Nope but if you concentrate real hard you might notice that the hangings move erratically at the top.
"What matter of blobbity things are these..." Balon wonders aloud, staring in amazement at the tapestry. He moves closer and tries to poke one.
"What matter of blobbity things are these..." Balon wonders aloud, staring in amazement at the tapestry. He moves closer and tries to poke one.
What would you like to poke it with?
Balon will poke it with his largely-ceremonial rapier. Not hard enough to cause it harm, in case it's non-hostile. Just an interrogatory poke.
Callidus takes an exaggerated step back.
Balon will poke it with his largely-ceremonial rapier. Not hard enough to cause it harm, in case it's non-hostile. Just an interrogatory poke.
Something quite amazing happens when Balon pokes at the 'blob'. To everyone except Balon it appears that a rapier begins to disappear from the top-down. In just a couple of seconds, the top-half of the rapier has disappeared and it continues to disappear quickly.
Balon however sees a ropey tendril extend from the blob and stares in amazement as it quickly flows down his blade towards his hand.
Callidus tries to understand the Numenera at work making the sword "disappear".
Trained
Callidus tries to understand the Numenera at work making the sword "disappear".
[dice=Understand Function]1d20 Trained
Ancient and potentially not of earthly origin. Neither fully organic nor artificial. Possibly sentient...probably dangerous...definitely unique...
"Whoa ... back off man ... that's clearly dangerous, if not aggressive!", Callidus exclaims, over emphasizing his fears for the sake of caution.
Amadeus pulls out his shield and reaches for his broadsword, he doesn't draw it though. We should move on.
"Yeah, this place is not something i like the looks of. Any insights here, Brain?"
"Eeeyaugh!" Balon cries, dropping the rapier hastily as the blob begins to flow down it towards him.
"Eeeyaugh!" Balon cries, dropping the rapier hastily as the blob begins to flow down it towards him.
Again you group sees two different views of the same event. Most of you see that as soon as Balon drops the rapier the missing top-half suddenly reappears.
Balon sees as soon as he drops the rapier that the ropey tendril releases the blade. However, instead of withdrawing it begins to quest around looking something like a snake readying itself to strike.
[dice=numenera trained]1d20
"Yeah, this place is not something i like the looks of. Any insights here, Brain?"
Amazingly enough there is something about the Numenera in this structure that resonates with you. It's somehow elegant. It's not just random fluxes, you almost feel as if there is a guiding force behind what you've seen/experienced so far.
We can analyze it once we're out of it's reach. In the meantime let's get a move on. There are people down here somewhere.
Amadeus will wait for the rest of the group to start following him, then lead the group toward the middle of the chamber, over the grid.
"Stay away from that section of floor!" Balon warns, gesturing at the gooey blob. He understands now that most people can't see it. He will cautiously snatch up his weapon now that it's not coated anymore.
We can analyze it once we're out of it's reach. In the meantime let's get a move on. There are people down here somewhere.
Amadeus will wait for the rest of the group to start following him, then lead the group toward the middle of the chamber, over the grid.
"Stay away from that section of floor!" Balon warns, gesturing at the gooey blob. He understands now that most people can't see it. He will cautiously snatch up his weapon now that it's not coated anymore.
As everyone moves away from the area of the floor, Balon can see the sickly yellowish green tendril withdraw back into the blobs. The blobs begin to move around again on top of the hangings.
Balon gives an experimental heave on the grid, trying to lift it off the ground like some sort of portcullis.
Balon gives an experimental heave on the grid, trying to lift it off the ground like some sort of portcullis.
[dice=Might roll I assume?]1d20
OUCH! You receive a very unpleasant electric shock when you touch the grid.
"Electrified!" Balon says, stepping back. He considers the party's options as he rubs feeling back into his poor hands. "This way's no good. Any luck figuring out the blood spatter, guys?"
Callidus, can you find a way to disable it? It seems unlikely that they'd be on the other side of an impenetrable wall, but a trapped door would make sense.
Callidus opens his bag of tools, pulling out some sensors and attaching them to his arm ... he then proceeds to inspect the grid ...
Spending an intellect
trained
Callidus opens his bag of tools, pulling out some sensors and attaching them to his arm ... he then proceeds to inspect the grid ...
Spending an intellect
[Dice=Figure it out]1d20 trained
You realize that somewhere in the room there has to be a bypass switch. Once you know what you're looking for it doesn't take long to find the switch and you're able to deactivate the electric current. Following that, your teammates are able to push the grate out of the way without being hurt.
You all find yourself on a landing that is about 20 feet higher than the floor of the room in front of you. And what a room...it is at least hundreds of feet long and wide...in fact, it is impossible to tell how big the room truly is because though lit by a odd red light that comes from sources on the ceiling that is well beyond a bow-shot high, the lighting is very dim and the far reaches of the room are lost in darkness. The area closest to you is filled with plants...plants that you have never seen before...towering blue fern-like plants, bright orange bushes and pinkish grasses. There is a symmetry of sorts among the plants but whatever master-plan that once existed has been lost in the depths of time.
Even given the poor lighting, you sense that creatures are moving among the plants.
"I think this is a greenhouse ... or biodome ..."
Nasir holds a glowglobe close to the closest plant, trying to figure out its properties.
Identify/use natural plants (trained):
He'll also keep a close eye for movement in the greenhouse.
Perception (trained):
Callidus stows his glowglobe and activates his cat's eye cypher, stepping out of the light for a little stealth.
Galahad keeps his weapon and shield at the ready in case of an ambush.
