GM Cellion's Devastation Ark

Game Master Cellion

Ajithu thinks back to the spirit in the park on Absalom station that they needed to pacify. Perhaps there are spirits here on the surface of the Ark that he might commune with. Nothing so urgent or hostile as that situation was, but just directional hints from them...

Divine navigation (mysticism w/library chip): 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (5) + 29 = 34

With two of you agreed, you down the mutagens prior to leaving the shuttle. The transformation is mercifully painless, but deeply disorienting due to the sudden shift in morphology. Your bodies shrink in on themselves, limbs growing short and stubby before entirely retracting. Your heads similarly merge inward, disappearing entirely and taking most of your senses with them. You sense short tentacles growing along your underside - your new "legs" and "arms" - while a longer and more rigid appendage grows from what you once thought of as your rear. While a carapace grows around the core of your new body, your hind "tail" thickens until it blooms two pairs of eyes and a mouth, complete with mandibles. Your transformation is complete when two tiny sets of arms grow from your tail, leaving you flopping about for a few minutes as you adjust to your new body.

Once you've recovered from your transformation, you gather and head out of the shuttle and onto the surface of the Ark. It feels decidedly strange under your tentacles. Looking out across the landscape, you can see the surface undulating slightly as mass is rapidly swept from one part of the ship's surface to another, growing and recycling gun emplacements, drones, and ammunition. While no defenses rise to greet you, the shifting landscape itself is hazardous. You'll want to plot a course and get across and to the airlock as quickly as possible.

Arcalinte feels a bit nauseous as he watches the transformation unfold. He'd expected something like a simple, superficial shift in things like facial features and skin-tone, not literally becoming the enemy. But this was no time for philosophizing. He finds his footing and begins to move, scuttling across the hull like a grotesque octopus.

Athletics: 1d20 + 28 - 1 ⇒ (12) + 28 - 1 = 39

Shocca, used to the sometimes surprising results of taking bleeding edge medicines, is even taken aback by the depth of the transformation the group's bodies have undertaken. She tries to make light of the situation while flopping around and getting used to her new appendages. "Ajithu, how does real air taste?" I suppose we're still in our suits, but still.

Always a scientist, Shocca begins to analyze and read into the environment. She calls out helpful observations to the group and into her personal recorder - for later journal articles. "See how the surface discolors just before it shifts upwards? That chemical reaction is likely a phosphorescing as a byproduct of the energy conversion!"

Analyze (Physical Science): 1d20 + 33 - 3 ⇒ (13) + 33 - 3 = 43

At the same time, still uncomfortable with this new form, Shocca takes to the sky and hopes to make better progress from that vantage point.

Fly (Acrobatics): 1d20 + 25 - 3 ⇒ (16) + 25 - 3 = 38

Round 1:

With help from Shocca's analysis of the surrounding terrain, you skirt around an unstable rift forming in the surface of the ship near your location. Ajithu seeks out spirits that might be amenable to guiding the party, and senses a deep turmoil of emotion surrounding the ship. He catches just the barest glimpse of thousands of faint spectral figures, looking a little unusual, seemingly pressing in on the craft without being able to tangibly effect anything. As a whole, the mass directly Ajithu onwards.

Arc leads the way in scuttling, and Shocca finds success flying high but not too high above the surface. (That's 3 successes!)

You find yourselves crossing a field of strange white nodes growing in even lines across the hull. They seem inert at first, but as you rush across, they suddenly surge with energy. Luckily, you're swift in your crossing and are able to leave the field behind just as it discharges a bolt of energy up and away from the Ark.
-----

Can't ask for much better success than that! Give me your round 2s

Hmm, "real" air. Nothing feels real in this state. We are absolutely disgusting... I guess I'll have to leave that sentiment behind when we get to the airlock. By the way, should we pick sivv names before we enter? What is a sivv name anyway?

Ajithu returns to communing with the local spirits and tapping into the ley-lines that have attached to the colossal Ark, as a means to navigate.

