GM Jhaeman's Dawn of Flame, Chapter Five: "Solar Strike"

Game Master Jhaeman

After Amhesha's repairs, the Sun Diver is (almost) as good as new. "Fixin' a broke axle out on the prairie ain't easy!" Hop observes.

Day Four

A fourth day out from the Burning Archipelago sees the ship making good speed. "Only a coupla' more days, I reckon," says Hop.

On Day Four, the ship takes 2 points of direct hull damage from siccatite degradation.

"Wasn't much left but bones and peels anyway." Theodore says, as he too yanks his (considerably larger) claws out of the gap between two ceiling panels.

DAY FIVE

"Well folks, says Hop after dinner on the fifth day, "time to hold 'em, fold 'em, or lay 'em on the skimmer table! Today's the day ol' Vessu was gonna hatch that scheme to gas y'all silly and send out that encrypted signal into the unknown, statin' he had the reins. Still fixin' ta pretend that there ambuscade plan of his worked a treat?"

On Day Five, the ship takes 3 points of direct hull point damage from siccatite degradation.

Yes, thanks for the reminder Hop.

Zharis goes to check the pods and make sure that Vessu comes out of stasis so he can further the plan.

Day 4

Dejected by having her acting spiel interrupted, Amhesha goes to her quarters and ruminates on the day. "These are so much bigger than I'm used to, both at the DCI and Mother's Tongue," she says before flopping on her bed and just reviewing what new changes have been observed in Protean.

"Possible word order change, new slang, the same changes as usual. I'll keep that in mind when talking to people back home, and the off chance I get to see a protean," she says before passing out on her bed, fast asleep.

Day 5 -

"F@*% it. Graffiti this time," Amhesha says as she pulls out a can of spray paint and begins to head out. "Hop, you saw nothing; I'll take care to clean this before we get back to the DCI," she says as she starts graffiti-ing the parts of the ship that anyone entering might see first with... creative insults in both modern and ancient forms of Protean, in a whole host of dialects while referencing her Custom Rig for features of these dialects. "Alright, that should do it. We ready for the plan," she says once she asks Zharis.

Tulgram just goes back to recording lectures and podcasts. He will be rich, very rich! However, as a true follower of Droskar, he does not even try to make an educational product of the highest quality. No, instead, he does the absolute minimum so that there can be no legal claims against him, but he does a LOT of it (since he sold a lot of pre-sales of his courses and now clients have to get something so that they don't demand money back).

Vessu comes out of stasis groggy and stumbling. After some minutes of slow blinking and the consumption of a large tumbler of water, he nods to himself. "Okay. I'm okay. . . . That was an experience. Did you say you wanted me to transmit the signal? It's in an encrypted data packet hidden in the communication protocols. I wrote it in Ignan, which is what my "handler" seems to prefer. Basically, it just says I've got control of the ship and crew, and I'm on my way to the hostage exchange coordinates. But there's still time to change the message if you want. As long as we get my brother back, I'm in your hands."

Meanwhile, near the ship's entrance hatch, Hop's voice emanates from a speaker near Amhesha. "Ah reckon I ain't know a word of that there paint-writin' of your's! But from the sound o' things, maybe that's for the best!"

Yeah, I think stay with the plan for now; send the message they expect. Maybe that will lull them into a sense of security and we'll be able to get past their defenses.

If we change the plan, we'll do it at the very last part. I am not sure if I want to land where they want us to land... we need to land in a place where we have a chance to fight them, not surrounded by them. But until we know what it looks like, let's do what they expect.

Then, if it looks relatively safe, we do the exchange. But even if it is too dangerous, this still helps us get to the planet safely, and I promise, we'll still go after your brother.

Also, we don't have quarters for you, so you'll have to sleep in the lounge. But the couches in there are super comfortable, so no worries, right?

"Well, I'd better run through one last check on the weapons, make sure they're ready just in case." Theodore says, before heading to the cockpit.

