AC = 17
HP = 31/34 4nl
Weapon Equipped = Tuilindo
Condition(s) = None
Chaance moves through the hallway, taking a peek into the room as she squeezes by Zzvkgrogk, and catching a glimpse of the last active robot. "Aw, a shame we can't avoid damaging them. Little one, can you just stop for a moment?"
The tiny observer protests as Rūha reaches for it.
But the Kasatha, with her many arms, quickly grapples the robot while keeping its claws away with the other arms.
With a quick movement, Rūha pins the robot on the floor, but the observer keeps the torch still active, trying to get it close to you.
The creature seems too focused on fighting to pay attention to Chaance at first, but after she starts to talk in Androffan, the observer surprisingly puts down the torch and stops moving.
You know it is not possible to change the behavior of a robot through the sound interface, and it requires disassembling the different parts and work hard in a workbench to introduce new directives or change the source of obedience.
Barred this, some Numerian explorers and Tehcnic League members have found some robots are controlled through a main coordinating algorithm lodged in a central device of some of the ruins. These central devices often have accessible physical interfaces that allow configuring certain parameters, which can be used to influence indirectly the behavior of those robots under the control of this central intelligence.
Hence, what Chaance is doing here... it has no sense and it cannot be possible. How she can exert this influence over the robot bypasses any logic and defies any previous knowledge you have acquired.
"Ooooh, good thinking Chaance, and nice hands Ruha! All four of them," Rhoreen notes before checking with Yambul to see if he wants the potion of CMW, or would prefer the much more practical wand.
Know (Engineering)
"Not sure how you did that though, Chaance? Can you explain?"
Rūha pins the bot to the ground with the butt of her autograpnel and leans on it. "Chaance, let me know when you think it's ready to be released."
Weapon Equipped = Falchion
Conditions = None
Falchion: Attack: 6/1 BAB +4 Str +1 Focus +1 MW (-2 PA) Damage: +6 Str (+6 PA) Crit: 18-20x2 DR: Adamantine
Chef’s knife: Attack: 6/1 BAB +1 MW +4 Str / +2 Dex Damage: +4 Crit: 19-20x2 Range: 10’
Studied: () (mv/im; +2 att, dam, bluff, knowledge, perception, sense motive, survival)
Spell Like (1/1d, st, Prestidigitation cl1)
Spell Like (1 time, st, Cure Serious Wounds cl5)
- - -
"Excellent, and we managed to keep one. Bonus!"
He'll quaff one of his own cure moderates (of which he has spares) thanking Rhoreen for the offer of hers. "Hang onto that one for when I drop!" he chuckles.
He'll then take a couple off the wand.
He'll keep watch while the more observant search the room for tech.
When they're done, Yambul says, "Now that's over with, and nice job Chaance for sure. That was cool. Let's go to the red dot. I'm bettin' that's our mark, or at least his presence here. Let's unplug the bastard."
"I think you can release it, Roo. I can only modify its reactions so much, so if it's still miffed, we'll need to deal with it."
Chaance is perfectly willing to spend time with the observer robot, bending its attitude to as helpful as possible, but understands if they've only managed a detente of sorts.
"Maybe we can find a terminal near the Red Dot, and reprogram the beetle fully!"
With the healing, Yambul's non-lethal damage also goes away.
While some of you focus on making the tiny robot talk, some others can search the room.
The devices with blinking tiny lights here are processing units and databanks. Together they serve to control the excavator at full.
A quick analysis helped by someone able to understand Androffan, let's you understand the excavator has been here buried since the Rain of Stars, but in recent years many of its systems have been repaired and the mobile parts have been set free.
On its current state the excavator is ready to be detached from the earth and move out to the surface. This feat though is not possible because it lacks the amount of energy necessary for that. A large amount would be needed.
You notice someone is connected to the central unit and using it to remotely control the excavator vitals, including the lights or what is projected in the monitors. While this is happening, any attempt to control the excavator will be futile as it will easily be quickly overridden.
This technology is too obscure and complicated for anyone in Golarion to know how to block this remote connection, but you are confident destroying the processing units here would be enough to shut it down and prevent the excavator features being controlled remotely.
There is an alternative use you can do of this central unit. You spot the slots for memory facets in one of the control panels.
You think you can jury-rig here a memory facet and redirect its contents to the remote controlling program.
Hence, if you insert here an inhibitor facet, you will be able to considerably hamper the capabilities of that remotely controlling program.
