Game Master S's "Yesteryear's Sorrow" (Inactive)

Game Master Chris Marsh

"We need to clear the area for the follow up crew. I don't generally advise smashing eggs when we don't have a detailed understanding of the local ecosystem, though. Klarima, there wasn't time for you to answer my question earlier. What do you know about these creatures?" She keeps her eyes peeled for hatching eggs and more creatures as she speaks.

STATUS
K.I.N.A.A. (SP: 10/24) REF
Twila-5 (SP: 24/24)
Burnham (SP: 22/27)
Zynn (SP: 27/27) -1 RP
Ysh'yaal (SP: 23/24)
Zoey (SP: 21/24)

---------------------

You never know, you might know something about them... Life Science DC 20

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

K.I.N.A.A. coughs dead whatever-that-was out of her lungs.

Life Science: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13

I don't know what they are. Did you know that if you discover a new species, you get to name it? Boombugs, anyone?

Burn sheathes his sword and picks up his rifle before stepping into the room and looking around. "We could just seal them up in here. I don't see any exits. But how did they get food or water?"

Does our native guide, Klarima, know anything about them?

GMS, my math puts Burn at 19/27 SP.

Your math is correct. I just failed to type, which is on par for how last week went!

Klarima looks over the corpse splatter and the eggs, "We have these bugs topside.... but they do NOT explode. They also aren't this color. Sorry I can't help here."

"I don't know much about those eggs, but now would be the time to deal with them if ever."

After resting up, Zynn looks around the room for anything of interest.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

What are the non-exploding ones called? Zoey asks I think I'll like those better...

"If I had to guess, they're a subspecies that adapted to somehow absorb the munitions down here, whether by eating them or some other method. ... But after all this time, surely they would've eaten all of it by now. So it must be some other means. Fascinating." Twila-5 pauses, lost in thought for a bit.

"Regardless, we have to make the area safe for the next team, which means getting rid of these eggs somehow. We don't currently have the resources or time to relocate them to the surface, since they're about to hatch and become mobile. ... It looks like we need to smash them. I feel dirty saying that." Androids aren't usually very expressive, but it's obvious that Twila-5 feels repulsed by the idea. She cocks her head. Odd. Normally I don't get so attached to threats to my life. Why is that?

"Interesting idea, Twila. Might even be right. If we're gonns break 'em, how about we stack them all in a corner and lob a grenade at them? "

Oh... In Deedee games they have these exploding barrels, but she always says you have to be very careful if you shoot time, because you might destroy the loot inside the room. Or cause a chain reaction of explosions. Should we maybe have a look first to make sure there is nothing that can explode in those crates?

Klarima gives the common name, and it's all but unpronounceable to humanoid voice boxes. Zynn doesn't find anything else of interest in the room, but does count a half dozen eggs...

Let me know your final plan!

"Okay then. One egg at a time in the middle of the room, with everything else pushed as far away from it as possible. Then we shoot it. Anyone opposed?"

Bghkz'lm'tuff Zoey tries to recreate the sound Klarima makes, but comes nowhere near. Boom-bug is a lot easier! She says.

Zoey nods and helps collect the boom-bug eggs.

I let you do it. I'm not known for my delicacy! Says Ysh'

The party gathers the eggs. They feel hefty, and solid for their size. No one seems to be worried about accidentally breaking them.

Once gathered, the party backs WAY up. A single shot is all it takes. All six blow up with a force akin to a full on frag grenade! Once the smoke clears, the room seems a fair bit more boring.

"Well, at least that will keep the room safe for anybody else who comes along. I'm just not sure I can eat eggs after this experience."

Zynn looks around to see if the explosion draws the attention of anyone or thing.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

The entire place returns to quiet after the explosion.

Anything in the crates? Zoey asks hopeful. If not, we should go to the next area

Ready to move on

Twila-5 does a quick check of the remaining items in the room.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12

Once she's assured that they've accounted for everything worth noting, she nods her assent and heads toward the door. "Next room."

Convinced that this room has nothing left to offer (and is pretty wrecked) the party moves to the other door. It seems safe enough....

This chamber holds rows of weapon racks, each lined with sundry deadly armaments. However, it appears that time has taken its toll, as most are covered in spots of rust and decay. Engineering and Perception checks

K.I.N.A.A. and her heretofore silent hireling look around.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20
Hireling Engineering: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

Burn steps into the room and examines the racks.

Engineering: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 18

Engineering: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15
Perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (13) + 0 = 13

Ysh'yaal looks around.

Zynn looks around and tries to assist with his knowledge of engineering.

Engineering: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

K.I.N.A.A. catches what most everyone misses, though Burnham backs up her finding; most of the weapons here are salvageable, and should be marked.

There are two weapons that seem immediately functional; a thunderstrike sonic pistol, a red star plasma rifle.

It doesn't look like there's much else in here to do.

"Wow. After all this time..." Twila-5 almost reverently runs her hands over the two functional weapons. (Which is odd, considering her earlier derision of the warlike nature of the people who built this place.) "We should bring these with us, to keep them safe. Can anyone use the rifle? I can't, but I'd be happy to hold the thunderstrike sonic pistol if no one else needs it."

Burn walks the aisles between racks. "Most of these don't look bad. Could work with a little spit and polish. Hey is that...? "

He props his own rifle against the rack and pulls another one out of the rack. He hefts it, brings it to firing position and sights down the barrel. "Some kind of energy weapon. I'll bet it punches hard. Anyone?"