Xylian, I hope tha'ss'a how ye imagined tha work o' a scientist, buddy. Tulgram chuckles. Tha plan sounds bad even for a class c television series, but tha irony be that we dinna have another one. Let's try ta survive.

"Centuries old Protean insults," Amhesha says nonchalantly with a shrug, as if it's not a big deal. "But yes, Tulgram, let's try to survive! No need to go to the Library of Stolen Words this early in life!"

Vessu sends the message. "I guess all we can do now is wait . . ." he says. He begins pacing back and forth.

DAY SIX

On what promises to be the final day of travel towards Kahlannal, the hours pass with agonizing slowness.

Finally, Hop's gravelly voice comes over the loudspeaker. Even he sounds stressed. "Ain't no turnin' back now," he intones. "Sensors pickin' up a big structure ahead y'all. Reckon it's our destination, and figger we're maybe an hour out. Best hold on to yer hats and say yer prayers!"

On Day Six, the ship takes 3 points of direct hull damage from siccatite degradation. (TOTAL: 15 points).

If there's anything you'd like to do before Kahlannal, now's the time.

Well, let's wake everyone up. Everyone should be ready in case something goes wrong.

After getting the other three wakened out of stasis, Zharis returns to the bridge, listening to the play-by-ply from Hop, and watching to see where they are being led.

Amhesha does the same thing, checking every way available to see where exactly they're going.

"Ah reckon this must be the place," says Hop, as a massive series of force bubbles connected by tunnels of energy appear on the screen. Kahlannal resembles the Burning Archipelago, and although smaller, lends the impression it was built by the same mysterious builders. Even the voluble Nib, seemingly never at a loss for words, can only stare in amazement at firsthand proof of an entire city hidden inside the sun for all this time!

"Got company!" says Hop, switching the screen to show that scanners have picked up four starships in the area.

"They're the exact same design of the vessel we salvaged near Far Portal," says Taeress breathlessly. "We're about to meet whatever force made it flee and that started the whole chain of events that led us to being here today!"

What would you like to do next? Make contact, take evasive actions, continue following the coordinates, or something else?

Okay, everyone stay off any communication channels for now. We'll follow the coordinates and try to just slip on past these brutes.

Remember who we are dealing with. That ship at Far Portal was captained by a person with a slave collar, and they turned him to ash for running. We can't get captured, or we'll be collared too. Our goal is to make contact with the rebels on the planet, so sit tight. These ships should think that we are unconscious and headed for a trap. Let's hope they do.

Aye. It's tha elementals who shou' serve us, nae us elementals. This has been tha case for millenniums.

Xylian is ready on the controls, both for the ship and the nuclear warheads. "I doubt these ones will be any more forthcoming than... anyone else we have met."

Amhesha audibly snarls, recalling the "servitude" the elementals have been put through to power magical engines, as she readies herself at the controls for the power cores, ready to divert power and patch the ship whenever needed. "Gripes about the potential of this being payback for all those magical engines aside, I'm ready to divert power to wherever it's needed," she says.

Even the Protean Lords find the concept of being worshipped bizarre and nonsensical, I'd like to think they'd certainly not really be on-board with slavery since it involves lots and lots of rules. That's why I'm portraying her as absolutely abhorring it.

Xylian keeps the Sun Diver on course, and the four starships soon veer away.

"The encrypted signal must be working!" says Vessu, wiping beads of sweat off his forehead.

"Yessir, ah reckon they left out the welcome mat for us!" says Hop. As the Sun Diver nears one of the protective force bubbles, a shimmering tunnel just big enough for the vessel to pass through opens up. "Ah just hope gettin' out's as easy as gettin' in!"

Once the ship is through the tunnel, Hop switches the viewscreen to show what's clearly a city below. It looks like a combination of practical buildings of silvery metal mixed with more organic structures with rounded, iridescent shapes. Smooth streets and walkways, channels for water, and what must be trenched tracks for trains of some sort divide these structures. The ruin of war is apparent among the elegant edifices, and visible bursts of lasers and explosions testify that the fighting continues in scattered pockets.

