Grezzag stares in surprise at the projection for a while, and tentatively pokes a finger through it.
As the stranger crosses the desert room, he moves with the others go greet them. "Grezzag." he states simply, indicating himself, his metal trophies jangling slightly. "If you're handy with your weapons, we're happy to have you join us. You missed out on some four armed skeletons, but there's bound to be some more trouble further in."
Uwe nods at Grezzag and says, "Well met, I have had occasional fights in the past where I was called upon to use my weapons. I am not sure how much a pistol or a rapier does to a four armed skeleton, but if more arise I will be ready to use my weapons."
Khoran studies the newcomer carefully, mumbling a prayer as he assesses him him...
+4 wis+1 guidance
Deciding the newcomer is trustworthy, Khoran introduces himself "Well met, I am Khoran of the Bone Bears."
He turn to Penka and asks "Uwe made it in here on his own, can you make it back out on your own?"
Penka realizes what you're referring to, then quickly picks up her pack and bombs and then heads off.
As Penka heads off to the surfave, the door to the east still remains locked with the thin slot for the electronic analogue of the keys you're used to.
What do you do?
Zelvin looks at Hekau. "Hekau, you seem to know the most of all of us about these mechanical contraptions. Do you have any idea how we can crack this door open?"
"I would suggest using the newly discovered access card, the one with the black stripe."
"I can take a look at the door first. I do have skill with potential dangers that might have been set up." Uwe says as he moves up and searches the door for dangers or ways to open it.
As you swipe the access card to go east, you enter into what seems to be a hallway filled with tons and tons of switches and buttons along every corner. However, none of them are particularly glowing and begging to be pressed, unlike the room where you turned the lights on.
As you cross the hallway (unless you decide to get distracted with buttons), a large metal desk with blinking lights and strange glowing panels sits atop a raised area on the east side of this room near a circular table. Two couches covered with black material sit to the south a pair of black metal pillars. Splatters of dried blood stain the floor and walls near a pair of doors to the north, while here and there patches of rust-red mold and fungus cling to the southern wall. The room itself is brightly lit by glowing panels on the ceiling. One door, whose room it leads to seems entirely contained within this room, contains open. It contains rectangular bins with the same rectangular card-slots marked in white.
What do you all do as you enter this new area?
vs DC 10
-1 int+1 Sage Knowledge, "can attempt all Knowledge checks untrained"
and possibly +2 from aid another above.
3 rank +3 trained +2 int+1 trait +1 Competence (guidance cantrip)
Khoran knows, with the familiar helping out a tad, that these rust-red mold and fungus used to be a horribly dangerous situation, but it seems to have been dealt with by either time, robots, or a previous adventuring party.
Concerned about the area with the blood on the floor, Zelvin carefully creeps over to take a look. He tries to determine how long ago it was spilled, and if it came from a humanoid.
He scowls. "I am not even sure this stuff is blood, let alone when and from where it came to be here. Any of you folks know better?"
...
He scowls. "I am not even sure this stuff is blood, let alone when and from where it came to be here. Any of you folks know better?"
"Let me take a look..."
3 rank +3 trained +4 wis+1 Competence (guidance cantrip)
Grezzag frowns at the blood and the mold, but leaves it to the smarter folk to look at them. He heads up the stairs and pokes about the upper area, looking into the small closet.
"Hey, looks like there's some more of those doors that need the card. Looks like cupboards, might be somethin' inside."
He tries inserting the cards to see if any of them open.
You know that that blood... is indeed blood. It seems to be roughly old enough to coincide with one of the more recent expeditions down here. Your attempts to use the access cards on the bins fail, but you could try to always try to disable it if you wish to test your luck.
"It is indeed blood. I figure it's about right for it to match up with the timing for Khonnir's expedition down here. Let's take a look around and see if there are any clues about which of these doors they took out of here..."
Khoran starts looking for any clues... .
3 rank +3 trained +4 wis+1 trait+1 Competence (guidance cantrip)
Hekau has a mediocre Disable Device (+6), and the Technologist feat so he should take no penalty, but at present he lacks any Thieves' Tools.
"I suggest we attempt to open these cupboards at a later time."
Zelvin looks worried. "Damnation! There's blood all over this passage over here. If that was Mr. Khonnir's, maybe after some kind of fire-fight in this room, he must have gone through-- or else there'd be gory signs he went another way. I reckon it's a good thing his body isn't here, but anyone taking wounds this bad can't have made it much further..." His expression conveys his unspoken fear that the object of their search is lying in a heap on the other side of the door.
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"I would suggest opening the doors from a distance, using magic, and at an oblique angle. That way, if something is on the other side waiting to ambush us, we are not immediately exposed to it."
As you stare around the room, you find a fully functional flashlight, three batteries, and 26 silverdisks, as well as what appears to be a partially charged wand of Cure Light Wounds assuming you to identify it (10 uses remaining). The former three sets of items all have Androffan Text, while the latter is marked in Taldane, so it clearly comes from a previous party. In addition, you see flickering panels (computers) display images of what appear to be living versions of the four-armed skeletons that assaulted you, as well as lines of Androffan Text, the ghelarns, as well as creature's you've never seen before.
