Breq runs right alongside the mystery creature, slashing at it as she goes. It moves faster than she expects, however, and she hits thin air. No AoO due to Uncanny Mobility.
Breq fools the creature with her quick movement, but her knife just misses its vulnerable parts.
The reddish creature lashes out at the intruding Breq, just missing the shifty android, while the other one smashes a stony appendage into Trylara! There strikes seem to be guided by the surface of the moon, itself.
Trylara thinks about what she knows of thses creatures as she slashes at it. Her attack hits, but does significantly less damage than she might hope.
This creature has elemental immunities (immune to bleed, critical hits, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, stunning, and flanking), and DR/-. Trylara also knows that, being powered by spiritual energy, these creatures are vulnerable to positive energy.
LG Male Dwarf Mystic 3 | SP 0/26 HP 24/24 RP 1/5 | KAC 15 (16) EAC 15 (16) | F +3 R +2 W +6 (+2 vs. poison, spells, SLAs) | Perc +9 (darkvision, stone cunning) SM +9 | Speed 20 ft | 1st 1/4 | Healing Touch 1/1 | Active Conditions: ---
Mordin begins to concentrate on something but then pauses to wonder if his efforts are needed.
If both of the elementals remain:
Full round action: Harm Undead Channel Positive (Harm Undead):4d8 ⇒ (7, 8, 5, 8) = 28Will DC14 for half
If only Red remains:
Move: Move 10 ft to indicated position on map Standard: Attack thunderstrike pulse gauntlet Pulse Gauntlet vs. KAC, Get 'em:1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 3 + 1 = 15vs. flat footed B/So:1d6 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 2 + 1 = 650% of damage is sonic
Movement on the map only applies if the latter situation exists.
@Wheeler: I'm having trouble picking out your attack roll when I look at your posts. Could you put the damage on the next line down?
@Boytoy: I hate to be the bearer of bad news but these creatures don't have hardness they have DR, so penetrating doesn't apply. Also, being elementals they are immune to crits. Boytoy's shot still does significant damage, but not as much as Gear might have hoped.
@Mordin: Just to make sure I understand that ability, you are expending a spell slot to make your channel also harm undead using the Harm Undead feat, correct?
Red Will save:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20 Green Will save:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
Boytoy blasts a large chunk off of the green creature, but not enough to bring it down. That only matters for a moment, however, as Mordin channels the power of his mystic connection to release positive energy throughout the cavern (no one was into hit point damage, so no healing happens).
Though the red creature seems to resist some of Mordin's wave of positive energy, it still ultimately succumbs to the mystic power along side its compatriot. Resisted half, but vulnerability means it then took half-again of the damage it did take, which was enough to bring it down. Out of combat!
Once you've had a chance to do any recovery you'd like, there are 4 potential passageways to follow, labeled on the map as 1, 2, 3, and 4. Let me know which way you'd like to go.
LG Male Dwarf Mystic 3 | SP 0/26 HP 24/24 RP 1/5 | KAC 15 (16) EAC 15 (16) | F +3 R +2 W +6 (+2 vs. poison, spells, SLAs) | Perc +9 (darkvision, stone cunning) SM +9 | Speed 20 ft | 1st 1/4 | Healing Touch 1/1 | Active Conditions: ---
LG Male Dwarf Mystic 3 | SP 0/26 HP 24/24 RP 1/5 | KAC 15 (16) EAC 15 (16) | F +3 R +2 W +6 (+2 vs. poison, spells, SLAs) | Perc +9 (darkvision, stone cunning) SM +9 | Speed 20 ft | 1st 1/4 | Healing Touch 1/1 | Active Conditions: ---
"Cheers fur th' tip, Trylara," Mordin says. "Ah ne'er woods hae guessed those waur necromantic. Whit kin' ay pish is gonnae oan aroond haur?"
He draws out his pulsecaster in his free hand. "Nae sure hoo much guid thes will dae."
"Mah dwarven senses say keep yer reit hain oan th' d~*%," he adds, pointing with his power gauntlet to the right. (4 > 3 > 2 > 1)
Breq nods, slowly walking in that direction. Dwarfstincts... I am not familiar with this word. Perhaps it is dwarven slang? Hmm... Note to self: Search “Dwarfstincts” on return home.
