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Coen musters his concentration to cast a magic missile into the undead.
Fireday's nanites surge as he thrusts his hand into the wraith, wracking it with positive energy. While Kaska and Viv miss, Fireday fires another trio of magic missiles into it, blasting it into wisps of ether. With a final shriek, the undead discorporates!
"For Victory. For the Heart," Fireday says with a stern smile as the wraith is destroyed. Then he turns back to the others.
"How are each of you? If we need to make a tactical retreat, it would be wise to do so now, while we can still fend off opportunists, rather than proceed further in and risk encounteirng another wraith when our ability to channel positive energy is almost spent and several of us have had our strength sapped by that thing!"
"Well done Coen and Fireday!" Holg shouts enthusiastically as the wraith is destroyed by the force magic.
"Most of Gorum's blessings are still preserved for me. We are far from a safe place. I do say we keep exploring a little more, this place does not seem that big anyway" he then draws a stick made of bone and points it to Coen "You have taken the worst toll though, if you need to rest Coen we can retreat now" waving the stick he touches the sorcerer healing him.
"What were all those strange feelings and visions that happened when we entered here?" the Kellid examines then the strange console "Does any of you understand all this buttons and stuff?" he looks at the androids then at Coen.
Fireday thinks on Holg's questions, trying to recall if wraiths and other bodiless undead can conjure such images, and trying to analyze what the machine's function might be and how to operate it safely.
Normally wraiths cannot conjure images like the ones you experienced. It might have been similar to a haunt, though, where the collective psychic weight of a great trauma might have struck you.
The console is damaged beyond repair and cannot function, but a strange pistol with a dishlike adornment at the tip of its barrel lies on the floor. The suit of red armor is still intact, and among the dust inside the suit is a metallic chip, as well as a strange silver circlet that seems to fit around a wearer's mouth. While examining this circlet, it begins to buzz and plays a previously recorded message. The voice speaks in Androffan.
"This is the final report of salvage module Chrysalis, Captain Yurian Valako reporting. Divinity is lost; the rest of the ship’s crew is presumed dead or worse. The surviving crew of Chrysalis and I are boarding a launch and will attempt an emergency landing, but without AI control, the prospects of a safe landing are minimal. I’ve secured an inhibitor facet—if I can install it into the Unity interface, it should disable the AI’s security long enough for us to reclaim control and perhaps even signal for help from home. I’m boarding the launch now, and will append further reports after our successful landing."
Indeed, in the pocket of the red suit you find a length of crystal about the size of a human thumb that’s adorned at one end by a metal cap fitted with prongs and plugs. The crystal’s interior contains sparkling veins of glittering light.
"It may be that this place was haunted by more than just the wraith. Something terrible that happened here, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced, and that cry stayed here, hanging in the air until we arrived to hear it."
He shakes his head when the recording speaks.
"I don't understand what it's saying. Do any of you?"
"Yeah, it's a message from a ship captain talking about a crash landing. Uh, this crystal here? I guess it... affects some part of the ship in some way? Goes into something called a Unity interface."
"Ship? This was a ship?" Fireday asks.
"I guess?" says Viv. She shrugs. "I don't know what it sailed on. The voice says it crashed."
She gestures to the odd surroundings.
"But maybe this was a crazy person."
"This talks in the same language as my droid" Holg looks thoughtful "According to the captain who recorded the message this strange place should be 'module Chrysalis'. But I am more clued by that 'Divinity is lost' sentence. What Divinity?"
Holg picks up the pistol, the suit and the other items while he keeps checking in this room and the other with the humanoid pods "Which of these strange elements do you think is the Unity interface?"
Fireday takes a closer look at the items, looking for any magic they might have as well.
As soon as the wraith is no longer a danger Kaska rushes to help Coen up, supporting him in standing. She looks him over and asks "are you hurt badly?"
