"I've you'd be kind enough to give me some cover, I'll have a look at that terminal," Nosmo offers, warily eying the T-shaped hallway. He clutches his arc pistol tightly, but keeps it trained on the smooth floor lest he accidentally shock an ally.
Once the way is clear, he examines the terminal to make sure it's safe before attempting to access it.
"Gotcha covered.", Trosvod quips as he gawks around.
AXL nods and peers down the intersection.
Nosmo starts to try to interact with the computers.
A hologram appears on the computer screens as a holographic bust of a fussy, middle-aged Azlanti man made of tiny blue glyphs. The hologram gives a haughty sniff and says something clearly mean in Azlanti.
After a few minutes Nosmo manages to hack it and upload some linguistic files once it becomes clear the hologram only speaks Azlanti.
The hologram repeats is warm welcoming statement to Nosmo... but remains a bit disdainful of the rest of you. "Welcome to Royal Venture, personal vessel of Parept Ameondria of the glorious Azlanti Star Empire. The Royal Venture has a unique engine capable of faster-than light travel called a rune drive, and Parept Ameondria and her personal complement of engineers and technicians were on the initial voyage to test the rune drive’s capabilities. Would you like access to the schematics and a map of the Royal Venture?"
"Oh...wow," he stammers in shock. He turns to his allies. "It's, um, I think it's an Azlanti AI."
He swallows the lump in his throat and turns back to the hologram.
"Yes, please. I would very much appreciate access to the map and schematics," he replies to the digital bust, nervously speaking as though the hologram were a superior.
AXL nods at Nosmo and waits.
The schematics of the Royal Venture are projected before you, which includes a map of the ship and a label displaying each room’s name and purpose; this schematic also notes the crumpled port side and the aft starboard collapse. The schematic constantly flashes with symbols labeled “warning” and “inoperative,” and it’s clear that the vessel’s flying days are long past.
"Seeing as the rune drive is the cause of this whole struggle," Nosmo says with a hint of venom upon the last word, "The engine room there would be of particular interest. Of course, I'd also love the chance to check out an Azlanti tech lab - especially if this was some sort of experimental craft, like it seems."
"Both those areas are closeby - let us check the Technical lab, and then the Engine Room" - AXL suggests.
He then moves off to the Lab door, checking it carefully.
AXL opens the lab door. The lab, unlike the corridor, is completely unlit. The light from the now open door casts eerie shadows across the area revealing a lot of damaged equipment.
Nosmo can't make out much, movement? No just the light playing tricks on him...
Those with eyes more suited for lower lighting however see the true horror. Two humanoid figures in olive green and dark grey jump suits turn towards the source of light. Their hair is long and clumped together in strands. Their skin is tightly pulled across their bones, it looks dry and delicate, this has the unsettling effect of having their lips pulled back in a constant silent snarl.
The sound of tiny pieces of debris skittering across the floor fills the momentary silence as feet slide across the floor. Shadowy faces even Nosmo can make out come into view as piercing violet eyes look at you with dull hatred. Jaws distend and bring forth a primal, rasping sound before these begin to lunge towards you. "Rwaaaahhh!"
These creatures are undead, zombies raised through magical means. They are not the only type of zombies as technological means have been created to animate the dead. Weapons that are enhanced with a mystical element will bypass some of their supernatural resilience.
Intelligent zombies can be intentionally and accidentally created, some indeed are citizens of the pact world... these however are mindless and desire only your destruction.
Trosvod
AXL23
Elthearon
Azlanti Zombies
Nosmo
"Frack you too!" Trosvod yells as he fires his sonic weapon at them!
”Zombies. Magically animated corpses. Attacks enfused with magic, such as from my rifle, will be the most effective.”
Apparently talking made aiming quite difficult.
"Frack you too!" Trosvod yells as he fires his sonic weapon at them! Pieces of flesh and skin are torn free as the waves of force ripple over the undead creatures
AXL quickly levels his rifle while the creatures stagger forward under Trosvod's assault. One quick crack of the rifle and there was a large hole through it's eye socket... but it took another shakey step forward.
”Zombies. Magically animated corpses. Attacks enfused with magic, such as from my rifle, will be the most effective.” Apparently talking made aiming quite difficult... though hitting them wasn't the problem hurting them seemed to be.
The two zombies shamble forward, arms outstretched to grasp at you through the door. Stained rotten teeth, some broken and jagged, snap shut as they start to lunge for you.
Nosmo
Trosvod
AXL23
Elthearon
Azlanti Zombies Orange -3, Red -0
AXL steps back and fires off another shot at the slumbering creatures.
