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Ceolor brings his solar flare rifle to bear again and fires another shot at the dragonkin. "Dang he's a big one isn't he! don't really think there's a chance he still has enough of his mind to talk about his experiences does he? Croaker, think I might have a chance for that?"
The hylki also dances forward behind a rock, hoping to get some cover as he stares down at the crystalline-infused form. "MR. DRAGONKIN, THINK I MIGHT GET A MOMENT TO ASK YOU WHAT YOU'RE FEELING RIGHT NOW?"
Ceo fails to land a shot.
Obo
Attack
Damage
Obo smacks it solidly!
The creature responds, clawing at Obo!
Attack
Damage
Attack
Damage
R3
Obo
Cesar
Ceolor
Bar
Croaker
ENEMY
R 45
The crystals refuse Croaker once more!
Obo swings for the fences but misses the creature!
R3
Obo - attacked
Cesar
Ceolor
Bar
Croaker - acted
ENEMY
R 45
The pistol leaves a massive wound then the missiles destroy the creature.
All
You have a very limited time to save one or both Starfinders.
Everyone can post up the Athletics/Mysticism/or Attacks against the crystals for the following rounds.
Actions for:
Ceolor - R 3/4/5/6
Everyone else 4/5/6.
Obo manages to start yanking Iko free, but the starfinder is still very stuck.
Cesar manages to manipulate the crystal getting Iko almost free!
I 2/3 successes
N 0/3 successes
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Ceolor slides down the cliffs to the crystals and then starts looking for a way to get a crew member free from the encroaching crystals. He fires a shot or two into the crystals in hopes that they will finally let their captives go. "Shooting these crystals will work, right? Should I switch to my baton instead?"
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Croaker again tries to reach to the crystals, he feels the life slipping from the trapped starfinders.
Between that, and the dragon he can't focus enough. The magic is slipping away from him as his attempts are failing.
He drops his backpack and rushes around the crystals making symbols on the ground with his claw. He scratches them quickly around the place moving leg of the fallen creature to not interfere with what he is doing...
He calls for mystical energy and finally he was able to feel something. He begins chanting trying to channel the energy back to the bodies, strengthening his actions with scratched symbols. Both Croaker and crystals begin to glow...
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Bar runs forward, dropping his pistol on the ground as he attempts to grasp what he can see of Navaret and attempting to pull her while attempting to break some of the crystals around her with sheer strength.
The crystal just seems almost totally unable to break.
Bar feels her move just a little.....
Bar grunts as he thought he was getting somewhere, but his foot starts to slipp.....
Bar growls and digs in as much as he can.....
Bar manages it... just in the nick of time!
You pull the horribly infected Starfinders free - they are in a terrible state, but they will live. You check through the dungeon finding some outdated but interesting equipment and haul it back with you.
Your team and the members of Team B are the last group of agents to return from their missions. The other Starfinders wait at the base camp with Zafeldrin, looking grim and haggard. Venture- Captain Zafeldrin is relieved to see you alive and well as you return from the outskirts of Cadascon. He immediately sends over a medical team to examine the recovered members of Team B and your group.
The dragon wanders over to you looking very concerned "What happened out there?"
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Croaker is dead tired. He is glad that they were able to save all other agents. He was certain for the trapped two to be dead.
Using his magic he made sure for them to last the trip back.
When the Zafeldrin asked his question Croaker attempted to respond:
"At first we found a communication tower, inhabited by some creature..." He takes a sip from his water bottle. The chilly cold liquid did not help much.
"We identified it and then killed it, the name is in the files. Then we followed after the distress signal. We found trails of two groups of skeletons seasoned with some odd crystals...."
Croaker passes for a moment and sits on the ground.
"We followed first after the group of moving starfinders and then behind what we assumed was dead bodies dragged by the undead. We saved them all. Killing the enemies along the way. The key seemed to be crystals that tried to connect to living tissue and suck the energy out of the body. Then it turns it into undead that walks in search of new bodies...."
He reaches to his backpack and takes out what they found.
"Here are some crystals that we got, and some letter probably from someone working in the mines. He suggested that crystals started to speak to him. Here are some other items that we recovered...."
Croaker exhausted eyes look to left and right
"We need to rest, I can give you a full report after getting some sleep. I shared the 'highlights' now. All agents came back, life over death. A good day!"
He gets up and pats Bar at his back
"You did well, furball! Bloody good job!" He gets his backpack and drags the rilfe behind him in look for a place where he will not freeze to death.
He looks over the crystal samples.
"Hmm, the other teams had run-ins with the strange, crystalline undead as well, though there were luckily no other casualties. I'm greatly worried about the power of these mysterious, infectious crystals and the risk they pose to Triaxus, and perhaps even to the entirety of the Pact Worlds"
The expedition mounts up to withdraw to the Lodge "We will be back" the dragon looks towards Cadascon with steely determination.
When the expedition returns to the White Sands Lodge, he sends out a report to both the Lorespire Complex and the authorities in the Drakelands and Skyfire Mandate. "I am immediately starting planning for the Society’s return to Cadascon, I'll be requesting that the Society’s leadership prioritize efforts in the city. Thanks to the information you have obtained, the next expedition to Cadascon will be much better prepared. I will contact you when the preparations for a return mission have been made"
***
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Ceolor pauses as he takes a quick picture of the crystals for later use, and then takes one of the team with rescued starfinders as well. "Smile for the camera! This might make it into the Annual Starfinder Amateur Photograph Contest! I apply every year but his has a chance! I mean the crystal and lighting is great... Croaker quit yawning and get rid of the scowl!"
He spends the rest of the trip back jotting down ideas and outlining another novel to write. As they arrive at the lodge, he puts his datapad away and smiles up at the big dragon venture captain. "Mostly as Croaker said. We found a communications tower with a creature of some sort in it and a few of the crystals, but these seem inactive, mayhaps even dead. There were notes and quite a bit of things that a much better trained anthropologist would love to fawn over."
"Then we got the distress call and headed to help Team B, encountering the Cailis with a crystal growing into his leg and two skeletons being controlled by the same crystals. He mentioned how the undead seemed to prioritize taking people alive over infecting or killing them, so it'd guess that the main crystal we found in the cavern where Iko and Naveret were taken is probably important for the crystals, and possibly implying they have a connection to each other rather than each crystal being a seperate entity, as they'd just try to take over or infect someone instead of feeding it to one large crystal. It'd take more time to study them and they have proven they are clearly a danger. If you do mount another mission to handle them, I would be glad to be on the team."
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When they get back to Zafeldrin, Bar lets Croaker and Ceolor go through the debriefing. Near the end of the conversation, Bar would mention, "I would really look into this Dragon picture we have, and look into any information on him and what he was doing during this time. It is likely important to find out what records might be from him, or maybe other dragons about him."
As Croaker pats Bar on the back, he nods. "Maybe next time you will remember to not running with sharp objects...though maybe you should also learn not to drag your gun through the snow." Bar smiles at that last comment.
"Let's go find a place to have a nice scotch. That might be what is needed to warm us up before heading out away from this icy hell."