There were times while working on the door where Raiks was clearly frustrated, and she often cursed (in Osiriani!) quite audibly. But when the door pops open, she leaps up with a cheer, hugs her brother, and curtsies to Karina.
"Your input was invaluable. Thank you." she says to Karina. Then she readies her bow again and cheerfully asks the group, "Shall we keep exploring?"
"No problem, witch-bard bullshit and technology is what I'm here to do, after all."
Taking in the curious interaction going on between the organics, Alpha-47 stares unblinking, "It is impressive you all were able to open this door by working together. Indeed let us keep exploring, I am curious to know what is deeper within,"
"I mean, I guess you could pick the lock no problem..." Seoli slumps for a moment, sounding somewhat disappointed, "So which way do we go now? Goin' right looks like it would take us back to that desert, but there was only the one door out there, so who knows? Place is weird."
Looking around, before pointing, "we should head that way," gesturing towards the nearby door, "Would be wise to investigate to ensure there are no surprises waiting to sneak up on us from behind"
The set of doors that Alpha indicates are the farthest from your entry point, and the door opening mechanism has a brown chip on the front. As before, this door does not open with a simple hand press like many of the others have.
"I could have just smashed the door open otherwise, I guess." Efni thinks out loud, wondering if this was the more elegant and reasonable way.
Iron Gods Book 1: Fires of Creation
Chapter 4: Technological Terrors
Alpha uses the brown key card to open the door with the brown chip. Beyond is a short 15' hallway that ends in another door. This one does not have any chip on the opening panel.
Provided you open that door, you see a oddly shaped room. A large metal desk with blinking light and strange glowing panels sits atop a raised area on the east side of this room near a circular table. Two black metal pillars are in the western part of this room near the door. 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 in the ceiling.
"There will always be need for smashing doors down, but at least for these metallic ones it's best to try picking them first so you don't tire out and get ambushed."
Leading the way, Raika pauses at the door. "Karina! I think you're going to want to see this." she calls out. As for Raika herself, her attention will be given, at range, to keeping an eye on the door with blood in front of it.
"Anybody know what that mold or fungus is. I've had bad experiences with that in the past".
Knowledge: Nature (+5)
Bahir wraps his favorite scarf about his nose and mouth as he enters the center of the room.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait! There's still a couple rooms here we haven't looked in!" Seoli points to the hall they came from, "I'm excited to keep movin' too, but no stone left unturned, as they say!"
"Plus, that blood in there means whatever's bleedin' or caused the bleedin' could still be around!"
The mold is a russet-red color, but Bahir does not recognize it. It does appear to be only a small amount and much of it appears dead or dying around the edges.
Seoli voices concerns about the rooms behind and Alpha backs that up. So the team carefully backtracks out of this room and returns to the two unopened double doors. The eastern one has a brown chip on the opener, while the western has a red chip.
Efni's hand streches out to the handle of the red chipped door, checking if it opens without resistance.
The doors open electronically, so resistance doesn't mean the same thing, but as you place your palm on the opener, the doors slide open, though there is a slight hiss and the hint of smoke from the mechanism when you do.
The air in this room seems to hum and buzz with energy. Strips of glowing rectangles light the room from above, while strange flickering windows line the walls. filled with light showing only black and white static. A large glass-topped circular table sits in the middle of the room, showing a hologram representation of the desert space you just walked through On one end sits a large metal desk covered with blinking lights, while a humming pillar of purple and black metal stands nearby, its sides flashing with tendrils of violet energy. Many of the machines here are damaged, cracked or broken, and a now-disturbed layer of dust coats most of the room, with footsteps and other signs of recent intrusion showing.
Alpha and Karina remember his room, which seemed to turn the power on for the rest of the area, including bringing the desert habitat to life with light, sun, and wind. There does not seem to be any active threats in this room at present.
"Well there is something I couldn't have imagined ever seeing. Any of this make sense to anyone here".
"It doesn't make sense to me." Raika says, though she doesn't seem overly concerned by that. After all, the strange devices they've come across seem more in Alpha and Karina's wheelhouse, at least to this point.
"I think it will make more sense with time." she adds. "Shall we try the other door?"
"These blinkin' lights are kinda mesmerizin' in a way..." Seoli murmurs as she wanders the room looking over the various devices.
She pauses for a moment in front of the humming pillar, gazing blankly at the energy tendrils it gives off, only to snap back to her senses as the group discusses moving to the next room.
