Although Kneepuncher's first attack misses, his second attack on Red hits! He does 18 acid damage to Red!
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Daata
Kneepuncher
Maxamas
Ice Friends
Blue
Red
Yellow
White (DEAD)
Zargothrax
Teka
Srudrez
Bold is up!
The lizard wizard attacks Blue with a mighty battle cry, but his punch slides off the creature's icy surface. Teka however manages to double-tap the same large elemental.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Daata
Kneepuncher
Maxamas
Ice Friends
Blue
Red
Yellow
White (DEAD)
Zargothrax
Teka
Srudrez
Bold is up!
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He forced into melee, draw ultrathin sword while dropping gun weapon.
strike at creature
DIVINE JUDGMENT (SU) 4th Level (replaces 4 level class stuff)
Choose chaos, evil, good, or law; your choice must correspond to a portion of your or your deity’s alignment (or both, if possible). If both you and your deity are neutral, you can choose any one of the four.
As a move action, you can spend 1 Resolve Point to pronounce a creature you can see an enemy of your faith. Until the target is dead or the next time you take a full 8-hour rest, all your weapon attacks bypass that target’s DR and ignore its energy resistances as though your weapons had the fusion corresponding to your chosen alignment (even if the target isn’t a dragon or outsider): anarchic (chaos), axiomatic (law), holy (good), or unholy (evil).
It would be Mysticism to identify these creatures. Maxamas's sword still has the issue that not all the damage goes through.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Daata
Kneepuncher
Maxamas
Ice Friends
Blue (-30)
Red (-18)
Yellow
White (DEAD)
Zargothrax
Teka
Srudrez
Bold is up!
Click. Whirr.
Srurdez calls Get' Em on Blue, while Daata and his drone attack.
Daata and his drone both miss, while Srurdez's sintered axe strikes true against Blue.
Blue slams Srurdez and Zargotrax each once.
The Lizard Wizard gets hit!
Red saves all of its loving for Kneepuncher, but has no luck.
Yellow, still stuck in the back, jumps up and down in frustration, shouting in Aquan, "Why did we pick such a small room for our ambush? This SUCKS."
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Daata
Kneepuncher
Maxamas
Ice Friends
Blue (-57, Get 'Em)
Red (-18)
Yellow
White (DEAD)
Zargothrax
Teka
Srudrez
Bold is up!
Teka double-taps Bue, and then Kneepuncher lands a massive punch that causes Blue to crumple into pieces!
Then he punches Red!
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Daata
Kneepuncher
Maxamas
Ice Friends
Blue (DEAD)
Red (-40)
Yellow
White (DEAD)
Zargothrax
Teka
Srudrez
Bold is up!
Click. Whirr.
Srurdez calls Get' Em on Red, while Daata and his drone attack.
Red cracks down the middle, crumpling into a bunch of chunks of ice!
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Daata
Kneepuncher
Maxamas
Ice Friends
Blue (DEAD)
Red (DEAD)
Yellow
White (DEAD)
Zargothrax
Teka
Srudrez
Bold is up!
Zargothrax misses against the yellow elemental, maybe because he knows that you don't wish to touch the yellow snow. He recognizes these creatures as ice elementals, creatures with DR, and a weakness to fire. Like all elementals, they are neutral creatures that would not be affected by alignment damage.
Yellow slams Zargotrax twice. "Finally, I get to show my icy glory!"
He hits the lizard wizard twice!
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Daata
Kneepuncher
Maxamas
Ice Friends
Blue (DEAD)
Red (DEAD)
Yellow
White (DEAD)
Zargothrax
Teka
Srudrez
Bold is up!
The lizard wizard does awesome fire damage that utterly misses his opponent. Kneepuncher comes in with a great big slug!
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Daata
Kneepuncher
Maxamas
Ice Friends
Blue (DEAD)
Red (DEAD)
Yellow (-20)
White (DEAD)
Zargothrax
Teka
Srudrez
Bold is up!
Maxamas sticks the icicle with his sword cane, and then Srurdez does massive damage with his overhand throw of the axe. The Yellow icicle shatters, in puff of icy mist!
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
You investigate the room further and discover a passageway beneath the altar of the shrine, which contains a set of stairs leading down.
Fitch motions for her team to follow her into a tent with the Wayfinders' symbol painted onto its sides. As the Starfinders assemble, she takes a few paces around the room, brow furrowing thoughtfully. “All right,” she says, once everyone is settled. “I've got something interesting for you, though whether it'll be useful is up to you to figure out. Our surveys found an odd set of stone pillars at the northeastern end of the ruins. They seem to be arranged on a set of grooves in the ground, suggesting that maybe they can be moved along them, all surrounding a disc in the ground at the center. Our analysis indicates there's a hollow space under the floor.”