Divine navigation (mysticism w/library chip): 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (10) + 29 = 39

Good thing I picked up some Sivv in that icy bunker... Shocca shares a few of the Sivv names she saw in the bantrid work tower. "All overseers, probably respected names or some nonsense. She continues to fly overhead, calling out potential dangers. [b]"So, you think those nodes were traps, or some biproduct of the ship's ecosystem?" She makes a note for later study, if anything survives this day.

Analyze (Physical Science w/ Chip): 1d20 + 33 + 4 - 3 ⇒ (16) + 33 + 4 - 3 = 50

Fly (Acrobatics): 1d20 + 25 - 3 ⇒ (14) + 25 - 3 = 36

With the ancient spirits menacing the Ark guiding Ajithu, and with Shocca's expert acrobatic flight, you make great time across the surface.

2 more successes! Just need Arc's action.

Hmm, "real" air. Nothing feels real in this state. We are absolutely disgusting... I guess I'll have to leave that sentiment behind when we get to the airlock. By the way, should we pick sivv names before we enter? What is a sivv name anyway?

"Disgusting? I thought Xenowardens were supposed to find beauty in all living things?" Arcalinte jokingly replies to mask his own disgust and the other conflicting emotions he was feeling. How this was "living" history in the most literal sense of the word, how Sivvan anatomy might have influenced their thinking and architecture, how they were in a sense the first sivvs in the Post-Gap galaxy and on and on and on.

He tries to shake these thoughts from his head and focus on making further progress.

Scramble (Athletics): 1d20 + 28 - 1 ⇒ (17) + 28 - 1 = 44

We certainly can, but the sivv were prone to suppressing things other than themselves. Also... just look at us! On the other hand, getting into their skin and considering the utility of their form would be instructive. Not only do we need to be "in character," but we could use all of the knowledge we can get on their way of being.

Even in his new tentacled form, Arc proves extremely athletic as he scrambles across the landscape at high speed. (6 total successes). As you continue your trek, a section of the Ark several thousand feet away from you ripples and irises open to reveal a fresh flock of interceptor drones. The drones are released and the surface seals back up. The drones fly low over the Ark and directly over you as they speed toward the front lines of the ongoing battle. Thanks to your disguises, they don't detect anything amiss on the surface, and they fly right past you without stopping.

Flawless execution so far, let's see Round 3!

Ajithu nervously watches the drones pass overhead.

It seems its working.

Divine navigation (mysticism w/library chip): 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (11) + 29 = 40

Shocca is thoroughly distracted as she explains her working theory on the mechanisms causing the rippling in the ship surface and forgets to account for her extra limbs in her flight patterns!

Analyze (Physical Science w/ Chip): 1d20 + 33 + 4 - 3 ⇒ (15) + 33 + 4 - 3 = 49

Fly (Acrobatics): 1d20 + 25 - 3 ⇒ (5) + 25 - 3 = 27Uh oh!

Arcalinte, noticing Shocca starting to veer and falter in her flight path, attempts to keep her on course.

Action 1: Mitigate Failure

Then he continues to move.

Scramble (Athletics): 1d20 + 28 - 1 - 3 ⇒ (1) + 28 - 1 - 3 = 25

UH-OH!

While you're making up the ground you lost, you notice a stream of space debris heading for the Ark. Strangely, the cluster of debris seems to be coming closer together and adjusting its direction of travel. As it gets closer to the Ark, you realize this mass of space junk is actually the remains of dozens of drone interceptors! The destroyed interceptors rain down across the surface of the Ark and are absorbed by the hull. The rain is slow enough that its easy to avoid, but it draws your attention away from the task at hand (You'll take a -4 penalty on all checks next round)

Onwards to Round 4! Lets see those checks.

Back!

Ajithu looks up and grimaces.

Incoming!