You notice some strange slots in the control panel. Your extreme perception relates the slots' shape with the strange piece of tech you found in the wrecked ship captain's suit. That thing's shape fits here.
"Not sure how you did that though, Chaance? Can you explain?"
Rhoreen assumes Chaance didn’t hear her. And she’s not shy about having her question answered, even if Chaance was focused on their task.
”Chaance, did you hear me? How did you do that?”
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Chaance looks up from the beetle under the 'heel' of the kasatha, regarding the echo of a question coming from Rhoreen. Her eyes consider, safe behind the lenses of her goggles.
"Yes, sorry. It's just that... it listened. These constructs are made, brought to some semblance of life. But the creator only wants them to perform their intended functions obediently. Mindlessly. 'You are only whole because my hand, my mind, makes it so.' Damn their intelligence, for it is not their own." Chaance observes the observer robot.
"But we're starting to see that an intelligence created from metal and misanthropy can... transcend its base function as servitor." Chaance squats low, and brings a hand to caress the carapace of the beetle.
"I don't exactly know why it chose to respond to my words, but maybe it's self-aware enough listen to reason when several of its brethren have just been destroyed."
”’It listened’? That’s your explanation?” Rhoreen gobsmacks. ”Huh. I guess I never thought that that would work. And you think it’s self-aware? But it’s so small…” Rhoreen shrugs, trying to understand but clearly not getting all of it.
”Well, okay. But it’s weird though, you see that? It’s not supposed to do that.”
Rhoreen ponders, and has nothing more about it right now. She looks around.
Know (Engingeering)
Perception
Rhoreen whistles after examining things.
”Hey, look at this!” She explains the spoiler above.
Yambul listens to Rhoreen's description of what they're looking at. He fishes through his sack of group stuff, and pulls out the inhibitor.
"So this goes in here, like this. And then you want me to trash these here processing units, right?"
He holds the inhibitor next to the slot but does nothing without confirmation.
Rūha keeps the beetle pinned as she listens to Chaance's explanation and looks around the room. When Chaance finishes, she comments "Certainly there's a difference between sentient, ensouled beings and even the most advanced drone. Are you saying you expect this little one to be the former? I'm skeptical, given when we've seen so far. But even a drone should be reprogrammable. Especially once Hellion - who seems to be providing the commands - is no longer capable of doing so." She shifts her weight a bit, ensuring that the drone is properly pinned. "Do we want to try to bind it until then? Then you can give it another talking to."
At Rhor's explanation of the console, Ruha's brow furrows "So if we insert the inhibitor here, does that inhibit... the excavator? That appears to be what this system is connected to. I wonder if that makes Hellion's life easier or more difficult. Perhaps a bit of both."
Yambul nods, following along as best he can.
He puts the inhibitor in the slot and steps back, sort of expecting something to happen. Maybe even sparks.
"Well, okay. But it’s weird though, you see that? It’s not supposed to do that.”
Chaance looks up from her lingering gaze on the observer robot. "And you're not supposed to shift into incorporeal form, but there it is. Hellion shouldn't be able to grant divine magics, because he isn't a god. But there it is."
"Do we want to try to bind it until then? Then you can give it another talking to."
Chaance nods. "I don't think we can fully trust it, given its time spent in servitude to Hellion. I think we should try and re... deem it."
The elf watches as Yambul slots up. "Yes, please. Inhibit away." She speaks it loudly, addressing the Hellion in the machine.
If we can find some sturdy cables nearby, Rūha will go ahead and thoroughly bind the bot, while also making sure the cable isn't positioned in a way that it could fire its laser to cut its way out.
"You should not touch things you cannot understand nut-brained apes!" Hellion yells through the monitors as Yambul inserts the facet captain Yuri managed to extract from the spaceship to grand risk of his life.
Then Rhoreen starts pressing buttons, trying to transfer the program, although it could be just she is trying to cause a short-circuit. Suddenly, the monitor in the central processor starts to show numbers and Androffan characters and there are even some sounds like an out of tune violin ଇନହିବିଟର ଫ୍ୟାସେଟ ଲୋଡ୍ ହୋଇଛି | ସଂଯୁକ୍ତ AI ରେ ଇନହିବିଟର ପ୍ଲଗଇନ୍ ଲୋଡ୍ କରୁଛି | ଇନହିବିଟର ପ୍ଲଗଇନ୍ ଲୋଡ୍ ହୋଇଛି | ଅପରେସନ୍ ସଂପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ
"Aaah! What's this crap you are loading! Damned torchers!!" Hellion shouts one last time, then the monitors stop showing his face and go black.
