SP 64/64 HP 54/54 | RP 9/9| EAC 20(24); KAC 21(26) | [ooc]Fort +4; Ref +4; Will +12 | Init: +2 | Perc: +17, SM: +6 | Speed 30ft | Communalism 1/1; Healing Touch 1/1; Force field 10/10 | Spells: 1st 6/6; 2nd 4/5; 3rd 3/4
Keskodia looks at the black box in a courious way.
"If Pharasma, the Lady of Graves, had been an engineer, she would have designed black boxes. Installed at the birth of a starship, recovered at its death to judge its fate."
Keskodia pauses to look around the condition of the ship
"I don't think this starship will be traveling the River of Souls to the Boneyard, so it's up to us to judge its fate. Does anyone know how to read a black box?"
The black box isn't actually black. It's a bright orange so it can easily be found in crash wreckage. It's easy enough to pull it out of it's rack mount by the handles and can be activated by plugging in a battery. Doing so activates a holographic projector on the top of the box.
The flickering green lights of the hologram come together to form the image of a middle-aged human woman, hunched over in the captain’s chair and scowling. She wears freebooter armor two centuries out of style, engraved with a sharp, stylized R.
Well, this is a mess, she mutters, disgust palpable even through the glitchy recording. Korryn, if you get this, I’m stranded. The Raven’s trashed. No idea what happened. We came out of the Drift, and half the electronics on the ship exploded. The other half just died. It’s a miracle I managed to land at all. She snorts. Some miracle. This place is the definition of backwater. There’s one little two-bit town, five miles north of here, and then nothing for the better part of a continent. Still, suppose it’s not a total loss. Spotted some interesting ruins on the way down that could be worth checking out.
I’ve gotten all I can from the wreck. I’m gonna head into town, get some help from the local bumpkins to get the Raven operational again. Find me there, and let’s clear out of this dive. With any luck, by the time your lazy ass manages to find me, I’ll have collected more than enough starmetal to recoup our losses. The woman smirks roguishly, exuding a youthful confidence despite the faint laugh lines adorning her face and the few gray strands poking out of her dark hair. Don’t make me wait too long, slug. Rasheen out.
computers 18+:
You manage to hack the black box and uncover the
coordinates for the settlement Rasheen was headed for, as well as the ruins that lie about eight miles further west past the village.
SP 64/64 HP 54/54 | RP 9/9| EAC 20(24); KAC 21(26) | [ooc]Fort +4; Ref +4; Will +12 | Init: +2 | Perc: +17, SM: +6 | Speed 30ft | Communalism 1/1; Healing Touch 1/1; Force field 10/10 | Spells: 1st 6/6; 2nd 4/5; 3rd 3/4
"Why do they call it a black box when it's actually orange? I know someone's going to say, because you only need to recover the box when something bad happens, but why is black bad? Sleeping in the darkness of night is a good thing, I assure you, wait until you see me after not getting enough sleep. Orange could represent a sunset, that could represent the ends of the ship's days, or orange could represent a fiery explosion that ended the ship, there are lots of options for orange..."
Keskodia stops mid though and changes subjects.
"Who's Korryn?"
I want to say Korryn's one of Rasheen's associates but the Search function isn't working for me. Had the same feeling about Raven's Flight.
Raia looks up from the orange box.
"You're looking too deeply for symbolism, Keskodai. Orange means 'find me'. I agree calling it black obscures communication."
She goes back to work on the recorder. A few minutes later she reports, "I've retrieved coordinates for the town and the ruins she talked about. They seem like the next most likely destination for us, or rather the most likely next destination."
M skittermander sensate operative 7 | SP 63/63 HP 44/44 | RP 9/9 | EAC 25; KAC 26 | Fort +4, Ref +11, Will +9; evasion | Init: +13 | Perc: +20, SM: +19; darkvision (60 ft.), low-light vision | Speed 40 ft | Active conditions: None.
"I think it's orange, so you can find it easier. Not that it helps by calling it the black box. Maybe it's just the alliteration?" The skitter watches Raia easily hack into the box (whatever color it is).
"She obviously didn't get anyone to help her fix anything. Or there wasn't anything worth fixing. And Korryn didn't get her message, or didn't share it anyway."
