GM Zoomba's The Day the River Died [GAMEDAY XIII][SFS] (Inactive)

Game Master Zoomba

Gletch frowns. "Does anyone have a camera? We should document this exquisite feat of engineering ... before we blow up half the asteroid and destroy it." He sighs, resigned to the mission, then looks around. "I am guessing that stairs leading to the wall of light might be the route to the controls we're looking for."

Thraega has DR/1.

"No camera here."
"I guess this time we should go into the light."

Gletch does regularly check his radiation badge to make sure the levels are still acceptable as they proceed.

Embidi's ruby red aeon stone is a comm unit & tier 3 computer; it's probably got smart phone camera capabilities. He'd snap a few shots, and take some video panoramas.

Amy is also recording the area around them to document this place.

"Oh, good idea!"
He and Drone start recording.

You can record the space easily, and despite Gletch's concerns there is no appreciable radiation about here.

As the techmage and witchwarper head ahead to the wall of light they find it quite solid however. The light wall stands at the bottom of the stairs with no clear handle, console, or anything else to distinguish it from just another wall.

Gletch pulls out his broad-spectrum scanning kit and surveys the area. "There's got to be a control interface, or a power junction, or even just a data line that we can tap into without an interface. Something."

The two nearest glow with soft red light and reach up toward a river of light 50 feet overhead that flows west-to-east through openings in the chamber that seem to lead to a pair of side rooms.

The final two statues are quite damaged, but they glow a warm blue and look toward the doors at the far end of the room. Beyond these final statues stands a set of stairs that end abruptly at a solid wall of light.

Didn't realize that there were both doors and the stairs at the far side of the room.

"Perhaps those doors, then? Or we could investigate the side rooms first."

Perception w/ scanner: 1d20 + 8 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 8 + 4 = 27

"Open rooms first, aye?"

He stops and looks back to the statues. "Eh, we'll wee what we find in yon rooms but I gotta feeling them damaged statues might be significant."

Gletch looks at their bases, to see if there's any sort of inscription on them.

Gletch examines the statues and the central chamber carefully. Beyond the inscription in the center of the floor which curiously each of you are able to read easily...in your own first language there is no other writing - the statuary lacks any glyphs, plaques, or inscriptions. The gnome does notice that the white pair of statues seem ot have faint indents on their brows as if something was meant to rest on their heads. The blue statues in turn are quite cracked, chipped and damaged.

Checking out the 1d2 ⇒ 2 west alcove, Freeman peers in to see a long room in which a variety of miniature art objects are set and resting within displays cases. The items include a dagger, a crown, and a large set of butterfly wings. All are intricately engraved and designed.

Does the crown look like it would fit on the statues?

Gletch casts detect magic to see if any of the objects radiate magical properties.

Embidi thinks out loud: "Hmm, so, the inscriptions read 'Light, Loss, Life,' yes? Three words, three pairs of statues, and three objects in the West room? Maybe we need to adorn the statues with appropriate objects? A set of wings on the wingless statues, a dagger on the middle downcast statues to signify loss, and the crown on the final pair, which look like they might have one had something upon their brows?"
He'll go check out the East alcove, to see if it too has three items in it, but he's wary of ancient countermeasures, so he'll go slowly and check for traps, via Perception and Detect Magic.
Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11
"Ah yes, looks perfectly safe! Hah, you can always trust the guileless trust of ancient Sarcesians, I guess!"

"Sounds like as good a plan as any."

To me ... butterfly wings are associated with Desna but ... *shrugs* the crown and the dagger, no idea.

She follows Embidi into the east alcove.

the crown looks like it could possibly fit on the statue's heads, yes.

Embidi senses great magic emanating from all 6 of the statues, but none from the items in the western alcove, or any traps.

Nor does the hanakan detect magic from the objects in the eastern alcove either. For the opposite side's chamber is very similar: a long room with various objects carefully displayed in cases. The three objects here are a wand made of crystal, a wreath of flowers, and a large green gemstone.

culture(crown): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
culture(wreath): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

All Amy realises is that they're pretty.

Crown Culture: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24
Wreath Culture: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

I'm good with Embidi's plan or paramutations thereof.

Following Embidi's proposal, you carefully open the display case holding the wings and bring them to one of the red statues taking pictures and scans of them beforehand of course :). As the hanakan holds them up against the statue the artistic wings transform in his hands into life-sized solar wings glowing with luminous light. The wings fuse to the red statue's back, across the way a second set of solar wings grow out of the other red statue, and both sarcesians glow even brighter from within.