The central unit display shows a message in red ଧ୍ୟାନ: AI ବିଚ୍ଛିନ୍ନ ହୋଇଛି | ପୁନ recon ସଂଯୋଗ ନହେଲେ AI ରେ ପ୍ଲଗଇନ୍ ପ୍ରଭାବ କେବଳ 24 ଘଣ୍ଟା ରହିବ |
Inhibitor facet loaded. Loading Inhibitor plugin into connected AI. Inhibitor plugin loaded. Operation complete.
Attention: AI disconnected. Plugin effects will last only 24 h in AI if not reconnected.
The group find enough wire in one of the shelves to bind the tiny robot.
Chaance helps in any way she can to secure the last observer robot, reassuring it that it's not going to be permanently disabled, as long as it refrains from using its aggressive devices.
If the robot isn't too heavy, Chaance offers to carry it, wiring it to her backpack in a metal-silkworm cocoon.
Inhibitions in place, the elf bolts towards the previously unopened doors, and takes a listen, before opening them, and proceeding further into the temple.
Rhoreen keeps an eye on things, making sure nothing seems to be going wrong.
Know (Engineering)
She will translate the Androffan for others, speaking it aloud.
Yambul listens to Rhoreen's translation and nods. "OK then, let's head to that red dot and finish this!"
He takes out his falchion, and if everyone is in agreement, head's that way. As he walks, he asks Chaance, "So you gonna teach it tricks and stuff?"
"I only wonder how receptive it can be. Can we engage it like we would a feral dog? A dog responds to scraps of meat, and eventually quiets its distrust. What are scraps to a robot?" Chaance adjusts her shoulder strap, listening to any sounds the robot makes.
"24 hours. That's enough time to consider a rest, if things heat up."
The observer seems non-aggressive, although it is clear he does not like his bonded condition.
You open the western doors to reveal a ramp to the caves below.
A large, dank cave sprawls to the west of a metal structure buried in the walls. An immense trestle of metal beams and struts extends from the side of the structure and into the wall opposite, while a stone ramp winds from a metal landing along the side of the structure down into the cave depths below.
It's a 30-foot drop from the balcony to the cave floor here, and the stone ramp itself is oddly smooth in contrast with the natural caves around.
The trestle is somewhat slippery from condensation, and its metal beams are only 1 foot wide.
Creatures have been coming and going through the ramp up and down. It is clearly used daily.
Touching the beams, you also notice they are still warm in a couple spots from some alive creature being here just minutes ago. Most probably some small creatures. Attached to a screw, you spot a small piece of rags like the ones of the dark folk.
On the ramp and the bottom of the ground in the cave below, you notice very soft marks of corpses having been dragged to the northern cavern.
A soft but clear smell of death and decay comes from the northern area of the room.
The area is dark, except for your own sources of light.
Weapon Equipped = Falchion
Conditions = None
Falchion: Attack: 6/1 BAB +4 Str +1 Focus +1 MW (-2 PA) Damage: +6 Str (+6 PA) Crit: 18-20x2 DR: Adamantine
Chef’s knife: Attack: 6/1 BAB +1 MW +4 Str / +2 Dex Damage: +4 Crit: 19-20x2 Range: 10’
Studied: () (mv/im; +2 att, dam, bluff, knowledge, perception, sense motive, survival)
Spell Like (1/1d, st, Prestidigitation cl1)
Spell Like (1 time, st, Cure Serious Wounds cl5)
- - -
Yambul looks at the bright red dot on the map thingy, and looks to where Chaance is suggesting. He shrugs and opens the door.
He’ll take the stone path, since he auto-succeeds the acrobatics check. He peers into the darkness, his flaming ioun stone floating above his head.
vs DC 20 (+3 if tracking)
Know (Arcana)
"Someone has been using advanced stone magics here," Rhoreen smugly points out the stone ramp. "This is not naturally hewn. And trust me, I would know."
"One sec, Yambul. Let me look."
Casting levitate, Rhoreen moves out into the air and uses the walls/ramp to push herself until she can see what might be south.
Perception
Chaance is far too preoccupied with the bound observer beetle to notice much of any of the features that lie before them, passing through the doors.
The way forward winds into the darkness, and the elf posts just through the doorway, waiting for the others to call all of them forward.
Rhoreen explains that she sees a long tunnel to the south, but the tunnel curves and she can see no more.
"There might be something this way too."
