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: ---
"Whit in th' bludy blue hells happened tae ye!?" Mordin shouts as he comes upon the dismantled android. "Forgit daein' favors; we need tae gie ye evacuated! an' hoo ur yoos till talkin'?"
Breq looks at the other android with mild alarm. "You have prioritized the mission over your own safety. Please, go on." The android stands up straighter, ready to act.
Gear winces at the partially dismembered android and kneels down next to them.
Yeah, well, talk while i try to put you back together... Boytoy, pass me that scanner.
“You won’t have the equipment to do so here…my construction is very specific. Perhaps we can address that concern after taking care of the haunting of Xaharee.”
Id-Sinitis wrote:
Id stares at the shredded android for a moment. ...Also, what in the world are you doing here?!
“I was following up on the Scoured Stars incident; it’s quite the talk of the Pact Worlds, after all. Have you found anything interesting?”
Mordin Gimhargruest wrote:
"Whit in th' bludy blue hells happened tae ye!?" Mordin shouts as he comes upon the dismantled android.
“The ghosts of the past. I’m sure you’ve noticed, but the spiritual damage to this place is great. It turns out I’m not as capable of withstanding the onslaught as I had hoped.”
Mordin Gimhargruest wrote:
"Forgit daein' favors; we need tae gie ye evacuated! an' hoo ur yoos till talkin'?"
“I'm tougher than I look" Iteration-177 says with a smile. "Please do not move me. I prefer to stay here where I’m in relatively less danger for now. I’ll be okay. I’ve been through worse.”
Breq Torren wrote:
Breq looks at the other android with mild alarm. "You have prioritized the mission over your own safety. Please, go on." The android stands up straighter, ready to act.
Trylara Bahtinov wrote:
Trylara's eyes open wide at the sight of the android. "What is it you need us to do?"
“I'd like you to purge the city of its spiritual influences; the souls that are trapped here can be quite dangerous.
“The spiritual activity here in Xaharee is no accident. The mentrasi in the nearby city discovered an imminent seismic cataclysm and took desperate measures to survive it. I’ve uncovered a ritual the Xaharee leaders used to bind their spirits to this city, specifically the menhir in the center of downtown park. I believe they misinterpreted the ritual and thought it would bind their life essence here, including their physical bodies. Instead it ripped the spirits of every living thing from the city and bound it to the menhir, the focal point of the ritual.
“Think of the menhir as a spiritual anchor; I believe that by disrupting the menhir we can free the trapped spirits. I want you to go to the city center, find the menhir, and destroy it. Be warned, it will put up quite a fight once it realizes you’re there to destroy it. I would rest and prepare before heading back into the city to face it. Take some of my weapons with you,”
Iteration-177 looks meaningfully toward a null-space chamber lying on a nearby rock.
The mk 1 null-space chamber contains the following:
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: ---
"Yoo've bin ben waur?" Mordin throws up his hands in exasperation.
After cooling down for a moment, he concedes, "Braw. braw. We waur awreddy plannin' oan daein' 'at but cooldnae figure it hoo."
Wheeler sniffs out his snout dismissivley What were you even doing here iteration? What is the percentage in this for you - now that you're somewhat helpless I think its time you gave us some answers.
"As I told your friend" they say, nodding toward Id, "I was here following up on information learned from your Society's experience in the Scoured Stars. The whole situation is fascinating. There's no 'percentage' in it, I suppose, but I've always thought that knowledge is its own reward."
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 nods slowly. Sure...we'll take care of it. He looks over the tools the android offered. Looks like weapons designed to combat incorporeal foes. Brew, you should probably take the pistol, and either Mordin or Trylara the axe. Whoever is planning on engaging these defenses hand-to-hand should also grab the serums. I'm ready to go when you are.
Only down two 1st-level spells, 4 battery charges, and 3 SP. I should be good to go.
Female LG half-orc dream prophet solarian 4 | SP 28/28 HP 34/34 | RP 3/5 | EAC 20; KAC 22 | Fort +4; Ref +4; Will +4 | Init: +2 | Perc:+5, SM: +0 | Speed 25ft | Attunement: none | Active conditions: None.
Trylara exhales. "Yes, a short rest would be good."
She examines the greataxe and nods approvingly. "What do you say, Mordin? Want to use this?"
I need to get back my stamina, but then I'm good! The sintered greataxe would do more damage than my solarian weapon, but I would lose out on my soulfire fusion, so the marginal improvement is probably higher for someone else!