Divine navigation (mysticism w/library chip), debris: 1d20 + 29 - 4 ⇒ (10) + 29 - 4 = 35

Okay, I could use higher natural rolls any time now -_-

35 is good enough in this case, so that's one more success. Hopefully one of the others can seal the deal.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!" Shocca turns down her HUD for a moment, focusing on flying and avoiding the deadly "rain".

Fly (Acrobatics): 1d20 + 25 - 4 ⇒ (10) + 25 - 4 = 31 GAH

Arc bot:
Arc Scramble: 1d20 + 28 - 1 - 4 ⇒ (15) + 28 - 1 - 4 = 38

Though Shocca is more focused on dodging the rain of drone-debris being recycled, Arc manages to keep focus and push the group onward through his athletic skill. Soon you find yourselves out of the field of falling drone matter and on the final stretch. The ground firms up and flattens out. Before you know it you're upon a deep, straight ravine, and within it the door to a wide airlock, surrounded by glowing sigils.

Even before you reach it, the entrance cracks open, and a towering blue and greendragon emerges, its wings rippling with intricate patterns. With a flex of its shoulders and a pump of muscles strong enough to shatter steel, the dragon launches into the air as the door closes behind it. Though its wingbeats are silent against the backdrop of the empty void, the dragon nonetheless opens its mouth and emits a sharp psychic scream.

"Foul creatures, wreathed in trickery and swollen with pride," the dragon’s voice echoes in a dull mental roar. "Your transformation may fool this ship's sensors, but it does not fool me. Defeat me, if you think you can. Defeat me, and gain the entrance you desire. But I warn, the Scions of the Sivv Dominion await beyond. They will break you, as this ship will break the combined strength of your Worlds."

Pausing for a moment for any bandying of words before the dragon engages you.

Arcalinte draws Skyndi and his solar armor reforms around him, accommodating his new form and making the stylized wings on the back all the more fearsome. But the look on his face is one of stern pity. A dragon is among the most magnificent beings in the galaxy. He could FEEL the cosmic vibrations of it down to his core. To see such a powerful creature completely broken on the will of the Sivv was both a tragedy and a horror. If the Sivv could enslave a dragon, they themselves might not be immune to whatever dark powers or technology those ancient tyrants used to do it with.

"So be it. Will you at least honor us with your name, noble foe?"

H.O.L.Y. SH- Shocca dives down, desperate to get closer to her few remaining allies on this foreign "world". She hovers a few feet above Arc's head. Though her form is far from the ikeshti one she was born with, her microlab stays wrapped around her new "neck" the same way it stayed around her tail. She looks up, aghast. "An enemy that acknowledges the possibility of defeat... this may be the most frightening thing we've faced." Sure, she's seen a few dragons around the dark hallways of ancient universities or in The Eye of the station on break from ruling their corporate entities. But here, out in the wild, she's taken aback.

Ajithu only looks up at the dragon stunned. After several moments he finally grasps onto a meaningful question that he could project at the dragon.

Why do you offer your life in service of the sivv?

The dragon flares its wings and peers at Ajithu with one eye "You behold this ship, you know of its history, of the triumphs of its people, and STILL you do not understand why the glory of the Sivv compels me? Hmph."

Ajithu Sense Motive: 1d20 ⇒ 20

Ajithu senses in those words a certain dissonance with draconic nature, as well as a certain rehearsed, lyrical quality to the lines. He suspects that this dragon has been exposed the very long term mental conditioning to turn its allegiance to the Sivv. This conditioning does not seem magical in nature, which means it would be all but impossible to break without a similarly long time to de-program the creature. Time it seems you don't have.

The dragon's psychic voice booms "I am Pazzoedioth, guardian of the Ark. Prepare yourselves!"

|||| INIT ||||
Shocca
Pazzoedioth
Arc
Ajithu

Map updated. Note - the scale of this map is 10ft per square. The trench is 60 feet deep. The dragon is currently floating 10 feet above the surface of the Ark, and therefore 70 feet above the bottom of the trench. I've assumed you're at ground level, but feel free to start airborne if you would have approached in the air. Keep in mind the hazard of floating out of the gravity of the Ark if you fly more than 20 feet above it.

