[Outpost VI] SFS 5-10: Shadow of the Vault Lord (Inactive)

Game Master cmlobue

I'll back up a round (60') and ready an action to cast the corrosive haze as soon as ZdataZ is through the entranceway.

@Z Data Z did you remember Haste? If you wanted to be in the hallway with the rest of us, I think you def had the movement speed for it :)

@Z Data Z did you remember Haste? If you wanted to be in the hallway with the rest of us, I think you def had the movement speed for it :)

Yeah, I'll be in the hallway, I forgot doublemove with haste.

Will DC 23: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

Empress-on-Grey convinces the goo to aim just slightly to Z's left.

As Z rushes into the hallway, Quantum-K tells the doors to close. They do.

Combat over - for now!

Katrina (-70 SP)
Z Data Z (-55 SP, -6 HP, resist armor)
Quantum-K (-110 SP, -6 HP, -2 RP)
Empress-on-Grey (-60 SP, -17 HP, -2 RP)
Compucast (-56 SP)

Medical equipment and floor-to-ceiling transparent tubes line the chamber. The echoing sound of a digital countdown comes from the sole occupant: an armed bomb. A vidscreen flicks on showing Lunesha in the foreground as soldiers behind her load the captive Starfinders onto a vehicle in the city. “So close, heroes! Maybe if you’d been a little faster, a little smarter. Something you’ll ponder the rest of your life… all remaining thirty seconds of it.” She laughs wildly, wiping away tears.

The bomb displays a menacing 00:30 on it. You can use Computers, Engineering or Mysticism to attempt to defuse it; it will take multiple successes, and missing the DC by too much will speed the timer.

Quantum-K may remember something useful.

Grey is too distracted (and bad at perceiving things, lol) to notice anything, but - body rapidly changing colours to swear in stelliferan along the way, she'll rush to try and disarm this bomb with Mysticism. She'll use her Themeless Certainty ability to gain a +2.

"Damn your eyes, Lunesha! I'm getting real sick of playing her games!"

Mysticism: 1d20 + 17 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 17 + 2 = 36

Quick reminder, we've all still got that Communal Bond up, so anyone without a higher skill bonus can still meaningfully contribute by Aiding Another! Hint hint, if anyone wanted to Aid Grey's Mysticism attempt.
...although I'm kinda hoping a 17 on the die with a +19 succeeds without an Aid. Oof, if it doesn't, we may have problems, lol.

Lastly: this seems like a bad roll to get wrong, so: Grey is standing by to swap teammates from a non-exploding reality with Modify Outcome, as needed.

Recalling what Betsy signaled earlier, Quantum-K moves over to the bomb's control panel & enters the secret code.

Perception: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (16) + 16 = 32

Over Grey's mind link she notes
"Merin's signaling "Jammer, lake". Probably where we're headed next."

Life Science: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
Also over the mind link
"Looks like cloning equipment, along with memory implant systems."

Quantum-K enters the conde that Betsy passed her secretly earlier, and a small chirp comes from somewhere within the device.

00:29

Empress-on-Grey fits a tiny tentacle into a gap and disables some of the magical mechanisms.

00:28

Katrina, Z Data Z and Compucast are up!

perception: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (11) + 20 = 31
life science: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21

Katrina helps by hacking the bomb
computers: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (5) + 22 = 27

"Interesting... “jammer, lake” Is that a location or an instruction?"

"And this equipment... it is used for" and then stops. It looks like everyone already identified it.

He turns his keen mind toward the bomb, trying to disarm it.
computers: 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (13) + 24 = 37

Katrina tries to reprogram the trigger, but can't figure out the right subroutine to access.

00:27

Compucast, however, notices a familiar algorithm, and steps in to make adjustments to the code, producing another quiet tone.

00:26

Z Data Z is up!

Data might try to disable it, but first
How big is the bomb, can we carry it and throw it into the other room were the oozes are? And how big is the blast? Does the bomb blow up the building? Or just an entire room.

There's a signal jammer in the lake? Katrina suggests.

The bomb is bolted to the floor and would likely take more than 26 seconds to free and move.

Data will try to disable it computers: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (13) + 20 = 33

00:25

Z Data Z starts trying to deactivate the detonator.

00:24

The computer has some algorithmic dead ends built in, but the technomancer persists as the timer ticks down.

-E:4-

The countdown stops, and the screen slowly dims. With slightly more time, the Starfinders can examine the warhead closely and determine that it will not explode. To be safe, you extract the explosive material, which can be used to jury rig three incendiary grenades IV.

What now?

Grey deflates a little in her water bubble, in the stelliferan version of a deep exhale.

"Excellent job, everyone. Any bomb defusal you can swim away from, as they say. Sounds like we're headed to this lake - either to disable the jammer preventing us from calling in the cavalry, or to rescue the B Team. Either way - let's move. Quantum-K, Katrina - do either of you see a way out of here other than the way we came?"