Unfortunately, steps two and three of Embidi's tactic get less of a reaction. You manage to slot in a dagger into the hands of one of the white statues, but it just sits there - now looking just like a sarcesian holding a dagger. Similarly the crown can be placed atop one of the damaged blue statue's cracked brows (most easily by Drone, given the statue themselves are almost ten feet tall) but it simply sits there precariously.

Culture: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

"Sarcesians used their wings to fly the solar current, so this clearly represents light."

Culture: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10

Kalhoun then describes the exact opposite of whatever's under the spoiler.

culture: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

"Well, one outta three and no explosions ain't bad!"

He nods as Kalhoun starts and then frowns. "Ya had me at that first sentence, the rest were garbage..

[b]"It seems we're on the right track, at least,"[/n] Embidi says, putting a claw against his mouth to think.
First Mysticism: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27
Second Mysticism: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16
He'd share what he deduces about light and wings with the rest of the team (the first spoiler) but further insights are beyond him (the second spoiler.)

mysticism: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32
mysticism: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (1) + 12 = 13

Culture (crown): 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (12) + 15 = 27
Culture (wreath): 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (16) + 15 = 31
Culture: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (17) + 15 = 32
Culture: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (17) + 15 = 32

Gletch explains what he's deduced. "I do think the wreath perhaps represents loss ... So if the wings are light, and the wreath are loss ... which of these items would represent life."

"So, by process of elimination, Life must be represented by either the crystal wand, or the green gemstone. Hmm. Well, among my people, it would probably be the crystal wand, but a good Starfinder doesn't project their own cultural assumptions. Still, though, that's my guess. Thoughts?"

Green? As in plants?

You are able to get the wreath moved and positioned atop one of the white statues' heads. As it settles, the art piece grows and transforms into a life-sized crown of living flowers that bloom beautifully. A second resplendent wreath-bouquet grows around the brow of the other white statue as well.

You debate which object to try and place onto the blue statues, before trying the wand. And then the gem. then the crown and dagger as well. But none seem to have any effect! Frankly its hard even to find a good spot to place the items onto give the state of disrepair and damage this set is in: cracks cover them and chunks of the 'light' meant to form them appears missing in sections.

mysticism: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14

Necromancy?

Can I Take 10 for 20 total.

Otherwise Mysticism: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16

Can I Take 10 for 20 total?

Sure in this case - it will take a bit more time, but you’re not in any active and distracting peril

Threaga examines the statues. "Could it be that life here is referred to in the meta-physical sense? The statues might represent life and are thus alive for the purposes of spells and such, like for healing magics."

"Healing magic..? Fascinating! Amy, I believe that's your purview? I can sing your curative magic to excellent effect, if I may!"

Hopefully it's not necessary, but Spell Speaker can let me Amplify any mystic cure spells: The spell is especially potent. On the turn that they cast the spell, the spellcaster can reroll any of the dice rolled to determine the spell’s effect (such as damage dice) whose result is a 1 and take the second result. Any such die that rolls its maximum value (such as 4 on a d4) treats its result as though it were 1 higher.

Amy puts her hands on the statue and uses her Healing Touch on it.

The blue statue shudders as Amy sends restorative magic into it. Both it an its partner's glow intensifies, getting brighter and brighter until the luminosoity is too much and for a moment all you see is blue. Then, when the light level lowers and you blink you see each of the blue statues appear restored to their full beautiful glory. What's more, the light wall at the far end of the core's antechamber ripples and then dissolves away.

Where that barrier once stood curved stairs descend into a large chamber. Unlike the antechamber this room is partially flooded flooded with murky water that flows across the floor from west to east with no obvious source. The walls and curved pillars are composed of radiant golden light, with strange hybrid machinery protruding from the northern walls.

In the center of the room roils a cyclone of brilliant colors, its ever-shifting whorls forming shifting, half-glimpsed images of grasping hands, serene faces, and glowering accusatory eyes.

mysticism: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27

Amy tales a look inside
Oh my ghod ... It's full of souls

"That is ... troubling." He begins examining the hybrid machinery for some sort of manual control. "Will shutting it off release the souls ... or destroy them?"

