Pellet hovers near his shoulder looking at the terminals and occasionally turning to look at Weylin like the drone is interested in what hes doing.
"Uhh...hello Ayoka. Nice to meet you. My name is Rayburn Giordano, but my friends call me Ray or Geo. What is a nice skittermander like you doing working with these Devourer people? And you say their Drift Engine is spooling up? Hmm...is there anything I can do to help you--or offer to you--to help me? We really need to make certain that ship you are on doesn't leave the system. You see, we are on a mission to help this whole planet, and all the people on it. It is a VERY big job to help so many."
"Greetings, nu-friend Ray or Geo!" Ayoka replies.“I am the engineer on this ship; the crew calls it the Jagged Maw. Last year, I took the engines apart while moving through the Drift. Let me tell you, taking a ship apart when the captain boss wants to go somewhere is NOT helpful!” All of Ayoka’s arms gesticulate wildly with fists shaking as if she is imitating someone being furious. “The crew follow the Great Devourer. They all like scar tattoos.” Ayoka then motions to her arm and says, [b]“I have scar tattoos, too! But my scar tattoos all grew over with fur.”
"Anyways, I boarded this ship on Absalom Station after I had been walking through the docking bay and noticed that the ship had a faulty module in its entrance hatch! Fortunately, I was able to fix it. When these Devourer people found me working on the Drift engine, it had a loose gyrosensor, they gave me many other jobs to do in the ship. I don't know much about these Devourer people, but I am very helpful!"
"The captain boss lady is a lashunta.” Ayoka wiggles her fingers over her head, imitating antennae. “She likes to yell a lot. Mostly she yells at me to put things together. That’s okay since she always yells at me to do fun stuff! The big vesk—I call him Whomper—says he wants to take every planet in the universe apart. I told him he will need a bigger turret coil gun than this ship has if he wants to do that.”
"Things sure seem to break around these Devourer people often." Ayoka continues. "It allows me to be most useful in putting those things back together!"
Ayoka smiles. “You seem like real nice people. Do you have anything on your ship that needs to be put back together? I like your ship. This cult one is hard to put back together, especially since I have to do it every day! These engines are Thaumtech L-Star-6 engines—very hard to work on. I can transmit some of the Jagged Maw's specs to you to prove it, if you think those would be helpful!”
"If you'd like, I could even join you aboard your ship, nu-friends!" she continues. "It wouldn't be hard to secure one of the escape pods. I could fly your way and you can pick me up. Then, I can helpful putting things together on your ship! What do you say, nu-friend Ray or Geo?"
|
Ray listens to Impex and Aravon, and nods. "Ayoka, I do believe Weylin and Pellet might have a few things broken that they could use help with. If you want to remove yourself from that ship, we can certainly use your help here. And then when we get back to Absalom Station, the Starfinder Society has a LOT of ships that always has broken things on them."
Muting the microphone, Ray turns his face slightly away from the screen. "Weylin, keep an eye on the skittermander. I doubt she would do anything to hurt the ship...but it might be better to just watch her."
Turning back to the screen, and unmuting the microphone. "How are you going to keep the ship from denying you your escape? And are you worried that they might want to shoot down the escape pod?"
"How are you going to keep the ship from denying you your escape? And are you worried that they might want to shoot down the escape pod?"
"The escape pods have override systems built into them to ensure escape, nu-friends!" Ayoska replies. "As for these Devourer people, they don't think much of escape pods. They like causing destruction; not escaping it. So, they had me pack the pods with explosives for use as space mines or bombs. I doubt they'd shoot at something that they expect to explode anyways."
Picture Ayoka is now on Slides.
The skittermander gives a multi-armed shrug. "Since I installed the explosives, they should be easy enough for me to disarm. And, if they shoot up the pod, that would just give me more to fix!" One of the creature's hands goes towards a set of buttons.
Soon the Loreseeker has an incoming transmission, which sets forth starship specifications on the Jagged Maw's engines.
Not long after, your ship scanners pick up the tell-tale signature of an escape pod being jettisoned from the approaching craft and heading in the direction of the Loreseeker.
Stats for the Loreseeker are now available on Slides.
Gravitational waves buffet your ship. In the distance, a starship looms, its hull appearing as if it were made of magic bone and scavenged technological parts.