We're all pretty low on SP from all of those traps, I think. With the immediate danger of exploding out of the way - can we take that 10 min rest now?

perception: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (4) + 20 = 24

Which means having to go past those oozes

She has a good look around.

It seems like Lunesha is enjoying herself too much to just kill the true Starfinders, so you can probably rest.

"Now would be a good time for a break" agrees compucast.

He goes around rmoving any video cameras and microphones he can find first though!

"Agreed - let's take a moment to catch our breaths, and then past the oozes, and out to free those Starfinders! Does anyone have any ideas for the Ooze Hallway? They didn't seem particularly quick, earlier; if we know we can open and close the doors, do we want to just try and run through without engaging the oozes and turret guns?"

"Are we sure there's not an exit from this chamber?" asks Kendra

She looks around the room while the team catches their breath.
(She spends an RP to regain her SP as well)

Perception for an alternate exit: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (3) + 16 = 19

Katrina will also spend a Resolve point to recover SP while sitting on the deactivated bomb.

Compucast does likewise

"I suspect there is another exit from here, otherwise they would have to have left past us.."

Katrina (-1 RP)
Z Data Z (-6 HP, -1 RP)
Quantum-K (-6 HP, -3 RP)
Empress-on-Grey (-17 HP, -3 RP)
Compucast (-1 RP)

There is indeed another exit from the room. It was locked, but with the danger in the past, the Starfinders have no issues opening it and returning to the surface level of the vault. Unless you want to go back past the oozes.

Unfortunately, a search for Lunesha's trail goes cold almost immediately.

Q-K takes to the air, to see if she can catch sight of the fleeing mastermind. She also looks for the lake mentioned earlier as well.

Katrina uses her jetpack to follow Quantum-K

We have a rough map, right? The one we got as a handout? If our two fliers don't make headway, would it be possible to try and orienteer with Survival with that map?
Oh, also - anyone else proficient with these looted Grenades? Witchwarpers are, for whatever reason, and Grey has a decent Dex, so she'll take them as a backup if no one else does. She's not too likely to use them, so anyone else is welcome to them.

And Compucast will use his force soles to join the Flying Hunt!

"Perhaps the lake is where they are heading?" he muses.

Makes sense ... I suppose I could scout it out underwater.

Heh .. if I do, it'll be the third mission I was able to be a mermaid during it.

Q-K nods & takes one of the Incendiary IV grenades.

{b]"I've taken the 'nades course."[/b]

Compucast brings up the map handout 2 on slide 3
"I can see two lakes and a couple of areas that may be ponds... the scale make exact determination difficult."

Yes, the map gives you enough information to locate any body of water that might qualify as a lake. There is one to the north and one to the southwest that look, if not natural, at least not perfectly geometric. There is also one at the center of the vault with a 100-ft.-tall crystal octahedron floating gently over it.

Neither your senses nor your instrumentation are able to pick up any trace of Lunesha or the other Starfinders, even once the team takes to the skies.

Katrina may not be the best swimmer in this group.

Katrina may not be the best swimmer in this group.

*camera pans to show Empress-on-Grey's waterbody holding a can of fish flakes, shaking it over the top of the waterbody, while the space-cuttlefish inside the waterbody noms on the small shower of food at the top of the waterbody*

"So, our search has come up empty, and we don't have any other obvious leads...shall we just head for the lake in the middle with the massive floating crystal above it? I mean, as far as landmarks go, it's not subtle."

Remembering that a lot of the crystal architecture and infrastructure we encountered on the walk in was psychically reactive, Grey will attempt to reach out; she got flashes of memory from these things before. Maybe the crystal fences remember 'seeing' Lunesha, or the B Team, going somewhere recently?

I have no idea if this is possible or likely to work at all, but making a Mysticism check, in case? Figure that's the most appropriate skill.

Mysticism: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (1) + 17 = 18

Nailed it :D The psychic reverb from Grey reaching out to the crystalline architecture ricochets off her waterbody, across the street into a fancy lounge bar, and smashes a bottle of top-shelf liquor. The stellifera winces.

Data moves along with the group Sorry, but why is everyone flying or needing to fly right now?

Sorry, but why is everyone flying or needing to fly right now?

I think people with easy access to flight were just going up to get a better viewpoint, to see if they could see any obvious lakes, jammers, or Luneshas.

Z Data Z wrote:

Sorry, but why is everyone flying or needing to fly right now?

I think people with easy access to flight were just going up to get a better viewpoint, to see if they could see any obvious lakes, jammers, or Luneshas.

Pretty much nailed it. An elevated point of view combined with my forgetting that we had a map, added on top of Q-K's love of flying.

"The central lake looks like a great place to focus our attention."

