Frozen ambitions (Inactive)

Game Master Merisal The Risen

Madrigal gets in the vesk's face and shouts: "Who do you work for? How deep the conspiracy go? How much time before they come?"

"Wait wait wait! Forget those other two questions. Who are you guys, and what are you doing to the poor dromada living here?" She flaps up, flaring her wings out to ripple her cloak "This eye of mine is telling me that they're totally not volunteering to get kidnapped!"

Kippi also floats over and picks weapons off the other vesk.

"And what are you doing here?" asks Liftt.

"How do you control the cats?"

Madrigal gets in the vesk's face and shouts: "Who do you work for? How deep the conspiracy go? How much time before they come?"

Nero we work for Nero Naralls Experimental Research Organization. What Conspiracy? Theres's more coming?

"Wait wait wait! Forget those other two questions. Who are you guys, and what are you doing to the poor dromada living here?" She flaps up, flaring her wings out to ripple her cloak "This eye of mine is telling me that they're totally not volunteering to get kidnapped!"

Kippi also floats over and picks weapons off the other vesk.

Oredkaya Thats Blaruega and Gretarena. They said the Dromada were volunteers He jerks his head to his two vesk friends to indicate who they are

"And what are you doing here?" asks Liftt.

"How do you control the cats?"

We were hired to oversee deliveries and keep visitors out. We dont control the cats we Narall experiments on them and they die or go mad. We let the least damaged ones out to see if the effects wear off

"What else is inside this complex? How many more guards are there?"

Liftt almost bangs his head against the wall.
"The Dromada are not volunteers. Where are they now?" he asks urgently.

"And what more can you tell us about deliveries, 'visitors' and what these experiments you are doing on the cats are about?"

Thinking to the rest of the team, he adds
Has anyone heard of Nero Naralls Experimental Research? Do you have any net access or library chips you can trawl for information about them?

Kippi ponders if she's heard of this "Nero Naralls Experimental Research Organization".

Culture: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14

"I hope you know those zrulicats you were releasing were going crazy out there and killing anything they came across!" Kippi does her best scowl, which is to say, slightly flexes her antennae "You're in big trouble."

With the vesk surrendering, Max waves his pistol to indicate the one next to him move over towards the others. He then glances down at his knife and squats down to pick it up without taking his eyes off the vesk. He lets the others continue questioning the vesk as he shifts his gaze further into the complex, watching for reinforcements.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

"How does a zrulicat volunteer for anything? And why would it if this is the only final options?"

Summarising what you learn from your interrogation

you are in Security A set of computer banks.
A vending machine on the western wall advertises a product
called Tasty Tidbits with an image of bite-sized dromadashaped snacks raining down out of a bag. Directly across from
it is another vending machine, this one advertising Fruity Juice
Fizz with the image of an excited lashunta holding a fizzing-over
can and giving a thumbs up.

B3 is Foyer

The hallway leads to a large, open room with two halls on
the east and west sides. Storage bins stacked along the walls
contain caches of deep-blue crystals. A large tank filled with
pale blue liquid stands to the north. A lifeless dromada floats,
preserved, inside the fluid

B4 is the mess hall where two Ijkrit mercenaries are likely to be eating their meal (squid like mercenaries who seem to be mook of Season 3)

B5 is a communication station

b6 is the lab where the Nuar (minotaur) named Narall performs her experiments with various cells to keep his lab rats under control

Deliveries are less frequent but involve some blue crystals referred to as shimmerstone and also ingredient X

Naralls Experimental research organisation is Pact world equivalent of a start up and nothing anyone is likely to have heard of

He believes the other dromeda are still in the lab

You can use these computers to unlock any doors apart from those in the lab area (you can open the doors to the lab itself those to the cells there are on a different system in the lab)

If there is anything you think I've missed that you want to know about let me know

Using her datapad to make a sketch of the layout of the place based on the captive's information, Madrigal says "To stop a conspiracy of this magnitude, we have to pull it out by its roots! It looks like we have to pass through all the rooms if we're going to reach Narall, and that means first getting past the Ijikrits." She grips her dueling sword tightly. "Who's with me?"

