I'd sure like to know what exactly happened to Skelton. Was there a cause of death identified?
"They could bring some goats here to keep the grass down, I wonder why no one moved in." Figgy says, "That is a nice barn, could set up a shop in there to make things. Who is going in the hole first?"
"Let's not be too hasty," Raktar says to Figgy. "Let's prepare ourselves first. Who knows what horrors are lurking down there?" he adds rhetorically.
HP 65/65
AC 20, touch 10, flat-footed 20 (+6 armour, +1 natural armour, +3 shield of faith)
Speed: 30 ft
Fort: +8 (+4 vs disease), Ref: +5, Will: +8 (+1 vs technology)
Conditions: bull's strength, protection from technology, lead blades, shield of faith
Melee attack (+1 earthbreaker): +10 (+5 BAB, +3 Str, +1 enhancement, +2 bull's strength, -2 Power Attack, +1 bless)
Melee Damage (+1 earthbreaker): 3d6+14 (+4 Str, +1 enhancement, +3 bull's strength, +6 Power Attack)
Figgy looks at the larger man, 'You are right, Gnomes just love new things, my Uncles Aunt's brothers sister 4 times removed then added back in, died after following a magma elemental to close to an open fissure." Figgy shudders a bit
As spells are handed out Olimpia examines the entry, pronouncing the word for the glyph as she does so.
As the other prepare Dilana casts Mage Armor on herself and gets ready to follows the others in.
"More tight spaces. The outdoor stuff was so much easier to work in."
She hangs back letting the others take point.
"Ready to go?" Raktar asks, looking round at the others as he draws his hammer. "Olimpia, do you want to sneak in for a look, or shall I go first?"
HP 56/56
Ranged bomb +9 (4d6+4 fire 11/11)
3rd—fly, protection from energy
2nd—barkskin, bull's strength , cat's grace , invisibility
1st—cure light wounds , enlarge person (DC 15), longshot, shield, true strike
Figgy looks through his pouch of potions, "Olimpia do you want the one to make you more agile and invisible?" Figgy offers the woman 2 potions
Removing the capstone reveals an earthen shaft sinking into the ground, it also reveals a faint, misty cloud flying up the shaft towards you.
This is what killed Old Skelton. A Nanite swarm. It will seek to engulf and kill you. Being a swarm weapons are useless against it.
What are you doing now?
"What is that?" Raktar mutters, peering down into a shaft that drops away into darkness. "Looks like fog or a cloud."
Hearing that something like a fog is approaching them Dilana takes a step back.
"That is a nanite swarm, back away from it, it will try to eat you alive." Figgy throws a bomb at the swarm.
Olimpia pulls and throws an alchemist's fire before stepping back.
Both Figgy & Olimpia hit the swarm with their flaming missiles, Figgy's does some damage. Olimpia's is ignored.
.
The swarm flies quickly out of the shaft and attacks.
Swarming Olimpia and doing... nothing?
Leaving her after a moment it moves to engulf someone else.
What are you doing now?
Dilana smiles have a fire spell ready to go. She moves to line up so that the flames will only hit the swarm and not anyone else.
"Keep clear a moment folks."
DC16 Ref for half
Fire does not seem to hurt it much. Olimpia call with worried concern. She double moves away from the threat. Why did it not hurt me?
The Nanite swarm takes a small amount of damage from Dilana's spell.
The Swarm flies quickly.
Engulfing Dilana in it's microscopic cloud.
Distraction (Ex)
A creature with this ability can nauseate the creatures that it damages. Any living creature that takes damage from a creature with the Distraction ability is nauseated for 1 round; a Fortitude save DC15 negates the effect.
Weakness (Ex) When a bionanite cloud damages a living creature, it disrupts the transmission of nerve impulses to the creature's m uscles, causing 1d4 points of Strength damage. A successful DC 15 Fortitude save negates this Strength damage, but a creature that is nauseated takes a -4 penalty on this saving throw. The save DC is Constitution-based.
The party may now act.
As she is engulfed Dilana feels very ill. Her stomach lurches and flips as she tries to remain upright. The swarm also attempts to drain her strength but she manages to fight that off.
She stumbles to the side trying to get out of the swarm.
