The crew leaves the headquarters building of Alset; you have no trouble retrieving your weapons. However, your departure is noted by building security.
You make it back to the Revenge with no problem, and request a flight plan for the Northern plains. Within an hour, you're flying over the closest Ice Well.
While you fly, Esh has begun an algorithm for triangulating the most likely search area given the information you've already retrieved based on Alset's efforts to find Mesk.
I need a Physics check from Esh. Vera can provide a +2 aid another bonus.
"Sorry, I'm not much help."
"Beleive it or not, but I don't need you to 'aid' me on any little thing. Wah spoke, trying his best to ignore her inherently distracting nature. It was harder then he'd like to admit.
There is a smaller "well" to the east of the primary search vector that seems a likely suspect.
Flying low over it, Esh runs a sensor scan, searching for the Ambassador's comm signal.
Surprisingly, there is the faintest echo of a signal on the Gardathir's emergency frequency coming from deep in the Ice Well. Due to the vegetation, it's pretty much impossible to set down in the well. In order to find them, you'll have to hike/climb down among the bizarre trees and other flora tinted with metallic frost.
Sharlavaka started checking gear for an extended planetary journey.
Isis is ready to disembark once Vera finds a place to set down.
"Oh boy. I love hiking." Esh comments, utterly deadpan. As much as it may've been part of his specie's cultural heritage, he was never really much of an 'outdoorsy' type.
The "well" is almost unfathomably deep, and the lower sections are quite obscured by the heavily-frosted flora in your immediate vicinity, so much so that the wreckage of a jet would hardly be noticed from up here.
If someone can give me a Survival check, you can attempt to find the most passable route down into the well. This will make the going easier.
Sharlavaka began to scan the area for the best way down.
It looks like there was a natural run-off at one point, a long time ago, that created a crevasse. If you follow that crevasse, you will likely come to a point where the incline is less steep.
Athletics/Climb Checks from everyone. The DC is only 5, since you have walls of the crevasse to brace against, and gear to assist. Basically, we're just looking for no "1" results.
Sharlavaka makes decent progress; Esh is less fortunate, and loses his footing for a second, but thanks to the rope, he catches himself. So far Irina is doing the best; evidently she's been working out.
Isis says "I am not a good climber." and makes the attempt: Athletics
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Quinn has a little trouble, but eventually manages to make it down (I rolled off-line).
The "well" has layers of natural striation, making some natural "trails" along the perimeter. Alternately, you could simply try to climb down to each ledge in series, though at this point, the ice is a bit slicker and the DC would be higher.
Visibility is concealed by dense fauna. I'll allow you to use your computer and comm as a scanner to attempt to get a reading, but it's going to be limited in accuracy. Make a Computers check.
Eshenvral focuses his mind downward, using a few programs on the fly to ceeate a rough estimation of the depth down.
Since flying down wasn't an option, Sharlavaka took one of the saner paths down and kept an eye out for traps or early warning sensors.
Isis follows suit: Perception
Esh estimates a little over a mile/almost 2 km, straight down, from the open air. It is unlikely anything would fall that entire distance without being stopped.
Along your hike, you notice about 50' between striations on the upper layers. At some point along most of the layers, an earth collapse or fallen tree has made descent to the next lowest layer easier (DC 5 climb again, even with the frost). The first of these appears after roughly 1/2 miles.
It also becomes obvious, both to Esh's sensors and to Sharlavaka and Isis as they peer through the foliage, that alien wildlife also lives within this little self-contained biosphere. These are likely descendants from Aballon's ancient lifeforms, a sort of "land before time" throwback.
You manage to struggle down to the next striation, and the next, and are moving across a more open field, when you hear something moving toward you.
Suddenly, from the snowy ground erupts an immense centipede-like beast with rows of chitinous plates on its back glowing red-hot.
Initiative
Creature:
Irina:
Quinn: (not sure if that's the correct bonus)
Sharlavaka:
Isis:
Somewhere just on the edge of Esh's mind, or maybe his database, is the knowledge of an ancient ice creature common to many cold climates in the Golarion system: the Remorhaz. It undoubtedly sensed the tremors of your group marching through it's hunting grounds, and is hoping for a snack. Those glowing plates are super-hot and will burn like the dickens, and it's likely to be resistant to laser-fire, though not outright immune.
Sharlavaka, Irina, Isis may act before the creature.
Isis pulls her arc pistol from its holster, but is unable to make a full trick attack this turn. to hit the remorhaz flatfooted(?) for .
The 23 is a solid hit to his EAC. The electric damage seems to affect the creature normally.
Well, strange ice creatures or not, Sharlavaka knew what to do. He started his usual pattern of marching towards the creature, hosing it down with laser fire as he went.
As Esh suspected, the laser is less effective on the creature, but it does seem to do some damage.
Irina doesn't think her injector pistol will do much good against a creature this size, so she merely encourages her teammates (giving +1 morale bonus to attack the creature until her next action).
At this point, the creature moves forward and snaps at the most likely target, who for better or worse is Sharlavaka.
bite damage:
fire damage:
Esh and Quinn may act.
Quinn draws a laser weapon and fires.
Esh fires his arc pistol.
Top of Round 2
Now in close quarters, Shalaravaka fought back in the traditional way of his people - by trying to rip it's face off with his claws.
Isis is stunned at the viciousness of the Vesk's attack. She herself hopes to be similarly effective. Static arc pistol to hit for plus trick attack DC 20 +foe's CR for an extra damage plus makes the remorhaz "off-target" for a turn.
How the heck I ended up with two 20s I have no idea.
If the attack criticals, the trick criticals. Keep in mind there's no confirm in Starfinder. If the attack would normally hit (without the natural 20 rule) then a 20 is a critical.
Initiative
Sharlavaka: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19 (ACTED ROUND 2)
Irina: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17
Quinn: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
Isis: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15 (ACTED ROUND 2)
Creature: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
Esh: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Irina continues "Get 'em", giving a +1 attack bonus to allies until her next turn.
"You got this, guys! Esh, watch out for the edge of the drop-off!"
The Rhemoraz continues it's assault on Sharlavaka:
bite damage:
fire damage:
Quinn and Esh may act.
He ducks for some cover as takes aim towards the creature, firing off another shot of electric bolts towards it. Futile as it may be, it was all he had at the moment.