"This is not what I had in mind," Nosmo says as he squats down and aims a shot between Axel and Elthearon. "I just wanted a datapad or a capacitor or something. Not fracking zombies!"
"Walking dead!?" exclaims the bipedal reptile, spitting out his cigar in surprise.
That doesn't stop him continuing to fire on the pair.
"This is not what I had in mind," Nosmo says as he squats down and aims a shot between Axel and Elthearon. "I just wanted a datapad or a capacitor or something. Not fracking zombies!" The zombie twitches as it's hit but keeps going.
"Walking dead!?" exclaims the bipedal reptile, spitting out his cigar in surprise.
That doesn't stop him continuing to fire on the pair.
AXL steps back and fires off another shot at the slumbering creatures.
Elthaeron silently steps back and shoots the zombie doing no discernable damage.
The two desicated zombies start stumbling through the door as they are shot. Reaching and grasping towards you. It's clear in the light that if they were living the damage you have done would have killed them by now. Nosmo and Elthaeron's backs are against the wall now with little room for them to easily retreat.
Nosmo
Trosvod
AXL23
Elthearon
Azlanti Zombies Orange -3, Red -0
”Not good...”
AXL takes another step back and fires again.
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"Eep!" Nosmo squeals as the shambling creatures press forward. Hoping to channel his growing panic into adrenaline, he drops his pistol and draws his tactical baton.
"Why don't you snack on this!" he shouts in his best attempt at action hero witticism while swinging for the zombie's lumpy skull.
"This isn't as fun as the holo-games suggested! I've been lied to!" he moans as his wild swing comes to naught.
"Eep!" Nosmo squeals as the shambling creatures press forward. Hoping to channel his growing panic into adrenaline, he drops his pistol and draws his tactical baton.
"Why don't you snack on this!" he shouts in his best attempt at action hero witticism while swinging for the zombie's lumpy skull.
"This isn't as fun as the holo-games suggested! I've been lied to!" he moans as his wild swing comes to naught.
Trosvod backs away and this time manages to do some harm to the azlanti corpses.
AXL takes another step back and fires again.
Unable to back away Elthaeron draws his dagger but can't land a blow.
The two zombies descend onto Nosmo and Elthaeron rotten teeth sinking into their flesh, rending and tearing it from their bodies...
Nosmo
Trosvod
AXL23
Elthearon
Azlanti Zombies Orange -8, Red -3
Elthaeron was slammed into the wall, feebly trying to hold the zombie back. His dagger had on it the Rune of the Eldritch Knight...if he could just...
...he pushed the dagger into the zombie’s neck.
”Run...you fools...run!”
Trosvod takes one look at the situation and replies:
"LEG IT!"
And promptly beats a "tactical withdrawal".
"We can move, keeping our distance, and continue on fighting" - AXL pragmatically points out, stepping back and shooting - "Nosmo and Elthaeron, retreat away from our opponents" - he instructs.
Elthaeron ripped the knife out and the zombie fell to the ground. He thanked his ancestors for remembering the magical arts. It had saved his life. Bleeding profusely he stumbled away. While his rifle lay on ground, it had an enchantment on it that would allow him to summon it to his hand. He just needed to get enough distance to safely gun down the remaining foe.
Nosmo withdraws from the pungent melee, too panicked to countenance the fact that he might be leaving his ally behind. He stops beside Axel, with Trosvod between them and the zombies. Nosmo turns and raises his baton defensively, ready for yet hoping to avoid another spat of combat.
Nosmo withdraws from the pungent melee, too panicked to countenance the fact that he might be leaving his ally behind. He stops beside Axel, with Trosvod between them and the zombies. Nosmo turns and raises his baton defensively, ready for yet hoping to avoid another spat of combat.
Trosvod takes one look at the situation and replies: "LEG IT!"
And promptly beats a "tactical withdrawal".
"We can move, keeping our distance, and continue on fighting" - AXL pragmatically points out, stepping back and shooting - "Nosmo and Elthaeron, retreat away from our opponents" - he instructs.
Elthaeron was slammed into the wall, feebly trying to hold the zombie back. His dagger had on it the Rune of the Eldritch Knight...if he could just...
...he pushed the dagger into the zombie’s neck. ”Run...you fools...run!”
Elthaeron ripped the knife out and the zombie fell to the ground. He thanked his ancestors for remembering the magical arts. It had saved his life. Bleeding profusely he stumbled away. While his rifle lay on ground, it had an enchantment on it that would allow him to summon it to his hand. He just needed to get enough distance to safely gun down the remaining foe.