Yippee looks around, waiting to see who steps up.

"Fine. Sure. I'm in."

Kippi peers over Madrigal's shoulder as the woman sketches out the map of the complex. "Wow. This is a big place! And..." She eyes the Dromada-themed snack machine with a judging gaze. "It looks like they're hungry for dromada. We've got to save those guys fast!" She nods to Madrigal.

In the foyer, Kippi blanches at the preserved dromada and then briefly examines the crystals to determine what properties the shimmerstone might have.
Physical Science: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

Madrigal moves through the foyer and tries to quietly peer around the corner into the mess hall.

Stealth: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

Not a fan of leaving prisoners behind, Rilynn makes triple-sure the vesk is restrained and then gagged, with wrists tied behind the back to ankles, and then removes all weapons from the encounter area.

Next, she stops at the two vending machines, acquiring two bags of dromada snacks and a Fizzy fruit, which she drinks herself.

Following the tasty refreshment, Rilynn uses the computer terminal to unlock all available doors, then runs after her erstwhile companions deeper into the complex.

Computers: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (7) + 13 = 20

"You seem to know your way around... don't forget to toggle the security override."

Aid Computers: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

Max moves forward with the others, nodding in agreement to the comment about the size of the complex. "Yeah, I wasn't expecting all of this," he states while looking around.

Riylinn does find a cole of interesting files buried away and manages to break the encryption to show to vid files

A backlit humanoid figure appears on screen, its face blurred
to conceal its identity. A clipped monotone voice speaks:
“Greetings, Nraall. I am glad that you accepted my offer. I sent
you a few samples of a new mineral substance I acquired. You
don’t need to know where it came from or what it is. All I need
is for you to use it in your experiments with the shimmerstone.
I would hate for our relationship to end on a sour note, so please
see that none of these materials leave your lab. I realize that
science takes time, but the sooner I get results, the better. A
swift turnaround could result in a substantial credit bonus. I
look forward to hearing your first report.”

The second communiqué is dated months later, just a week prior
to your arrival on Zrulik-3.

The blurred silhouette appears again. Their frustration is
apparent beneath the digital vocal alterations. “Nraall, I grow
weary of your lack of viable results. I cannot keep committing
resources to a useless project. Pack up your lab, purge all data
related to the experiments, and destroy any unused materials
immediately. Be aware that failing to follow these instructions
will result in our relationship further… deteriorating.

The blue crystals are shimmerstone which is known for its calming effects on emotions mined on vesk 8

A good bluff or diplomacy check can get the two ijtikri mercenaries, Sshlarm and Tselk to leave So you can just fight Nraall and his skiermander assistant alone

medicine: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

"I'd prefer..." says the nervous shirren. "If we could avoid further bloodshed. Let's try to drive off the mercs. If we can capture Nraall, that would be our best way to find out what was really happening here."

Life Science: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29

Rilynn scowls at the readout. "These are not science experiments, they're atrocities. This dromada was injected repeatedly until its brain hemorrhaged."

She downloads the videos as well as all related data on the experiments in the lab and the shimmerstone onto her personal datapad.

Switching her attention to the armed mercenaries, she uses the station computer to connect to their individual comm links. Then, engaging her vocal modulator, affects a deeper, more resonant tone of a Vesk.

"Sshlarm and Tselk, break is cancelled. Report to Receiving immediately to stand guard for a new shipment of materials. Out."

Bluff: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Rilynn turns off the comm and nods to her teammates. "Only one left. Let's move."

"Hemorrhaged!? They're horrible!" Kippi floats up in alarm at the news from Rilynn. She's about to charge in there, grenades at the ready to blast the bad guys to smithereens, when Rilynn follows by opening the comms channel.