”Don’t trust this cute little bot – surely it’s still under Hellion’s control… Either he’s saving it for himself. It could be a beacon to summon others, or – he’s just trying to trick us into a false sense of confidence. Do we want to bring it with?”
~~~
Zzvkgrogk joins Yambul in front of the ramp.
”Oh, look!” Zzvkgrogk quietly exclaims pulling a piece of smelly torn cloth caught on a screw on 0ne of the beams. ”This looks like a piece of cloth worn by the dark folk we met earlier.” He touches the beam in a couple of spots. ”I think some of them passed through here recently, it is still warm here and there. Those marks on and at the bottom of the ramp look like they might have been dragging more dead bodies through to the northern cave…”
He readies his dragon pistol with holy water cartridges.
”Calliope!” he whispers as she heads further down the path, ”Let’s check this out?
He easily skates across the beam/ramp should the group decide to head into the northern chamber.
Ruha takes up a bit of cover while standing on the ramp, then looks up to the north where Yambul's ioun stone is casting light. "We saw several other signals from this area, did we not? I suspect we'll find them earlier rather than later." She pauses to listen for anything approaching the group from either direction.
”Calliope!” he whispers as she heads further down the path, ”Let’s check this out?
Rhoreen looks south again, then north back at Zzvkgrogk.
”Are we sure we don’t want to check out what’s this way? Might be fun too, you know?”
Rūha notices nothing besides the clear death odor to the north. Rhoreen though could swear a whispered conversation to the south, but it was short and quiet. Whomever is there, is trying to avoid any attention.
Yambul descends the stone ramp without difficulty, reaching Rhoreen's position at the ground.
Zzvkgrogk balances through the beams at the top of the floor for a while, then goes to the ramp and joins Yambul.
Rūha and Chaance waits a bit at the top ledge.
Rhoreen looks south again, then north back at Zzvkgrogk.
”Are we sure we don’t want to check out what’s this way? Might be fun too, you know?”
”Oh?! You say you heard someone or something?!” Zzvkgrogk whispers back to Rhoreen. ”O.K., maybe they just came down this way, let’s check it out.”
If everyone agrees, Zzvkgrogk will nudge Yambul toward where Rhoreen swore she heard voices.
He sticks close to Yambul peering into the darkness as they go.
it might not get any brighter for them…
Yambul follows Zzvkgrogk's lead and peers south into the darkness.
Taking the tunnel to the south, just after the first curve, you stumble with a wall of total darkness your light sources fail to penetrate.
A voice from within calls you to stop "ឈប់នៅទីនោះជនបរទេស។"
"Stop there foreigners."
Several filthy nests made of rags and reeking scraps of fur lie scattered across the damp floor of this cave.
The whole tribe of dark folk is gathered here. At least 8 members that you can see.
The three closer to you are wearing strange looking technical glasses .
The one to speak next is the white one.
A different voice comes out of the darkness, one talking common, but with a very strong accent "You are altering the quietness of my domains. Give me a single reason why I shall not feed you to the Blood Ghost to appease the God"
Rhoreen refocuses her wand, this time focusing the mercurial nature of the skymetal on her weight and sense of gravity.
Instead of levitating, she floats, in flight, as she moves up to 10' (above the ground, if possible).
She keeps her mouth shut, but is ready to protect her friends. She will let others speak.
"Ah, the reason is because we have dealt peacefully with your fellow kin several rooms prior and agreed not to trespass into your caves." Rūha can't pierce the darkness, but she quickly recalls what the group previously agreed with the dark folk. Plus, sacrifices to appease gods are something she's read extensively about in the past, and anyone who is willing to talk first is someone that might be reasoned with. "It is our mistake to wander this way without recognizing that these are the caverns described. Before we leave though, I would love to hear more of this Blood Ghost. Who might they be?"
”Stop our advance, Yambul! They speak of a ‘Blood Ghost’! Could this be the unseen terror of Hellion we have heard so much about from the denizens of Scrapwall?”
Zzvkgrogk nods as Rūha speaks. He then can’t help himself and slips into Undercommon.
