[SFS/ACE] 7-06 Archives of Eternity

Game Master Kludde

"I think it's just a gap in the fence, not someone actively trying to get in, big guy."
Irres peeks at the break in the fence.

Henga peers at the bushy tail. "Seems unlikely to be someone breaking in under the noses of the guards. Let's ask!" She trots over and looks up the pylon. "Hellooooo up there. Whatcha doing?"

The break in the fence is just an entry point, and the security guard are making sure that only those with the right papers get in.

The squox at first ignores Henga, but after a moment, they emerge with a wide grin and wipe their paws on their purple scarf. “Another triumph! Ha! Do you feel better adjusted now?” they ask, apparently addressing the device directly. “Lucky I was here, I say!” they exclaim as they descend from the large machine.

It’s only once their paws are back on the ground that they notice their audience. “Oh, hello! Don’t worry, you can rest easy knowing the new alarm system is up and running! I’ve integrated a sonic defense component—just in case! I’ve learned that when the pressure’s on, everything that can go bad, does go bad! Best to be prepared, I say!” They scratch behind their ear, thinking for a moment. “Say, are you headed out into Eternity? I’ve got a lexicon analysis program that could use another test run. Want to give it a try?”

Hey Twilight! How have you been? Are these your new teammates? Thanks a lot for testing my analyzer last time around. Boy, did I manage to make some improvements since then, that data was invaluable!

What are you guys up to?

Been good thanks, and yeah, I'm happy yo give your analyser another run.

Twilight then introduces the others.

"Where getting ready to explore and make things safe for others, I guess that makes us those that look first and those that will stop those that call if those that call aren't nice."

"More information is always good, especially since there aren't a lot of experts in First Ones writing. We're heading for a data repository, so someone should be able to give a thorough test." Henga still looks a little dubious about the tech, but is willing to give it a shot.

She grins at GRIM*! "Those Who Stop doesn't sound quite right. Maybe Those Who Defend? Those Who Investigate? Those Who Find? Hmmm..." She begins running through possible names for the team.

Are you sure it isn't Those Who Brutally Foul Those Who Oppose Them? Kinpopo says with a wink. Anyway, this masterpiece they say is the Lexi-Kin!. Kinpopo is holding up a small hybrid device cobbled together from scavenged electronics, wire and Abaductape. Twilight already knows this, but it's portable lexicon analyzer designed by me, Kinpopo, special for the expedition in Eternity! It’s designed to capture and analyze any linguistic artifact you encounter in the field.

I update it constantly with data gathered by our field teams. It can event attempt to reconstruct meaning from context! Although, with such little data, it’s not very accurate. That’s where you come in! Take the Lexi-Kin into the field and scan any text you encounter! It may prove helpful, and even if it doesn’t, everything you scan is helpful to me! Pretty clever, I say!

If, at some point, you want to decipher something wiht the Lexi-kin, you can do so with a culture check, which can be performed untrained

Armstrong will give it a try engineering: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

Irres glances at the Lexi-kin.

"Hm, seems solid. Should come in handy."

The camp exit is on the north end. The security guards check identification and log all departure times. The outside of the camp is swift to remind the group of the intense heat on the planet. It's a one-hour hike to eternity, and the metal gleaming structures make the heat even more intense.

The data archive is unremarkable from the outside—a squat building of rusting metal amid gleaming spires and time broken roadways. Much of the building is damaged or collapsed, but after a roughly ten minutes search, the group spot a suitable entrance half-buried in the rubble.

The cold light of a console illuminates a metal elevator sitting comfortably in a wide shaft descending deep into the darkness beneath the rusted building. The elevator hovers silently, held up by magnetic rails. Strange text glows on the console.

perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

She also scans the text with the Lexi-Kin
culture: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

Perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (5) + 0 = 5

"Did anyone else notice the heat?"

One gets used to it

The lexi-kin beeps and formulates a translation of the text "“Eternity Cortex, Data Pod 3.". That looks quite hopeful.

The lift is easily activated with a touch of the console, and descends calmly. The lift opens into a spartan entry room whose ceiling is riddled with cracks that rain dust and dirt down into the room every few minutes.

The room is hazy from the dust in the air, and the ground is coated in a thick layer of dirt. The doors in the north wall are ajar.

perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
engineering: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

Henga peers around curiously.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
Engineering: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16

She covers her head with a feathered arm as dust continues to rain down. "It looks like no one has been here in forever. Should we check out the door that's ajar?"

Irres racks her plasma bolter as the group approaches the doors.
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24
Engineering: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

Perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (14) + 0 = 14

"Look see I found dirt, looks like someone stepped in it too."
GRIM*! points to what could be tracks, then looks at his own feet.

"See I'm making tracks too."

"Those tracks look like their from a construct of some sort... Actually, three different constructs."

"Do they all go to the same place? What size are they?" Henga asks, stepping back behind GRIM*! in case of attack.

"Nah, one in each door. Hard to tell what size, constructs can have all sorts of weird ass body plans, so I have no idea how heavy they are."

Actually you could calculate the mass by seeing how deep the imprint is

"That works for people sure, but with a centipede body plan, it gets harder. Y'know, the weight is more spread out, and the legs screw up eachother's prints.

"We could just ask them. I bet one of them is behind one of the doors, should I open one?"

Actually you could calculate the mass by seeing how deep the imprint is

That works to a point. Something that runs implants their feet harder than something that walks.

Twilight has to concede the point.

"How about the one which is already open?