The creature pulls Elthaeron closer to it, decayed hands catching the elf off balance and manages to tear into his flesh. As he looses consciousness and starts leading out it's head turns towards filled with more hated life than him.
Nosmo
Trosvod
AXL23
Elthearon -Down and dying.
Azlanti Zombies Red -21
If your Hit Points reach 0, you are dying. You immediately fall unconscious and can take no actions.
While dying, you lose 1 Resolve Point each round at the end of your turn. (If your Hit Points reached 0 during your turn, such as from an attack of opportunity you provoked, you do not lose a Resolve Point until the end of your next turn.) This continues until either you die or stabilize.
If you are dying and have enough Resolve Points, you can use them to stabilize. If you’re stable, you can use Resolve Points to regain consciousness and stay in the fight (see below).
Stabilize
If you are dying and you have enough Resolve Points, you can spend a number of Resolve Points equal to one-quarter your maximum (minimum 1 RP, maximum 3 RP) on your turn to immediately stabilize. This means you’re no longer dying, but you remain unconscious and at 0 HP. If you don’t have enough Resolve Points remaining, you cannot use this option and continue to lose Resolve Points as normal as per the dying rules.
Stay In The Fight
If you are stable and have enough Resolve Points, or if you were knocked unconscious from nonlethal damage (see page 252), you can spend 1 RP at the beginning of your turn to regain 1 HP. You are no longer dying, immediately become conscious, and can take the rest of your turn as normal. You can spend Resolve Points to regain Hit Points only if you are at 0 HP and stable, and you cannot regain more than 1 HP in this way. You can’t spend Resolve Points to stabilize and to stay in the fight in the same round.
Elthaeron Hit the ground, his vision darkening from blood loss.
Trosvod, now a safer distance from the things, changes his mind.
"FRACK THIS! KILL THEM!", he roars as he opens fire again!
Trosvod manages to angle the dirge cannon so as not to hit Eltaeron's prone form. The damage finally proves too much for the undead Azlanti.
When checked you find Elthaeron is alive but badly injured... it seems this wrecked ship is determined not to give up its secrets easily.
Nosmo pauses for an interminable moment, panting for breath with a vice grip upon his baton - his fingers trying in vain to dig into the polycarbonate surface. Finally something in his mind's backlog connects.
He drops the baton and rushes over to his downed ally, sliding into position. He rapidly inspects the wounds and begins dressing the most dire of Elthaeron's injuries.
AXL tries to assist Nosmo as best as he can.
Trosvod runs over to the corpses and kicks at the head of one.
"EAT IT, DEAD FRACKER!"
"We are unable to continue" - AXL points out - "We should retreat, and allow Elthaeron time to recover"
"Yeah, let's drag him off and let him heal up."
Nosmo hooks his noodly arms under the elf's shoulders to help carry him away from the scene of the battle. The stress on his muscles pushes small pulses of blood from his own wounds, reminding the engineer of the scrapes and scratches he'd suffered himself. This causes him to wince, but he stops short of suddenly dropping his ally.
"Where should we take him? Are we going all the way back to the colony?" Nosmo asks sincerely, still new to the "adventuring" business of Starfinders.
Bleeds quietly
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The night passes uneventfully in the jungle though it's exotic alien sounds make the night anything but restful.
The next day Elthaeron moved stiffly. He was alive, but it had been a close call. ”Thank you all for saving me. It appears that I overestimated my abilities back there.”
"It was too damn close! At least some Azlanti can take a beating, even if they're already dead. Let's get back in there and clean the place out!"1
Nosmo wakes up groaning.
"Ugh, I thought freeing the colony meant I'd be done with this," he complains while sitting up. He struggles to wipe away the sweat coating his arms and face. "I gotta be honest. I hate this jungle and its humidity."
The engineer is hesitant to even put on his Estex Suit.
However, Nosmo remembers the struggle against the Azlanti zombies, and he finds himself willing to endure the sweaty feeling.
"Please tell me that today will go better than yesterday."
Reentering the ship and then the laboratory you find little of clear value.
The room was once a sophisticated technomagical laboratory, nothing of
value remains in this room.
This short corridor connects the engine room to the other areas in the aft section of the ship, including the technomagical lab to the north and the noble’s chamber to the south. Although a door at the east end once led to the ship’s cargo bay, that end of the corridor collapsed in the crash and is impassible.
As you try to open the door into engineering you find something has fallen against the other side.
Upon entering the laboratory, Elthaeron looked around. ”The room was once a sophisticated technomagical laboratory.” He mused. ”Unfortunately, nothing of value remains in this room.”
”Bah. I can’t seem to get this door open...”