Zoomba's Stumbling Society [SFS 2-06 & 2-08] (Inactive)

Game Master Zoomba

Good catch Lucky Sevens!

Says Eselar impressed by Lucky's knowledge.

Lets go back to the first room.

Eselar, his new sword in hand, moves to the previous room and waits for his comrade to reopen it. Blue arrow

Brock puts up his sentinel staff, holding the new squad machine gun and grenade launcher in one hand, the other hand ready to lash out should there be a need.

Regrouping once more before the now-frequently sealed-and-resealed eastern door, the door slides up again into the ceiling.

Again, dead vidscreens and computer panels fill this room fill the space, with a single door on the room's far end. The scratching and squealing noise from before remains, seeming to emanate from beneath a set of computers to the northwest corner of the room.

Once the door opened, Eselar moves in, looking for any sign of danger and scanning the area with detect magic.

Perception: 1d20 + 12 - 2 ⇒ (14) + 12 - 2 = 24

Data has nothing better to do, so he will move into the room duck down and put a ghost sound, like a hissing snake or something towards the group of his allies south of him, a nice prank. stealth: 5 - 2 + 1d20 ⇒ 5 - 2 + (10) = 13 Perception to notice it came from me. Eselar would probably notice it's me considering how close he is

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15

Lucky blinks in bemusement at Data's... prank? That 'droid knows that spellcasting isn't exactly subtle, right?

Moving on she gives the computer rig a closer inspection, trying to see what mishap might have befallen it.

Engineering/Computers: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (9) + 15 = 24

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

Brock, though ready for action, isn't taken in by the ghost sound. He moves to cover the other door, while the rest of the team investigates the computers.

Eselar and Brock move forward on high alert. The kasatha doesn't detect any unexpected magic at first (except for a surge of illusory sound as a 'snake' emerges. With those two taking a defensive position, Lucky Sevens goes to examine the broken computer rigs.

Many of the computers appear to have had their drive removed, just like the other set of data banks you passed through earlier. But the android notices that several of the casings and hardware has been laid back down in a careful fashion. Picking through them, Lucky finds them to be covering up a compartment in the wall labelled 'Emergencies Only'.

The android opens it to reveal a compartment with a flamethrower and three rings lying within. Also in the space however is a small stone idol of a rat, its body curled up in a circle. The statue is sitting atop a 'nest' of frayed computer wires and gnawed datachips.

Suddenly, the strange noises echoing around you cease. Across the room each of the dead vidscreens begin crackling to life with a strange static - even the one not connected to any power source. The static coalesces into dozens - no, hundreds! - of ratlike shapes, whhich them begin spewing forth from the screens as their spectral staticy forms rush towards you!

[spoiler=GM stuff]Z Data Z: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
Eselar: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19
Brock: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
Bugface: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Lucky Sevens: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Moxie: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16
T: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (8) + 15 = 23[spoiler]

Initiative
Brock
Thing
Eselar
Moxie
Data
Bugface
Lucky

The spectral rats seem to be spewing forth all around this room and spilling at least a bit into the hallway. This seems to be some sort of hybrid magitech trap, and the idol in the corner seems to be the source!

Culture: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

"Stupid rat-thing ..." He activates his purple force field and moves up to stand near the statue. As he does so, his curved blade appears in his free hand.

Standard action: Activate force field. 5 temp HP, fast healing 2. Swift action: Summon called blade. Move: Up next to the statue.

"If someone can disable this thing, that's great ... if not, I'm gonna take that thing's head off."

Brock activates some extra defense just before the spectral rats move and swarm over all of you - or all of you excpet for Bugface, who once gain proves their invincibility Actually their just out of range: the effect seems to have a 30 foot radius The rats gnaw at you, dealing quite real bite marks while also shocking your systems.

Electricity and Piercing damage: 3d6 ⇒ (6, 3, 5) = 14 to everyone (but Bugface)

Initiative
Brock 50/59 SP, force field up 0/5
Trap
Eselar 19/33 SP
Moxie 26/40 SP
Data 26/40 SP
Bugface
Lucky 34/48 SP

You do think you could try to disable the trap with Computers, Engineering, or Mysticism. The physical idol itself could also possibly be destroyed.

