[SFS]Vamp By Day's PbP 1-25, The Code Beacon Dilema

Game Master VampByDay

Kultanien starts to systematically work through the ship, looking for what might have brought the team here.

We'll do a take ten on perception everywhere. For 18

Vaimo, searching the science lab (where the bearman came from) finds another datapad. This one has notes on some sort of strange device that the science driver was designing that was apparently designed to allow brathu to merge with non-brathu (temporarily, with the option to un-merge). There is also a log, the final entry reads:
—“Some kind of disease has overtaken the crew. I’ve been monitoring everyone else’s status, but things have taken a turn for the worse. I wish I had access to a full medical facility to try and diagnose this affliction, but I’ve got to make do with what I have.”
There’s not much else of interest in this room.

Hudson moves into the area Gearhead came out of, apparently a medbay. As he’s rummaging around, a bunch of precariously perched chemicals come tumbling down on him (didn’t spot the trap, DC 24). The chemicals quickly harden into rock-hard globules that then get shot through the air with great force.
Hudson Reflex save DC 14 for 1/2: 6d6 ⇒ (2, 1, 6, 4, 5, 6) = 24

Other than the trap there is not much in this room. Most of the medical equipment was used up or has deteriorated to uselessness.

Figure people will want to stop to react to that. I’ll post again in a bit with more of the rooms

Zoom tries Mysticism from earlier.

Mysticism: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

But doesn't know anything.

Zoom will be taking 10 on perception in each room for a 21 total (+11).

Seeing Hudson get a bunch of chemicals dumped on him, Zoom rushes over to help.

"Oh no! Hudson! Take one of these serums I've been carrying around for you!" Zoom extends one of his hand with a serum of healing.

Reflex: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Hudson manages to duck-- but swallows his chewing gum, which makes him cough like mad.

He takes takes a serum Zoom gives him, and uses it to wash his mouth out and gargle, before spitting the liquid back in.
"Thanks!"

"Hmm... I wonder what type of disease the crew came down with... and whether their medic also came down with it and didn't realise..."

She shakes her head. "Merging with a brathu... how odd. I wonder if that is what they were looking for. I mean, Triune is three gods that merged together to become... more."

In searching the bedrooms off to the side, you find a locked chest under one of the beds. (Engineering check to open)

The bridge, on the other hand:
A massive slab of debris has crashed through the hull here. Black computer screens occupy each of the three crew stations, while large viewports light up the bridge with the aurora of the roiling planar chaos. A table surrounded by haphazard chairs stands on the starboard side.

There is not much left here except for the artifact which you doubt you would have found if not for the datapad’s instructions (DC 24 perception check). It is a metallic off-white sphere covered in a layer of grime. The only clue to what it is being the symbol of Triune etched on it.

The datapad found in the science lab mentions being close to solving ‘the polypeptide dilemma for this project.’ It seems like the ship’s Brathu was trying to find a way to to allow non-barathu to merge, just like brathu can. It seems this was their hobby/passion project a sort of gift to allow other creatures to experience the joys of merging.

"So what? This is some old Triune lovers' ship, that got overrun recently by some demon loving weirdos?
Oh.. what is--"
Hudson spots the grime on the metallic sphere.
He sniffs it: "Is that gum?"

Joining everyone else on the bridge, Navar represses the urge to wipe the grime off the artifact and watches Hudson sniff(?!) if.

"Just going out on a limb here, but what if the 'disease' was related to the Brathu's experiments in, what was it, polypeptides? It seems oddly coincidental that they both happened at the same time, they both are bio related, and they're both some big mystery."

"Either way," he continues, segueing to the mission at hand, "how do we get this artifact back to the Triune priest, MP-8?"

He looks around to see if it is attached to anything or plugged in to power or data cables, very careful not to touch it.

"CAn we just take the draw?" asks Kultanien.

"Good conjecture Jaqweh. You are right, it does seem odd that both happened at roughly the same time. Although given the length of time they were here, there is a non trivial chance of coincidence."

The orb is not connected to anything. You think the crime may be related to sitting in a grimy hidden storage locker for over 100 years.

"Well, do you want to give this place a once over, or we got what we came lookin' for? And we can get out of here!"

Kultanien gingerly reaches out and touches the artifact, aiming to remove it from its storage area.

"I wonder if this was tied into solving the maths puzzle.."

Freen happily fiddles on the various datapads, absorbing all of the information therein.