GM Zoomba's The Beginning of the End (Inactive)

Game Master Zoomba

@GM sorry, my formulation wasn't clear. It was +2EP total, 1 from each hit. So my total EP was 4 (as updated in my profil) before the hit of this round wich up my total to 5 as you have calculated :)

Ombonth smiles, and with his dead eye look at the drow. I was already dead once, so death is not unknown to me but aren't you afraid to die drow? Let me show you the fear of death. HA HA HA HA!

Ombonth charges his fist with entropic energy and strikes!

Entropic Strike vs EAC: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22
Damages, A&B: 1d6 + 10 + 4d4 ⇒ (3) + 10 + (3, 4, 1, 4) = 25

Move action to add +4d4 Damages to my strike using 4EP -> 1EP left, EAC21/KAC23

Will v Haunted Armor: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
Will v Mind Thrust: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

5am races towards Kebzec to support Ombonth as Celly, Speaker and George continue to keep up the pressure on the drow through spells. Kebzec grunts from impacts both mental and physical, and again as Ombonth's fist again slams into him.

But the drow still stands defiant even as his armor seizes up around him.

"You are far too little, far too late" he snarls as he continues to lash out at the dragon in front of him.
Attack v Ombonth KAC: 1d20 + 13 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (17) + 13 + 2 - 4 = 28 for Slashing: 1d12 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

"This city is already falling as we speak. And it is just a fraction of what Zhaneni soon will be able to accomplish."
Attack v Ombonth KAC: 1d20 + 13 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (6) + 13 + 2 - 4 = 17 for Slashing: 1d12 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

"You even getting here is an anomaly. The last such oversight your Society will be allowed to get away with!"

Those of you close to the injured drow see his skin ripple as his many injuries seem to begin knitting back together.

Initiative

George 09-23
Speaker for the Dead 26/35 SP
Kebzec 67 damage, armor haunted
Celly
5am
Ombonth 5/60 SP, 2 EP

George 09-23 is certain that with the whole team on Kebzec that he will go down sooner than latter. With a moment of concentration three more missiles arc towards the last remaining villain.

Magic Missile, Full Round Action, Harmful Spells: 3d4 + 3 + 3 ⇒ (2, 3, 1) + 3 + 3 = 12

5am stabs the drow twice.

Knife Full Attack KAC: 1d20 + 9 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 9 - 4 + 2 = 12
Knife Full Attack KAC: 1d20 + 9 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 9 - 4 + 2 = 27

She sacrifices a dead-end timeline to speed herself up for just a moment to twist the knife.

Temporal Aggression and sacrifice paradox 8 to deal max damage = 14 dmg total on the crit.

Celly casts a level 2 Mind Thrust.
mt2: 4d10 ⇒ (5, 6, 2, 3) = 16 dc 15 will

Speaker for the Dead's tetrad rings activate in a bid to down the dangerous drow!

Tetrad Rings vs Drow KAC: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
damage (B, Force): 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Will: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

Surrounded Kebzec fights on, dodging Speaker's rings while tanking the worst of Celly and George 09-23's spells. But behind him 5am stabs out with her own knife. The first swing goes wide as the villanous drow plans to continue to cut into Ombonth. With the wieght of possibility upon her, 5am draws out the power of an entire alternate path as her knife slices into Kebzec.

The drow *clurk*s and *coughs* as he turns around to look at 5am. "You...here..." he rasps out as he begins to sag. "But this wasn't supposed to...she would have told m-"

And then Kebzec falls, pistol and sword clattering to the floor as his frame bleeds out.

COMBAT OVER!!!
Speaker for the Dead 26/35 SP
Ombonth 5/60 SP

HOWEVER...

You take in Kebzec's death, but the rumbling of the floors and walls around you quickly draws your focus back. The machinery in the basement continues to hum along with terrible purpose to keep quaking Izdria into rubble!

The enemies are down but their weapon is still active!
The central machine bit, northern machine bit, and servers are all protected by some shield generators built in. You can attempt to destroy them by force, but that may have some explosive repercussions.
Alternately, you could try to initiate a shutdown procedure. First you'd need to disable the shielding (with Computers, Engineering or Mysticism). Then the machinery would need to be shutdown with another Computers, Engineering, or Mysticism check. Finally the servers would need to be wiped clean (with a - you guessed it! - Computers, Engineering, or Mysticism check).

George 09-23 rushes towards the machinery attempting to shut it down. He spends a moment to focus the last of his magical energy to enhance his intellectual abilities (Fluid Morphism cast with Spell Tattoo to enhance his Intelligence based skills).

The Technomancer is open to help but takes the lead. With hacking kit in hand he attempts to initiate a shutdown.

I will gladly accept aids here. :)

Computers to bring down the Shields, Fluid Morphism: 1d20 + 17 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 17 + 2 = 34

Computers to disable the machinery, Fluid Morphism: 1d20 + 17 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 17 + 2 = 23

Computers to wipe the servers, Fluid Morphism: 1d20 + 17 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 17 + 2 = 24

If any roll misses success by 1 then George's Aeon stone will trigger and improve the roll by 1 retroactively.