Figgy pulls a vial of Acid from his bandolier and throws it at the swarm
HP 56/56
Ranged bomb +9 (4d6+4 fire 11/11)
3rd—fly, protection from energy
2nd—barkskin, bull's strength , cat's grace , invisibility
1st—cure light wounds , enlarge person (DC 15), longshot, shield, true strike
Acid 2/3
Boro Bead (1st) 1/1
Battery x 2
Impact foam
Medlance (empty)
Nanite Hypo Gun 5/10
Nanite Canister x 3
Trauma Pack Plus 4/5
Potion of Eagles Splendor
Potion of Fox's Cunning
Potion of Owls wisdom
Preserving flask (empty)
Jacket, Sipping (empty)
Explosive Pocket 1/1
Olimpia pulls and throws an acid at the swarm before stepping back 5'.
Raktar backs away as the swarm flies around Dilana and Olimpia. He looks down at the huge hammer in his hands with an almost comical look of helplessness. "I'm not sure I can hurt it," he says apologetically, "but I might be able to help Dilana." He moves over to Dilana and touches her arm. As he does there's a faint silver glow from his scars beneath his armour as he focuses his magic into her.
This spell wards a creature from attacks by technological objects and creatures of the robot subtype, and protects against mental control from technological sources. It creates a magical barrier around the subject at a distance of 1 foot. The barrier moves with the subject and has two major effects.
First, the target gains a +2 deflection bonus to AC and a +2 resistance bonus on saving throws. Both of these bonuses apply against attacks made or effects caused by technological objects and creatures with the robot subtype.
Second, the target immediately receives another saving throw (if one was allowed to begin with) against any technological effects that exercise mental control over the creature, including the effects of pharmaceuticals such as torpinal. The target gains a +2 morale bonus on this saving throw, using the same DC as the original effect. If the target succeeds at this save, such effects are suppressed for the duration of this spell. The effects resume when the duration of this spell expires. While under the effects of this spell, the target is immune to any new attempts to exercise mental control over her using technological means.
Following the advice that was given by some of the townsfolk of Ladenveigh, Kovan continued on the trail in search of the adventurer's the Council of Torch had asked him to check in on.
Coming across a ridge, the Kellid warrior looks down to see whom he believes to be the adventurers in question doing battle with some sort of metallic cloud.
Closing in, Korvan reaches into his bag to retrieve an acid flask. Flask in hand, he hurls the acid toward the swarm.
vs. touch AC
x 1.5 vs. swarm = 9 Acid Damage
As the party and the newcomer lob acid at the swarm it ignores them and continues whatever it's trying to do to Dilana?
Darting at her as she staggers away.
This time it's own work hinders it, a nauseated Dilana lurching out of it's path at the last moment.
Dilana is no longer nauseated.
The party may now act.
Raktar doesn't spot the newcomer until too late, but he's surprised to see the man taking on the swarm alongside them. He nods his appreciation for the help.
"Figgy, got any more of that acid I could use?" Raktar asks, looking over at the gnome.
Dilana gives the swarm a dirty looks. "Only had one fire spell. Lets try this."
She moves back thirty feet from the swarm as she reaches into her component pouch pulling out a small tuft of fire and a glass rod. Holding them in one hand she points and a bolt of lightning lashes out at the swarm.
DC17 Ref Half
"I am out, I will have to make more tonight." Figgy says making another bomb and throwing it.
I’ve one more acid. Olympia says as she pulls and throws it.
After using a few spells, and throwing anything you can think of at it the Nanite swarm fades away. Being a swarm of microscopic constructs it obviously doesn't have any loot.
A1. Recordkeeping
The eastern side of this otherwise metal-walled room is collapsed,
revealing a wet, earthen shaft leading upward. The floor is covered to a depth of three inches with stagnant water that's seeped in from the exposed earth. The west wall contains a bank of strange machinery and cracked or partially shattered glass panels. To the north, an open doorway beckons into another, larger room, but the door's frame sparks periodically with tiny bolts of electricity.
What are you doing now?
"Well that things was unpleasant. A shame to use spells before we get in there, if this place is like that we are going to be busy."
She moves on with the others, keeping to the back.
As the cloud disperses Raktar turns warily to the newcomer, his hammer gripped tightly but held at ease. "That was timely help," he says in a friendly tone. "Good job you came along when you did. What brings you all the way out here..." he trails off, waiting for the stranger to introduce himself.