Seoli's look around the room doesn't reveal much more. This place hums with energy and lights, but nothing of threatening or of obvious value remains here.
"Stand ready Sister. I'll open the door... you be ready for whatever is behind it".
Bahir steps forward and investigates the door before opening it.
Perception modifier (+5)
Alpha-47 takes a look around, examining the consoles, but doesn't really notice anything of note, "It is good at least we confirmed there is nothing sneaking up behind us," Looking to the others, "Raika, Behir, lead the way, let's see what's behind this next door,"
Seoli rubs her eyes as she tears herself away from the glowing lights of the unlocked room and exits back into the hall, "Didn't look like there was much in there aside of all the blinky lights." Pointing ahead, she shouts, "Let's see what's behind door number two!"
The last unopened door behind you has a brown chip on the opening panel. A hand touch does not open it, but placing the brown key card near it does allows the doors to slide open seamlessly.
As Alpha noted before, this room is an observation chamber. A large metal table surrounded by odd-shaped chairs sits in the middle of this room. On one side, what looks to be a transparent wall looks out over the strange desert valley. Four pillars support the fifteen-foot high ceiling, while dozens of crude images of a pickaxe made of a skull and bones have been painted onto the walls with some ivory pigment along with several phrases in an unrecognizable language.
Standing across the room, is a tall four-armed green-skinned creature that looks almost insectile in some ways. While Karina and Alpha-47 recall killing this creature once, here it stands again, fully alive, and apparently well. It holds a shortsword in each hand, and chitters at you with apparent anger, making defiant gestures towards the symbols on the wall and looking eager for a fight. Flanking the flesh and blood creature are two more skeletons similar to those you fought before, green light shining in their eyes as they activate and look to fight.
Aliens - Round 1
21 Raika
20 Red Skeleton
20 Blue Skeleton
19 Alpha-47
15 Hetuath
11 Efni
9 Seoli
9 Karina
6 Bahir
"Hostiles!" Raika calls out and spends a moment studying the apparent leader of the group.
She then takes a shot at the four-armed, green-skinned creature and falls back.
for and .
Aliens - Round 1 - continued
21 Raika
20 Red Skeleton
20 Blue Skeleton
19 Alpha-47
15 Hetuath
11 Efni
9 Seoli
9 Karina
6 Bahir
While Raika has not seen this type of creature before, she knows a zombie when she sees one. This one seems to have a crush on Zyphus. Like most zombies it is mildly resistant to fire, physical (except slashing or magic weapons), and positive energy. It is also immune to cold death disease, electric, paralysis, poison, sleep and magic missile. Zombies don't have known weaknesses, and this guy seems quick with higher stamina, but may not have the willpower that others do. In addition, she expects that, with its many arms and weapons, it can deal reactive strikes if targets get to close.
Her bow shot seems right on target, but when it strikes, it caroms off his harder than it appears flesh, and does not damage the creature.
The pair of skeletons activate as if commanded, and move to block the entrance to the room, their many claws waving menacingly but they don't leave the room to attack.
Looking at the creature, "We have killed this one before, it may be some kind of uniquely cursed Zombie to still be functioning,"
Looking at the others, "Brigh will guide your weapons, let us put an end to this creature," Alpha-47 then holds his holy symbol aloft and it starts glowing softly.
He then looks around at the cramped corridor we are in, "We can funnel them but may be better for us to push into the room,"
Aliens - Round 1 - continued
21 Raika
20 Red Skeleton
20 Blue Skeleton
19 Alpha-47
15 Hetuath
11 Efni
9 Seoli
9 Karina
6 Bahir
As it seems there is another fight to be had, Alpha creates an area filled with the blessings of Brigh, which will aid his companions in the combat to come.
The strange four-legged zombie chitters at the intruders, but only stands ready to fight, without moving forward.
"Fascinating!" Efni wonders at the four armed creature, while bringing her maul up high. But out of reach for now. Let it come to us, I guess
Efni jumps at the opportunity to maul another skeleton.
◆
◆
"Zombies that keep comin' back? That's ominous..."
Seoli moves to hold the position within the Bless spell alongside Efni. With no immediate targets, she readies herself to strike when one of the skeletons approach her.
"But hey, if you killed 'em once before, how hard could it be the second time around?" Seoli smirks at group of undead as if daring them to come at her, "Same with these boneheads."
◆◆
+
Karina gets into position to do her usual routine of casting spells while her instruments, whether permanently given life or temporarily given life, assault her enemies.
