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Beyond the door is a blasted wasteland with deep furrows carved into the dusty earth. A mournful wind rustles over the landscape, and the twisted remains of immense metal towers stand in the distance, stretching up to the night sky.
Before you can go looking for the tiny dog to go with the tiny 'arrooo' you hear the clanking of robots.
Red Robot repeats, "KNOCK KNOCK."
Green Robot says, "WHO'S THERE?"
Yellow Robot says, "KILLER ROBOTS WHO WANT TO SMASH FACE!"
Blue Robot says, "WAIT. AM I SUPPOSED TO SAY, 'KILLER ROBOTS WHO WANT TO SMASH FACE WHO?'"
"NO ITS FUNNIER TO JUST SMASH FACES." says Yellow.
Blue nods. "OH. RIGHT. HA. HA."
These robots have veins of energy that match the glimpses of circuitry beneath the plant life in the warped corridors of the ruin.
Despite their long dialogue, most of the party is caught off guard by the dorky robot banter.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Teka
Robots
Red
Green
Yellow
Blue
Zarg
Srurdez
Daata
Kneepuncher
Maxamas
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"Oh, I've heard this one many times before. I'll just skip to the end of this line if you don't mind."
Teka moves drawing a grenade from her side and launching it into the middle of the murderous machines. It explodes out with a batch of adhesive resin.
"Hopefully that slows down at least one of you from this face punching business.
Teka's sticky grenade entangles only the Green robot. The other three manage to shake off the goo.
Then it is their turn! Red and Yellow move forward and toss a pair of smoke grenades! Teka you get an attack of opportunity as Red throws.
The smoke envelops Kneepuncher, Zarg, Maxamas and Daata.
Green shoots at Srurdez!
Meanwhile, Blue comes forward and attempts to smash Teka's face.
It misses, but Teka is surrounded.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Teka
Robots
Red
Green
Yellow
Blue
Zarg (DC 15 Fortitude needed, smoke cloud)
Srurdez (-7 NL, Entangled)
Daata (DC 15 Fortitude needed, smoke cloud)
Kneepuncher (DC 15 Fortitude needed, smoke cloud)
Maxamas (DC 15 Fortitude needed, smoke cloud)
Kneepuncher shakes off the smoke and comes out to punch the yellow bot. All twenty of the damage goes through!
"OW." Yellow looks at Kneepuncher. "YOU STOLE MY PUNCHLINE."
"HA. HA." Blue says. "THAT IS FUNNY AFTER ALL."
Meanwhile, Teka steps back and pulls another grenade.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Teka
Robots
Red
Green
Yellow (-20)
Blue
Zarg (DC 15 Fortitude needed, smoke cloud)
Srurdez (-7 NL, Entangled)
Daata (DC 15 Fortitude needed, smoke cloud)
Kneepuncher
Maxamas (DC 15 Fortitude needed, smoke cloud)
Zarg learns that these bots are vulnerable to critical hits and electricity, so he spends an RP to make the damage on his fireball electric.
All four fail their reflex save taking 51 damage, and Yellow powers down for good. Then Srurdez puts get'em on all robots, throws his axe and Red goes down! Then Maxamas fires upon Green and takes out the bot!
"WHY DID THE ROBOT CROSS THE ROAD?" Blue says. "HE WAS PROGRAMMED TO CHASE THE CHICKEN. HA. HA."
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Teka
Robots
Red (DEAD)
Green (DEAD)
Yellow (DEAD)
Blue (-51)
Zarg
Srurdez (-7 NL, Entangled)
Daata (DC 15 Fortitude needed, smoke cloud)
Kneepuncher (DC 20 Reflex needed)
Maxamas
As the electrically charged explosion clears Daata and Mikey focus their attacks together to bring down the final of the robots.
Mikey misses, but Daata manages hit the Blue robot, which survives the first round to everyone's amazement, including its own.
Looking at Lizard Wizard, it says, "GUESS YOU BLUE US UP. GET IT? BLUE UP? HA. HA."