”សូមអភ័យទោស យើងមិនមានបំណងរំលោភលើដែនដ៏ស្រស់ស្អាតរបស់អ្នកទេ។ អាជីវកម្មរបស់យើងមិននៅជាមួយអ្នកទេ ហើយយើងនឹងចាកចេញនៅពេលដែលអាជីវកម្មរបស់យើងត្រូវបានបញ្ចប់។ ព្រលឹងបង្ហូរឈាមនេះធ្វើវា។ បង្ខំអ្នកឱ្យចូលរួមក្នុងសកម្មភាពទាំងនេះ? តើវាគួរឱ្យខ្លាចដូចដែលយើងឮនៅលើផ្ទៃដែរឬទេ? ចុះប្រសិនបើយើងបញ្ចប់អត្ថិភាពរបស់វា ហើយទុកឱ្យអ្នក និងអាជីវកម្មរបស់អ្នកនៅក្នុងដែនរបស់អ្នកដោយគ្មានការភ័យខ្លាច? នេះ? យើងក៏នឹងដក Hellion ចេញពីដែនរបស់អ្នកផងដែរ ដោយសន្មតថា Hellion មិនដូចគ្នាទេ។ ប្រាប់យើងអំពីព្រះលោហិត បន្ទាប់មកអនុញ្ញាតឱ្យយើងចាកចេញពីអ្នកដោយសន្តិភាព។”
”Also, those are pretty snazzy looking Veemods! Where ever did you come across them? I have been in search for a green pair for myself, or even just a loupe!”
Although the dark folk listen, they give no answer to your questions, it is clear they do not like you, but for whatever reason they abide to their previous word as remembered by Rūha "បើដូច្នេះ អ្នកកំពុងបោះបង់ដែនរបស់ខ្ញុំយឺត!" you hear sounds of multiple blades being sharpened "You are foolish if you think you can kill a god. Get out of my cave! Now!"
"If so you are doing late abandoning my domains!"
At a signal of their leader, the dark folk draw their kukris and start to coat them with a dark liquid you can only think as poison.
Rhoreen is happy to leave, realizing she made a mistake in coming this way. She will be ready to back out as needed and when possible. She’s flying, and will keep herself away from those knives.
Chaance barely has time to take in the Undercommon tones, while her weak eyes adjust for the darkness, and come up lacking.
"They're awfully threatening. How many are there? Should we leave them to their dank caves, then? Will they follow us into the light, I wonder."
Chaance is also very willing to skirt the skirmish.
Yambul stops on Zzvkgrogk's command, and backs up when kicked out of their home.
He sighs, "Well, I didn't know that was going to happen. Still, can we finally go north now?"
Assuming they're not attacked from behind, he heads north with his ioun torch slowly spinning.
”Very well then, do not waste your resources on us, for we are already gone.”
Zzvkgrogk heads back up to the northern passage after the others.
”Strange they have Veemods, for Dark Folk should have no need of them. I have never before heard of the pink one before. I wonder if that is the kind that can see through sky metal.” he says to his companions. ”I bet we’ll find more down here!”
The dark folk let you go and do not follow the group. At least not that you can see.
The northern wall of this cave bears a crude but still unsettling cave painting of a strange, four-armed red fiend rising up from a mass of what looks like dead bodies—whatever eerie pigment has been used for this painting glows faintly in the dark. A dozen real bodies of orcs and ratfolk and a few humans lie heaped against the base of the wall below the painting. The torso of each decaying carcass is split open, as if it exploded from within.
You recognize the red four-armed outsider depicted in the walls as a xill. The scourge of the Ethereal Plane, xills conquer everything in their paths with only one purpose: to perpetuate their race at the expense of others.
All xills are female and capable of fertilizing their own eggs, but require living hosts to incubate these eggs, which they inject into paralyzed victims by means of a grotesque ovipositor normally kept retracted behind their mandibles.
Evil and alien, the plane-shifting xills possess impressive intelligence and a totalitarian, militaristic culture all their own. Though they see most other life forms as incubators, they particularly prize phase spiders for this purpose.
It is clear for you this grisly cave is a place of worship, but the nature of the religion is totally alien to you, besides being some localized cult. This creature does not seem any kind of Demon Lord or similar thing, but guards some resemblance to Hellion's face in the monitors, or what someone without much ability to distinguish outsiders could paint.
"Strange they have Veemods, for Dark Folk should have no need of them. I have never before heard of the pink one before. I wonder if that is the kind that can see through sky metal.”
"Can you elaborate, Zz? Why would the colors matter? What are Veemods? You speak familiarly, but I didn't see what you're talking about."
Versed in neither religion nor planes traveling, Chaance waits to learn of any intelligence the team has regarding the blasphemy surrounding them. "Any race relationship, Roo? Is that the equivalent of drow to my people? Did corruption create another four-armed race as an offshoot to yours?"