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, och aye! Ah coods use th' axe," Mordin says, rubbing his hands together.
Breq nods at the decision. "Yes, axes are a little heavy for my taste." The android turns to Iteration for some information downloading. "Tell me, what do you anticipate at the menhir? Looks like incorporeal combat. What were you preparing for?"
"There are definitely spirits active in this city, so as you said be prepared for incorporeal combat. I suspect, however, that the spirits are capable of possessing other things, and maybe even people, so you may have physical attacks as well."
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 pauses, his antennae alert. Our spirit friend is apparently eager to free their kin. I think this is the morally right call. Let's go smash a menhir!
Any other questions, or things you want to do before moving on? You can take a 10-minute rest, or even a full night's rest if you'd like, before moving on.
Breq is ready to go. "I feel well, and have no need for a rest." Then, the android looks to Iteration and Gear with a knowing look. "But I know others may need to care for their bodies. I am fine to rest."
Sounds like we're good with just a 10 minute rest; I'll get us moving when I have a moment, later this morning. It looks like Mordin has the axe, and Breq has the pistol, correct?
As you return to the city, the spiritual activity has ratcheted up quite a bit. Ghostly wails echo through the empty streets, reaching a constant, wind-like howl at the center square. Stones and debris vibrate and crack with increased frequency, and the whole area is illuminated by the faint glow spirits as ghosts fly around. The moment you set foot in the center square, the menhir flares as a glowing spirit emerges and advances on you!
What is that thing? Engineering or Mysticism check:
DC 17:
Spoiler:
Being made of stone, this menhir (a construct) is obviously very hard. More than that, it is powered by spiritual energy, and thus you think would be vulnerable to positive energy. You’ve seen it manifest a spirit already, and might suspect that it can do so again.
-----
Some extra actions available to you:
Disrupt the Menhir:
If you’re within 30ft of the menhir, you can disrupt it (damage it) by attempting a Mysticism check as a standard action. You think a particularly successful Mysticism check will do more damage.
You must be trained in Mysticism to attempt this check, with the exception of PCs who have the Priest theme and venerate Pharasma, in which case you may attempt it with a +4 bonus on top of your INT.
Find a Weak Spot:
As a move action within 30ft, you may attempt an Engineering check to identify a weak spot on the menhir. On a 21+ the next attack made against the menhir ignores its hardness. On a 26+ it is an automatic crit. Since you can do your move action before your standard, you could do this to apply to your own attack, but you could also attack first (or do something else) and then make the Engineering check, in which case it will apply to the next attack by initiative order.
You must be trained in Engineering to attempt this check.
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: —
With the spirit's help, Id can't fail the Mysticism check to learn about the menhir.
Id springs into action. That menhir is made of solid rock, probably hard to destroy using weapons, but we might be able to disrupt it's magic or find a weak point. It's clearly summoning spirits to defend itself, and will likely keep doing so until it's dismantled. Focus more on the menhir if you have the right training, otherwise try to keep the most dangerous spirits at bay!
Id rushes towards the necromantic monolith and focuses his psychic energy at it.
Id's psychic energy seems particularly effective, causing some cracks to form on the surface of the menhir. Still, it seems that it is far from crumbling yet. To give you a sense of things, that check was enough to hit the higher level, which does 50 damage to it.
Adding one detail: you can see a silvery thread of spiritual energy linking the incorporeal spirit to the menhir.
Also, I forgot about bonus you earned in the library. Anyone attempting that Mysticism check to disrupt the menhir gets a +2 circumstance bonus from your earlier research (which sadly will not stack with the circumstance bonus you have from your friendly ghost, Id).
The spirit recently emerged from the menhir rushes toward Trylara, passing through her form before similarly rushing through Id-Sinitis, then wheeling over toward the rest of the group, passing through Gear, Boytoy, then flipping around and flying through Wheeler and Mordin! Where it passes, a burning corruption remains, searing into your flesh! Does not provoke.
Acid Damage (everyone except Breq):3d6 ⇒ (6, 6, 5) = 17Reflex DC 14 for half.
——
Another spirit emerges from the menhir, rushing into the rock below, only to emerge in a body of glowing stone, similar to the one you fought in the cave! Like the incorporeal spirit, a thin silvery thread of spiritual energy seems to tether the creature to the menhir.
——
The newly-formed haunted elemental rumbles forward, slamming a rocky fist at Trylara, missing the solarian by inches as it smashes away a large chunk of the nearby staircase.