Nailed it :D The psychic reverb from Grey reaching out to the crystalline architecture ricochets off her waterbody, across the street into a fancy lounge bar, and smashes a bottle of top-shelf liquor. The stellifera winces.

There's still an APB out for Varuthalla with the Stewards.

The Starfinders locate the most prominent lake-related landmark in the vault. The psychically attuned among you detect a hum coming from the crystal, and Empress-on-Grey inadvertently finds a way to turn it into an alcohol-destruction beam. Looking into the water, it is clear that there is some kind of doorway at the bottom.

Perception: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (6) + 16 = 22

Kendra peers into the lake, but fails to notice anything significant.

Note that Q-K will assist with whatever Perception checks need doing, as she's obviously not the most perception PC on the beach today.

Grey once again reaches for her trusty hireling, to check into the area.
Hireling-performed Survival: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (14) + 20 = 34

"Seems to be some sort of mechanism, down beneath the water, that will open a door down there. It's set up as an airlock, so you will not need to be able to breathe underwater once you are fully inside. More's the pity," she'll add with a sympathizing look at Katrina. "Shall we?" she'll say before her waterbody submerges into the lake, where the diminutive space-cuttlefish flits about in its native habitat.
Quick reminder we've all got life-bubble up, so we've all got more than enough breathable atmosphere regardless of the airlock situation.

At the bottom, Grey would still request Katrina/Kendra/Someone to check the mechanism and airlock for more traps before we trigger anything. "Fool me," she stops to count on her tentacles, "four times or more, shame on me."

engieneering: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (17) + 21 = 38

Compucast evaluates the structure as the group approaches.

"I agree. That looks like the way in. Though water would not be a problem to us with environmental seals. " He does double check his own...

Katrina follows Grey into the water, swimming mermaid style to the airlock door before checking for traps.

perception: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (7) + 20 = 27

Speaking of tandem diving Empress - have you ever been to Vesk-2? I'm thinking of taking Selene there sometime. Maybe you'd like to come along

Quantum-K dives into the lake as well, powerful strokes bringing her her to the airlock.

She auto-assists Katrina in her trap searching.

"I've never been to Vesk-2, no! I have met some ijtikri from there, though, who were delightful sapients. I would love to see that world-ocean one day," Grey replies to Katrina, with a telepathic smile in her voice.

"But, on the other tentacle, too many witchwarpers in close proximity can sometimes be...problematic. Too many overlapping alternatives. It may be easier if you and your family went alone - but what fun is 'easy!'"

Too right, the more exciting the better Katrina replies. Tell you what, when we get back, I'll ask Selene and see what she thinks.

Inside the utilitarian control facility, you find the guiding intelligence’s management software listing upcoming thought experiments to present to the populace, including “Identify Daimalko colossi to non-colossi ratio for stable biome” and “Swarm behavior alteration through integration of new species.” The devices monitor psychic input from the vault’s inhabitants but show minimal activity.

You also find the jamming device, which is clearly more advanced than anything else you find in here. It looks somewhat unstable, and an individual handling it in the wrong was may get electrocuted.

You can choose to destroy the device or disable and retrieve it. Both can be accomplished with Computers, Engineering or Mysticism, and you can also destroy it with Athletics. Disabling it has a higher difficulty, but you end up with a new toy if successful.

Grey isn't confident in dealing with the doohickey herself, but she will reach out with her mystical senses to try and aid where possible!

She auto-assists with Mysticism for +2, or for +3 if it's been <2 hrs since we entered the colosseum and our Communal Bond is still up. As with before, too, she's got that Modify Outcome prepped and ready in case of low rolls from whoever makes the main check!

Q-K plans to assist Compucast's engineering efforts.
She auto-assists with a +13.

"Oh my.... this looks like part of the guiding intellignece, not the Vault lord." says Compucast.

"I do hope that we are not playing into the Vault lords hands by deactivating it. But we could learn so much..."

He stops for a moment.

"How is deactivating this going to help get our Starfindres back from the Vault lord?"

"While it won't help in a material, direct, way, assuming this jammer is what's preventing us from calling outside, disabling it will let us radio to Vex at the Lodge outside and call in for backup. If nothing else, I imagine he can post sentries at the Vault's entrance/exit to make sure they don't give us the slip - although there's no telling how the Vault Lord's agents got in here in the first place. Who knows, with the jammer down, maybe we'll be able to ping Merin's comm unit, and triangulate a location from there?"

Grey pauses to consider. "You're right, though, that nothing in this vault has been what it appears to be, so far. It wouldn't be unwise to take a moment to inspect the device and make sure this isn't some other trap or trick."

Just to make sure I understand cmlobue's post - this underwater room appears to contain some Guiding Intelligence stuff about thought experiments(?), and in addition to that some kind of jamming device that looks like a different type of tech, right? We're talking about disabling the jamming device, not the Guiding Intelligence stuff, yeah?