We'll say Shocca was ten feet up, since she was flying for the skill portion.

Shocca shoots forward, her angelic wings sparkling in the light of the space battle overhead. She screeches to a halt, twenty feet in the air, just within range of her microlab. She awkardly twists her Sivv neck to see the readout. "c'mon, c'mon, c'mon..." Identify Creature, with a roll of 52! Looking for Defensive features, then weaknesses, then whatever you think is most interesting.

Pazzoedieth flies forth, moving with incredible speed until it towers above your team. (Now at 30ft elevation) Its alien presence begins to work upon your psyches. Shocca resists the effects of being so close to this strange being, but Ajithu and Arc both grow sickened (while you remain within 240 feet).

Shocca Will: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (13) + 13 = 26
Ajithu Will: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (8) + 15 = 23
Arc Will: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17

The dragon follows by miming breathing *in*, and suddenly you feel the air in your suits growing utterly still.

Shocca Fort: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (3) + 15 = 18
Ajithu Fort: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Arc Fort: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (3) + 14 = 17

For all three of you, air is drawn out of your lungs and you begin suffocating. (At the start of your turn, you must make a Fort save DC25. On a success, you manage to end the suffocating breath. On a failure, you must make a DC10 Constitution check or lose consciousness due to suffocation, which also reduces you to 0 HP.)

|||| INIT ||||
Arc (sickened, suffocating)
Ajithu (sickened, suffocating)
Shocca (10ft up, suffocating)
Pazzoedioth (30 ft up)

Whoa!

DC25 Fortitude: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Gulp...
DC10 Constitution: 1d20 ⇒ 12

[standard] Cast life bubble on self (that should end it?)

This supernatural suffocation removes the air from your lungs so life bubble will not solve it (since it surrounds you in a shell of air/water, which your suit is already doing). If you have a way to remove your need to breathe, that could help you.

Fortitude: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (20) + 14 = 34

Supernatural, but not spell or spell-like? So usurp spell would not have applied as a reaction? Spell resistance (spell reflector)?

Dispel magic? Remove affliction? I don't have a ton of confidence in those. Break enchantment's 1m casting time is a non-starter.

Otherwise, staring at my character sheet, I can't see a way to remove the need to breath water or air.

Arc breaks free of the suffocating grasp of the dragon (you can take your turn normally), while Ajithu starts feeling faint as his brain starts getting less and less oxygen. Nevertheless, he endures and stays awake for now. (you stay conscious this round and can act normally. You'd know thanks to your magical training that this effect wouldn't be solved by life bubble so you can take other actions.)

Yes, supernatural, not spell or spell-like. No usurp spell or spell resistance. Can't be dispelled or removed via remove affliction. If you can suppress all magic - by casting antimagic burst for example - you can also suppress supernatural effects.

All still up.

|||| INIT ||||
Arc (sickened)
Ajithu (sickened, suffocating)
Shocca (10ft up, suffocating)
Pazzoedioth (30 ft up)

In desperation, and with no ability to improve his own situation, Ajithu lashes out mentally.

[standard] cast mind thrust, divination (mind-affecting) (6th)
damage (DC24 will half, spell resistance): 17d10 ⇒ (9, 5, 6, 4, 9, 7, 6, 6, 1, 7, 1, 7, 8, 8, 3, 9, 8) = 104

6th: The target is exhausted and stunned for 1 round if it fails its save, and it is fatigued for 1 round if it succeeds at its saving throw

Oof, if that SR is too high then that's going to be tough on you, Ajithu!