@GM Eselar has vulnerability from Electricity so he takes 3 more damages from the shock

Mysticism: 1d20 + 12 - 2 ⇒ (8) + 12 - 2 = 18

As Eselar recognize the small statue as a representation of Lao Shu Po, the goddess of assassins, rats, spies, and thieves he can't warn his comrades to be careful before all the room explode!

His nanites flash from the explosion, wounding him even deeper than the others. Ouch!

Recognizing the effect of some mystical trap, he moves to the rat and tries to find a solution to stop the effect.
Get out!

Mysticism (disable traps): 1d20 + 12 - 2 ⇒ (17) + 12 - 2 = 27

Data will cast overheat on the enemy, 15 foot cone, reflex 15. I have selective targeting, so I ignore the ally in my way fire dmg: 2d8 ⇒ (2, 5) = 7

Hearing the commotion, Bugface rushes over to where the others unleashed the rats. {Ew... Electric rat things.} Bugface continues over to where Brock is standing ready to whack the device. {Let's see if Bugface can turn this off.}

Engineering - Penalty: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27

I've not tried it before but I think since I have an expert rig, which let's me use my custom rig as any engineering kit up to 6th level, I can function as though I have a trapsmith's tools. I'm not sure though so I didn't add that in. If it does work that way then my total is 4 higher.

Moxie leads from the rear, shouting out commands to her companions.

"Data, keep moving, you're going to be okay. It didn't even dent your armor."

Inspired Boost to restore 17 Sta to Data X.

"Everybody else, take care of that statue! It's clearly the focus of whatever's going on in there!"

Get 'Em on the statue gives everyone a +2 to hit.

Lucky doesn't try to crowd around, instead using her remote hacking capabilities to work on dismantling the rat's nest the idol has infested.

Engineering: 1d20 + 15 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 15 + 4 = 29

I think the Expert Rig would work like that here.

Data unleashes a scorching blast at the statue while Moxie manages to soothe his pain. The fire however barely tocuhes the idol, and Data could swear the chittering sounds get ever so slightly louder in mockery. Hardness

Meanwhile, Eselar, Lucky, and Bugface all try to disrupt the divine magitech in their own ways. Eselar channels his prayers towards the idol, and Iomedae's power seems to push back forcefully against the rat God's. The mechanics then tackle the problem form a technical angle, swiftly severing the connections between the idol and the network it has overtaken. Your combined efforts cause the connection to be severed - in a blink of an eye the room's vidscreens snap off and the idol itself crumbles into a strange synthetic dust!

As the idol disintegrates, each of you feel more at ease. The nibbling whispers you've been hearing at the back of your mind fade. All of the skill and Initiative penalties you have been taking are now gone!

Brock 50/59 SP, force field 0/5
Eselar 19/33 SP
Moxie 26/40 SP
Lucky 34/48 SP

Lets take 10mn before moving on.

Says Eselar quite burned by the first blast.

Brock powers down his force field, so it doesn't eat up his charge. He seems ready to proceed, but then nods to Eselar. "Yeah, don't know what nastiness we'll find beyond there, and you and Moxie look a bit banged up ..." He points at the rings. "Can anybody identify those?"

I can try if it's magical.

Says Eselar who casts detect magic on the rings.

If they are magical he tries to identify them.
Mysticism ring #1: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26
Mysticism ring #2: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19
Mysticism ring #3: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16

Brock grabs the flamethrower, checking the petrol level in its canister. "Not elegant ... but effective."

I will go ahead and spend a RP to get my SP back, since we're resting.

The flamethrower is a salamander-class flamethrower, with a guarded fusion seal attached to it. The petrol tank is full.

Eselar looks at the rings and realizes that all three are in fact identical. Each of them is a mk 2 ring of resistance

Brock grumbles, "Should have brought a load lifter power suit for all of this," as he realizes he's becoming a bit overloaded with armaments at this point. "Who wants this one?"

Data will also take that 10 minute rest and regain SP back.