Then, without waiting for him to answer she tells the others "No, Coen is too weakened for us to keep exploring right now. It's too dangerous for him. He looks almost a ghost himself. If there were more people here, there could be more of those spirits. We must see he recovers first."
"Wise words, Kaska, I'm inclined to agree," Fireday comments as he scans the items with his magic.
"As some Sword Knights are fond of saying, the better part of valor is discretion."
Coen's voice is weak and his skin has a sickly hue, but he doesn't seem to be unable to bear his own weight.
"I agree, we should continue, but if there are more wraiths or other lifestealing undead here we will be in trouble."
After the recording plays, he considers what was said before something in the message stands out to him enough to bring to everyone's attention.
"I think he talked about boarding a launch after disabling some sort of security. Is this the launch or the main ship? In either case there may have been survivors... or even more ghosts."
"The magic mouth-thing claimed to be the captain," says Viv. "I would presume the captain wouldn't just try to cravenly escape in a launch, especially if she had a plan to get the ship back under control, which she says she did in the... voice."
There doesn't seem to be anything in either of these rooms that might be the "Unity interface." Nothing in here radiates a magic aura.
"I wonder about this red armor," adds Viv, studying the remains. "It still looks intact! After all this time and distance. But it's not magical? Must be... some kind of amazing engineering."
Viv recognizes the armor from her studies of Numerian technology. It's a red scatterlight suit, designed to protect its wearer from beam weapons.
A little reluctantly Kaska lets go of Coen. Her face still shows worry though. "Are you sure Coen? You need to think about taking care of yourself."
She rummages into her pack for some food and presses it and some water on Coen. "At least eat and drink something to see if it helps. If you're not feeling better after that we can go to see if that priestess can help you. You were very brave fighting that spirit, don't feel pressured into going on if you don't feel up to it."
At this point Kaska remembers Coen is not the only one affected. "Here Fireday, have some too" she adds as an embarrassed afterthought.
Fireday politely shakes his head.
"It's okay, Kaska, I was able to resist the wraith's power through Iomedae's grace. It didn't drain me the way it did you and Coen."
Holg looks at Coen worried while he eats Kaska's food "Are you ok man?" when he states the group shall continue the Kellid palms the skinny man's back "Well said! A brave lad! Gorum's like that"
The Kellid goes back to the corridor after not finding the Unity interface "So what door shall we push now? I say we go for the northern one"
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"Thanks but food won't help. My life was drained by that dead thing, a snack
won't fix it and I'd rather get this over with so I can really rest. Don't worry about me for now, I'm still better off than most spellcasters I've seen heading to the worldwound."
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Kaska withdraws the food and puts it away, a bit stung. "Fine then" she says tartly. "Let's go."
Fireday gives her a confused look.
"Are you...upset that I wasn't hurt as badly by the wraith as you thought?"
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"No Fireday. I'm not upset about anything. Let's just get going" Kaska replies testily.
"I'm sorry? That sounded like sarcasm to me..."
"Maybe a good massage and a bath will take the sting out," says Viv. "Later."
She meanders over to Kaska and murmurs something under her breath to the Kellid woman.
Kaska avoids meeting Viv's eyes.
Alien to the conversation happening at the back of the group Holg examines the northern doors "This should open somehow. I am sure those explosives we need are here" the man pushes open the door "Somewhere near"
The door to the north is open. The northeastern wall of this blasted chamber was obviously super-heated at some point, for here and there, the walls ran waxlike, forming slag that cooled into puddles of steel all along the floor. Debris litters the floor—it might once have been tech of great value but now is mere scraps of unsalvageable, half-melted junk.
As you look around, you feel a chill in the air, and bits of rubble start to rise up into air. Invisible spirits are abound!
Before you can react, the spirits hurl two chunks of debris at Holg, but they bounce off his armor. The air shimmers as a terrifying figure appears--a human dressed in a damaged suit, with missing arms, a shattered faceplate, and swaths of flesh scorched away by fire. It lets out a horrible shriek, then promptly vanishes again!