Once it's clear what Rilynn is doing, Kippi quickly floats to a side room out of sight of the mercenaries that might be rushing to the entrance of the complex. Once they're past, she float as fast as she can with the rest of the group to engage the ringleader. "Nice one Rilynn, really convincing!"

The other two hurry out to meet the new shipment you are left stood outside the laboratory. You understand there is Naaall and a skittermander in there with Nraall's experiments. She is likely to be in an enviroment suit for her experiments so the smoke grenade trick is unlikely to work twice and the cameras in side are to her work station so you dont know what exactly lies beyond.

Liftt checks his weapons.

"I guess... I suppose... we have to head on it... I mean... its the only way. "

He pauses for a moment. "Odd for a skittermander to be involved in something like this don't you think? Maybe we could try and spare it?"

"Odd? Or selfish and greedy? Don't hold back if it comes down to it."

Yippee checks his pistol and is ready to go.

"It might not even be a skittermander! It could be a lich, hiding where one would least expect it..."

"A LICH!" Kippi's wings billow dramatically "Then we definitely need to beat it! No skittermander-shaped liches are getting out of here on MY watch!" She draws out a flash grenade from her pouch and gets ready to blind some bad guys.

She floats near the front of the group as everyone advances!

Yippee rolls his eyes. "Mad Madrigal with his crazy conspiracy theories...Kippi, don't pay him no attention. But he has a point - we don't know what we are getting into."

Following Yippee's lead, Rilynn palms her arc pistol and steels herself for this next engagement.

GM, how far up the map can we go?

Max smiles seeing the 2 guards run off to the shipping dock. "Nice job, Rilynn. Hopefully they will wait there for a while so we have time to deal with Nraall before they come back," he says as they move into position to enter the lab. He checks the battery level on his pistol and returns it to his holster when he's satisfied it has enough energy.

Liftt cautiously edges forward, his eyes and mind scanning the area in front of him.

"I guess... I guess we go onward then." he stutters.

Computer banks line the walls of this brightly lit, sanitized room, each processing biometric data and displaying strings of numbers and diagnostic images on their monitors. A machine towers up to the ceiling in the middle of the room. Glass pods positioned in the room’s four corners each contain a living dromada. They pound on the glass and snarl, their faces contorted in rage. A series of holding cells to the northwest house several emaciated zrulicats.

A grizzled, cybernetically enhanced nuar woman stands beside the central machine’s console, her scarred brow creased in concentration.
She calls out "Torpa Wheres that.." She turns to face you and roars, “So, shutting me down wasn’t good enough? Now they send minions to dispose of me like I’m some failed test subject? No! I’ve survived worse than this. You, mercs, you have one chance to run. Flee this place and never come back—but don’t go running to your master. Discovery is what I do. I will discover their identity, and I will find them!

Place yourself on the left of the blue square which is just a marker not actually anything. Also maybe the skittermander is off being helpful as Torpa the skittermander is not presnt at this tier

GM, I've been down this road before where I try Diplomacy with a villain, write a compelling monologue and roll a 30-something, only to have the GM say, "If this wasn't an organized play adventure I would have allowed that to work." Are we railroaded into combat here or can we extract some information and perhaps resolve this some other way?

"Interesting.." says Liftt, reaching for his gun, but not firing.

"We are interested in them too. What can you tell us about them?"

Kippi spots the insane, angry dromada and murmurs "Oh no, oh no..." before turning to face the nuar scientist "We're no minions! I am the Princess of Shadows, the Dark Keeper of Dawn!" She flares her cloak back with her wings. "Who do you think we even work for? Because you're probably WAY off. Way way off."

"Oh and, let those dromada go."

Lifft face palms.

"No... you see, now you mentioned the dromada, she will feel threatened and not want to talk with us. And with a title like Princess of Shadows, Nraall might think that you are the power she has been working for."