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Know (Planes)
”Does that look like a xill to you?” Rhoreen comments smugly but she already knows she’s right, as she often is. ”I think that’s a xill drawing, and I think xill are singularly ugly because they mostly want to conquer everything in their paths with only one purpose: to perpetuate their race at the expense of others. They will impregnate a warm loaf of bread just in hopes of making more…but also, any human, or kobold or whatever will do.”
Know (Religion)
”So…this might be a place for worship. Someone is worshipping those awful xill.” Rhor smugs proudly showing off her brains.
"Well, I take small comfort that they referred to it as 'blood ghost', in the singular." Chaance regards Rhoreen as she expounds upon xill.
"You're very knowledgeable. How did you come by your information regarding such horrid things?"
"Yeah, that all sounds unpleasant." he looks at the dead. "Anything that does this to people can't be wholesome. Let's find it too while we're down here, unless it and Hellion are the same."
He proceeds onward when people are ready, and certainly after everyone is done processing the scene.
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"Can you elaborate, Zz? Why would the colors matter? What are Veemods? You speak familiarly, but I didn't see what you're talking about."
”They are technology goggles, Chaance. I read about them in Popular Technics. I guess the ones I have seen help you see in the dark, and see more in general. Theirs were white, black and pink. The black one lets you take a closer look at things by making what you are looking at bigger when you are wearing them – you can use the feature just by blinking your eyes! The white is a stronger version of black. I guess anyone would find that useful. Probably better than a loupe… There’s one that lets you see all around you, one that protects you from the harmful effects of light, and a few that let you see in the dark. Finally, there’s one that is supposed to let you see through whole walls, but I never read about a pink one. Maybe that’s it?”
”Oooh, so, these corpses were incubators? From the stench, they could not have hatched too long ago. Are the spawn still here? Does anyone have some oil? Maybe we can just burn this all from a safe distance! But now I am thinking the Blood Ghost is a different thing…”
He throws a few of vials of alkali flasks onto the corpses and wall.
for
+1 splash damage.
for
+1 splash damage.
for
+1 splash damage.
"Let's let that stew for awhile."
He follows Yambul east.
"Any race relationship, Roo? Is that the equivalent of drow to my people? Did corruption create another four-armed race as an offshoot to yours?"
"While I can't rule out this being a fanciful depiction, it seems very unlikely. Red hues are not within the natural variation of my kind, though I can't rule it out as a property of a distant ancestor. Given Rhor's conclusions, I agree this is classic class-V hemogelic idolatrous imagery. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that the dark folk worship this xill as an aspect or agent of the will of Hellion, seeing the physical similarities as a sign of favor. It's very common behavior."
She looks away while Zzvk tosses acid all over the scene. "I hope that doesn't count as an act of aggression against the dark folk, or we may end up fighting them after all." She follows Yambul eastward, pondering how the group is going to get down.
The acid starts to burn and dissolve the corpses. Although it is not enough to make them disappear, it is at least ensuring they will not become undead.
This long, narrow cavern has a twenty-five-foot-high ceiling adorned with hundreds of stalactites. The cave floor slopes downward to the east. Patches of strange fungi and lichen cling to the walls and floor—between these patches on the cave walls, strange words have been scratched into the stone. On the south wall, portions of a buried metal structure protrude from the stone, particularly in the middle where a wide metal ledge rises fifteen feet off the ground to support a nest made of bones woven together by pale strips of supple leather and cords of braided hair. Two panels of glass, both smashed to fragments, once hung from the lower walls of the metal balcony.
As you advance through the caves, you hear a voice at your back, where you just passed by "Were I you, I would destroy that robot before it records everything for my enemies..."
You all turn to see the source of the alien voice, and you spot a flame-red humanoid, a strange mix of insect and reptile, with four arms and twitching, fanged mandibles, pointing at the observer robot.
"I could kill you one by one, but you might be my last chance to abandon this place... let's talk" the creature is looking with utmost interest at Rūha, she bites her lower mandible.
She is wielding two serrated longswords and a gun. You have the feeling she could have inadvertently cut the throats of the last ones of the group without anyone noticing.
The creature is clearly the one depicted in the previous cave's wall.
"Ack! What?!" Rhoreen spins to the sound of the voice, taking in the creature. She sucks in her breath, and backing away slowly.
"Kill which robot, where?" She asks, figuring talking is better than overreacting.
Chaance puts the wall to her back, feeling strangely violated from the sudden voice behind them all, threatening them with what could have been.
"When you say 'abandon this place', are you referring to Golarion?"