Data, all of your lost SP from the trap was already restored by Moxie's Inspiring Boost. Feel free to save that RP :)

I will take it. says Eselar who drops his own weapon to take the new one.

Who wants the rings? It will be good to improve my reflexes, but I don't know the abilities of what we will face beyond this door, so may be it's better for someone else?

Data X, Moxie healed your Stamina loss with inspired Boost.

Moxie brushes off Brock's suggestion to rest, responding "I'm fine. I barely even got touched by that blast."

Moxie will tough it out and save the RP.

Thanks Moxie, I was so busy, I didn't even realize you did that. Good repair woman.

Moxie puts her hand on Z Data Z's shoulder and smiles. "Honey, I didn't do a thing. The strength was in you this whole time."

Eselar puts the ring on one of his fingers and is ready to open the doors once all is comrades are ready.

Two of his arms carry the salamander-class flamethrower, one of his hand his new sword and the forth opens the door. Red arrow

Be ready, comrades.

I've move all our minis in the room

Eselar steels himself, but in the next room he finds just a large empty space with vents, pipes, and showerheads lining the walls of this room. It's too bare and oddly-placed to be a communal shower - instead you suspect this was once a decontamination chamber for the Exo-Guardians stationed here.

And moving just a bit forwards

Apart from the plumbing, two doors are set into the southern wall. Opening one, you see that both rant access into a large room. In the room's center sits a massive, octagonal grav-elevator platform. Four banks of computers are accessible from the platform. From the doorway you can make out the text flashing on the nearest computer's vidscreen:

“SELECT DESTINATION. L1—Main Level. L2—Primary Containment. Notice: L3—Depot on lockdown.”

To the east, a twenty-foot-wide airlock door stands partially open. An empty vehicle hangar is visible on the other side.

Also there are two more of the Rings of Resistance if someone wants to grab them.

Let see the hangar first. Says Eselar who moves towards it, looking for any danger.

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (19) + 12 = 31

Moxie slips one of the rings on, then bangs her chest with her fist hard enough to make her grimace.

Fort is Moxie's weak save.

"Yep, this one does seem a little bit stronger. Too bad we'll have to turn most of this in after debriefing, huh?"

Moxie puts her baton away and palms one of the incendiary grenades.

"I have a bad feeling about that vehicle hangar."

{Indeed. Let's check it out.}

Bugface moves up behind Eselar, ready to swoop in.

Lucky slips on a ring as well before heading to the concerningly empty hangar. "Probably robot-ghost haunted too..."

Brock frowns, as he walks into th eroom. "Don't normally find so many of these rings just lyin' around like this ..." He puts one on.

Stat line updated. Oddly, Fortitude is actually my lowest base save.

He holds his squad machine gun, using one of the computer banks I think that's what it is for some degree of cover as he looks around the room.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

"Best make sure the hangar doesn't have anything useful, make sure we can open the hangar door. Might want to message Zig to bring the ship around."

The six of you (seven with Sparky) wander out into the exposed hanger. The bay is eerily clear of any vehicles. No buggies, ships, ATVs, holocycles: the whole place is as mysteriously empty as the structures you passed on your way to the Arsenal entrance.

You walk down a series of wide driveways — big enough for ground and flight vehicles — for just over a mile, the trail sloping gradually upwards. Eventually the path stops at a large hanger door. By all scans, this seems to open back onto Mazdrun's surface.

Eselar looks for old or new tracks to see if some vehicle went to Mazdrun's surface.
Survival: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

Nothing here.
Lets go back to the octogonal room.

Once back, Eselar stays vigilant as his comrades looks into the room's computers.

Can we open this door, or get in touch with Zig via comms?

Certainly

As Eselar prepares to head back towards the elevator platform, Brock manages to find the controls to the hanger door and opens the entryway. With a grinding sound the hanger opens onto Mazdrun; checking your surroundings this entrance/exit was carefully concealed as part of the crater wall from the outside.

The comms line is a bit static-y, but Zigvigix replies to your hail. Starfinders! It is excellent to hear from you. Have you secured the weaponry and tech from within the Arsenal?