Male Shirren Star-Shaman Mystic (ace pilot) 11; SP 99/99, HP 72/72, RP 12/12; EAC 29, KAC 29, CMD 37; F +8, R +8, W +14; Resist acid 8, electricity 15 (3d6); Spd 40; Init +5; Perception +29 (+4 kit; blindsense 30); Rerolls used:—; Spell Slots used: 1st (), 2nd (), 3rd (), 4th (); Conditions: —; Used: —
Id twitches his antennae as his comrades destroy the attackers before he even has a chance to respond. Undead earth elementals? Strange...anyway, the right path seems fine to me. Lead the way.
Searching the far right path leads to a dead-end, forcing you to backtrack to the chamber where you fought the elementals. Going to pause until I've heard from everyone about the Abysshead boon.
Searching the next pathway leads to a more interesting room. This carved chamber features a small alcove in the southern wall with a stone altar. The top of the altar is carved to hold a massive gemstone or other angular object. Cracks spiderweb across the walls and ceiling. The footprints of a booted humanoid clearly mark a path from the eastern entrance to the southern wall and altar, then back again to the northwestern wall, where a large crack in the stone leads to another chamber.
Id-Sinitis sizes up this room and quickly comes to the conclusion that any loud noises, or even too much movement, could easily cause a cave-in. It's a good thing that none of you have, for instance, recklessly-downloaded Drow metal on your devices. A sudden auto-play could spell trouble! If you wish, you can try to shore up the ceiling and walls with an Engineering check.
Survival or Perception check:
Survival DC 16 or Perception DC 21:
Spoiler:
The person making the footprints slowed their pace, walking through the room very carefully and pausing at the altar.
The crack in the northern wall looks big enough for small or medium creatures to squeeze through. Large creatures ill need to make an Acrobatics check to get through without causing a cave-in.
Female LG half-orc dream prophet solarian 8 | SP 64/64 HP 62/62 | RP 9/9 | EAC 24; KAC 26 | Fort +7; Ref +5; Will +8 | Init: +2 | Perc:+6, SM: +0 | Speed 25ft | Attunement: none | Active conditions: None.
Survival:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
"Look here," Trylara whispers and points to the ground, "Whoever was walking through here not only stepped very carefully, but also paused at the altar."
The android muses, quietly. ”Hmmm...Perhaps we must pay fealty to this shrine before passing.. I am not religious and do not mind this act.”. Breq lets the others chew on that and gets to work on making the cave a little safer. If I move that rock just an inch...
LG Male Dwarf Mystic 3 | SP 0/26 HP 24/24 RP 1/5 | KAC 15 (16) EAC 15 (16) | F +3 R +2 W +6 (+2 vs. poison, spells, SLAs) | Perc +9 (darkvision, stone cunning) SM +9 | Speed 20 ft | 1st 1/4 | Healing Touch 1/1 | Active Conditions: ---
Mordin eyes the tenuous lay of the cave above them with a frown. "Weel, that's sure tae faa oan top ay uir heids. Nobody make tay much stooshie." He moves over to help Breq secure the cave wall.
Engineering, Aid Another (Breq):1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19
Once the work of keeping everyone from being crushed beneath tons of stone is finished, he moves over to examine the altar himself.
Male Shirren Star-Shaman Mystic (ace pilot) 11; SP 99/99, HP 72/72, RP 12/12; EAC 29, KAC 29, CMD 37; F +8, R +8, W +14; Resist acid 8, electricity 15 (3d6); Spd 40; Init +5; Perception +29 (+4 kit; blindsense 30); Rerolls used:—; Spell Slots used: 1st (), 2nd (), 3rd (), 4th (); Conditions: —; Used: —
Id carefully approaches, his telepathic voice sounding loud compared to his whispering comrades. I wonder what was stored atop this altar. And for what purpose. This place is shrouded in mystery!
Wheeler uses his jump jets to skate past the shrine without touching the ground Fellas I think the guy was less religious and more afraid of the roof coming down!
He then goes around trying to keep the roof from collapsing on his head too!.
With the area secured, you have more time to search around carefully. You find, camouflaged by dust, a rucksack leaning against one wall. Inside are:
two mk 2 serums of healing
some adamantine alloy cable line (50 ft.)
an advanced medkit
two beacons
a grappler
a laser drill
a portable gangway
a survival straw.
All of them are made by the Starfinder Societies usual suppliers, and the bag looks old enough to have been left here by Jadnura on his earlier visit.
The altar looks like it's about the right size to have once born the Tear that Jadnura found here, though of course he took it with him. Instead, the altar now contains some metal plates inscribed with runes, along with some other religious iconography. Id-Sinitis recognizes these as mk 1 planar runeplates, and can tell that both these and the iconography bear the religious symbol of Kadrical.