Then realising that perhaps that was a communication that he should have kept mental adds "But surely she would realise her sponsor wouldn't just blunder in here, which then leaves us as a rat-tag bunch of mercs who just happened on her secret base and managed to bypass all her guards without alerting her. "

He pauses. "Actually that is kind of suspicious too."

He waves to Nraall and puts a smile on his face.

"Can we start this conversation again? We'd love to know who you are working for as much as you would. Perhaps we can help each other?"

And mentally to everyone
Any of you good with computers? Maybe see if you can spot a way to open the cages for the Dromada. I'm sure they would like to escape, and who knows, they might even help us.

Madrigal creeps into the room, ready for jets of flame from the ceiling or for the walls to start closing in! She responds to Liftt telepathically: "Computers? Never touch 'em--don't you know they're full of viruses? But once this nuar starts her deathtrap, I'll see if I can release the dromada some other way . . ."

Max looks around the room for potential access points for reinforcements. While he didn't think Nraall would be open to much conversation, he let his companions do their best.

Yippee nods, "hearing" Liftt's suggestion, and looks to see what he can do with the computer.

Computers: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

You are not from former supporter? Then you may either leave or volunteer for my experiments. See an example of what you could become she flicks a switch and a zrullicat emerges from one of the cells. The Dromadas stop banging on the doors and back away shaking their hands

No you cant talk Narall down she is too much mad scientist My work must succeed type to be talked into releasing his test subjects or anything else. You need to get to the central console to release the cell doors via a computers check

Kippi: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Lifft: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12
Max: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16
Madrigal: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
Rilynn: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19
Yippee: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
Nrall: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

The party is up

Madrigal sprints into the room, ducking low behind the computer console.

Double-move.

Rilynn rushes into the room and launches a magic missile at Nraal.

"Crazy much?!"

Magic Missile: 3d4 + 3 ⇒ (2, 1, 4) + 3 = 10

Kippi floats closer and rises above the ground. She raises her flash grenade into the air and shouts out "Be Banished By the Light of Darkness!!! Wait... that doesn't sound right, ah whatever." She sends her flash grenade tumbling through the air to explode at Nrall's feet.

Grenade throw: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14

Nrall must make a DC16 Ref save or be blinded for 1d4 ⇒ 1 round(s)

"Oh my, that cat is big..." shudders the shirren.

Still, liftt moves forward and fires a quick shot at Narall.

attack vs EAC: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27
E damage: 1d4 ⇒ 2 x2 for a crit, and add burn (d4) to Narall!

The shot is right on target. "Oh... sorry..." he mutters.

Seeing that Nraall doesn't seem interested in giving up her experiments, Max moves over to get a clear shot at her, his static arc pistol jumping to his hand as he moves. "Need to take her out before she releases more of those cats," he thinks to himself before firing.

Ranged attack (pistol): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
Damage (E): 1d6 ⇒ 4

Yippee and Madrigal move forward to the console Kippi lands a flash grenade

ref: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

What the Nraall is blinded

Max Liftt and Rilynn attack

I recognise that effect If I could see you I'd return in kind she snarls

burn: 1d4 ⇒ 3

She begins to lower her head at Kippi before the fire around her consumes her before she can charge

The zrullicat pounces forward next to Max Lifft Rilynn and Kippi

DC 11 reflex save for Max Lifft Rilynn and Kippi

Party is up
followed by Zrullicat

Nraall wont be getting up again

ref: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

Knowing there is no way to attack with his laser, given the speed and reach of the cats, Liftt draws his own knife and stabs with it.
attack vs KAC: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15
P damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Madrigal circles around the console, steps over Nraall's body to make sure the nuar is really dead, and then, with sword at the ready, approaches the zrullicat from behind.

Double-move. This may provoke an AoO.

Reflex vs pounce: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

Kippi spirals up further into the air, out of the zrulicat's reach, and points her laser pistol down at it from above. She fires away! "Down! Bad Zrulicat!"

Az. Laser Pistol: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20 Damage (F): 1d4 ⇒ 4