...
"I don't know anybody specific, unless you count Alyn here. You made that shiny necklace you wear, isn't that right?"
Alyn looks over at her name, reaching up to touch the necklace when it's mentioned. "Oh. Yeah, I... it was my first skymetal piece." She leans slightly, looking over Grezzag's axe. "It's been a while since I've worked with normal weapons, but I can give it a shot if you want."
She declines the offer to go gambling, instead staying behind at the workshop to work on her revolver.
Garmen sees right through the bluff, evident on his face, but doesn't seem to react in any way. "Hah. If you ever do get the schematics, please bring them here. I imagine it's far easier than multiple stacks of cards put together, and we can shuffle the dealer to somewhere else," he says as he watches all of you.
Meanwhile, as Grezzag gambles, he notices one of the particular players seems to clue into his facial features and all fairly easily, happily chatting about give-aways and odds being what motivates him to gamble, while the other one gets wiped by the two of you between a fair few rounds of poker. Grezzag loses about half of the allotted money over a few hours of chatting with the two people at the table.
Meanwhile, at the Foundry, both the Magus and the Techslinger work on their weapons, improving them, making ammunition for them, and talking about the process all while doing so.
As the night winds down, Grezzag drains the dregs of his drink and stands up. "Thanks for the fun, but I better be heading off." he says to his fellow players. "Got a busy day tomorrow, and trust me, ya need your wits about you if you're dealing with robots."
He offers a nod of acknowledgment to Garmen as the group heads out.
"Well, no trouble, but I don't know why he wanted us there." he remarks to the others as they head back to the Foundry. "Maybe he's just sweetenin' us up, so if we find anything valuable underground, we'll be more inclined to lose it at the tables."
As the others go to gamble, Khoran sits and ponders, communing with his familiar and the ancestral spirits of the clan...
"Well, for a bunch of children, they're not terrible. There is some talent, and they seem to be good kids; Zelvin even wants to be friends with the spirits... and the spirits say there is a chance, if small. They can be guest-friends at the least..."
Then he wanders the halls of his old friend's foundry, while the smiths work. Quietly muttering incantations and making small marks on the wooden pillars, consecrating it as a recognized dwelling of the Bone Bears. Afterwards, he proceeds to the kitchen, where he blesses the hearth (again consecrating it to the clan), and sets up to cook breakfast in the morning...
Although he's won't claim to be much of a chef, those who sleep under a clan-blessed roof and share in the clan's food will be recognized as guest-friends by the spirits that cluster around his banner. Perhaps, in the future, there may come more...
Hekau leaves the gambling hall to go back to the Foundry.
He goes to his quarters and begins running equations in his head, calculating the motions and incantations that will unlock the next more powerful set of spells that he will master.
With Khoran communicating with ancestral spirits, Grezzag losing half of the money, and Zelvin and Alyn upgrading weapons and making ammunition, the day goes by relatively quickly. Once the lot of you have woken up, or powered back to full battery usage, the next day approahces, and you are ready to take on whatever challenge awaits now that your health is, at least somewhat, returned.
With his and Alyn's work on their weapons completed, Zelvin meets the others at the tavern room they are using as their home base that evening, to exchange information and make sure everyone is ready to continue. He's ready to continue as soon as they are rested. "I checked with the priest of Brigh, and he's willin' to cast the spell on us again that lets us breathe water. Not rightly sure what we'll be facin' once we get past that strange door, but I figure I'm more or less prepared for anythin'. Leastwise, I reckon I should be able to harm lots of different types of critters." He looks at Khoran. "Hey Khoran, you speak to those spirits o' yours? Are they on our side goin' forward?"
Penka can't help but poke fun at Grezzag a little on their way back from the gambling parlor.
"You got taken twice" she tells Grezzag. "Once because he won a big chunk of your money, and again because he wasn't even actually a man."
She chuckles as she continues. "He's a kitsune, I'm positive. Don't feel bad though, you never had a chance."
"A Kitsune, huh?" Grezzag replies with a chuckle. ""Well, at least we learned something, even if it's who not to play cards against."
As the groups discuss their plans for tomorrow, Grezzag is feeling certain about what they'll be facing. ""Robots, I reckon" , he says, nodding to himself grimly. ""I've been sayin it from the start, but where there's one there's more. Bound to be a whole mess of 'em behind that metal wall."
With his and Alyn's work on their weapons completed, Zelvin meets the others at the tavern room they are using as their home base that evening, to exchange information and make sure everyone is ready to continue. ... He looks at Khoran. "Hey Khoran, you speak to those spirits o' yours? Are they on our side goin' forward?"
"I have consulted with my forefathers I think you children are suitable to be recognized as guest-friends. Come tomorrow morning, I think we can go forward with their blessing..."
L0 (DC 14, 4) : Guidance, Stabilize, Daze, Light
L1 (DC 15, 2+1 (wis) +1 spirit Magic): Cure Light Wounds, Sleep, Detect Undead, (unfilled slot)
Wandering Spirit: Life
Current Hexes: Silkstring Snare
Hekau finds the whole clan ceremony intellectually curious, but is otherwise unmoved by it and feels no different the next day.
1: Burning Hands, Feather Fall, Liberating Command
"I am ready to proceed."
Grezzag, clanness for the past few years, finds a bit of comfort in Khoran's rituals. He sleeps soundly (and noisily), and wakens early the next day ready to continue.