"Oh, wow, yeah. This complicates things. Destroying the engine to save a fraction of the River's substrate, and sending a number of souls off to the other, bigger, River of Souls, sure. But if that prevents the souls from moving on..." Embidi trails off, leaving that unpleasantness hanging.

"It could be that it is time for them to move on. Maybe that is why things are falling apart."

"Unless they need more souls to keep the engine running..."

Mysticism: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

Well, if there's any way to verify Kalhoun's guess, he finds it.

"Aye. Tis a bit horrifyin'. Otherwise, I got nuthin. "

With that Mysticism role, as best Amy can tell the souls' continual presence here to keep the engine powered rather than moving on could only have been done ritually and with willing participants. This would explain how the containment field around the river could have possibly lasted so strongly for so long, but from the shape of the engine - and even this room - even this has reached the limits of what time and strain could allow the arcane engine to handle. Properly depowering the engine should release the souls into the afterlife; you're not sure what would happen to them were they still linked to the engine if it viol;ently exploded.

As you take in the revelation at the heart of the core, from the cyclone of souls and light a figure emerges. Radiant and drifting down on wings of solar energy, firery light pours from its empty eye sockets and gaping mouth. With a gesture, the being gathers light
into a blade and points it forwards.
SABOTEURS! INTERLOPERS! I WILL NOT LET YOU DESTROY OUR PEOPLE'S HOPE!

It moves to bear down on you as to the rear of the room from behind the computer consoles two skeletal sarcesian bodies also stir and rise to defend the room!

One of the skeletons begins wading through the water. As it nears it stretches out a hand towards Kalhoun. Its very bones glow with a light that moves into its arm and out in a ray right towards the Tromlin.

attack v Kalhoun EAC: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13 for fire: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Meanwhile the glowing figure begins to shine even brighter. Red-hot flames of light lick around him as he calls out: THE RIVER ENSURES LIFE. WITHOUT IT MY PEOPLE WILL PERISH.

He floats above the water and looks towards the cyclone of souls. From within a spectral being flies free to slam into Freeman, burning the dwarf with solar heat.

Freeman EAC: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (5) + 14 = 19 for Fire: 2d6 + 7 ⇒ (5, 3) + 7 = 15

Initiative

blue skeleton
Glowing sarcesian
Freeman 18/42 SP, Drone 7 damage
Embidi 22/24 SP
Thraega 22/30 SP
Gletch 27/29 SP
red skeleton
Amy 32/36 SP
Kalhoun 38/40 SP

The floor in the area is filled with water about two-feet deep, and is considered Difficult Terrain.
The machinery against the north wall is the control consoles for the arcane engine. If adjacent to it, you can begin the engine shutdown process with a Engineering, Computers, or Mysticism check as a Full Action. It will likely take multiple successes.
As you seem hesitant and regretful about the need to shut the engine down, you could possibly try to get this guardian to stand down with a successful Diplomacy check, and two other successful checks of either Culture, Mysticism, Engineering, or Physical Science (or a Profession check if you can justify it) to explain the need and circumstances. Note: only one such success will be 'counted' each round; you'd need to get them to 'see the light (sorry) over a bit of time rather than spamming in the first 30 seconds

Note: only one such success will be 'counted' each round; you'd need to get them to 'see the light (sorry) over a bit of time rather than spamming in the first 30 seconds

30 seconds is five rounds of combat...

Would Kalhoun's roll be good enough to tell whether he could do anything incredibly stupid heroic to help with the containment field?

We always knew this would come down to one high-stakes Diplomacy roll! XD Also - dang, that Sarcesian art is awesome!
Embidi (Move action) moves forwards and draws his longarm, but (Swift action) makes a great show of obviously switching grip to keep it pointing down at his side, rather than raised in a threatening stance. Then, he'll say. "Please - listen - we mean you no harm. It has been thousands of years since your heroic sacrifice to create the River Between, but this device is failing. If we don't shut it down carefully, it will explode - violently, and cause even greater strife to the Sarcesians of the Diaspora!"
Diplomacy, will hold off on Expertise to see result: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (17) + 15 = 32
Oh yeah - that 17 is pretty good; gonna add Expertise, rather than use Slick Customer to re-roll.
Expertise: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
So 32 + 4 = 36 total.

GM Zoomba wrote:

Note: only one such success will be 'counted' each round; you'd need to get them to 'see the light (sorry) over a bit of time rather than spamming in the first 30 seconds

30 seconds is five rounds of combat...