Figgy looks at the large man, then turns to Springy "Where do they all keep coming from?" Figgy asks him, then seeing some tech moves towards the machinery seeing if it still works and if he can use it.
The new-comer, a tall, sinewy, dark-haired man dressed in leathers with the exception for a particularly shiny, fine-mesh chain shirt. Strapped across the man's back is a greatsword and a rifle. Hanging at his belt is a morningstar and strange looking, long-barreled pistol.
"Yeah, you look like the group...but I was expecting there would be more of you based on what the Council had said."
Putting the acid flask he was about to throw back into his pack, the man walks closer and extends his hand. "The name's Korvan Vosh. The Council in Torch sent me to check in on you all, and offer my help if you are in need of it."
"Pleased to meet you Korvan, I'm Raktar," Raktar says, shaking the proffered hand. "I'm glad the Council sent you, and I'm even more glad you arrived when you did. Are you ready to come down the hole with us?" he asks, gesturing towards the uncovered well.
Korvan shrugs. "Would be kind of silly to come all this way and then not join along if you'll have me."
Glad to meet you Koran, and glad to have you in the group. Olympia says, extending her hand in welcome. We are a man down at the moment, thanks, at least indirectly, to the Technic League.
Korvan shakes the offered hand. "Well met. The Technic League you say? Mind if I ask what happened?"
Olimpia glances at the others before responding They had an agent here. She was good. JJ and I knew that if we let her go there would be trouble. We turned her over to the local authorities and they Let her go. JJ decided to follow her to make sure she did not bring back more trouble. She looks a little uncomfortable in telling this.
"Well it all startede when my parents and I were out scavenging in what looked like big destroyed box...." Figgy starts to say before the group gives him some stares about it being a more recent issue with the league.
"Well, no time like the present." Korvan remarks as he slide on down into the chamber. Looking around at the surroundings, he takes note of the sparking doorway and then at the three inches of water he finds himself standing in. "That's less than good." he comments before taking a closer look at the machinery to the west.
Raktar stands in the bottom of the shaft, his hammer held ready as water laps across the tops of his boots. "What's wrong with that door?" he asks, nodding his head at the sparking doorway.
While the doorway is open Figgy can easily tell that stepping through would be very unhealthy!
Olimpia steps forward and examines the doorway, after a close attempt she manages to disable the power source and clear the sparks.
A2. Administration.
This wide room has a rounded desk in the center inset with banks of technological equipment. A large set of doors to the northeast are badly mangled and jammed with rocky debris. A single glass panel with a thin metal frame extends from a desk to the south; this panel slowly flashes with a softly pulsating white light. A few inches of standing water cover the southern portion of the room's floor.
What are you doing now?
Even once Dilana has made the door safe, Raktar waits outside to allow the more technologically-literate members of the party to examine the room beyond. "Anything dangerous?" he asks.
There is little of interest in this room, however examining the glass panel that is flashing causes this to happen.
An image appears on the glass screen-an image of this same room, as viewed from above the southern door. A man leans in over the screen on the desk in the image, then straightens up and nods his head eagerly before speaking to the apparently empty room.
"As I thought. While this terminal accepted my spell's magical charge, it's unlinked to any sort of central archive. We'll not be able to extract any significant information from here."
A second, much deeper voice from an unknown source replies, "But what you seek still lies within the ruins of this ship, does it not, Master Xoud?"
The man nods again. "I believe so. We will need to explore further. There may be additional defenses though. This is why I called upon you, Sahasho-you will lead the way."
At this point, the man walks away, a swirling of dust and wind following him before both are eclipsed by the screen's edge.
The screen flickers and goes dark.
First thinking to hang back with Raktar Dialana quickly moves forward when the video starts. Interesting now what is that with him?
"If you all think it is safe to do so," Korvan begins, glancing to Olimpia in particular, "I'll start getting some of these rocks out of the way of this door so we can see about opening it."
Figgy watches the images flash across the screen and listens to the voice recording. "I wish I had something like this to record things, it would make repeating creations easier. I wonder if I can keep this ship... well since the Village doesn't want it." Figgy says "I bet they won't help us dig it out though."
Olimpai moves to the desk and looks through the technological equipment. She startles when the man appears and listens to the discussion, What did all that mean? She asks.