SP 64/64 HP 54/54 | RP 9/9| EAC 20(24); KAC 21(26) | [ooc]Fort +4; Ref +4; Will +12 | Init: +2 | Perc: +17, SM: +6 | Speed 30ft | Communalism 1/1; Healing Touch 1/1; Force field 10/10 | Spells: 1st 6/6; 2nd 4/5; 3rd 3/4
"Although I'm not combat inclined, combat seems inclined to find me. That's an interesting combination of weapons. The pistol could be used to move someone in the area of effect of the grenade. I think the rest of the team has better attacks. Unless someone has a better plan, Raia, if you want to take the pistol, I'll throw the grenade?"
"Excellent application of synergy, Keskodai. I accept your proposal conditionally, provided I will cede the pistol to a more proficient shot who wants it."
Did Keskodai just jinx it? As soon as they said 'combat tends to find me' a shadow of massive wings passed over the group. Looking up, you see a Razor Roc in search of it's next meal - and you lot look really tasty.
The razor roc takes another hit as it dives in a strafing run (-38)
It fires a feather at Qimok as the bottom of the arc before ascending then turning to begin another run.
feather:1d20 + 22 ⇒ (9) + 22 = 31slashing:4d6 + 10 ⇒ (6, 4, 5, 2) + 10 = 27
Raia pulls out a battery. Focusses on it, tosses it once in her hand then waits for the roc to dice again.
Readied action to cast explosive blast if it dives to attack again.
.
Explosive Blast: This spell creates a 20-foot-radius burst within 180 feet, which deals 9d6 fire damage to each creature in the area (Reflex DC 20 half).
LG male skittermander gladiator soldier 7 (armored storm, powered armor jockey) | SP 70/70, HP 65/65, RP 7/8 | Speed 30 ft. | EAC 22, KAC 25 | Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +5 | Init +7; clearsight goggles, darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision; Perception +7 | Active conditions: none [hyper used]
"Aha! It's wounded enough to give up its main advantage!" Qimok crows as he dodges the wing sweep. "It's going to regret not flying away while it still could!" The skittermander steps forward and thrusts at the roc with his pike.
Trouway finishes it off with a spectacular crit - made even the more spectacular by the fact the creature was hanging onto life by a thread ((and one hp))
M skittermander sensate operative 7 | SP 63/63 HP 44/44 | RP 9/9 | EAC 25; KAC 26 | Fort +4, Ref +11, Will +9; evasion | Init: +13 | Perc: +20, SM: +19; darkvision (60 ft.), low-light vision | Speed 40 ft | Active conditions: None.
"Well. That was impressive," Borq says understatedly, feathers raining down over the battlefield. He picks a few out of his fur, keeping a slightly longer one and tucking it into his backpack.
SP 64/64 HP 54/54 | RP 9/9| EAC 20(24); KAC 21(26) | [ooc]Fort +4; Ref +4; Will +12 | Init: +2 | Perc: +17, SM: +6 | Speed 30ft | Communalism 1/1; Healing Touch 1/1; Force field 10/10 | Spells: 1st 6/6; 2nd 4/5; 3rd 3/4
"The message from the black box said something about a little town, five miles north of here. I think that's our best bet. Does anyone need to rest first?"
Keskodia checks out the fallen creatures
Perception:1d20 + 17 ⇒ (11) + 17 = 28
or
Life Science:1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30
It's called a Razor Roc because many of it's wing feathers are razor sharp. It has now shuffled off this mortal coil, joined the choir invisible and wouldn't go vooom if twelve million volts was applied to it.
It also has four metallic wings and the beak is lined with iron.
The little town does seem to be your best bet and it's not too far from here. So soon you make your way to the village or Requiem Falls.
A dirt road cuts across the badlands, leading out past the edge of the brush and into a cluster of rustic buildings cobbled together from a mix of prefab parts, discount salvage, and an assortment of woods, mud, and stones. A little over half of the buildings appear to be civilian homes, though the number of small shops, science labs, and government buildings increase the closer one gets to the center.
At the heart of town, in the middle of the village square, is a statue of a human woman bearing a striking resemblance to the one in the recording left on the Raven’s Flight. The statue’s base and feet have been mostly swallowed up by vines, but the plants have been tended away from its front so the plaque adorning it is still clearly visible. It reads: “In Honor and Memory of Valirya Ravenlight, the Hero of Requiem Falls.”
