godridden |
Hmm, I guess we are leaving. We need to make haste to a safe place to trade that might have some of this rad-dose you talk about. I don't like the look of the color of Perrik's skin, and I am not feeling too great either.
Drahlneep |
"If this 'Hellion' has more followers in Scrapwall, then I am betting they have more of these," Drahlneep says indicating the weapon they took from the android, "So we need to get everyone patched up and get moving as soon as we can."
Kricker Godridden |
Unless someone is wounded that I can't see, I think we are as strong as we're going to be until we find some of that blight burn medicine. So,I think we need to leave here as soon as possible and head some where where we can trade for what we need.
Jeji the Unstable |
"I am still injured, but yes, we should be off as soon as we are all ready. Can you tell us anything of Scrapwall? How far away is it? Will they trade with us?"
So we rest up a day and head out? I have 4 points of ability damage (2 str, 1 con, 1 dex) but I can get by with healing the con damage first.
Perrik |
The radiation did CON drain, not damage, so it won't recover on its own. Perrik also can't begin to recover his STR damage until he shakes the radiation poisoning, since you won't recover ability damage w/o magic while the original affliction persists.
Draco Voodoo |
yeah, radiation is pretty bad stuff: treated as poison and will require 2 saves to shake off. I don't even remember what all is afflicting Jeji, but as Perrik notes, the point of CON is permanent for now. STR damage from radiation also lasts until 2 saves. Other damage will heal normally @ 1 pt per night.
Unfortunately, Sanvil Trett's betrayal and theft of the great artifact won from the even more treacherous Garmen Ulteth has stymied the most direct method of finding MEDS that might help against the blightburn sickness. The kobolds ponder if any humans may be trusted, but options are limited. It is decided to rest another day before venturing forth in the hope that they might regain some strength should further conflict ensue.
fort DC 13 or lose 1 STR for all but Drahlneep.
Draco Voodoo |
A day's rest does nothing to help. The exposure to the blightburn radiated from the machine incrementally weakens all but Drahlneep. Facing the fact that waiting longer may just leave them unable to seek a cure, the warband decides that they must move forward. Gathering their hard won TEK which unfortunately provides no aid against the radiation sickness, they leave the ancient metal tunnels and after a quick swim back up into the quarry, emerge into the night above the human settlement called Torch.
It is a mild night marking the start of the human month of Gozran and a silvery light on the horizon signals that a terrible bright moon will soon be rising.
Kricker Godridden |
We see better than they do at night, and should be able to sneak by most of the pink skins. Let's do some scouting at full dark, and see if maybe there isn't a sign that will tell us where the witch has her shop. I assume she also lives there, and we can try the polite approach with her. I speak their language, and should be able to negotiate.
Kricker Godridden |
Perrik, stay here and hidden and we'll be back in a bit. Jeji why don't you lead Dhralneep and I to the shop and then stay hidden outside as a lookout in case hostile humans approach. Drahlneep you can come in with me in case the witch tries anything funny. I'll enter and try to stay friendly enough to trade with her.
Draco Voodoo |
Perrik finds some rocks to hide behind and his companions move out of the quarry and follow the stream down the hill toward town. The kobold warband keeps close to the pond and as far from the human buildings as possible. They see more guard patrols than before. A bright moon up above doesn't help as Jeji directs them around the town center.
someone give me a stealth check
Kricker Godridden |
Kricker knocks quietly, and says in common Fair witch we are travelers in dire need of your services. I apologize for the late hour, but our need can not wait. We are willing to pay. . He then waits about 30 seconds, before knocking a bit louder and then repeating his entreaty.
Draco Voodoo |
It takes some time, but light is seen in the shop and the door opens to reveal a very tall, very pale human female. Her skin and hair gleams in the moonlight in contrast to the black robe she wears. She peers out into the night overlooking the kobolds for a moment before realizing they stand at her feet. Then she hops back swinging the door so only a crack remains open. "Kobolds! What are you doing here?"
Behind her the crow calls, "Thieves! Thieves!"
how about a diplomacy check?
Kricker Godridden |
While I was not present at that unfortunate occurrence, I am willing to pay fair price for what was taken by them, in addition to fair trade in money or knowledge for what we need. We are suffering from the blight burn and desperately need succor.
Draco Voodoo |
The human mumbles to herself as she reflects on her small scaly visitors. "You have a settlement here, huh? Underground I would think. Blight burn? The pond maybe or something more dangerous..."
She opens the door beckoning the kobolds into the uncomfortably bright room. "I am intrigued. Come in. Tell me more."
"QUARK!" the crow calls with a disapproving look.
She waves the bird off. "Oh hush, you."
Kricker Godridden |
Kricker tells her the tale of the Kobolds venture into the caves and the struggles they had there. He leaves out the express purpose of the trip, and instead explains there quest in vague terms of a quest to protect their people from the aggressions of the purple haired android and her followers.
If requested he will show her some of the less deadly TEK they found such as the tape and the stun gun and the neroplast harness.
He offers the tape and stun gun in trade for cures for his parties ailments. And if she doesn't want those will offer to pay in silver disks.