[SFS][Outpost II] 1-31 Treading History's Folly by GM Lupulus (Inactive)

Game Master Lupulus

Both Spanner's attacks hit, and now the rocky monster is looking a bit rough, though it remains standing.

Round 2 continued - *bold may go (dart, shohiraj, kane)
*Dart
Spanner
Pangaea
*Shohiraj (-13 SP)
*Kane
Red Rocky (-17 HP)
Orange Rocky (-30 HP, get 'em)

I didn't happen to get a cover bonus from the last attack, did I?

Sho wheels out of sight with his back against the rock, flips the safeties off his two guns. Then he spins around the corner of the outcropping with the semi-auto blazing at the nearest animate stone.

Trick attack, Stealth, ghost bonus v. DC 20 + orange monster CR: 1d20 + 14 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 14 + 4 = 29 If successful, orange is flat-footed against the attack.

tactical semi-auto pistol v KAC, get 'em: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 7 + 1 = 26 … damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5 … Extra damage if trick attack succeeded: 1d8 ⇒ 7

If trick attack succeeded and I hit orange is flat-footed until my next turn.

11/24 SP remain

Seeing the the force of his blade is diminished, fiery aura now surrounds his hand. "Let us see if stone can burn!"

Move action activate Plasma Sheath. Standard attack. Attack is still against KAC, but All damage is fire

Melee Attack, v KAC: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (5) + 12 = 17
Damage Mote: 2d6 + 12 + 2 + 3 + 1d4 ⇒ (1, 6) + 12 + 2 + 3 + (1) = 25 F All fire

@Shohiraj - nope i say no cover. That wall doesn't even go a third of the way :)

Shohiraj hits the orange rock monster, tricking it with his stealthy moves to get off a powerful shot, but it is still partly deflected by the enemy's stony defenses. It looks relly rough now, like the DR was the only thing that saved it from a deathblow.

The severely injured orange rock monster takes a swing at the android as he gets his shot off, and delivers another brutal hit for 13.

Dart hits the red one with a fiery blow, for which it has no resistances. The core of the creature is incinerated and it falls apart and falls to the ground in a pile of smoking rubble. (it was at -42 hp)

Round 2 continued - *bold may go (kane)
Dart
Spanner
Pangaea
Shohiraj (-24 SP, -2 HP)
*Kane
Orange Rocky (-37 HP, get 'em)

Another magic missile at orange rocky, full round dmg: 3d4 + 3 ⇒ (1, 1, 3) + 3 = 8

Kane's magic missiles shatter the remaining rock monster, and the battle is over. You notice a visible light from the elementals snaking through the air like a stream flowing through the cavern and into the wall before it dissipates. If someone makes a Mysticism check they may find out more.

After the threat is removed and you can more thoroughly search the camp, you find a pack left behind, and not recently like some of the other evidence like the footprints you noted. It was likely Jadnura's. It contains two mk 2 serums of healing, some adamantine alloy cable line (50 ft.), an advanced medkit, two beacons, a grappler, a laser drill, a portable gangway, and a survival straw.

You guys can collect the gear, then anything else you want to do here before moving on? A short rest and/or that mysticism check?

Sorry Shohiraj, combat over so cannot heal any of your SP

Zeta goes up to the visible light, looks at it, and then says, in a knowledgeable voice:
"See how this visible light from the elementals snakes through the air like a stream flowing through the cavern and into the wall before it dissipates?"
Then shrugs:
"I wonder what that means..."

Pangea looks over Jadnura's equipment.
Pangea can carry everything except the portable gangway if you want (3 Bulk left, the gangway is 4 Bulk) and just hand it out when wanted.
I can also carry the gangway and drop it when things go rough.

Occasionally Dart knows something.
Mysticism: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

This may be one of those times?

Dart is not carrying much so he can take the gangway for now

Dart can deduce that the green wisps of energy were spirits (like of the dead) possessing the rocks.

Just double-checking, Lupulus, so the footprints are recent? So they are not Jadnura's. Was there any sign of the movement around the rock creatures? Were the footprints theirs? How long has it been since Jadnura was last here?

Survival, untrained to sort out foot prints: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (3) + 0 = 3

"Once again, we are given an assignment with insufficient data. Hostile living rocks should have been noteworthy enough to communicate to us. What do you all make of these tracks? I had thought they might be Jadnura's."