A witchwarper once told me that the future is never certain - just a whole range of possibilities

Celestia works on the mysticism side to help.
mysticism: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (4) + 13 = 17
mysticism: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (16) + 13 = 29
mysticism: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (11) + 13 = 24

5am is temporally exhausted from the fight, but does her best to help George 09-23.

Aid Computers: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16
Aid Computers: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24
Aid Computers: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

The casters well, at least 75% of them. Side note: I think this is the first time I've seen a mage-majority SFS party advance to collaborate on shutting the Order's insidious machine down.

Celly has some difficulty with the Shield Generators at first but George 09-23 manages to set it and disable the power just before it looks set to surge out towards you. With the shielding gone, Celly returns the favor by getting the magitech device powered down and severing the mystic bonds holding it together. All the while 5am is working hard to aid too, holding tools, offering advice, and helping the translate the required codes. With the machines shuttered, together the three move onto the server rooms and wipe out the data. The programs allowing such dangerous devastation are wiped away, hopefully forever!

As you wrap up your work down here the rumbling from above and around you slows and then stops. Further, as you rest your datapads start pinging with news alerts - alerts each of you seem to be tagged in. Looking at the infosphere shows almost every channel and social app flooded with news about a malicious scheme by the Order of Dawning Fate to destroy Izdria. Countless files and documents exposing the group's schemes have been released, each "proving" that the threat was exposed and the danger stopped by the combined efforts of you five - all named - and the ysoki Datch working together.

While Izdria still will have a lot of clean-up to do, the threat of its destruction has been stopped!
What would your party do now?

"We did it! Great job, everyone! Do we have to do anything with Datch anymore, or can we go eat junk food already while waiting for our ride back?" 5am takes a selfie with the group next to the wiped servers as a memento.

I was wondering if we should stay to help the citizens get back into the homes, and deal with any traumas or injuries bit .... she shrugs.

As for Datch? Nah. She can wait. Besides, I'm curious to see if she does show up at the Starlight at any point.

She smiles for the selfie. I'd like a copy of that if you please.

George 09-23 decides to search lower portion of the building including their former opponents.

Always be looting. :)

"Perhaps we can find out a little bit more here. I think we should meetup with Datch. She does always seem to know what is going on."

People might not like Datch but meeting up with her is probably the last leg of this mission. :)

"This one believes that if the immediate threat has been averted, the residents of Izdria could use emergency assistance and counselling."

Speaker's inclined to help with the emergency evacuations/refugee situation, but will go along if there's a need to report in to the SFS, etc.

5am can document your presence there for records and chrocniles clearly. And if they just so happen to end up on your socials, well... while George 09-23 continues to sweep the basement. The andorid confirms its clear The drow have some loot, but nothing incriminating. Kebzec in particular is implanted with several strange and highly experimental implants.

Speaker for the Dead heads up to assist in the recovery efforts. Over the next few days construction crews begin to clear the rubble and set up plans for rebuilding, but the embri finds himself plenty busy tending to those injured in the quakes and collapses. The populance is extremely grateful for your help as you tend to them - and you find that each of you have become local celebrities and heroes thanks to Datch's messages.

As for the ysoki herself? She is gone: despite searching all over the city you find no sign of the hacker. Though on the thrid day after stopping Kebzec you turn in one night to find a message on your datapads with a large data packet attached. Handout posted

When eventually you return back to Absalom Station Celita greets you with visible relief. "Starfinders, it looks like your intervention was timely indeed. Your efforts and quick thinking under pressure saved millions. And with Kebzec taken out the threat of the Order's weapon should be neutralized; with us straining their resources and the lack of a chief engineer they won't be able to replicate the device any time soon."

"The Forum is sending a follow-up team to Izdria to identify the location of the finitirum desposits the Order was hoping to access. They'll ensure that the metal doesn't fall into the wrong hands." Celita pauses and looks at you. "From your intial debriefs and the broadcast messages I understand that you encountered Datch and made a deal with her. I am sure that that must have been a difficult decision, but those sort of hard choices arise in the field. I will not second-guess it: personally I believe the trade was worth it - even if not everyone in our Society would agree." She gestures to a set of computer banks nearby. "The Cortex is analyzing her provided information right now. If Datch's information is accurate we may finally be able to pinpoint Zhaneni's base of operations. And put a stop to the Order for good."

The Dataphile dismisses you. As you're leaving though you're approached by another figure: Zigvigix. The shirren's antennae twitch. Friends! Agents! II wanted to thank you personally. I saw on the news all the help you provided to the citizens of Izdria. A terrible situation, but it could have been so much worse without you. They're sending a team to secure the Order material, but I'm having one of my own tag along to help the city recover and rebuild. there's a spot on it for you, if you would like to join them. Or if not I understand: you've all been through an ordeal and agents need their own rest and recovery too! Either way, many many thanks!

And with that, you're mission is complete! The city saved, the Order of Dawning Fate's quake weapon neutralized, and yet another Order founder taken down. And then there were two...

Congratulations agents: you've kicked of the Beginning of the End (of the Order). The 'End' end would await you in 6-16 Dawning Fate