Anything else before following the exposed passageway through the rock? Searching the rest of the cave you're currently in reveals only empty caverns.
A flashback to something I neglected at the end of combat:
After you defeated haunted elementals, you could see a visible light snaking through the air like a stream flowing through the cavern and into the wall before it dissipated. Id-Sinitis could easily identify the light as the spirits that had possessed the rocks
Male Shirren Star-Shaman Mystic (ace pilot) 11; SP 99/99, HP 72/72, RP 12/12; EAC 29, KAC 29, CMD 37; F +8, R +8, W +14; Resist acid 8, electricity 15 (3d6); Spd 40; Init +5; Perception +29 (+4 kit; blindsense 30); Rerolls used:—; Spell Slots used: 1st (), 2nd (), 3rd (), 4th (); Conditions: —; Used: —
Id glowers at the dissipating spirits. There are malign forces at work here. Keep your wits about you, something haunts these caverns.
Id quizzically examines the runeplates. ...Kadrical? Who is Kadrical? These magic items are dedicated to such a being, but I've never heard of a god or demon or anything like that before.
As a combat caster, Id will happily take the runeplates if no one else wants them, but I'm thinking one of our combat folks will get more mileage out of it, especially if you're overdue for a new set of armor. Otherwise, Id's ready to continue into the exposed passageway.
Id-Sinitis wracks his brain, recalling Starfinder Society reports he read from interactions with the Izalguun. They told the Society of a jealous deity that once held them captive in the Scoured Stars system, known as Kadrical. Also called "The Covetous Protector", they are a LN god of collections, order, and preservation. I've added the holy symbol inscribed on the items to the slide deck.
LG Male Dwarf Mystic 3 | SP 0/26 HP 24/24 RP 1/5 | KAC 15 (16) EAC 15 (16) | F +3 R +2 W +6 (+2 vs. poison, spells, SLAs) | Perc +9 (darkvision, stone cunning) SM +9 | Speed 20 ft | 1st 1/4 | Healing Touch 1/1 | Active Conditions: ---
"Make sure tae tak' thes gear," Mordin says. "Th' cable, grappler, an' gangplenk micht be huir uv a useful while spelunkin'."
The dwarf wrestles the advanced medkit free. "In case onie ay ye gie hurt."
Breq nods as Trylara picks up the rune plate. "Good idea. We will need you standing up. Watch out for walruses with poison needles." Her circuits flare and her eyes open wide. "Seriously. Seriously." The android walks over to the bag and picks up the drill. "Might be useful."
The trek down the long, rocky passageway takes about two hours leading deeper into the moon, then ends abruptly at a smooth stone wall. Carved glowing glyphs adorn the wall and create a high-pitched hum, but no obvious exits lead away from the passage.
As you approach, a form of glowing gossamer floats out from the wall! It seems to radiate a sense of calm and peaceful tranquility, and makes no move toward you but to extend an arm, as if inviting you to reach out and touch it’s hand. Picture in the slides.
LG Male Dwarf Mystic 3 | SP 0/26 HP 24/24 RP 1/5 | KAC 15 (16) EAC 15 (16) | F +3 R +2 W +6 (+2 vs. poison, spells, SLAs) | Perc +9 (darkvision, stone cunning) SM +9 | Speed 20 ft | 1st 1/4 | Healing Touch 1/1 | Active Conditions: ---
"A ghost?" Mordin says warily. "I've abit hud it wi' ghosts. Th' lest a body nearly ate mah entire crew!"
At Id-Sinitis’s touch the spirit flows into his hand, disappearing into the shirrings body!
Id-Sinitis:
You feel a tranquil presence in your mind. It is making no effort to control or affect your thoughts or actions, but you do feel like you can communicate with it, and that it could answer questions from others through you, if you would allow it.
Looking around, you suddenly understand the inscription on the wall, as if you knew the language! It reads:
To outsiders who visit our land:
Welcome and be greeted.
Know our homes and discussions can be
Somewhat heated.
But do not bring religion to our door,
It is not permitted.
Those who push their beliefs on us
Will not be acquitted.
Additionally, you feel an urge to pull on a certain section of the wall, and the certainty that doing so will reveal a secret door hidden within.
On top of those things, you will get a +2 circumstance bonus on all skill checks involving any native magic or technology you find on this moon, for as long as the spirit is with you.