Fort save DC25: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (4) + 15 = 19
Fort save DC25: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (3) + 15 = 18

DC10 Constitution check: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

An aeon stone, easy to ignore as they are so common among the wealthy citizens and successful adventurers on station, winks out as it encircles Shocca's sivv head. The rainbow of colors wash against her face, even as veins bulge in her face. Air does not return to her lungs, but she holds on to consciousness anyway. Unable to speak in the vacuum, she injects herself with a rarely used medicine Blueberry, I forgot that one... and rushes down closer to the others. Breath your doom-breath on me, dragon, if I can't breathe it doesn't matter. I've got to be on defense, unfortunately. +2 to Fort Saves for me... Down to ground level.

Arc, you're up!

|||| INIT ||||
Arc (sickened)
Ajithu (sickened, suffocating)
Shocca (+2 Fort, suffocating)
Pazzoedioth (52 dmg, fatigued 1 rd, 30 ft up)

In interest of keeping us moving, Arc, you can double up on the next turn.

Ajithu Reflex: 1d20 + 9 - 2 ⇒ (15) + 9 - 2 = 22
Shocca Reflex: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (12) + 13 = 25
Arc Reflex: 1d20 + 14 - 2 ⇒ (7) + 14 - 2 = 19

Shocca somehow dodges between lightning bolts and sheets of plasma, emerging relatively unscathed, but Ajithu and Arc are both caught unprepared and suffer the breath fully. (Shocca takes 24 dmg after resist. Arc takes 58 dmg after resist. Ajithu takes the full 73 dmg)

Shocca and Ajithu, don't forget your new Fort saves + CON checks. CON check DC is now 11 to avoid falling unconscious.

|||| INIT ||||
Arc (58 dmg, sickened) x2
Ajithu (73 dmg, sickened, suffocating)
Shocca (24 dmg, +2 Fort, suffocating)
Pazzoedioth (52 dmg, 45 ft up)

Ajithu continues to gasp and strain, not even sure how he got the last spell off...

DC25 Fortitude: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24 aaaaaarg!
DC11 Constitution: 1d20 ⇒ 12

His situation remains desperate, but he is conscious. In his desperation he lashes out again.

[standard] cast mind thrust, divination (mind-affecting) (6th)
damage (DC24 will half, spell resistance): 17d10 ⇒ (4, 10, 6, 1, 2, 9, 2, 9, 4, 5, 4, 7, 8, 1, 9, 1, 2) = 841d20 + 17 ⇒ (20) + 17 = 37

Stunned, Pazzoedioth wheels in the vacuum of space for a moment before its wings fall still and it drifts. It's an opening, but it'll likely last just a moment.

|||| INIT ||||
Arc (58 dmg, sickened) x2
Ajithu (73 dmg, sickened, suffocating)
Shocca (24 dmg, +2 Fort, suffocating)
Pazzoedioth (136 dmg, 45 ft up, stunned 1 rd, exhausted 1 rd)

Fort save DC25: 1d20 + 15 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 15 + 2 = 36 Oh thank goodness, I was already pre-grieving.

"HUH-EUGH!" Shocca takes a deep breath in as her lungs reinflate. "This dragon needs to go..." She takes in it's weakness, then her allies'... Ok, I can't ignore that -5 AC that Ajithu just gave us! Resolve shines in her eyes and she raises her rifle! Her microlab begins to hum, though no one but her can hear it in the vacuum, as it goes into over drive. EUREKA! With a spark of inspiration, Shocca is able to concoct a cocktail of medicine so foul she would lose her medical license. She looses that needle, firing another with blinding speed.

Needler @ Dragon: 1d20 + 24 - 4 ⇒ (12) + 24 - 4 = 32
P Dmg: 8d6 + 15 ⇒ (1, 3, 1, 3, 6, 4, 2, 1) + 15 = 36 Spark of Inspiration! Includes both the -2 AC and -15 DR Basic Inhibitors, if it hits.

Needler @ Dragon: 1d20 + 24 - 4 ⇒ (16) + 24 - 4 = 36
P Dmg: 8d6 + 15 ⇒ (5, 3, 5, 6, 2, 1, 2, 6) + 15 = 45 Includes Analgesic Inhibitor, Flatfooted for four rounds if it hits.

