[SFS/Shifty] #3-03: Frozen Ambitions: The Shimmerstone Gateway (B) (Inactive)

Game Master Nik B.

"Alright, lead the way." replies Edward, making sure the rifle on his back is in the right position. "I'll stay near the rear. Make sure I can help you if needed."

Thidreks peeks briefly into the dead end alcove, but then follows Erastil back out.

Map up to date

Agatio follows Erastil, faint yellow light radiating from his prongs.

There is a strange cracking sound as a slug-like creature about the size of a dog emerges through a wall - mouth open, in search of a Starfinder sized meal!

R1
Thidreks
Agatio
Erastil
Edward
ENEMY

As the foe appears, the golden energy surrounding Agatio extends into sharpened luminescent spikes. He darts past the slug and rams it with his thorned shoulder.

Photon mode 1; move (provoking AoO), standard attack.

Attack vs KAC: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
Crit Damage (P, photon): 2d6 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (1, 3) + 6 + 2 = 12 + 2 E plus staggered (DC 13)

Agatio lands a significant blow!

R1
Thidreks
Agatio - acted
Erastil
Edward
ENEMY

R 14

"Nice hit Agatio!"

Erastil, baton in hand moves to the other end of the slug and takes advantage of an opening Agatio has provided for him to land a staggering hit himself.

Tactical Baton;Flanking: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 4 + 2 = 262d4 + 2 ⇒ (1, 3) + 2 = 6 Gain 1 Entropic Point
Wow, Dicebot has shown favor to this table.

"Ah! What is that?" exclaims Thidreks.

Identify (Life Science): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24 Reduce the DC of Life Science checks to identity rare creatures by 5. Interest in attacks and defense if successful

"Whatever it is, we can't have it chewing on us." he adds before taking a shot.

Plasma Claw (vs EAC): 1d20 ⇒ 12
Damage (E&F): 1d4 ⇒ 4

The creature appears to be a Diatha

But the wisdom comes too late - the damage already done when Erastil wounds it mortally. It bursts into a chemical reaction of some significant heat!

Fire 1d6 ⇒ 4
DC10 Ref for half - all but Edward.

You can hear another one about to grind through the wall!

R1
Thidreks (refunded!)
Agatio - acted
Erastil - acted
Edward
ENEMY

R Dead
O Arriving

Ref: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11 2 Damage, 1 Entropic Point Gained. 2/3 EP

Erastil turns sideways to avoid majority of the blast. He flashes a grin at his companions as he feels the energy from the slug released into the air and draws on it. Steamlike tendrils of dark energy begin to drift off his armor.

SP 8/10

"Be careful! They can..."
Reflex: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7 Failed, but fire resistance absorbs the blast
"...explode."

Thedreks backs away from the sounds of the arriving Diatha.

Thid or Ed readying an action?

Reflex DC 13: 1d20 ⇒ 12

Agatio takes the brunt of the explosion, and wipes burn slug ooze off his armor's faceplate.

Edward quickly takes his rifle from his back, injects a syringe into the loading barrel and points it at the point of origin of the sound.

Readying a minor inhibitor (-1AC for 7 rounds) when the creature gets within range of Edward's rifle

The creature comes through, and tries mauling Erastil!

Attack 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18 vs KAC
Damage 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

R2
Thidreks
Agatio
Erastil
Edward
ENEMY

R Dead
O

2 dmg Received 6/10 SP, 3/3 EP

Erastil takes a step to the side to better aim an attack at the new slug, the tendrils of energy funnel into his fist as he attempts to smash this one before it can explode.

Flanking Empowered Entropic Strike (1 EP) VS EAC: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 5 + 2 = 141d3 + 3 + 1d4 ⇒ (1) + 3 + (1) = 5 Bludgeoning

Thidreks steps away from the creature before taking a shot at it.

Plasma Claw vs EAC: 1d20 ⇒ 13
Damage (E&F): 1d4 ⇒ 1

Everybody hear a sounds from behind as a tiefling, clad in black heavy armor and bearing the holy symbol of Besmara, is running, breathless, towards you.

Howdy! I'm Ysh'yaal sorry for beeing late.

On her hand, a strange makeshift weapon Junksword with reach and defending

Derp, I didn't post an attack roll. Oh well!