“I’m receiving landing coordinates, y’all. Scans show it to be some green space adjacent to a squat, two-story building. Since they've been so hospitable-like, ah imagine a welcoming party will be waitin' for us!"

Examples of the cityscape are on Slide # 4.

30ft. Circlet range unaffected though, right?

"Alright," Amhesha says, snapping her fingers and loading her modified Sniper Rifle with two bullets. "We ready to head out and blast them with everything cold we have," she asks as she grips her trusted Horizon Striker in both her hands, and the integrated Frost Projector all throughout the armor.

That is what welcoming party means here right?

Yeah, be ready for a fight, but also see if you can pick up any mental signals from the rebels, just in case. And look around and see if there is any other place to land too. We want options.

Zharis hopes that they don't bring out Vessu's brother wearing a collar, because she doesn't know which side Vessu would take in that circumstance. Hopefully he'd realize that fighting was still the best idea, but it's hard to get your brain to work in situations like that.

DCI guests remain on the ship and let no one else in, no matter what. Protect our retreat. Normally we would repair the hull as soon as we land so that we have a way out, but this time we'll have to wait.

(I have a minor psychic power, telepathic message 3 times a day, but I don't get empathic link till level 12, so I am assuming that I cannot read the spoiler.)

Tulgram nods calmly. He is not eager to fight, but he is also not averse to testing his new Capture Pole in business.

The Sun Diver lands smoothly in the green space adjacent to the building. The two-story building of brass and black steel seems out of place squatting in an otherwise beautiful area. The rear is raised on pylons, and two stairways lead up to doors into it. The front has a secure-looking door at ground level. Rising above that door, in the building’s southeast corner, is a fifty-foot-tall sniper’s tower. Standing atop the tower, in plain view, is a humanoid that's only 4 feet tall--but her head is literally on fire! Her gaze sweeps the area, and the sniper rifle at her side indicates she's ready for trouble.

As everyone prepares their gear inside the ship, the building's steel exterior doors open and a seven-foot-tall horned humanoid emerges, his face bovine-like in appearance. He strolls casually towards the Sun Diver and looks at with interest before standing patiently near the closed personnel hatch.

I'll put pics of these creatures on Slide # 5. I can prepare a gridded map shortly.

Re: Zharis' point about other safe places to land, whoever is in the role of Science Officer can use the ship's sensors to see what's available (and don't forget you get a +4 bonus to Computers from the ship's advanced sensors).

@Amhesha: We'll have to wait until someone tries to use telepathy to see what, if anything, happens :)

How far away is that tower? If they plan to snipe us, two can play at that game :)

Amhesha just waits for someone, either the bovine creature or Zharis, presumably, to say something, with both weapons at the ready in case anything goes wrong.

Theo slings his rifle, flexes his claws, and gets ready. When the bovine being steps out of the the building, Theo calls up a magnified picture.

Life Science: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (1) + 11 = 12 Trying to Identify Creature. Any chance I can Take 10?

Amhesha eyes down the sniper, making sure she doesn't try anything, and keeps her own sniper rifle at her side as well.

Life Science: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (20) + 14 = 34 Identify Creature.

Theodore and Amhesha search their memories for what the bovine-faced and fire-haired creatures are, respectively.

Meanwhile, the bovine-faced creature seems to be getting impatient with waiting and raps his knuckles on the Sun Diver's hull. "Vessu!" he shouts in Akitonian-accented Common, his words transmitted to the inside of the sealed vessel by the ship's external auditory sensors. "C'mon out kid, you did your part and no one is going to hurt you."

@Amhesha: I'm actually going to need a Mysticism check to try to identify the flame-haired sniper, but you can keep the same dice roll and just tell me an adjusted total. The tower the sniper is on is 50' tall, so doing some Pythagorean calculations, it looks like the hatch of the Sun Diver would be about 55' away. You'll notice that there's a 3' tall guard wall around the edge of the sniper platform, providing them with cover.