Data remains quiet for a few seconds, not 100% sure if we got all of it, as who knows what secret compartments are there. He looks at his allies with a, are you sure we got all of it looks. In fact he says it and looks at his allies when he says it. We found everything right? We checked every nock and cranny and secured it 100%?

"Yeah, Zig, I think we have the main level secured. There's a cargo elevator platform into some deeper levels. Confirm you want us to check it out and secure the lower levels, or just hold our position here?"

It seems that there is some sort of demon trapped in the deeper level.

Adds Eselar.

---can't hear perfectly. Did you say a demon? Zigvigix's voice crackles over the comms in concern.

Be alert then, but go as deep as you can. The Aresenal should have held a major stockpile of weaponry and tech. It cannot fall into foul hands: demon or otherwise. We are completing scans here but will rendezvous shortly. Secure the Aresnal on all levels for our arrival!

Brock glances around. "So ... Primary Containment it is, then? Don't forget your holy weapons."

You can gather on the grav-elevator and ready your weapons before pressing the access button for the Contsinment level below. The octagonal platform begins to descend with a grinding sound, and the whoosh of an airlock opens below you, and then seals shut behind as you travel down the shaft.

The elevator's progress is slow and methodical, but after a few minutes one of the dormant screens on the computers flickers to life. A grainy image is displayed of a stark-white ysoki in a well-cut grey business suit standing in front of a series of computer banks. She looks towards you and gives a wave.

“Hey, Starfinders! I assume you’re Starfinders. Who else would make it this far?" the ysoki laughs in an upbeat positive tone. "I’m Datch. Maybe we’ve met? Ha! This is pre-recorded, so I have no idea. Anyway, not sure I can put this nicely, but best to pull the band-aid off. My team beat you to it. And by it, I mean this place. And I gotta say, you got some nice stuff here! Now don’t worry, we left a bite for you. There are some excellent specimens down there!” The ysoki pulls out and munches on an apple, making a scene of enjoying her snack. A warning light on one of the databanks behind her begins flashing, and an electronic voice says in the recording's background 'Warning: Xenobiological threats detected. Containment breach. Warning...'

The ysoki gulps down her apple and says, “Well, that sounds like my cue. I hope you enjoy this research opportunity. Be seeing you!” She walks off camera, then back on a few seconds later. “If you survive, that is. On the off-chance things get out of hand, we’ve rigged the containment protocols to help, and activated the base’s self- destruct sequence.” She glances briefly off camera, “Hey, did we remember to activate the self-destruct sequence?” She shrugs and winks, “I’ll get back to you on that.”

The video cuts off just as another airlock above slams shut.

Do we know her? asks Eselar, taking aback by the sudden appearance of the Ysoki and the revelations she gave them.

What is going on? Why is she interested by the Xeno-Warden's arsenal? Why does she seems to hate the Starfinders?

Brock grumbles, "Aye, I've met that damnable rat. Suspect she's behind that negative press the Society's been getting lately."

"Sounds like a real treat - what do we need to check to find that self-destruct?"

Even as you talk to yourselves the grav-elevator continues to descend. The sound of a below air-lock whooshes open and the seven of you find yourselves lowered into the center of a vast chamber. In each cardinal direction you see four large containment cells set up, but all of them lie open and exposed. Bulging vines twist along the walls and floor, connecting large, pulsating masses of misshapen bones, sinew, rot, and tumors.

The elevator slows to a stop. On raised platforms at each of the elevator's corners stand a three-foot diameter sphere - spheres that look just like the 'neutriad spheres' you saw described in that holovid. The spheres start glowing while a voice in Common drones out over the speakers:

“...Warning. Emergency lift shutoff. Initiating threat neutralization protocol.”

And as if those two things aren't enough, amidst the vines to the north a huge mass of plant matter seems to be moving...

Initiative

Moxie 26/40 SP
Bugface
Lucky Sevens & Sparky (7 damage)
Data
Eselar
Brock
Things

Life Science to ID the plant things. Engineering to ID what's going on with the spheres.