LG Male Dwarf Mystic 3 | SP 0/26 HP 24/24 RP 1/5 | KAC 15 (16) EAC 15 (16) | F +3 R +2 W +6 (+2 vs. poison, spells, SLAs) | Perc +9 (darkvision, stone cunning) SM +9 | Speed 20 ft | 1st 1/4 | Healing Touch 1/1 | Active Conditions: ---
"Och stoatin! noo it's gonnae eat Id's sool!" Mordin groans as he points his pulsecaster pistol at the shirren.
Male Shirren Star-Shaman Mystic (ace pilot) 11; SP 99/99, HP 72/72, RP 12/12; EAC 29, KAC 29, CMD 37; F +8, R +8, W +14; Resist acid 8, electricity 15 (3d6); Spd 40; Init +5; Perception +29 (+4 kit; blindsense 30); Rerolls used:—; Spell Slots used: 1st (), 2nd (), 3rd (), 4th (); Conditions: —; Used: —
Id holds his hands up toward the dwarf nonviolently. HEY WOAH, BE COOL! It's okay, I'm still me, and the spirit seems friendly. Looks like it knows about the area. See, watch! Id reaches over and pulls on the wall, revealing a secret door. I can also read the language now. It says: "To outsiders who visit our land:
Welcome and be greeted.
Know our homes and discussions can be
Somewhat heated.
But do not bring religion to our door,
It is not permitted.
Those who push their beliefs on us
Will not be acquitted."
Id projects his thoughts to the spirit residing within him. Hey, fella! We mean you no harm! If you'd like to communicate with my comrades through me, that's fine!
Id relaxes, allowing the spirit within to speak through his telepathic abilities:
I do not remember; it’s been so long since I was anyone. All I can remember is that I used to live. Now I am dead. I want to move on, but I am anchored here. Let me help you.
Breq looks on in awe, eyes open wide. ’Well, this is new. Might want to put that rune plate back. No need to get caught up in a holy war.”. The android smiles softly and speaks to Id. ”You use to live here? What did you look like, when you were alive?”. With a flash of a wrist, out comes a datapad to take notes.
LG Male Dwarf Mystic 3 | SP 0/26 HP 24/24 RP 1/5 | KAC 15 (16) EAC 15 (16) | F +3 R +2 W +6 (+2 vs. poison, spells, SLAs) | Perc +9 (darkvision, stone cunning) SM +9 | Speed 20 ft | 1st 1/4 | Healing Touch 1/1 | Active Conditions: ---
"Ah dunnae kinn," Mordin says dubiously as he slowly lowers his pulsecaster. "Hoo dae we ken th' ghost didne jist tak' yer knowledge an' make ye say 'at?"
After a moment of a tentacled horror not emerging from Id's carapace, he asks, "Whit dae ye ken ay th' evil spirits in th' rock?"
Female LG half-orc dream prophet solarian 8 | SP 64/64 HP 62/62 | RP 9/9 | EAC 24; KAC 26 | Fort +7; Ref +5; Will +8 | Init: +2 | Perc:+6, SM: +0 | Speed 25ft | Attunement: none | Active conditions: None.
"How can we free them? What do we need to do?" Trylara looks resolved. She removes the runeplates marked with Kadrical's symbol and then, after hesitating, her own pendant with Iomedae's symbol.
"She'll be with me whether I wear it or not. I don't need to invite more trouble."
Breq seems stuck on something the spirit had said. ”What do you mean, you want to help us? Will that help free you? And... help us with what?”. The android seems unsettled. (Or perhaps is running on low battery. Difficult to tell.). That ghost on the old ship... they did not want to help us live...
What has you stucklike? Is it related to how you died? Wheeler somewhat tactlessly asks.
I do not know. This is as far as I can get from my home. Xaharee, through there. Not far. The spirit points (using Id's arm) to the formerly-hidden door in the wall of glyphs
Male Shirren Star-Shaman Mystic (ace pilot) 11; SP 99/99, HP 72/72, RP 12/12; EAC 29, KAC 29, CMD 37; F +8, R +8, W +14; Resist acid 8, electricity 15 (3d6); Spd 40; Init +5; Perception +29 (+4 kit; blindsense 30); Rerolls used:—; Spell Slots used: 1st (), 2nd (), 3rd (), 4th (); Conditions: —; Used: —
Id glances to his allies. I guess we should investigate this 'Xaharee' place, huh? Based on the poem here, I'm guessing they aren't fond of religions, though that makes all this Kadrical business a little strange.