Zharis whispers to Vessu

Say "I want to see my brother! Bring him out!"

She shows him how to open the comm channel to the external speakers.

Since the guy in charge doesn't seem to be an efreet, she wonders if he will negotiate if it comes down to it.

If he was secretly a fan of As the Black Hole Turns, that would be even better, but for now they had a slim advantage. If they could draw out the brother, maybe they could play dead inside the ship, ambushing some of the people as they came in to get the "drugged" captives, then grab the brother and go... and pray that they could find the rebels.

She asks Taeress (quietly, when the external speakers are off)

Are you getting any mental messages from the rebels? They have to still be alive, right?

Mysticism is +9, so +29

Tulgram studies the horned creature with an Akitonian accent.

Take 20 as usual. 41 total (40 if it's mysticism). I think it's nuar, but why his horns on fire? .)

Vessu nods at Zharis' request, and, although clearly nervous, takes a deep breath and says: "Where's Leirol? Bring me my brother first, then you can have these guys--they're out cold!" It's a convincing performance, and it's clear that Vessu will do whatever it takes to get his brother back.

Natural 20 on the Bluff check--go Vessu!

The horned humanoid outside sighs. "Mate, Gorshak has your brother at the Spire. Can't fly there because of automated anti-aircraft, but I'll send you there in an ATV with a driver. C'mon now, open the doors--it going to take me ages to process these new prisoners, and the computer's been glitching all morning."

Taeress says in a low voice "I feel . . . whispers . . . there are minds out there, but something is interfering! I don't know if I can break through, but I'll try!" She sits down, closes her eyes, and presses her fingers to her temples, moaning lightly under her breath as if in pain.

Slide 6 has an ugly but hopefully workable depiction of the scene.

Zharis makess sure exterior comms are toggled off, and then looks around at everyone.

She speaks softly, but audibly, just careful to not let her voice carry outside the ship.

Okay, Vessu's brother isn't here, but it's a prison, and we're here to help the rebels. I think we have to go for a jail break, and hope that one of the prisoners can get us in contact with the resistance.

The question is, can we pull off an ambush... it's our only advantage, but it won't last long. I think we have to try though. Thoughts?

Zharis takes a deep breath and pauses for any last minute advice / suggestions / objections.

Want to leave this open for a group plan, not just me dictating, but in game time, it has to be relatively quick. Sounds like we can't go to the spire because they have big guns and our ship would get shot down, but taking the prison seems like a good plan B here... other ideas?

After they have a last hurried conversation if plans don't change, Zharis instructs Vessu:

Vessu, unlock the door and let him in. That big guy doesn't look like a slave, and it's possible we could reason with him, but the most important thing in this moment is that we need his keys to the prison so we don't have to spend a long time in the sniper's sights. Try not to kill him so we can talk to him later and see if he'll tell us why he's working for the efreet.

If it is possible, Vessu, after he comes in, cycle the door closed after him. If not, that's fine. Don't risk your life.

We'll stay back out of sight at first until we know how many are coming onto the ship. The goal is to try to isolate those ones only, not let anyone else in, get them down, get the keys, and from there we can approach the prison itself.

Everyone ready?

Zharis looks cool and confident and like someone you can believe in. It's a pose she has practiced often. No one can see that she is concerned about her friends and possibly getting someone killed following her orders. The show must go on.

"Ugh, an Azer," Amhesha says as she rolls her eyes. "Lawful pricks. I'm fine with that plan if the rest of you are," she continues. She clutches both her weapons as tight as she can, since the frost projector is sure to wreck havoc on Plane of Fire creatures, and the Horizon Striker has been with her for literal years.

Aye, I like this plan. I'll grab this horned one by tha throat with me toy an' he won't run away anywhere. We'll interrogate him quickly if we can an' tha balance o' power will become clearer.