Nasir holds a glowglobe close to the closest plant, trying to figure out its properties.
Identify/use natural plants (trained): 1d20
He'll also keep a close eye for movement in the greenhouse.
Perception (trained): 1d20
The plants are not any that you have ever seen before. They even smell different.
You are able to see two different types of beings in the garden. One type is a little fellow, only about 4 inches tall that seems to be loosening the dirt around the plants and depositing something near their roots. The other type is much larger standing 3 feet tall or so. This type appears to mostly be trimming branches off the plants and then trundling away into the distance carrying their cargo of branches. Others of the same type are trundling back towards you not carrying anything.
A few key points strike you right away, first the beings are clearly artificial constructs, second for every one you see working it appears that there are 3 or 4 inactive ones and finally the pruning instruments on the bigger one look extremely sharp.
Callidus stows his glowglobe and activates his cat's eye cypher, stepping out of the light for a little stealth.
With your suddenly improved dark vision, you can see that the sides of the room only extend several hundred feet to each side of where you are but the far end of the room is still lost in the distance. It's at least 2000 feet long.
They're multiple doorways leading out the chamber on each of the side walls...basically every 50 feet there's another doorway.
Relaying that information to the others Callidus peers at the inactive constructs attempting to determine if they are broken, scheduled to swap out with those currently working, charging, dormant-awaiting a trigger ...
Trained
"I don't recommend disturbing the plants ..."
Let's try a doorway.
"I'll look at the closest one, make sure it isn't a closet before we try to sneak over there...", Nasir says before creeping away.
Sneak, using effort (-2 speed pool):
And more or less bumping into a gardener.
Maybe we should switch duties? You can bludgeon enemies while I sneak about?
Relaying that information to the others Callidus peers at the inactive constructs attempting to determine if they are broken, scheduled to swap out with those currently working, charging, dormant-awaiting a trigger ...
[dice=Understand numenera]1d20 Trained
"I don't recommend disturbing the plants ..."
From their positioning, often stopped in mid-activity, your best guess is that they are broken.
"I'll look at the closest one, make sure it isn't a closet before we try to sneak over there...", Nasir says before creeping away.
Sneak, using effort (-2 speed pool): 1d20+1
And more or less bumping into a gardener.
Tripping over plants, cursing loudly, and falling several times, Nasir makes his 'graceful' way to the nearest doorway. Peering through the opening, Nasir sees a corridor leading off coming to a T-junction in about 50 feet. The corridors are lit by the same red light as the huge room. On both sides off the corridor there are closed doors about 1/2 way to the junction. There are signs in an unusual language next to each door.
"I think I remember discussing strange plant constructs at a social function once...let me think..."
"I am pretty far out of my element here. Never seen anything like this place."
"There's more doors past this door.", Nasir pipes up, rubbing at his stubbed toe through the form-fitting membrane of his sneaky shoes. "More enclosed, fewer gardeners."
"'Fewer gardeners' sounds favorable to me," Balon says, quietly. He claps Galahad on the shoulder. "I vote we go that way, eh?"
"I think I remember discussing strange plant constructs at a social function once...let me think..."
1d20
You recall a rather obtuse, rotund botanist pontificating about the theoretical impact on the color of a sun on the color palette of the resulting plants. Specifically, he theorized that a red sun would result in plants of non-green colors, such as blues, or reds or oranges.
You follow Nasir into the corridor that he scouted. There are closed doors to your left and right half way down the passage. There are signs in an unknown language next to each door.
Balon gravitates to the strange writing on the wall, his eyes narrowing in curiosity. "You guys," he asks, "Does anyone have some charcoal and parchment? I've never seen writing in this language - I'd love to get a rubbing. Proof of my adventures in strange and foreign lands!" so saying, he Scans the writing for traces of numenera. After the globby things he doesn't trust this ruin.
Didn't we just see some invisible thing nearly consume you? Let's try to avoid touching anything.
This place is bigger than I anticipated, I wonder if there's a way to determine where they would have gone. We might be stumbling around blindly for days down here.
Didn't we just see some invisible thing nearly consume you? Let's try to avoid touching anything.
This place is bigger than I anticipated, I wonder if there's a way to determine where they would have gone. We might be stumbling around blindly for days down here.
Almost as if his thought made it happen, you all hear a shout of pain and anger coming from the hallway ahead.
Callidus moves swiftly and quietly in the dark areas using his Cats-Eye lens to see while remaining as obscured as possible. Stopping at the corner of the T he looks in both directions for the sound, reporting mentally back to Balon what he sees.
Well, that's either going to be exactly what we are looking for, or looking for us. Either way, let's go.
Amadeus pulls out his weapon and moves after Callidus, staying a ways back but not letting him out of sight.
Balon stays behind Amadeus, chewing his lip.
Callidus moves swiftly and quietly in the dark areas using his Cats-Eye lens to see while remaining as obscured as possible. Stopping at the corner of the T he looks in both directions for the sound, reporting mentally back to Balon what he sees.
[dice=stealth]1d20
A horrific scene greets you as you peer carefully around the corner. The dim, eerie red light reveals the remains of two humans about 100 feet down the corridor to the left. At least, they are look like human remains but it's hard to tell as the remains have been scattered around a good bit. Blood and gore cover the walls and floor, shining black in the red light.
As you begin to turn away, fighting the urge to vomit uncontrollable, you notice that another body lies a further 20 feet or so past the remains. This body appears to be intact and you think you can detect a slight rise and fall of the chest.