Whoops: what I get for typing a long post on phone - meant to say 6

The floating figure calls back at Embidi: YOU SPEAK WITH THE BRASH CONFIDENCE OF A MAYFLY OVER THINGS YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND. I HAVE LIVED AN ETERNITY AS THE GUARDIAN, BY THE POWER OF THE ONES WHO SOAR. AND I WILL ENDURE COUNTLESS EONS MORE. YOU ARE BUT A BLIP IN THE SEA OF TIME.

You words do seem to have some effect in getting an opening, but he’s still pretty aggro and will need continual convincing arguments…next round

"Ouch, ouch! Fire. Grr! Ya twit! The system runnin' the river's been on for thousands of years, it's failing already! We be tryin' to find a way ta fix it! Help us do that!"
Followed by some impressive technobabble...
engineering: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (5) + 16 = 21

If I'm correct, on Round 1 Embidi's Diplomacy roll is the only one that counts, so Freeman's Engineering roll wouldn't come up until round 2?

Round 1
Gletch tries to see if he can recognize either the being of light, or any details about the skeletons.
Mysticism (Identify Creatures - being of light): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26
Mysticism (Identify Creatures - skeletons): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26
Not having any particular skill at Diplomacy, Gletch stands quietly waiting as the envoy tries to parlay with the being of light. If he gains any information that is useful, he offers it up to the group.
Specifically looking for anything about their intentions, but failing that then weaknesses/resistances/immunities.

Round 2
As Freeman attempts to explain the technical constraints requiring their actions, Gletch throws in some clarification of the technobabble, of the sort he's used to translating for his undergraduate students.
Engineering (Assist): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19

Freeman: you get the sense (IC, explicitly OOC) that persuading this guardian to stand down will need to be done over time. With Embidid succeeding at a diplomacy check this round, further entreaties this same round won't impact it.
Would you like to re-do your actions this first round?

Gletch recognizes the skeletons as for the most part skeletons undead, but they seem magically empowered and connected to the soul-cyclone powering this whole place. With the amount of souls within, its even possible more could re-animate these forms as needed. They have DR/Magic, are immune to cold, and clearly can fire solar beams. They also would likely spring back up in a round or so even if destroyed (they are not the main deal here)

The being of light in contrast also seems to not be actually alive also an undead. but much more composed and powerful. Though normally sarcesians cannot fly in except in space, it seems deeply connected to the solar energy around here. immune to fire, can fly. It's glow also shows it is attuned to the souls as well in addition to solar energy. The blast that struck Freeman seems to have been directed as a Swift action. On top of that, its current glow and flaming sword remind you of a photon-attuning solarian...

Initiative, Round 1

blue skeleton
Glowing sarcesian
Freeman 18/42 SP, Drone 7 damage
Embidi 22/24 SP
Thraega 22/30 SP
Gletch 27/29 SP
red skeleton
Amy 32/36 SP
Kalhoun 38/40 SP

The floor in the area is filled with water about two-feet deep, and is considered Difficult Terrain.
The machinery against the north wall is the control consoles for the arcane engine. If adjacent to it, you can begin the engine shutdown process with a Engineering, Computers, or Mysticism check as a Full Action. It will likely take multiple successes.
As you seem hesitant and regretful about the need to shut the engine down, you could possibly try to get this guardian to stand down with a successful Diplomacy check, and two other successful checks of either Culture, Mysticism, Engineering, or Physical Science (or a Profession check if you can justify it) to explain the need and circumstances. Note: only one such success will be 'counted' each round; you'd need to get them to 'see the light (sorry) over a bit of time rather than spamming in the first 30 seconds

Round 1
Gletch glances at the deep water - particularly deep for a gnome - and then types into the sigil keypad on his prosthetic leg (not that you can see it that well beneath the water). Glowing energy manifests in front of him, as if he's casting a spell, and the energy forms and coalesces into an athletic hoverchair next to him.

Full action: Use the Fabricate Tech magic hack to burn one of my Precog level 1 spells to create a level 2 technological item for 5 minutes.

Threaga will either Aid (automatic) Embedi's Diplomacy or, if that is not allowed this late, cast Invisibility upon himself.

I did miss that, thank you.

Feeling that diplomacy, which he is not the best at, might be the best solution, Freeman and Drone move back away from the line of fire, or whatever is coming..