Which door has the treasure, and which doors have goats robots behind them? I have one vote for the door that is ajar, any other takers?

GRIM*! knocks on the north door then pushes it open
"Hello in there, could you help us figure out how much whoever made these footprints weigh."

Whatever purpose this shadowy room once served is hard to discern, as it’s been stripped nearly bare. Disturbed dust and discolored walls and flooring indicate much of this room’s contents were removed entirely in the recent past, leaving only two ransacked storage lockers, a table surrounded by broken chairs, and a damaged mining robot behind. The floor is littered with a jumble of dirt and discarded junk.

"Watch out." Irres aims her rifle at the damaged robot, and readies an action to fire at it.

Henga peers past GRIM*!'s legs into the room. "Ooh, I wonder if anyone missed something." She scuttles past a few folks and looks through the discards. "It amazing what people will throw away."

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

Twilight follows Henga while sending out a pulse of magic from her horn ((Detect Magic))

Watch out for the chewing gum and sticky tape she advises.

GRIM*! ask the mining robot
"Are you ok? Did you see who made these tracks?"

The mining robot is, in fact, doing perfectly fine. Irres keeps her gun trained on the mining construct as the latter springs to life, and - uncharacteristically for a mining robot - starts extracting resources from the starfinders.

@Twilight: I couldn't figure out your init, could you add it to the slides in case something else wants to attack you? I don't think it mattered in this case, unless your mod was +11 or more.

--- Readied Action
Irres
--- R1
Irres
Grim
Armstrong
---
Robot
---
Henga
Twilight
---

gains and spends 1 MP to activate adaptive strike

"Trying to mine us is not nice, I will have to try to find your off button."
GRIM*! steps into the room and tries to hit the stop button

ADAPTIVE STRIKE: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15
Damage B: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Moves into melee to attack the robot hit: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10 dmg: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11 slashing with longsword

Twilight (and the others) sorted on slides

GRIM tries to punch the off button, but only manages to cause a reverberating sound in an armor plate. Armstrong even misses...

--- Readied Action
Irres
--- R1
Irres
Grim
Armstrong
---
Robot
---
Henga
Twilight
---

Irres fires, locks on with combat tracking, and fires again.
attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
damage: 1d10 ⇒ 7
attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
damage: 1d10 ⇒ 7

Irres finally scores the first hit on the robot, causing a puff of smoke

The robot, very efficiency, starts drilling at GRIM and hammering at Armstrong, in a coordinated effort to maximise resource extractions

Drill, GRIM: 1d20 + 12 - 2 ⇒ (9) + 12 - 2 = 191d6 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Hammer, Armstrong: 1d20 + 12 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 12 - 2 = 301d4 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Crit damage: 1d4 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

---R1
Henga
Twilight
--- R2
Irres
Grim
Armstrong
---
Robot (7)
---

Twilight moves in to get a better line of fire and uses the shoulder mounted azimuth laser on the robot.
al: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17 electricity: 1d3 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

gains 1 MP total MP 1 speed +5 Instinct: once per round damage +1

"That was not nice!"
ADAPTIVE STRIKE: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Damage B: 1d6 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 4 + 1 = 10
"Take that two can play not nice!"

Henga hides behind GRIM*!, rather easily since he's more than twice her size, and fires at the robot from around one of his legs.

"Mr. Robot, sir, would you please stop attacking us. We really are on your side and would prefer not to injure you."

Diplomacy to trick: 1d20 + 11 + 5 + 1d6 ⇒ (9) + 11 + 5 + (2) = 27 for Trick Damage: 1d3 ⇒ 1
Pew pew (thunderstrike sonic pistol): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7 for Sonic Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 3

trick bonus decrease: 1d4 ⇒ 2

Armstrong just took 18 damage but is still standing, but that hurt, it took out all of his stamina swing longsword: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16 vs KAC dmg: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8 slashing

attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
damage: 1d10 ⇒ 1
Irres pumps another shot into it.

Twilight fries a few servos, damaging the chip with a blast of electricity, and GRIM bends metal with his bare hands.

Henga's elaborate plot to trick the robot ends with a shot missing, but Armstrong's more straightforward approach almost severes the mining drill.

Ires shoots once more, cutting a few wires, but otherwise not doing too much damage.

The robot still sees the shobhad and the elf as promising resources to be mined, and continues the extraction process.

Drill, GRIM: 1d20 + 12 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 12 - 2 = 281d6 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Hammer, Armstrong: 1d20 + 12 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 12 - 2 = 201d4 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

---R2
Henga
Twilight
--- R3
Irres
Grim
Armstrong
---
Robot (29)
---

The attacks hit and leave Armstrong at 11 HP. He attacks back with his longsword, no backing out now hit: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15 vs kac dmg: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10 slashing

The drill reduces GRIM*! to SP 0/7 HP 0/12
but keeps fighting for 1 round due to Shobhad Ferocity.

Round 3 gains 1 MP total MP 2 speed +5 Instinct: once per round damage +1 crit effect knockdown, Drawback attack the dead.

Covered in his own blood GRIM*! yells as he ferociously full attacks the robot
"I AM GRIM*!"

ADAPTIVE STRIKE: 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (20) + 5 - 4 = 21
Damage B: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
crit effect knockdown
Crit Damage B: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

ADAPTIVE STRIKE: 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (11) + 5 - 4 = 12
Damage B: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Seeing the giant hole left by the drill, Irres pulls out one of the pen serums of healing and stabs it into GRIM*'s back.
Healing: 1d8 ⇒ 6