By the way, I made a mistake in the earlier battle against these things in the cave. Though they are variants of Medium Elementals at this level, they are still large creatures due to their body shape, though they don’t seem to have reach.
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: —
Reflex DC 14:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
Id recoils from the spirit's onslaught, the acid only scathing his outer armor. Careful of those things! Focus on the menhir! He redirects his spiritual focus usually reserved for spellcasting toward the unmaking of the foul construct.
Move to square, standard mysticism (using communalism).
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: ---
Reflex:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21
Mordin trips on a rock and stumbles aside just in time to avoid the full brunt of the ethereal being's assault.
and fails terribly. She glares at the thing, but focuses on finding a weak point in the Menhir, rushing up to get a closer look, boytoy leading the way...
Boytoy will probably provoke if a provoke is possible.
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 climbs over a pile of rubble and circles around to the middle of the spiritual convocation, slowed by his short, dwarven legs.
With the help of his spirit ally, Id causes the cracks in the menhir to double in size (another 50 damage). Wheeler somehow fools the menhir, then shoots it (oddly enough, I'm not finding anything that would make it immune to a feint--it does have an int score. It doesn't have a dex score, though, so I think there wouldn't be any real effect to it being flat-footed). Trylara attacks with her axe, doing some damage, though just as with Wheeler's attack, not as much as she'd like (affected by hardness). Mordin circles around to get into position.
I understand that, but given that this thing is literally not moving and has no dex score, I don't think flat-footed means anything here. It's a moot point anyway, since its AC is so low that none of you will miss on anything but a natural 1.
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: ---
Trylara's attack against the elemental missed. You might also remember from the previous battle that it has DR rather than hardness.
You may use Physical Science instead of Engineering, if you wish, to spot a weak spot in the menhir.
-----
Some extra actions available to you (updated):
Disrupt the Menhir:
If you’re within 30ft of the menhir, you can disrupt it (damage it) by attempting a Mysticism check as a standard action. You think a particularly successful Mysticism check will do more damage.
You must be trained in Mysticism to attempt this check, with the exception of PCs who have the Priest theme and venerate Pharasma, in which case you may attempt it with a +4 bonus on top of your INT.
Find a Weak Spot:
As a move action within 30ft, you may attempt an Engineering or Physical Science check to identify a weak spot on the menhir. On a 21+ the next attack made against the menhir ignores its hardness. On a 26+ it is an automatic crit. Since you can do your move action before your standard, you could do this to apply to your own attack, but you could also attack first (or do something else) and then make the Engineering check, in which case it will apply to the next attack by initiative order.
You must be trained in Engineering or Physical Science to attempt this check.
Female LG half-orc dream prophet solarian 4 | SP 28/28 HP 34/34 | RP 3/5 | EAC 20; KAC 22 | Fort +4; Ref +4; Will +4 | Init: +2 | Perc:+5, SM: +0 | Speed 25ft | Attunement: none | Active conditions: None.
Reflex save:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13
Distracted by the elemental, Trylara fails to notice the spirit moving through her. The elemental takes advantage of the moment to full attack, connecting both times. The half-orc crumples.
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: ---
Reflex:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21
"Whoa thaur!" Mordin says, bending his dwarven body in an inconceivable way to avoid the full force of the spirit's soul burning. Joints pop as he straightens himself. "Braw! Tois can play at thes gam!"
He grips the axe in two hands and concentrates, releasing a wave of positive energy across the battlefield.
Channel:4d8 ⇒ (7, 2, 7, 6) = 22 HP healing to everyone but Id--sorry--and Wheeler. Damage to Menhir, possessed earth elemental, and purple spirit. Will DC 17 for half damage.
Menhir Will save:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10 Purple spirit Will save:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7 Blue elemental Will save:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
Mordin's wave of positive energy washes over the field, healing many of his allies as well as harming the undead spirits around you. It seems particularly effective against the elemental and the menhir, though it does significant damage to the spirit as well.The elemental and the menhir are vulnerable to positive energy.
Trylara stands and tries to focus her mystic connection on the menhir, but her recent ordeal throws off her concentration. Meanwhile, Wheeler fires at the elemental. His shot deflects harmlessly off a crystal embedded in the creature's stony body, but it is enough to throw it off balance. The elemental is flat-footed to everyone.
Gear isn't able to find any weak spots, but that doesn't seem to matter much to Boytoy whose powerful cannon slices through the stone menhir like butter! Ignoring 6 points seems to be enough to bypass all of its hardness.