With only three hit points to spare, it slams hard at Daata, doing 20 damage!
"HA. HA. 'AXE A QUESTION.' I JUST GOT THAT ONE."
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Teka
Robots
Red (DEAD)
Green (DEAD)
Yellow (DEAD)
Blue (-67)
Zarg
Srurdez (-7 NL, Entangled)
Daata (-20)
Kneepuncher (-13)
Maxamas
The Robot is pleased that someone got his joke. "HIGH FIVE!"
But the joke was on him, and Zarg short-circuits him.
The landscape around you dissolves and you find themselves back in the present-day ruins, in a semi-circular chamber surrounding another room. Groups of other Starfinder agents are there, excitedly discussing what they might find in the inner sanctum.
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"Oh, you're back!" Charli greets you with more tea. "Do you need me to pick up anything from the supply tent while you rest?"
Once you have had a chance to rest and get supplies, Charli says, "Oh how lucky! Venture Captain Naiaj is looking for a team again! Isn't she the best?!" The little gnome sighs as she contemplates how wonderful Naiaj is.
Venture-Captain leads the way across the ruins to a hole in the ice. A sturdy ladder descends through the hole to a chamber ten feet below. “As you know because you were in it at the time, the passageway we were scouting collapsed,” she explains, “so we won't be getting in that way. Fortunately, my very capable agents outran the collapse and discovered the room down there. Not only did it give them a way back to the surface, but they found stairs leading down as well.” She gives you a rare Naiaj nod of approval, and then gestures to the ladder. “But as we all know, the reward for a job well done is another job. We set the ladder up for easy access. Take a look and see if you can find a route to the center of the ruins.”
Naiaj raises a brow. "As always, be careful and watch each other's backs. Many of the strange energy readings we're getting seem to emanating from that central area."
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
You descend the ladder and go down a set of stairs into a ruined library. A short hallway opens onto a stone-walled room, with several sets of steps leading up to raised platforms at the corners, containing little more than rubble. To the southeast, another short flight of steps leads to a larger chamber. The remains of bookshelves are stacked haphazardly against the walls, and a large sculpture of planets orbiting a sun stands at the center of the room.
This was once a grand library, but most of its materials have been lost to the ravages of time. As you explore, the library's appearance flickers back and forth from its current state, to fully functional and in good repair, to even more decrepit and decayed.
Three creatures approach. They are in the form of four-armed, gray-skinned figures with pointed ears and three eyes who stand guard over the library. These guardians remain silent and communicate with gestures and signs. One pointedly puts their fingers to their lips. They look over all of you, silently, and bow to Teka, suddenly making a bunch of gestures that look like they may be asking a question.
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Teka nods courteously as she returns the bow. Teka moves her hands and gestures to the other Starfinders as she tries to communicate with sign language toward the librarian guardians.
If they understand she introduces the various members of the Starfinder team and herself. She briefly explains their goals as exploration and knowledge gathering.
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Zarg was too busy tying his shoes to attend the briefing with Naiaj. He gets the cliff-notes version on the way.
Upon seeing the strange creatures attempt to communicate with sign he prepares to cast comprehend languages again until he realizes that Teka seems to have it covered.
"Umm... Teka? If'n they ask if yer a god... say yes."
The eyes of the Guardians light up when Teka signs, and they happily switch sign languages to communicate with you in Ysoki sign. Then all three glare at Zargothrax and make shushing gestures.
Greetings my lady. Welcome to the library. Pray tell us your business here. Also, can you please tell your companions that the library is a quiet place? Low quiet voices or no voices preferred. Thank you.
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Responding in kind Teka explains their goals here in Ysoki sign. We are explorers, members of the Starfinder Society, an organization devoted to research, investigation and learning. We came here from the surface seeking a path to the center of this complex, but we would also love to learn about the knowledge you hold within this library as well.
I'll explain to the others now. I apologize for any disrespect.