A large turret gun atop the vessel rotates to take aim. Between the effects of the waves and the impending attack from the Devourer's ship, it is clear that there is no time to safely pick up the recently-jettisoned escape pod.
Starship Combat map now up on Slides. PC ship is red. Devourer ship is green.
Engineering Phase Begins
Helm Phase Begins
Pellet scanned and recorded the interior of the ship for a 10 second scan. just to show status and condition prior.
|
|
Aravon looks at the console, he sees the extra power diverted to scanners and he asks through the comms
"Scanners? Who is manning scanners?"
Aravon selects torpedos as he tries to lock the aiming on the enemy
"Trying to align aiming, it would be simpler if they would stay in place. Oh I can use computer to aid me... way better"
Helm Phase Cont'd
Making no effort to hide intentions, the Jagged Maw flies forward to bring its turret guns closer to the Starfinder vessel.
Jagged Maw movement indicated in Map.
Stats for Loreseeker is on Slides (+1 Piloting).
Updated to the Subtier 3-4 Loreseeker on Slides (my apologies for not having done so earlier).
Helm Phase Cont'd
Gunnery Phase Cont'd
Gunnery Phase Round One Cont'd
A laser beam fires from the Jagged Maw, burning away a portion of the Loreseeker's forward shields.
Aravon returns fire with the coil gun, but the enemy pilot readily avoids the projectiles.
Engineering Round Two Begins
Helm Phase Round Two Begins
The Jagged Maw flies directly towards the Starfinder ship. As it approaches ramming speed, the vessel veers off.
However, the Jagged Maw makes a miscalculation, exposing a section of its hull to fire!
Gunnery Phase Round Two Begins
|
|
Aravon looks confused at yells back to the comms
"Who the hell do you call Croaker, Ray! Are you still with us or did you smashed your head at something?" yells half-orc as he keeps
As the enemy flies next to them Aravon takes aim with the turret and fires the particle beam at the ship.
Quickly repeating with another shot.
Gunnery Phase Round Two Cont'd
The Loreseeker sends a particle beam slamming into the aft shields of the Jagged Maw as it flies by; this is followed by a second beam that tears through the remaining shields and pierces the hull of the Devourer vessel!
The Jagged Maw returns fire!
Projectiles pound the Loreseeker's forward shields, but they hold.
Next, an escape ejects from Jagged Maw and zooms towards the Loreseeker!
The pod explodes upon impacting the forward shields of the Starfinder ship.
Still, the Loreseeker's shields manage to hold.
Ship status updated on Slides.
JAGGED MAW TIER 3
Medium explorer
Speed 6; Maneuverability average (turn 2); Drift 1
AC 16; TL 16
HP
Shields
[ooc]Shields[b] current 45 (forward 15, starboard 15, port 15, aft 0)
[b]Power Core Arcus Heavy (130 PCU)
Engineer Phase Round Three Begins
Admiring the destruction brought about the Starfinder attack, the crew of the Jagged Maw acts true to their credo.
Helm Phase Round Three Begins
The Jagged Maw attempts an evasive turn.
Gunnery Phase Round Three Begins
|
Weylin see's the blinking light of the shields in danger and starts trying to divert power to the front shield. but doesnt seem able to transfer the power...he remarks through the coms I couldnt transfer power to the shield. Maybe turn about...and a note can we try to shoot one of those escape pods as it starts to disembark?
Pellet hovered waiting for a command.
Ray moves to Science Officer.
"Let's see what we are fighting"
As Ray scans the vessel employed by the cultists, the information coalesces on the viewscreen before him.
JAGGED MAW TIER 3
Medium explorer
Speed 6; Maneuverability average (turn 2); Drift 1
AC 16; TL 16
HP 55 ; DT —; CT 11
Shields basic 60 (forward 15, starboard 15, port 15, aft 15)
Attack (Forward) light particle beam (3d6; 10 hexes)
Helm Phase Round Three Cont'd
The Loreseeker moves evasively.
Gunnery Phase Round Three Cont'd
Tracking the Jagged Maw, Aravon times his attack perfectly, sending a searing beam straight into the hull of the cultists vessel and cutting a swath of desuction within the ship!
The Jagged Maw scrambles to impose a force of destruction of their own.