Is the battery charged?
Nice pickup for anyone who has long arm proficiency. Damage is on par with Burn's own gun so it's best off in someone else's hands.
The sonic pistol is nice too.

Batteries are a little run down, but shockingly they still have about 50% capacity.

It seems there's little else on this floor, leaving only the central spiral staircase down

Zoey wouldn't mind holding onto the sonic gun, now that her main is cursed...

"Can anyone use the rifle? I can't, but I'd be happy to hold the thunderstrike sonic pistol if no one else needs it."

"I am fine with my blade. Feel free to use the pistol if you can."

The party heads back to the central stairs and descends ever further. Past several levels devoid of anything interesting except for the occasional patch of fungi, about halfway down the shaft, you discover a large passage blocked off with a heavy steel door. The door is marked “Main Reactor” in Ghibran according to Klarima. It is flanked by two touch panels, and the door opens when the touch panels are touched simultaneously by two living creatures. A wide control room is found on the other side, filled with blinking computer terminals that show various readouts. A few patches of the strange mushrooms you saw earlier are scattered throughout the control room.

Engineering: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

"Why do they have to make these terminals so complicated?"

"Why do they have to make these terminals so complicated?"

Uh... Zoey stalls for time as she quickly tries to have a glance of Burnham's radiation badge I think it's because they don't want anyone coming in by accident.

Engineering: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Engineering: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15 +4 with tools

Agreed, seems too complicated...

Do the radiation badges ping us at any point in here?

After watching three others try to discern how to decipher and use the controls, Twila-5 uses the process of elimination to figure out how they're used. "I think..."

Engineering: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
Spoiler open; paraphrased below.

"Yes. Here. These terminals display levels of residual power in the bunker. There's a hybrid nuclear reactor that is still barely functional. There was a massive amount of poisonous, radioactive gases that were vented throughout the complex several hundred years ago. The indicators say that the room we're in right now contains higher than normal radiation, and radiation counters wouldn't register due to the hybrid nature of the effect. We likely shouldn't be in here more than a minute, but there's still some interesting looking folders on the computer... Let's step out and close that door so we're safer while we discuss how to continue."

DC 15 Medicine: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

Once they're in a safe spot, Twila-5 muses. "That venting event would've probably killed every living thing down here, though by now most of it has dissipated. There may still be pockets here and there, though. I wonder how we can figure out how to detect them before being affected by them, though, since our radiation badges won't necessarily be reliable. Any ideas?"

@GM: Since androids don't breathe but are susceptible to radiation, would Twila-5 be affected by the gasses?

"If our badges can't pickup the radiation, maybe we should just move fast. Could we rip out the computer drives and analyze them later? "

Twila-5 thinks that she'd be susceptible. Looking at the readings, you could easily take the hardware out, but whoever sticks around to do it will need to make a FORT save versus the radiation, and environmental protection on the suits won't cut it.

To make matters even more difficult, it looks like there's another recording by the colonel....

So, anyone sticking around to take the drive?

"If we need that hardware taken out, I will volunteer to do the job. However, I don't know a lot about computers and would need some guidance."

I am +4 Fortitude Save and +5 Computers.

My hireling has Computers +9 and I also have Fort +4, since I need to be in the room with them while they work.

Also +4 on Fort, but no computer skills.

Fort +5, Computers +9.

"It would be best for someone with computer skills to do it. There's no need for anyone else to endanger themselves. I'll do it. If there's anything anyone can give me to bolster my resistance to the radiation, I would appreciate it."

Twila-5 gets the drive out, but the effect takes its toll. You're now Sickened for 24 Hours.

Onward, or take the time to check the drive?

I'm not particularly resistant, but with my armor and my computer skills I could be able to stays in for a few minute I hope.

Says Ysh'

@GM does our armor give us +4 against radiation?

:I say check the drive, as long as we can find someplace safe to do so."

Zoey waits patiently outside as Twila works on the drive. When she returns, looking a little worse for wear, Zoey asks Auntie Twila, are you ok? You look a bit... fluorescent? Like K1ng Ch0rd in that one music video...

With a shaky breath, Twila-5 responds: "No. Don't hug me. Perhaps it's better for me to be the one to handle this drive, as it is probably radioactive as well." She pauses for a moment, breathing slowly to settle her stomach. "Let's go...somewhere else. I don't feel up to scouting ahead right now." She tags along with the group, following their lead.

Yes to the armor giving the benefit, but you also know that that was the only room with extra high levels.

The hard drive does actually have some prototype schematics on it that could be valuable, but the interesting file for the moment is the colonel's log:

Entry 1: Morale is low, and yet some soldier amused himself by leaving a strange mushroom by my bedside as I slept. A strange prank.

Entry 2: Another mushroom! I am certain I locked the door to my chambers! What is this supposed to mean?

Entry 3: Certainly, these mushrooms are meant to make me feel guilty about the attacks on Omathu. On the world. If I must, I will discipline every soldier in this base until I find and punish the culprit.

Entry 4: I swear that I saw Privates Ela and Hobar—the two I locked up for their disobedience during those first strikes—freely roaming the halls today. I ran after them, but upon turning a corner, they had disappeared. They claim that they never left their cells, but they must have some way of sneaking around the base. A secure facility such as this should not have secret passages, so perhaps another soldier is letting them out? The one leaving mushrooms in my rooms? But how are they moving around so fast?

"What do you think the deal is with those mushrooms? Do you think they were dangerous?"

Definitely a solenoid short of a coilgun, this one... We won't be so easy to trick with mushrooms! Zoey says.

Would Burnham or Zynn take point now?