Aliens - Round 1 - continued
21 Raika
20 Blue Skeleton
19 Alpha-47
15 Hetuath
11 Efni
9 Seoli
9 Karina
6 Bahir
Efni steps forward smashing one of the many-limbed skeleton just as she did in the desert environment, pulverizing it with one stroke.
Seoli also moves to the doorway, taking a combat ready stance in case one of the undead nears her.
Karina moves up, but not yet inside the room, readying her shield, and imbuing life to her musical instruments so they can do their thing later.
◆ STRIDE:
◆ Shift Immanence: to Victors Wreath.
◆ STRIKE: If anyone is in range. Gauntlet
Fist
Bludgeoning
If no enemy is in range he'll raise his shield.
Aliens - Round 1 - concluded
21 Raika
19 Alpha-47
15 Hetuath
11 Efni
9 Seoli
9 Karina
6 Bahir
Bahir advances and punches the remaining skeleton, crushing into bony shards with the force of the blow.
Aliens - Round 2
21 Raika
19 Alpha-47
15 Hetuath
11 Efni
9 Seoli
9 Karina
6 Bahir
Raika moves up so she can see the flesh-and-blood thing and fires arrows at it.
Alpha-47 strides forward, holding his holy symbol aloft, and then launches a slew of needles at the zombie, "We will find a way to end your existence, no creation deserves to be cursed to live beyond its functioning time,"
Aliens - Round 2 - continued
21 Raika
19 Alpha-47
15 Hetuath
11 Efni
9 Seoli
9 Karina
6 Bahir
Raika steps into line of sight with the remaining creature, firing two arrows in rapid succession. The first hits, seeming to do no real damage, and the second misses.
Alpha-47 also moves forward casting a spell that generates a cloud of small darts. Those magical projectiles strike the remaining bad guy, piercing its skin in several places. Again, piercing damages seem less effective against this body type, but some damage is still dealt.
The four-armed creature scuttles forward, attacking the closest of the newcomers, which is Bahir. The shortsword is super-quick and has sliced Bahir before he can react.
"Oh right. You move, you think. Let's make some noise, shall we?" Karina groans, as she casts a spell and cackles as snow and ice erupt from her familiar, the viol dancing to be right next to Huetath, and an utter explosion of music from her instruments, and from nowhere hits Huetath. "Stay still, so the poor viol can actually do its job, okay?"
Without further consideration, Efni ◆rushes two paces forward and brings her hammer down.
◆
◆
"We broke your skeleton minions, so I suggest you give up now," Seoli warns the creature. After it slashes Bahir, she continues, "Awright, hard way it is!"
Bounding around the room to get closer to the zombie, delivering a few quick punches in its direction.
◆ Stride
◆ Strike
◆ Flurry
+
Aliens - Round 2 - continued
.
21 Raika
19 Alpha-47
15 Hetuath (5hp dmg)
11 Efni
9 Seoli
9 Karina
6 Bahir
Karina launches her instrumental familiar at the kasatha and the music is loud and discordant, injuring the hearing of the target, and creating a dazzling space around it.
Efni steps to the creature, and swing a pair of massive strikes with her over-sized maul. Unfortunately, the foe turns aside the first strike with his many shortswords, and the second just misses, caroming off the metal floor with a sharp CLANG.
Seoli also works her way adjacent to the single target and she is able to land just one blow, but the bludgeoning punch seems not to faze the creature in the slightest.
fail
"Ha Take that you pile of bones".
He then pulls out his bladed scarf and prepares to swing at the creature.
"Is that all you've got"?
◆ Whip off scarf
◆ Strike: Scarf fun
Slashing blades
◆ Raise Shield
Aliens - Round 2 - concluded
Bless, +1 to attacks. Active if within range of Alpha. Victor's Wreath adds +1 to attacks/dmg if within 15' of Bahir. Note: they do not stack.
21 Raika
19 Alpha-47
15 Hetuath (5hp dmg)
11 Efni
9 Seoli
9 Karina
6 Bahir
Bahir whips off his bladed scarf and swings it at the kasatha foe, scoring a surprisingly successful blow that cuts the flesh deeply hurting the enemy badly, though surprisingly, no blood escapes the serious lacerations.
End of Round 2
Aliens - Round 3
21 Raika
19 Alpha-47
15 Hetuath (30hp dmg)
11 Efni
9 Seoli
9 Karina
6 Bahir
With so many people crowded around the last foe, and with her arrows having little to no effect on it, Raika turns around and keeps an eye on the hall behind the group, in case anything is drawn in by the noise of combat.