"Oh no! Invisible spirits! We are doomed!" recognizing the creatures Holg's heart starts to bump blood so fast he cannot control himself.
Holg recognizes the spirits as poltergeists, angry spirits that form from the souls of creatures that become unable to leave the site of its death. They are incorporeal and naturally invisible, but not too powerful--they can only scare people with their appearance or use telekinesis to hurl objects.
A wave of fear like she's never known before washes over Kaska and she flees!
Viv likewise runs away from Halloween.
Seeing the others run as the magical fear washes over them somehow steels Coen as he realizes they will be killed if nothing is done.
Reacting slowly, he takes the opportunity to cover both spirits with Glitterdust to negate the invisibility before following the others out of the room.
Glitterdust: DC 17
Fireday doesn't even blink as the supernatural fear passes over him. He positions himself in front of Coen to keep more debris from hitting him.
"I will be your sheltering shield as Iomedae is mine, Coen."
As Coen departs from the room, Fireday covers him, being the last to leave.
When Holg turns around the corner, scared to the bones, he calls Gorum's bravery to fight the fear. He sees Kaska and Viv running behind him, happy to find a excuse not to go back to the fight, he uses remove fear over the Kellid and the android, too scared to go back and fight himself.
Coen's spell reveals the spectral forms of two poltergeists. They howl with fury and one thrashes about, blinded. Holg calls on Gorum to suppress the fear that Viv and Kaska feel, steeling their minds. Fireday stands in front of Coen, shielding the sorcerer.
More debris rises up as the poltergiests hurl it at Fireday. He dodges two bits of rubble, but one of the spirits actually picks up a grenade that was lying amid the clutter! It impacts the android and explodes in a blast of concussive force!
After the grenade Holg had enough. The Kellid resumes running for his life.
Fireday takes the full brunt of the explosion, sending him flying backwards.! When the smoke clears, he coughs and tries to get to his feet.
"Her sheltering shield is*COUGH!*a lot stronger than my artificial flesh! *COUGH!* Retreat!"
He tries to get out of the spirits' range, hoping they'll stop once they've driven the group off.
Since the bulk of the group seems to be set on running, Viv does likewise.
"I'm*COUGH!* sorry, everyone," Fireday wheezes as they make their escape.
You run out of the damaged ship, scrambling out into the misty canyon to escape from the poltergeists. Fortunately, it seems like the angry spirits are bound to the site of their death, and they do not pursue you. Once you are a safe distance away, you regroup and reassess your plans. The supernatural fear has ebbed, allowing Holg to think clearly once more.
After noticing the lack of pursuit, Coen stops and gasps for breath bent over hands on knees. After a short bit, he pulls out a wineskin and proceeds to drink before handing some off to Fireday.
"Thanks for covering us Fireday. If they had aimed for me, I'd probably have died from that explosion."
He looks everyone else over and notes that they're all alive.
"Time to change my vote for the day, I say we should head back and regroup. Taking that room is too near a thing, and I'm worried we might end up having to fight another gang on our way back when they see us wounded."
Holg seems still pale and out of himself "I can fight the undead. I can fight the invisible. But how to fight the invisible and undead? Flying grenades..." he looks back at the ship ruins with fury in his eyes.
The Kellid does not propose to rest, but this time, he does not rise his voice against it neither, instead sunken into a dull array of thoughts.
"You're *COUGH!* welcome," Fireday replies. "Let's return to Dinvaya."
Kaska says "Alright, let's get walking then" with a smirk.
You retreat to the Clockwork Chapel, where Dinvaya examines your injuries. "Brigh's bronze gears! It looks like you've been drained pretty thoroughly! Please, rest here tonight and recover your strength. I'll be sure to beseech the goddess for more restorative magic in the morning."
The priestess is also able to identify the other technological treasures you recovered.
Timeworn Mind Burner (9 charges), Skillslot, Envoy's Mouthpiece, Memory Facet (Inhibitor)