With the others in the expedition team supportive of Zharis' plan, Vessu takes another deep breath and moves to open the airlock. The rumbling voice of the seven-foot-tall horned biped carries easily through the ship as he enters. "Alright. Where are they then? And hey, buck up fella--you'll be reunited with your brother soon enough."

The interior map of the Sun Diver is now on Slide # 7. Please place your tokens where you want to be hiding. The horned figure and Vessu are adjacent to the airlock in the Engineering. I've added cylinders to the Tech Workshop to represent the stasis pods. Taeress, Nib, and Ilor are current hiding in the Living Area; Ilor will either stay back to protect them or will join in an ambush, depending on what you ask.

The slideshow is view only for me. I can't add a token.

Man, this GM Jhaeman guy really needs to get his act together! :) Should be fixed now.

Can I hide inside a stasis pod? Like, pretend I'm unconscious, then it pops open and there's ten feet of angry claws and teeth? If not, can I hide behind one? Otherwise I guess I'll just do my best to find a corner in that room. At any rate, I don't seem to have an icon?

@Theodore: You bet--fun idea! You can roll or Take 10, and if it works, I'll give you either a Surprise Round or consider the foe flat-footed vs your first-attack (depending on timing). You can you any picture you want for your token, though using the one next to your forum posts makes it easy for everyone to recognise you.

I'd better Take 10. That gives me a 12. Large bears...not very sneaky. Maybe Vessu will be helpful and distract him.

Placed Amhesha down, also Sneaking and pretending she's unconscious. Also taking 10 for 25 in my case. She's the one right next to Theodore.

Nice, I'll join you. Take 10, result - 11 .)

Okay, I'm placed as well. I was assuming that the path into the ship goes from 7 to 6 to the 5-4-3 room, and we're probably trying to fight him in 6, and surprise him there. Me being in the 5-4-3 room I can get in the way if someone tries to come in (to protect Taeress and Nib), but stay out of the way for Ilor to come help if we need him (if more people come into the ship). ... And if he goes down fast, I can come in and play good cop, and maybe get him to talk. ... But that's getting ahead of ourselves. Right now we just need him to not kill us, and to get his keys. All the rest is gravy.

Okay, almost there and then we'll see what happens You guys are fun!

@Xylian: Where would you like to be?

Xylian communicates to the others that he will remain near the helm. Since he can fly the ship and operate its guns simultaneously, it seems like the best place for him, should they need to make a quick escape. His cannon is ready, nevertheless.

Since Xylian's cannon isn't really conducive to subterfuge, I think he'll wait at 6 in case he either needs to whip out his gun or climb to the helm and fly away. Last time we fought these cultists on a spaceship we almost had a TPK lmao

[ooc] Ouch. Are the those things at the top and bottom of the tech workshop ladders? And could I shoot from a higher floor, if so? [/ooco]

Yeah we installed ladders to keep bears out

Rude. Also, we have climb speeds, you know. lol

"I strapped them all into their bunks so they wouldn't get tossed around if there was turbulence. They're just up a couple of decks." Vessu's voice carries through the the open ladder hatches.

An irritated voice replies. "What, you couldn't have them ready? They better not be heavy. You're starting to get on my nerves, kid." The CLANK CLANK CLANK of hooved feet ascending a ladder precedes the creature's appearance in the tech workshop. There's a sigh, and then more footsteps as the newcomer starts across the deck towards the far ladder. Vessu's distracting chatter continues on, though it sounds like he hasn't started climbing yet.

"What tha--" the creature's voice starts. "Is that a tuft of beard dangling out of the pod?" But before the large biped can investigate, Amhesha has a chance to spring the group's ambush!

Okay, assuming the creature will Take 10 on Perception (with a small circumstance penalty due to Vessu's distraction) means that only Amhesha successfully pulls off the Stealth check. We'll move on to a Surprise Round in which Amhesha can take a standard or a move action (plus a swift action, if desired) and the foe is flat-footed. After that, I'll roll Initiative for everyone.