Edward takes a step back and fires a syringe at the creature.

Basic Inhibitor: -2 to AC for 7 rounds if it hits

Needler Rifle vs KAC: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
Damage, P: 1d6 ⇒ 4

"Hello Ysh'yall!" he says while reloading his rifle. "Not a moment too soon!"

Seeing the second slug attack Erastil, Agatio's left arm dissipates some of the surrounding solar energy as he reaches to his back for an ornate disc. "No more explosions for Agatio, thank you!" He hurls the disc like a frisbee, creating a piercing ringing sound.

Stellar mode 2; move draw returning singing disc, standard attack.

Attack vs EAC: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16
Damage (So, photon): 1d4 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 3 + 1 = 5

Erastil gets a hit home.

Thidreks gets a bit of a scratch in.

Ysh appears like magic, racing from the portal!

Edward is right on point, the cretaure looks a bit shaky.

Agatio hits again!

***
It tries eating Erastil!

Attack 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12 vs KAC
Damage 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Party up!

R3
Ysh'yall
Thidreks
Agatio
Erastil
Edward
ENEMY

R Dead
O 15 -2AC

Erastil manages to dodge the slugs second blow. "Nice to meet you Ysh'yall! "

He greets the newcomer between pummeling the slug with his fists.
Full Round Attack Action

Entropic Strike vs EAC: 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (12) + 5 - 4 = 131d3 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6 Bludgeoning
Entropic Strike vs EAC: 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (14) + 5 - 4 = 151d3 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6 Bludgeoning

Thidreks will hold his position and take another shot.

Plasma Claw vs EAC: 1d20 ⇒ 3
Damage (E&F): 1d4 ⇒ 2

Ysh'yaal moves through Edward and flank with Erasil using her reach to strike from afar.

Junksword vs KAC, flank: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 5 + 2 = 15 if she hit, she gain +1AC vs her target (defending)
Damages: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Me too!

The creature succumbs to the assault - by exploding!

Hits Erastil, Yhs'yaal
Fire 1d6 ⇒ 2
DC10 for half

The chain of explosions disrupts the cavern, causing it to begin to cave in around the portal. The ensuing collapse completely blocks access to the portal. A faint light reflecting through the rubble indicates the portal is still active, but it’s inaccessible. As you push forward to investigate the rest of the complex you find a pair of vesk corpses near the cavern’s exit are propped up against the wall, their stiff bodies partially devoured by the diathas. A doshko lays on the ground near one of the corpses.

Agatio shakes his head and stows his singing disc as the golden energy around him dissipates. "And now we are trapped. Like these poor souls. What now?"

Reflex: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Ysht'yaal natural protection absorbs the explosion. resist fire 5

She's surprised when the cavern starts to shake and worried when she realized that she was trapped!

Turning to Agatio she says We must continue our exploration. I hope that another portal will be active or that we will find another exit...

She looks at the doshko and says Someone knows how to use that?

Thidreks notes he could probably tunnel back to the portal...

"What happened here?" asks Thidreks as he begins to examine the bodies.
Medicine: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Edward looks at the doshko and shakes his head. "Not me."

He kneels next to the two vesk and runs a quick scan to try to figure out what happened to them.

Medicine: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20
Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

The two bodies were wearing Defrex.

Edward discerns that they died of asphyxiation, likely because their armors’ environmental protections ran out. He also locates a keycard displaying the model number of a starship, KV-2160, tucked into the pockets of one of the bodies

Reflex: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
SP:4/10

"Asphyxiation? Yeah that's no way I want to go. How long were these guys stuck here? I guess we should look for their ship?"

Unfazed by the combat or the slug material on his armor, Erastil wanders further into the cave to look for another route.

Erastil leads you onward.

The dark tunnel large enough for the kothamas to travel finally leads to an ever-colder exterior. A severe, windless chill envelops you all as you step out of the cave system and into a deep trench.

You have found yourselves on Traverse - the moon, in a trench formed by the moon’s volcanic activity. The rocky, slick walls are 20 feet high and difficult to scale.

You could attempt a DC22 Athletics - or DC17 if you have a way to deal fire damage and make handholds, Or a DC15 Physical science check to find a better route

Agatio starts to retrieve his climbing kit from his backpack. "Agatio might be able to scale these walls, but some handholds would be nice. Can anyone gouge this ice wall?"