She grins. “Now, I don't know about you, but to me that sounds like a puzzle we can unlock to get into the ruins. Go see about finagling the pillars around—but be careful. We don't know what might happen if you get it wrong, after all. Could be that the mechanism doesn't even work anymore, but it's worth a shot!”
Though Fitch is unsure of the proper method to activate the pillars, she tells you of some rumors other Starfinders learned in their earlier investigations. Locals living in the settlements nearby believe the pillars are arrayed in a particular pattern, and legend says they're haunted by the “singing spirits” of the people who built them for mystical rituals millennia ago. Fitch encourages you to make sure you're well-equipped before the mission, including making any last-minute purchases from the commissary. Then she winks at Maxamas. "The new armor looks good!"
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Standing tall atop a glacial formation are twelve stone pillars arrayed on a series of concentric circles, as well as a thirteenth pillar that sits on an oval stretching from northwest to southeast. The lines radiate outward from a central metal disc, gleaming gold in the sun. Carved designs on the pillars' sides may have once been brightly painted, but their colorful hues have long since faded to more muted shades. Whenever the wind blows across the icy terrain, the pillars each hum discordantly as the chill air whistles through them.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Doing a quick investigation, you find that some pillars move freely, while others are stuck. Each pillar is marked with its own symbol. You also find an inscription in a strange language at the central metal disc.
These skills can be used to gain information:
* Mysticism
* Culture or Physical Science
Those who know either Akitonian or Aklo may attempt a Culture check to decipher the inscription. Comprehend Languages or similar magic automatically deciphers the inscription.
You can also attempt to move the pillars. It would help to know where you want it moved to before attempting to move it. The pillars are twenty feet tall.
Athletics or Engineering to move a stuck pillar. People can Aid Another either of these checks with a successful Athletics, Engineering, or Physical Science checks. In this case, the skill used to Aid does not have to match the skill used to move the pillar.
Any time a pillar is moved, please give a Profession (musician) or Perception check.
Click. Whirr.
"Fascinating..." Daata begins studying the symbols and pillars.
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"I do agree, you are looking exceptional Maxamas. And credit to everyone else as well. Kneepuncher, I'm especially impressed by your attire."
Teka moves about the pillars and does her best to learn from them as she studies the area without any knowledge of the writing.
Seeing the writing Teka withdraws a gemstone from her bag and hands it to Zargothrax. "I don't recognize this writing, and it very is likely one of our intelligent group is already acquainted with it. However, in the case I'm wrong, this spell gem of comprehend language hopefully will give you some insight."
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Zargothrax gives a salute to Fitch. "Onnit like a comet!"
~~~
He pokes at one of the pillars... then another... then another... "Hrm.... they look... old. Wonder what these thingies say?"
At Teka's suggestion he smacks himself in the head. "Thats a durn gud idea! Wha dinnit ah think 'o that! Ah know that spell mahself even. Hold onta the gem... we might need it later. I got dis."
Zargothrax waggles his fingers and bellows, "ABRA KADABRA ALAKA....ZAMAN! READ THIS THINGEY LIKE ITS IN COMMON!"
"Now now now... what've we got here..."
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“...They seem to be arranged on a set of grooves in the ground, suggesting that maybe they can be moved along them, all surrounding a disc in the ground at the center...”
Kneepuncher asks his hireling to assist with figuring out where the pillars go and preps his suit for some pillar-moving activities.
Although Zargothrax's Mysticism is - alas - not enough to fully clue him in here, the comprehend languages does help him interpret the phrase.
“Draw the line toward the Stranger to sing forth the way.” The Lizard Wizard does remember that the Stranger is the old pre-Gap name for Aucturn.
Nearly everyone recalls an old children's rhyme that they were taught about the order of the planets.
is for Aballon, where machines do roam
C is for Castrovel, the elvish & lashunta home
A again for Absalom Station, where the Society grew
And another A for Akiton -- which is red -- not blue
V is for Verces with its line of light and dark
I is for Idarii, and the Kasathas who missed the mark
D is for Diaspora, twins lost to the ages
E is for Eox, and its eerie Bone Sages
T is for Triaxus, furthest wanderer of the void
L is Liavara, with its shepherd worlds employed
B is for Bretheda, the cradle of many moons
Another A for Apostae, arms dealers and their goons
A final A for Aucturn and the Dominion of the Black
(Woe to all of us should they choose to attack.)
Meanwhile, Daata, Teka and Kinbara recall that pre-Gap, Golarian floated in place of Absalom Station.
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"Looks like someone messed up their map of the system, and we need to fix it."
Kneepuncher waits to hear the opinions of the other Starfinders - and more interpretation of the symbols - before pushing any pillars. THough he does try to chip in what he learned in his primary school astronomy class.
He mumbles something about missing pancakes.