Arc, you're still up. For the second round's worth of actions, the dragon will be stunned thanks to Ajithu and pretty well debuffed thanks to Shocca.

Arcalinte activates his jetpack. He needed to strike this danger down at its heart. He lifts off and comes at Pazzoedioth like a sivv-shaped comet.

Round 1: Standard action, activate Jetpack. Move action, fly towards dragon.

Closing the distance, Arcalinte activates his powers, wreathing Skyndi in stellar fire!

Round 2: Move action, Plasma Sheath.

Then he makes his attack!

Skyndi (Fire/Holy): 1d20 + 26 ⇒ (1) + 26 = 2715d6 + 25 ⇒ (2, 5, 4, 3, 4, 6, 4, 5, 6, 4, 4, 1, 6, 2, 4) + 25 = 85

Shocca breaks free from the suffocation before it can claim her and unleashes a pair of perfectly concocted needles. Both land while the dragon is reeling from Ajithu's mental assault. As the quick acting medicines take effect, you all see the dragon twitching and its movements slowing. However even with the combined injuries mental and physical, it still has plenty of power to keep going.

It shakes to and fro as it clears its head, incidentally knocking Arc aside and his attack off course in the process. While it recovers from its stun, it isn't able to do anything more than that.

CON check DC vs. suffocation is now 12.

|||| INIT ||||
Arc (118 dmg, sickened)
Ajithu (73 dmg, sickened, suffocating)
Shocca (24 dmg, +2 Fort)
Pazzoedioth (217 dmg, 45 ft up, -2 AC, -15 DR, flat-footed 4 rds)

Arcalinte takes advantage of the opening to attack at full force!

Full Attack 1 (Fire/Holy): 1d20 + 26 - 5 ⇒ (4) + 26 - 5 = 2515d6 + 25 ⇒ (3, 5, 5, 1, 6, 3, 6, 3, 4, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 3) + 25 = 94
Full Attack 2 (Fire only): 1d20 + 26 - 5 ⇒ (11) + 26 - 5 = 3215d6 + 25 ⇒ (5, 4, 4, 1, 6, 5, 2, 5, 6, 6, 1, 4, 2, 4, 1) + 25 = 81
Full Attack 3 (Fire only): 1d20 + 26 - 5 ⇒ (11) + 26 - 5 = 3215d6 + 25 ⇒ (6, 1, 1, 1, 6, 1, 2, 6, 1, 5, 4, 3, 5, 6, 3) + 25 = 76

DC25 Fortitude: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
DC12 Constitution: 1d20 ⇒ 1

Time runs out on Ajithu... and everything goes black.

Okie, is this one of those moments where draining resolve points can help?

Needler @ Dragon: 1d20 + 24 - 4 ⇒ (10) + 24 - 4 = 30
P Dmg: 8d6 + 15 ⇒ (1, 6, 1, 1, 3, 6, 6, 4) + 15 = 43 Includes Sedative Inhibitor, extra damage if it hits.
nonle th al: 8d4 ⇒ (2, 4, 2, 3, 3, 1, 4, 4) = 23

Needler @ Dragon: 1d20 + 24 - 4 ⇒ (6) + 24 - 4 = 26
P Dmg: 8d6 + 15 ⇒ (4, 6, 1, 6, 5, 4, 2, 2) + 15 = 45 Includes Sedative Inhibitor, extra damage if it hits.
nonle th al: 8d4 ⇒ (4, 2, 1, 4, 2, 3, 1, 3) = 20

Shocca knows that the only thing that can help Ajithu now is killing this dragon. She recalls the instructions from her three months working in an ER and focuses on the immediate. She jets off to the side, firing twice at the dragon.

Definitely a weird spot in Starfinder's rules, but there's no interaction with resolve here Ajithu. Your only hope is to succeed at your Fort save in the next two rounds before suffocation finishes you off.