"Physiology of Kasathas, Homeworld: Kasath"
"Lifecycle of Ghelarn, Homeworld: Various"
"Larval stage of Unknown Species, hereafter dubbed Akata. Homeworld: Unnamed Post-Civilization Planet"
Khoran attempts to figure out what the wand does...
vs DC ?16?
3 rank +3 trained +2 int,
"This wand radiates active magic, but I am unsure of what dweomer is within. What do you wizards think?"
Uwe looks over the text and says, "It seems whoever wrote this was cataloging...species...maybe. From different worlds. Or at least they thought it was other worlds instead of dimensions or planes."
Grezzag looks at the images on the screens warily, but loses interest once they appear to be safe. He keeps watch while the others discuss the items, and when they party is ready to move on, stands near the door with weapon ready.
Hekau casts Detect Magic on the wand.
"This is a wand of healing."
Hekau then opens the door as Zelvin describes.
...
"This is a wand of healing."
Hekau then opens the door as Zelvin describes.
Khoran replies "Thank you, I will keep it ready in case we need it then."
Before Hekau opens the door, Khoran channels positive energy from the spirits to heal both himself and Grezzag...
Grezzag nods in thanks to Khoran, and readies himself as the door opens.
Bloodstains mar the floor and walls of this hallway, while scorch marks and smears of ash on the walls evidence some sort of altercation having taken place in this area relatively recently. Four tangled mounds of metal and other materials lie further up the hall, surrounded by strangely colored stains.
Zelvin gawks at the mess. "Looks like whoever or whatever was bleeding all over this corridor made their way along it to that door. I'm gonna choose to believe that means they were victorious against whoever was attacking them." He is careful not to voice his hope (and fear) that the blood belonged to Khonnir Baine, since it really looks like a lot of it.
"Let's hope so." Grezzag mutters. He advances cautiously up the corridor, pausing to poke at the mounds of metal, as if daring them to attack.
Uwe moves up to look at the stains without touching it.
3 rank +3 trained +4 wis+1 Competence (guidance cantrip)
Khoran, and Uwe (given what was told earlier), realize that the blood is about as old as the bloodstain in the previous room, making this a veritable trail of blood. The poked mounds of metal do nothing, merely sparking a tad and jittering, but whatever this was prior is well and truly destroyed now.
Leading out of the corridor there are three doors, two of which are locked and require an access card. There's the one to the west, which you entered in, one southeast where shambling leaves and vines can be heard, and one to east proper where the blood trail leads. Which direction do you head?
"I think we should investigate this blood trail." Uwe offers as he wonders where all blood came from.
Koran supports Uwe's proposal "Agreed, the age of the blood is about right to be from Khonnir's expedition. The injuries implied by this blood trail could be why Khonnir has not returned. But bide a minute..."
With a muttered prayer, Khoran stoops to closely inspect the southeast door, looking for dust and other traces which will tell him the door hasn't been opened in a long time...
3 rank +3 trained +4 wis+1 trait+1 Competence (guidance cantrip)
Grezzag eyes the blood trail cautiously, his grip tightening on his double-axe. "Whoever it was, they didn't go down without a fight," he mutters, giving the mound of twisted metal one last kick to ensure it's truly inoperative.
"It might not even be Khonnir's group. I don't think we've found all the others yet?" He pauses for a moment, thinking. "But if we follow the trail we're bound to learn something useful."
Khoran can tell that there's blood, of around the same age as on the walls, on the access panel, meaning that it's likely been opened to get someone through the door.
Khoran reports his findings: "There's blood on the panel here, beside this door as well. I think whomever did the bleeding went through this door as well as the one with the obvious trail..."
As you press the access card to enter the new room, you see a long table with various unusual stones and dirt samples heaped on it sits along the southern wall of this room, while to the north a line of metal desks with glowing panels and buttons are placed next to a large humming device. The heart of this device seems to be some sort of flickering sphere of reddish-brown mud or dirt. Dust covers much of this room, save for a strangely clean swath between the doors, which leads to the strange humming device. Said clean swath, you can immediately recognize, belongs to a ravenous occupant.
As you enter the room, however, all of you are assaulted, telepathically, by a series of inane questions that seem to make little sense to you, as you see what appears to be a moving, carnivorous plant fungus in the corner.
"Oh! You! Where am I? Who are you? Where did the ones like you who were pulled through here a few times ago go? Do you have any more red food? What is the red food? Are you the red food? Why is one of you glowing? Where did the metallic not-like-yous go?"
Hekau may have some knowledge of the fungus.
3 rank +3 trained +2 int
This a Cerebric Fungus, a creature brought to Golarion through unknown means that primarily resides in Numeria. (i.e. it is indeed alien).