A series of projectiles from the coil gun slam against the Loreseeker's forward shields, causing them to buckle. Shrapnel slams against the hull, clearing the path for a life pod, laced with explosives to collide violently with the hull of the Starfinder vessel!
The concussive force of the explosion rips through a plasma conduit in the engines of the Loreseeker.
Engineer Phase Round Four Begins
Relishing the devastation around them, the captain of the Jagged Maw concedes that sometimes repairs need to be made in advance of the greater good and makes demands accordingly.
Helm Phase Round Four Begins
The Jagged Maw attempts to turn about on the Starfinder vessel.
Gunnery Phase Round Four Begins
Helm Phase Round Four Cont'd
Impex turns the Loreseeker to face the Jagged Maw, while Ray modulates the shields.
Gunnery Phase Round Four Cont'd
Aravon sends another beam into the Jagged Maw, which nearly shears off a portion of the hull of the cultists' vessel.
The Jagged Maw returns fire!
Another projectile slams into the recently re-balanced forward shields, which manage to hold though barely.
Engineer Phase Round Five Begins
Helm Phase Round Five Begins
The Jagged Maw attempts to turn about on the Starfinder vessel.
However, the damaged ship is unable to make the flip and simply continues to burn.
Gunnery Phase Round Five Begins
Engineer Phase Round Five Cont'd
The dwarf attempts to diver power to the weapon systems.
Helm Phase Round Five Cont'd
Impex keeps the Loreseeker straight on course.
Gunnery Phase Five Cont'd
The Jagged Maw fires its turret once again!
The cultists' shot misses though barely. The half-orc's shot, however, does not. With a surge of extra power, the beam slices through the hull of the Jagged Maw leaving it disabled and adrift!
Their ship in such a disable condition, the Devourer cultists cannot escape. The Starfinders have succeeded at their assigned mission.
A communication arrives from Venture-Captain Arvin. "Allow me to congratulate you all on a job well done." he declares. "By dispatching these cultists, you've prevented them from altering other branches of their scattered brethren allowing us to devote more resources to further stabilizing the damage already done to Enereth-7’s menhir network. Stand by for additional orders. But for now, make sure your crew is well and that the Loreseeker remains Driftworthy."
Soon after Arvin's communication ceases, another message arrives from a nearby pod in space, "Nufriends!" shouts Ayoka over the comm. "I am well and ready to help out anyway that I can! Where would you like me to start?"
"We could use a hand in preparing some damage from the fight."
You manage to get the skittermander aboard your ship and Ayoka gleefully begins helping to get the Loreseeker back to tip top condition. As the work continues, another communication is incoming from Venture-Captain Arvin. It is marked urgent!
"Our mystics monitoring Enereth-7 just reported a surge in extraplanar activity." Venture-Captain Arvin conveys with grim concern. "It seems that the Cult of the Devourer is making a major move: completing whatever foul ritual they’ve planned. Follow these coordinates—you’re our closest available agents."
A series of latitudinal and longitudinal figures flash across the vidscreen as well as numerals indicating depth. The location for your mission lies below the surface of Enerth-7.
"You’ll likely find the highest ranked members of the Devourer cult there." Arvin explains. "Make sure you keep good records of the rite, as this is a rare opportunity to learn about the Devourer worshippers. Most importantly, you need to stop whatever they are up to, otherwise we list losing the entire planet!"
Arvin's expression turns stern as he warns, "Be prepared, though. This isn’t an academy field trip. The Cult of the Devourer likes bloody rituals ,and I don’t want your blood added to the rite."
Arin's communication posted as Handout #4 on Slides.
"Fortunately, your prior efforts have helped hinder the cultists' plans." expounds Arvin. "Having boarded the Jagged Maw after you disabled it, we've learned that the cultists were awaiting supply of better equipment, including armor. Further, after you deprived them of their intended ingredients, we have heard reports of clouds of foul smog and acid emanating from the cultists' machinery."
"Additionally," Arvin notes, "Your contact with the quorlu native to Enereth-7 have yielded useful information about one of the cultists' newest recruits, an adolescent quorlu named Veerlin, whom the cultists easily swayed by exploiting Veerlin’s distrust of the Enereth-7 quorlu leaders. Veerlin felt the quorlu leadership too insular and isolationist with regard to offworlders and, thus, she was likely predisposed to the helping the Reddened Eye when its agents arrived. However, your interaction with the quorlu has demonstrated that the natives are willing to embrace offworlders whose intentions are peaceful and for the betterment of the planet. If you can convince Veerlin of this, then she may waver in her loyalty to the cultists."