The next day, Joram heals the group of their injuries thanks to his faith in Brigh, and the group decides to head down to the caves yet again, ushered through to a much, much different area than the rest of the cavern by the Skulks. The walls, floor and ceiling of this slightly curved hallway are made of smooth dark gray metal. Panels of lighter material run along the ceiling eight feet above. To the north and south the tunnel is blocked by walls of metal junk and rubble, while open doorways yawn to the east and west. In front of you, however, is a busted-down door, with a robot extremely similar to, though in much better condition than, the robot that Khonnir Baine recovered from the wreck. As you step through the door, it whirs its mechanical "head" around to face you.
As previously mentioned, Khoran cooks breakfast for the group before they head out to pond again...
+4 wis +1 guidance
The food is good, if on the rustic side. Having shared the clan's food and lodgings, the spirits recognize the party as guest-friends, worthy of their assistance and blessings...
****
+2 con +1 guidance
Khoran's familiar calls on the ancestral spirits, to see what they know about these robots.
-2 int, can make any Knowledge check untrained
Hekau has his crossbow in hand, loaded.
"Yep, I knew it!", Grezzag says with a scowl.
Alyn keeps her pistol drawn and loaded as the group enters the new area, staying alert. Despite being in the back, she notices the robot just as it notices them, and doesn't hesitate. She does her best to fire a shot over everyone ahead of her, but doesn't pause to see if it hits, instead turning her attention to reloading her pistol with a paper cartridge.
The robot screeches in a synthesized Androffan as a bullet whizzes by it, nearly hitting it and bouncing off of the ceiling,
Hekau will try speaking to the robot.
Zelvin also draws his revolver and fires. "Another point for Grezzag," he drawls admiringly. "Maybe we can knock some important parts off its shell with some hot lead!"
"The function of this unit is to repair damage to the starship Divinity. Self-defense protocols are currently active, due to an analog smallarm round that has damaged the starship. Current courses of action: restrain source of damage, repair damage."
You all readily notice that the robotic "eye" of the robot is focused on Alyn Muloya alone while it responds to Hekau. It isn't attempting any defense against anyone else. However, when Zelvin attacks the robot, however, its head turns as a bullet hits its shell, chipping a piece off and exposing the circuitry underneath.
Hekau addresses the group. "I believe if you stand down it will not attack.
We initiated hostilities unnecessarily.
It will likely seek to restrain Zelvin after that shot, however."
"You think it'll leave us alone if we don't fight it?" Zelvin asks skeptically. "Won't it consider us intruders? It mentioned something called a 'star-ship' named Divinity. And it said the ship was damaged by Alyn's gun. Does it think it's on a boat?" He laughs. "That could explain the fishin' nets."
Hekau uses Total Defense as his action.
2 rank +3 trained +4 wis+1 trait
Khoran decides to fight fire with fire, and tries to entangle the thing right back.
The robot seems to come to a halt as the silkstring hex takes effect, causing its movement to be hampered as it's anchored in place. The net is still being aimed at Zelvin, however.
Grezzag is ready to strike, but pauses at Hekau's words (and Khoran's silkstring)
"Yeah, I don't trust it. If you can understand it that's something, but even if you convince it to stop, it'll do somethin' dangerous first time you turn your back."
He sidles around the robot, restraining his attack for now.
"The robot is merely a tool. It has a purpose and as such should be relatively predictable. In this case, its purpose is repairing damage to this structure. I do not believe that its primary purpose involves repelling invaders. Should we cause no further damage to the structure, we may be able to pass undisturbed.
The robot refers to this structure as 'the starship Divinity', as Zelvin noted. This reference warrants further investigation. I have only speculation at this point.
If you wish, Grezzak, you all can fall back. I can attempt to pass by it, exposing my back to it in doing so. We can thereby test your hypothesis that it will attack as soon as I turn my back.
It is, after all, my hypothesis that it will not harm us. It would be improper for any of you to suffer if I am in error.
Alyn, may I request that you holster your weapon? I wish to help free you from the net without alarming the robot."
If Alyn holsters her firearm, Hekau attempts to help free her.
As the party drags the netted party members away from the attention of the repair robot, you come across a hallway with strange machines sitting to the north and south against the walls, their faces appearing similar to coils of metal tubes with several nozzle-like protrusions pointing into the room itself. They seem to be non-powered currently, as they don't react to you in any way.
Untangling your party members from the nets, you encounter a room after the next one. A gray metal door sits in one wall of this short stone tunnel that curves north before opening into a vast sand-filled cavern.You do, however, see a creature lodged in the door, forcing it open. It doesn't react to you, as it seems to be inactive (as in, not moving, it isn't a robot). It looks similar to coral or air-blasted stone, but you can tell by the fact that it pulses, as if breathing, that it is indeed a creature.
What does the party do? Will you just take the creature down, or try to sneak past the porous carapace?
Zelvin considers what he knows about creatures such as this, and shares anything he remembers.
Hekau sees the strange creature and accesses his memory banks.
"Whaddya think, friends? Should we take this alien creature out? As much as I find unusual lifeforms like this one fascinatin', I don't reckon it's going to leave us alone even if we get past it somehow. How'd it get here, I wonder?" He shrugs, his revolver still drawn. "If we can crack that carapace, we can draw out whatever it's got hidin' inside."
"I concur with your conclusion, Zelvin. I do not believe we can evade this creature given its speed and senses."
"Seems like it won't be too much trouble to bust it open." Grezzag ponders. "Couple of solid whacks should do it. An if it's going to cause problems later, best deal with it now" he adds, with a cautious glance back the way they came.
"So that thing's alive is it? How fast will it wake up if we start beating on it? But if it's frozen, we should be able to get in a great opening shot..."
"Alright then, let's do it then, on three." Grezzag says, gripping his axe and moving up to the strange being, and looking around until everyone is in position.
"One.. two.. three!"