While Ajithu loses consciousness (falling to 0 HP and becoming stable), Arc unleashes a blistering assault with Skyndi. Two of his blows fall upon the void dragon, cleaving with ease through its flesh. Shocca follows up with a shot that takes advantage of the dragon's sluggishness, and that one needle to its throat is the final straw.

The dragon's vibrant blood sprays droplets into the void of space. As it dies, it offers a final telepathic message "Pazzoedioth has completed her duty to the sivv. Vheiransch! So ends my service!" before falling limp.

To your great dismay, the dragon's suffocating magic does not fade with its death.

Ajithu Fort: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

...Or at least so it seems. A moment later Ajithu's body jerks once and then inhales sharply as he fights off the lingering effects! (Ajithu is left at 0HP and unconscious but stable, and is no longer suffocating. A close call indeed.)

|||| STATUS ||||
Arc (118 dmg)
Ajithu (73 dmg, 104 HPdmg, unconscious)
Shocca (24 dmg, +2 Fort)

Arcalinte tries to think on what "Vheiransch" might mean...whether it was some word in the Sivv language...or a name.

Culture: 1d20 + 23 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + 23 + (6) = 33

The he turns and sees Ajithu-Ko thankfully still alive, and descends back to the surface of the Ark to join him and Shocca.

"Quickly, we need to make sure this isn't his final sunset."

Arc doesn't recognize Vheiransch, but he does suspect that it's a Sivvan name.

Ajithu's condition looks stable right now, but he'll need some healing to recover soon. While you check over Ajithu's state, you also check the location you were sent here to reach - the airlock. It had opened when the dragon Pazzoedioth had exited, but it now seems to be sealed up tight. The airlock's surface consists of a series of sivv runes mounted upon rotating circular disks and rings. Upon approach, it doesn't automatically open to you, despite your appearance and temporary genetic similarities.

The mystically inclined and technologically savvy among you recognize that the airlock has been sealed with a complex hybrid lock. Those who understand Sivvan immediately recognize the clusters of runes are associated with protection and retribution. (You can use either mysticism or engineering to determine the exact method to open the lock)

See handouts for a pic of the airlock.

"Alright, now next time let's try to keep breathing alright?" Shocca offers several more unhelpful bits of advice as she applies multiple Field Dressings to Ajithu.

Pre Ajithu's 10 minute rest
Field Dressing: 2d8 + 8 ⇒ (1, 1) + 8 = 10

She also Treats his Deadly Wounds with care as he recovers. That will heal another 37 HP, twice.

Post Ajithu's 10 minute rest
Field Dressing: 2d8 + 8 ⇒ (8, 2) + 8 = 18

She helps Ajithu stand up, still smarting from his wounds but mostly ready to go. Ok, that's 102 HP healed, out of Ajithu's 104.

"Another trip round the sun for you, my watery friend. Or, another chance at it at least." Shocca, in Sivv form, clambers her way over to the airlock. She pulls out her trusty thieves tools pack, or 'Archeologist's Friend' as she likes to call it, and gets to work. Retribution... But just before she starts, she takes a step back and holds up a hand. "Hold... no more gene traps for us, though I suppose those shouldn't be a threat in these forms."

Perception, search for traps: 1d20 + 28 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 28 + 4 = 51
Engineering, Traps or Lock: 1d20 + 26 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 26 + 4 = 48

Arcalinte helps Ajithu-Ko to his...erm...tentacles before following Shocca to the airlock. He looks it over from a safe distance, seeing if he can decipher its runes.

Mysticism: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (10) + 21 = 31

Thank... you... Ajithu whispers to Shocca, a little pained as he stands up.

He clears his throat several times and takes several slow breaths.

I'm glad to see we prevailed. Apologies for dropping off there...

He then turns to the airlock to make sense of its mechanisms.

Mysticism (library chip): 1d20 + 25 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 25 + 4 = 31 le sigh

"We wouldn't have prevailed if not for the might of your magics," Arcalinte comments.