Sneek is interested in the machines and the electricity.
Hmmm interesting, what does this do? Stroking his chin Sneek looks at the machine.
So another room with these nozzles, perhaps people clean themselves after being in the sandy room behind us.
There is a closed doorway (unlocked) past the machines. The machines are on the left and right sides of the room, forcing you to pass in between.
Every few seconds electricity surges along the exposed wires. You believe that in a short amount of time, less than a minute, a large buildup of electricity will shoot into the room.
This room is dangerous! In a short time, lightning will surge into the room! Very painful! We should either retreat or advance now.
Taking Liz her hand Sneek pulls her with him, once outside the room he doesn’t let anyone enter the room. Get ready, after next burst of electricity we run. he says to the others. Once they are ready he gives the signal to run to the next room.
As soon as you leave, the showers begin to shoot a fine mist of water into the room. Suddenly, electricity arcs from exposed circuitry, striking the walls, floor, ceiling and the broken machinery in a random blinding display of light. Then it stops.
Everybody through the room! Liz hurries through with the others.
Argug quickly hurries through the room with the others after the electricity disappears.
"Most impressive."
I follow the group.
You run across the room between the malfunctioning machines and through the door. As you run past, you see blackened spots and trailers of smoke where the electricity struck. Seconds after you run through, another explosive discharge of energy arcs across the room.
You enter a hallway with a bend in the center, and see three doors ahead of you. The first door is directly in front of the door you entered. There is Androffan writing on a red plaque over the door. Beside this door is a panel with a slit running down the center.
Down the hallway are two other doors, one facing north and the other facing east. Both doors have similar panels to their sides. Atop the northern door is a brown panel and the eastern door is a white panel with Androffan.
The red plaque says Habitat Controls, the brown says Observatory and the white says Science Deck Access.
If those next rooms contain something to powerful for us, we might have to run. The room we just came from could kill us if we go in at the wrong time. I have to stop the electricity.
Chakos, watch my back while I go in. Sneek says while pointing at the room with the machines. After the next burst Sneek runs in quickly in and tries to disable the device.
Or maybe even use it as a trap! If something like those skeletons lurks in deeper we could lure it in and force it to stay inside when the lightning erupts.
"I've got you Sneek"
Sneek cuts several of the wires, moves circuit boards around and twists nozzles closed. You all hear a deep "Peeewwwwwww" sound as the machines blue lighted circuits fade to clear. This room is now silent.
Good work Sneek.
Well since the door that says Habitat Controls is right next to us, let us try that first. Liz follows along as they enter.
The door to Habitat Controls (Red) is locked.
Liz takes out one fo the keycards they found and hands it to Sneek. We found these so maybe they will work.
Looking confused and ignorant, Chakos asks, "So that's what the signs say, but what do they mean?"
I am afraid I don't really know. Habitat means a place where things live, so a way to control the habitat?
At Elizabeth's suggestion, Astra fishes the brown keycards that she has been storing out of her pouch and looks the doors over, for any way to use the keycards. She tries tapping the cards against the doors, pressing them flat against the door, sliding them between the door and the doorframe if there is any gap, anything she can think of. She even speaks out the words written on the keycards to see if that would have any effect. "Welcome to the Starship Divinity. This card allows you access to the common areas of the ship. Please refrain from entering prohibited areas."
As for the Habitat Controls, Astra suggests, "The desert that we passed through was drastically different from these rooms. The 'habitat' could have referred to it..." Her forehead scrunches up in thought as she puts a few pieces together. "...and the controls...could have been to the illusions that hid the entrance, maybe? Perhaps the desert was built as some manner of zoo to keep the four-armed creatures and the tentacle beast, and the controls created the illusions to keep them from finding the exits from the zoo." She strokes her chin in thought, and goes over to the Observatory door. "And the Observatory...it could perhaps have been a place to surreptitiously view the activities in the Habitat..."
Astra moves over to the brown-labeled Observatory door, and gradually slides the brown keycard in the machine beside the door.
The machine beeps and the door slides open.
A large metal table is surrounded by odd-looking chairs in this room. To the west, what appears to be a transparent wall looks out over a strange desert valley. Four pillars support the fifteen foot-high ceiling, while dozens of crude images of a pickaxe made of a skull and bones have been painted onto the walls with some sort of ivory pigment along with several phrases in an unrecognizable language.
As soon as the door opens, a four armed alien creature wearing tattered clothing and a cloak hurls a javelin through the doorway at Astra. Its body looks like it is falling apart with bits of bone showing through rotten flesh.
The javelin plunges into Astra's stomach and knocks her to the metal floor.
1. Undead Kasatha
2. Everyone
The undead kasatha charges forward, stands over Astra, and swings his bronze-tinged short sword at Argug.
The blade cuts into the orc's side and draws a line of blood as the alien pulls it out in a swift motion.