Teka steps to the others and quietly whispers to other one by one as she tries to create little noise, "they request for silence. Low voices if you must, but we should respect their preference for no voices. You can use my datapad to send me a message and I will translate into sign."
Honored Lady and new Starfinder Society friends, welcome. We will leave you to do your research.
The guardians bow to all of you, hand you white gloves to handle documents with, and then do one very deep bow to Teka before returning to their own research.
Let us know if you need anything else, honored scholars.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
You travel on to the research room. The carvings on the walls of this small room shift from intact to worn blank at random intervals, their appearance wavering at the edges. Several collapsed bookshelves stand in front of a stone table, and crumbling pages are strewn about the room.
These rooms were once used for studying the library's materials, although most of the ancient books strewn around have disintegrated. However, a few notes lying around the chamber have been preserved by localized temporal fluctuations.
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Thank you for your aid.
Teka wears the white gloves and moves about the room and tries to read the phasing wall carvings and then circling around to around the tables, carefully glancing at the various notes.
Teka shakes her head as she finds nothing that exceptionally catches her attention and she focuses on shifting carvings as she looks to see if she can tell if the carvings engravings are consistent btween the shifts or if they vary on each change from blank to filled.
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Zarg shuffles over to Teka. "uh?"
He cringes for a moment as he can feel the guardian's burning a hole in the back of his head with their glares.
"Uh... ah can translate if'n that'll help."
He waggles his fingers and recites as quietly as he can, "Bibbity boo bibbity bay what the [EXPLETIVE DELETED] does this all say?"
He begins to jot down as best a translation as he can for Teka to work with.
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Teka looks over at Srurdez as she moves her hands, pausing several times as she works out a response to Srurdez. She quietly responds to Srurdez, "Bless your heart. Yes, I do think they would mind. Have you been to any archive that let you smoke those?"
Hearing Zargothrax, Teka nods as she accept his help to try to work with him and Daata on parsing the information. She does waggle her fingers in response to Zargothrax's cursing though.
Between Teka's analysis and Zarg's translation, you determine that the writings are a philosophical meditation on the ways different societies view time. Though the notes say little about the writer's own society, they offer some insights into ancient Akitonian cultures, of which the writer refers to themself as an “observer.”
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
The next doorway says 'Restricted Archives', but as Teka made an impression, the Guardians let you come into this room, though one of them follows you in and sits in a corner as you examine the place. The double doors to this room hang open, barely attached to their hinges. Rows of bookshelves line the chamber, the wood of their shelves rotted and sagging. Numerous tomes are clustered on the shelves and scattered over the floor, most warped and decaying. The scent of rotted paper fills the room.
As in the research rooms, many of the books here are ruined, but a few retain passages of legible text.
Zarg can read them, if he can make the Mysticism check to make sense of the contents. Otherwise, you can attempt a Hard Computers check to run linguistic analysis or Hard Culture check to decipher them.
Between Zarg's translations and Kinbara's analysis, you determine the tomes contain fragments of rituals and spells related to temporal manipulation.
The Guardian makes jazz hands in the air, the gesture of silent applause, then signs to Teka, You truly are worthy researchers, and are welcome back at our library any time. Gloves, please?
The Guardian bows once more, and shows you a secret door in the wall behind a bookshelf. It opens into a semi-circular hall containing an inner room, where you find other Starfinders gathering.
Starfinders exploring the chambers below the shrine have discovered corpses of people who seemed to be recently deceased, wielding archaic weaponry and bearing the symbol of an ancient organization known as the Pathfinder Society. Tread carefully; it appears that—somehow—we’re not alone down here.
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Teka happily bows as she returns her set of gloves and nods to the others.
They are quite exceptional. I would be grateful to visit again on another day.
Teka seems especially energized from the exploration of the library and curious to where the deeper halls of the ruins might lead and what lovely stories they might contain.