As the Loreseeker descends to a suitable landing site near the cave entrance identified for your excursion underground, you have the opportunity to learn more about the Cult of the Devourer from some of your fellow Starfinders, or to recall helpful information about the Cult of the Devourer.
|
|
Ray thinks about the secrets of the Cult of the Devourer....
And apparently knows all....
"They are not good people...the Cult. besides the fact that their 'god'--if he really is one--wants to set the universe to full entropy. Which means destroy it into it's smallest parts. These cells..the ones that like to sacrifice living creatures are called Blood Door cults, the Red eye just happens to be one. And the will want to kill all living creatures, as living creatures sacrifices seem to be what they think empowers the Devourer. But I disagree, living creatures by themselves are more inherently more chaotic and entropic than a dead body. Anyway. Sometimes these cults seem to think that summon outsiders to do their bidding to destroy creatures is the way to go. So....expect the worst people...."
The coordinates that you received leads you to the cultist’s hideout, nestled deep within the crust of Enereth-7. Upon arrival, you spy a set of cubic stone stairs spanning a chasm before opening outward into a large cavern. Floating lights shine through the darkness, hinting at the shadows beyond a bridge. Beyond the bridge, neon fangs burn through the darkness. A group of humanoid figures stand in a circle around the maw, the same light flowing from them into a machine made of illuminated tubes. Fog floats from the machine into the mouth above.
The entire area is dimly illuminated by the ritual and torches. The cavern is 30 feet tall, and the chasm is 10 feet deep.
Six cultists stand within a rough circle, fueling some sort of machine with a combination of noble gases, flora and fauna from Enereth-7’s surface, and, it would seem, their own life force. One of the cultists is a juvenile quorlu--clearly Veerlin, the quorlu mentioned by Venture-Captain Arvin.
Pictures of some cultists now on Slides. (One of these is not like the others!)
The ambient temperature in the cave swiftly drops as the cultists' ritualistic work comes to a conclusion. Supernaturally already aware of your presence, the leader of the cultists slowly turns towards you and smiles with satisfaction.
"You are already too late, Starfinders!" smugly declares the leader as he locks eyes with you. He, then, smiles in satisfaction. As a taunt, he calls out, “Let the Devourer grant us destruction!”
Suddenly, a dark shockwave emanates out of the space between the cultists, ripping through them, followed immediately by a burst of black fire. The dark flames instantly consumes the cult leader along with two of the human cultists!
The two surviving human cultists at each other in a moment of shock before they regroup. The two then take up defense positions to protect the dark summoning occurring behind them.
One of the humans shouts sternly at the quorlu.
As you move to confront this threat to Enerth-7, a shimmering skin-like coating of mystical force suddenly covers each of your bodies, which you realize is a fragment of the menhir’s power activating to protect Enereth-7.
[spoiler=Initiatives]
COMBAT ROUND ONE BEGINS
Impex
Cultist (red)
Rayburn
Cultist (yellow)
Veerlin (blue)
Aravon
Weylin
The android analyzes the situation.
One of the cultists lowers his pistol at the approaching Starfinders.
COMBAT ROUND ONE CONT'D
Impex
Cultist (red)
Rayburn
Cultist (yellow)
Veerlin (blue)
Aravon
Weylin
|
|
"Not quite sure what they're saying, but i'm sure it's something cult-related. At a guess. Hmph, can we keep one of them alive? I would love an interview!" Impex does not hesitate, as the cultists lowers his weapon. Instead, she pushes forward, and tries to get a good angle on red to shoot her rifle.
|
|
Rayburn tries his hardest to hear what the cultist is saying to the quorlu.
Probably getting the feel it was a demand to fight them, Ray does his best to turn on the charm. Using both Common and Terran--hoping that this quorlu has heard enough to see anger vs. friendliness in one or both of those languages, Ray speaks quickly.
"Friend, we are here to help Cantor Alvreein repair what the cultists have done to your truly amazing world, please, help us stop it."