"Oh look! It worked!" Astra cries out in delight as the doors hiss open, revealing the room beyond. When she spots the zombie kasatha, her eyes narrow in thought a little bit. "Fascinating! It appears to be of the same four-armed race as the skeletons we encountered in the desert habitat, however it does not seem to have decayed to the same degree --" she keeps talking, the danger not seeming to register as the kasatha hefts and throws the javelin.
"-- HURGH!!" Astra is impaled straight through by the javelin, dropping to the floor with the pole embedded in her torso. Her eyes go wide as she clutches at the bottom end of the javelin in front of her. "-- th..that's funny...this isn't any wood I'm familiar with...the grain is all wrong..." And then she slumps to the floor, motionless, her eyes closing.
Liz's eyes open wide as Astra falls and she casts Grease under the creature's feet
She then 5'steps back
The undead kasatha falls to the ground in a tangle of arms. He growls, alien words escaping his lips.
"Koos gath dei im dahr. Es tal jie goo."
Seeing Astra fall Sneek jumps into the room, taking her hands he pulls her away from the wiggling undead monstrosity. Stepping over the body he takes up a defensive position, waiting for the creature to stand and attack. Help Chakos, Astra is dying.
Argug can feel blood pooling inside his body. The slice from the alien's short sword burns the orc's flesh.
Chakos will step up and cast CLW on Astra.
Kasatha
Argug, Sneek and Astra (on ground)
Chakos
-
-
-
Elizabeth
Astra's eyes will flutter open as Chakos' spell is cast, and she finds herself looking at a pole of wood protruding from her chest, and even the slightest movement makes it move around and shoot jolts of pain through her. This is...not good, she thinks to herself. I can...I can feel my heart pumping...it must have missed it. And breathing...OH GOD IT HURTS! A...punctured lung? She moves her toes just a little bit. I can still feel...and move...my feet...spine probably undamaged. Blood...amount...color...possible spleen rupture? Oh I should get a pen to write down my observations! I'm not going to have another opportunity like this again! Erm...one way or another...
When it's her turn she will take the Total Defense standard action for +4AC, and then will try to stand up from prone as a move action, provoking an Attack of Opportunity. If she survives, she'll take a five foot step away from the kasatha, trying to get out of melee range.
Astra stands, moves behind Argug and Sneek, and is beside Chakos.
Argug's eyes glare red at the blood on him, then at the four armed creature. He grabs it by the shoulders, reaches in, and attempts to headbutt the living undead(?) crap out of it, then, in hopes that such tactics work as well on the creature, plants a knee in where it's junk would be deep enough to mine for minerals.
"Have yerself an orcish kiss! And here's a hug fer good measure!"
Chakos' greataxe glows white for a moment as it cleaves through the undead kasatha's chest. Bone and decayed flesh is exposed, but the kasatha does not flinch.
Either way, dropping this skeleton is the quickest way to victory.
Chakos will Smite Evil against the skeleton, move up and swing at it with the axe.
As this is Smiting, it will overcome all DR.
HP 15/16
AC 15/15/14
Effects: Mage Armor(2 hours)
Hand of Apprentice:5/7
Liz will begin to cast Enlarge on Argug. 1 Round casting time
+2 Strength
-2 Dex
-1 Attack/AC
Reach of 10 feet
Takes up 10 foot space
Unarmed damage goes up to 1d8
Greataxe goes up to 3d6
Argug’s kicks don’t seem to hurt the creature. It stands, using its lower arms to push itself up. Argug and Sneek swing their weapons at him, one using a foot, the other a rapier.
The undead kasatha does not seem phased by the strikes. It slashes its short sword at Argug, aiming for his other side.
Argug’s chain shirt stops most of the kasatha’s blade.
Chakos moves past the Kasatha, who is too focused on Argug to attack.
Chakos' greataxe glows white for a moment as it cleaves through the undead kasatha's chest. Bone and decayed flesh is exposed, but the kasatha does not flinch.
Argug glows with Elizabeth's magic until he becomes larger.
Sneek seeing an opening, rolls from beneath Argug, past the undead to take up a flanking position.
Trying again 2 damage the creature he uses his rapier to find a vulnerable spot.
Sneek's rapier pierces through the Kasatha's red billowing cape but nothing else. The alien speaks again in his language.
"Ky Zyphus et arr. Zyphus garr kath."
"It mentioned...*cough*...Zyphus -- the Grim Harvestman. The god of accidental death. I...*cough cough*...wonder what kind of an accident could have killed it -- and I'm guessing, by extension...*COUGH*...the four-armed skeletons in the desert habitat as well. Try to keep it intact!" she cries out even as she comes up behind Argug, trying to touch him to cast a spell, while the javelin pole is still protruding through her. She's intentionally leaving it in for now, in case pulling it out would allow massive bleeding to ensue, though moving around with a big stick in your chest is definitely hurting a hell of a lot.