Back within the Starfinder camp Teka looks about the equipment as she shops around. "I've been getting quite a run today going through all these ruins today. It has been quite wonderful so far though. Finding all sorts of new people to talk to and ancient places to see. Kinbara did an especially amazing job on those translations. My apologies for not being able to give proper recognition before."
"Even still, I know we still might be in for some surprises going forward and I'm hoping to make sure I'm ready as can be." Looking over at the weapons Teka says, "that encounter with those dreadful machines went very well with your quick thinking. I was thinking about picking up another of those resin grenades in case we come against another group I can slow down."
"Starfinders, an exploration team has followed the trail of some sort of spirit from the past to a false treasure vault. The trap within the vault looks to have proven fatal to this long-ago explorer, but we’ve learned some valuable things about the hazards present in the ruins."
Gentle Readers,
When tromping through ancient Akitonian ruins, do you know what hits the spot? A refreshing cup of Poshkettle Tea, and knowledge of what Announced Conditions mean for you!
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
When the House GM announces the Coalescent Chronology condition, you gain insight into the strange happenings around you.
Once before the end of the adventure, each of you can reroll a failed saving throw within the ruins.
When the House GM announces the Warning of Peril condition, information is relayed to you regarding the hazards within the ruins.
Each of you gains a +1 bonus to Reflex saves and Perception checks until the end of your current mission.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Poshkettle Tea! The civilized accompaniment to a life filled with Adventure!
Ixthia nods approvingly at the group gathered around them. “Hello again. The Starfinders who met with the extraplanar guardian were able to negotiate our passage through, so the way is clear. Additional undetected guardians and security measures may be present, however, so be on your guard.” They lead their team through the ruins into a star-shaped chamber with a spiraling pattern engraved on its floor and a set of stairs descending at its center. “We believe the oddities in this place are strongest toward the center, perhaps in an inner sanctum of sorts. I believe the ruins’ secrets are contained within it. Go forward, clear the way, and catalog any temporal irregularities you encounter.”
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
After going downstairs, you traverse a winding hallway.
At the center of this rectangular room stands an oval-shaped pit, the steps encircling it leading down to the bottom five feet below. Holes spaced at intervals around the edges of the room once held pillars, judging by the collapsed piles of stone fragments around them. Bones lie scattered across the bottom of the empty pit. A hallway briefly branches off to the north and south before ending in piles of rubble. A set of double doors to the east remains intact.
Three ghosts arise out of the bones. ooooooooo!" They glance at you. "Who are you to disturb our bones?"
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"Oh I feel like I have my second wind. I'm ready to see what else these ruins hold." Teka is ready with her newly purchased mark 2 stickybomb grenade.
Teka has a bit of a start as the spirits rise up from the scattered bones. After a moment of holding her heart she responds, "our apologies we didn't mean to intrude so abruptly. We are explorers wanting to learn more about this complex."
"If it isn't out of place I would be entirely grateful about your stories and what set you here."
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"Ooh, ghosts? Like those Metrasi ghosts from a while back? Or like the ones from the Struggler's Scholar... They were kinda different... actually... those dinnit talk much. If these're talking, they prolly more like the Metrasi ghosts?"
He cups his hands to respond with a wavering voice. "OoooOOoOO IiiIiIII am ZARGOTHRAX MCDONALD! TheeeEEeeE LIiiiIIiIIZaaaAard WIiIIIiIIIZZAAaaAAARD! OOOOoooooOOoooOO!"
He tries to get an idea of who they are dealing with.
"I dun think we poked the bones did we? We can fix em! I'm purdy shore we can fix em!"
He hands his pistol to Maxamus. "Mind holdin' this for a sec so ah can take a looksie?"
The ghosts twitch and spin, looking like they are barely able to keep control of themselves, but with Teka's words they calm down for a moment.
“We be Pathfinder Society agents, sent forth through the Maze of the Open Road. Gladly would we learn your identities as well -- though your iruxi friend seems a bit odd. You be fellow explorers? Be you Pathfinders?”