"Ice? That should be easy." Thidreks heads over to the icy walls and starts melting some handholds.
His tunneler ability can melt rocks, so I'm hoping ice will be a piece of cake.

Edward looks on as Thidreks makes handholds. "You can scale it, but I'll break my neck for sure. Let me try to find a better suited passage for those less... fit amongst us."

Physical Science: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

Edward is the first of you reach the top of the slope, a frozen wasteland stretches out before you, with more trenches cracking the terrestrial surface. In the distance, a faint silhouette of a large shape stands out against the black shadow of distant mountains.

Not one to back off from a challenge, Erastil attempts the wall with a grin.
"See you guys at the top!"

Athletics: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

Ninja'd by Shifty

Reuniting with his team at the top of the slope, the young vanguard takes a moment to catch his breath and look up around them.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Unfortunately the sweat in his eyes and the fog from his breath don't help very much and he's not able to see anything of note.

"Well, uh, at least we won't die half eaten in the caves?"

Athletics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Agatio eventually follows Erastil up the slope, and pauses to take in the scene.

Perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0

Ysh'yaal looks at her computer and calculates the best route to take.

Physical Science: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
Physical Science: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

She needs two tries to make it to the top.

Glad to be with you!

Physical Science: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (20) + 0 = 20

Guys! A starship! May be it's the one the Vesks we found had?

Heading off?

Agatio looks to where Ysh'yaal is pointing. "Seems as good a place as any to start." He heads toward the ship.

Physical Science: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18
Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

Edward acknowledges the shape of the ship in the distance, then looks at the sky.

"What a beautiful night sky! Oh! Look over there! The constellation of the Valkyrie! Given that we are in this portion of the veskarium... At this time of year and at this point of Traverse's orbit..." Edward takes out an old star map and an archaic pocket calculator and plugs in some numbers. "According to my calculations we should be in Traverse's northeastern hemisphere."

Erastil hops up to a standing position and gets ready to move as soon as the ship is mentioned.

"You're probably right Ysh'yaal, that might be our ticket out of here!" He falls in behind Agatio.

"Ed, make sure you follow us while you run your calculations! We gotta stick together!"

The starship’s large loading doors and hull indicate that it’s a cargo ship. Substantial damage to the port side make it obvious that the ship is in no state to fly. Although the damage has destroyed the portside personnel door, the starboard personnel door softly blinks with blue light.

As you get closer you note its model number, KV-2160. The starboard personnel appears to have swipecard access.

Map up

Piloting DC10: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

Look! I was right, it's the Vesk's ship. A Kevolari Venture, a popular line of ships from Castrovel’s Kevolari collective that are well‑suited for long voyages if I remember well.

She waits for her comrades to open the door with the key card they found on the bodies.

a knowledge to know what take down the ship?

"Never got to pilot a Kevolari. Looks like I still won't haha." Erastil says coming up behind Ysh'yaal.

"Let's see what systems are still functioning. If life support it one we might be able to camp out until the Society comes and finds us at least."

"So the portal took us from Vesk-8, to the moon around Vesk-7?" Thidreks asks Edward.
--
Piloting: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16
"What would bring them here, and why hasn't the ship been retrieved already? Those bodies had been here quite a while..."

"So the portal took us from Vesk-8, to the moon around Vesk-7?" Thidreks asks Edward.

--
"What would bring them here, and why hasn't the ship been retrieved already? Those bodies had been here quite a while..."

"Yes, that seems to be the case." To the latter question, he shrugs and replies: "Good question. Perhaps we shall find answers inside their ship."

The damage appears to have been from some sort of explosions - some repairs have been attempted, but they weren't finished, and the ship has had a hard landing.

The card you retrieved from the corpse earlier works on the door.

A functioning air lock noisily seals in the atmosphere before the interior doors open. A flickering light, dislodged from the ceiling, swings over a decrepit corridor. A malfunctioning door along the right wall spasms halfway between open and closed. A surveillance camera looming overhead slowly swivels. Sparks from exposed wires and yellow emergency lights provide dim light throughout the halls and rooms of the ship.

Feel free to mark out your direction of march :)