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"This would be a good teaching tool I think, although a little large though." Teka looks at the various pillars and asks, "one bit that I'm not able to wrap my head around though, if all of these are planets, then there are twelve orbits for the thirteen pillars. I will admit that my eyes may be giving out though, especially since this entire apparatus is so daunting."
Thinking about the phrase Zargothrax read Teka suggests, "maybe this is easier than we might have thought. This reminds me of one of my evening puzzles. It didn't say to put all the planets in order, but to draw the line toward the Stranger."
"Maybe we need to find which of these matches Verces, since it is the line, and pull it toward Aucturn."
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Any planets been demoted since we learned the rhyme?
"Good thing this isn't Veskarium worlds... then they'd all be V!"
He looks at the odd path for Eox. "Ah wonder... can any o' these planet pillar thingies slide inta this one?"
Zargothrax gives a push to Triaxus to see if he can shift it easily into the Eoxian orbit.
Zargothrax's successful Mysticism check tells him that the symbols on the pillars each correspond to the name of a planet.
He also has a revelation about the Diaspora and the 'twins lost to the ages' from the rhyme. Weren't there two planets that were destroyed in a cataclysm that made the Diaspora? Weren't their names Damiar & Iovo?
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
There have been three suggestions for action:
1) Put all the planets in their proper orbits. In this case, only Aucturn is in its proper orbit now.
2) Move Verces (the line) to Aucturn (the stranger).
3) Move all the planets to Eox's orbit.
Kneepuncher with Teka's help moves the four innermost planets successfully to their orbits. Teka doesn't listen carefully enough the first time, but as the movement progresses, she hears a pleasant musical tone that rises in pitch as it gets to its own orbit, and then tapers off in questioning minor note once the pillar is just left there. Perhaps it needs to be adjusted further within its orbit?
♫ AaaaaaaaaAaah? ♫
Of the Pillars, Akiton's music was the most confused, happy to reach orbit, seemingly unhappy about being pushed further South and West.
Then Kneepuncher and Teka attempt to move Verces, and Kneepuncher stumbles as he pushes the pillar, pulling it on top himself and Teka!
Ab, C, G, Ak all moved to their correct orbits, but none of them satisfied about the exact location within those orbits. Since you have successfully moved these four already, I will let you move them again without further checks. Verces needs to be picked up again and moved.
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"Ack! Y'alls ok? Sorry... was too busy readin' and thinkin' and not busy helpin push."
Once the pillar is no longer crushing his compatriots he adds, "Was thinkin.... in the song Triaxus is between Eox and Liavara... so we prolly want em all in a line where Triaxus can sit on it's orbit raght between 'em..."
He marks 4 possible spots for Triaxus, then adds, "Now... since Akiton ain't likin bein in that deerection at all ahm a guess mebbe line em up like this?"
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Teka focuses on the pillars with eyes closed for a moment. She takes in the musical tone as she says, "That is just a lovely note, although it doesn't seem just right just yet. I think-"
Teka is interrupted as Verces begins to come crashing down Teka's augmentations flare up and quickly she is sent into a disoriented roll and only takes a portion of the weight the pillar had brought down.
"Oh dear, I should have not gotten ahead of myself. I let me mind wander and I got a burn for my lesson. I have taken worse, although not by much. How are you feeling Kneepuncher dear?" Teka gets up and taps her augmentations as she checks to make sure they are all still working."[/b]
"In any case, it think we might need to listen to the pillars as we position them. They may tell us where they belong."
"While the song is a lovely diddy Zargothrax, it was made to help young ones to learn the system as it is. I don't know where Triaxus might have been when this was built ages ago."
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"While I take a breath, we can certainly tend to one of these loosened pillars and see if they like being where you are suggesting."
With help Teka would like to move the Akiton pillar along the orbit into the northeast quadrant, trying to listen to it along the way to see if the note changes once it reaches that position.
Through trial and error, following the music, you discover that the pillar wants to be in its orbit, but in line with Aucturn's pillar.
It sings, ♫ Aaaaaaaa
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"That sounds much better. I'm thinking you are right, but we just need to line them toward the final pillar."
Teka will confirm this by placing the pillars belonging to the other inner planets in the orbits the Starfinders had placed them, but aligned with both Akiton and Aucturn's pillars.
"I'll try to be keep my mind focused this time, but these wounds are nothing that should slow me down. We just need to jostle these other pillars and get them in this same line. I do think we'll need your help Srurdez, these pillars are as temperamental as a tower of scrap."
Teka discovers quickly that Aucturn has no way to move. It is solidly one with the floor. All the other inner planets sing as they are aligned with the line.
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"Alright, everyone, lets try to get at this together. As long as we work together, we can overcome anything. Especially these stone pillars." Looking toward Kneepuncher she adds, "Although I'm a lot less hardy than you. I don't think I would be able to take another blow from the pillar."