The android leans against the rock wall and begins checking himself for lasting damage.

No worries, P-Z. It's nothing 10 minutes won't take care of. So guys, if it's all right with you, I'd like to take 10, spend the resolve and regain stamina.

Dart pulls out his blade and seems to bless the crumbled rocks. "It is odd. These were possessed by the souls of the dead. May they find their peace."

After securing the supplies here, he will take the lead heading deeper in the to tunnels.

Zeta waits around, while some rest, wondering what we shall find.

"So, we can follow those tracks?"

@Shohiraj - good questions, you pretty much got it. The humanoid footprints are indeed recent, so presumably not Jadnura's. There is no evidence that the rock creatures animated by the spirits had been around before you showed up, the footprints definitely aren't theirs. It's been several years since Jadnura was here and found the Tear. I think you guys got that in pieces from earlier checks, but here it is put together.

Shojiraj takes a break and recovers his stamina (still slightly injured and down 2 HP).

And you begin to make your way further along Jadnura's directed path...

You come to a carved chamber which features a small alcove in the southern wall with a stone altar. The top of the altar is carved to hold a massive gemstone or other angular object. Cracks spiderweb across the walls and ceiling. The footprints of a booted humanoid clearly mark a path from the eastern entrance to the southern wall and altar, then back again to the northwestern wall, where a large crack in the stone leads to another chamber.

"Maybe the footprints belong to one of the possessed rocks? By the way, what else can be possessed?"

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

"Want a healing serum, Shohiraj?"

Zeta looks around--
Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22
Survival, trained: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11
the footprints of the booted humanoid entered from the eastern entrance like where we are now?
Went to the southern wall and altar, then out through to the northwestern wall?
Does the altar seem to have been able to carry a relic like the Tear?
And are Jadnura's old traces still around?

Once we enter the room, Zeta will look around, and use its broad-spectrum scanning kit to search the altar and the room.
Perception: 1d20 + 9 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 9 + 4 = 28

"And if the spirits were not truly terminated, will they return to animate more rocks?"

The footprints are from booted medium sized humanoid, and definitely not from the possessed elementals.

The spirits animating the rocks fled back into the walls when defeated. You haven't seen sign of them again, and have no real idea if or when they may show themselves again.

The moon has a lot of seismic activity, and Jadnura was here long enough ago that any of his tracks have been disturbed or covered, and aside from his camp there aren't any real traces of him.

The recent humanoid footprints followed the same basic path from the camp to this room. Pangaea can tell that the footprints slowed their pace, walking through the room very carefully and pausing at the altar in that southern alcove before continuing slowly and carefully toward and through that crack. The altar indeed matches up with Jadnura's descrptions, and is where he found it.

The crack looks like a small creature can walk through, and a medium creature can squeeze, which means moving slower and having the entangled condition.

There's more to learn with an Engineering or Physical Science check.

"Want a healing serum, Shohiraj?"

Sho declines the serum. "The damage is minimal. Application of the serum at this time would waste potential healing. You are kind to make the offer."

Sorry, Eric. I didn't mean to blow you off. You ninja'd me while I was making my last post. It's a reflection on the pitiful state of my typing skills.

The crack looks like a small creature can walk through, and a medium creature can squeeze, which means moving slower and having the entangled condition.

Sho unholsters his arc pistol and approaches the crack, looking around carefully and trying to step wide of the foot prints. He leans over from one side of the crack to peer through.

Perception, return tracks and/or depth of crack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13 Darkvision 60'
Engineering: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16

I hope I don't get a badger to the face!

Pangea asks again: ""Want a healing serum, Shohiraj?"

Then Zeta starts to go check out the altar and the crack.
The android is humming some agrosynth tunes...
Engineering: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

LOL, that was inhumanly fast, P-Z! Believe me, I'll take you up on the serum if I take any more damage.

"No thank you, Pangea-Zeta."

Shohiraj can see the crack leads fairly soon into a wider passage, but it begins to wind and they can't tell much more without traveling through it.

Shohiraj also points out the seismic activities have made some parts of this room's cieling unstable, maybe even forming that crack in the wall, and Pangaea puts two and two together with the noticeably slow cautious steps of the footprints you all follow in, and warns the others about the dangers of potential cave-in here.

This is really weird, maybe it would make more sense to me if I played that one haha. Kinda funny though, assuming it doesn't kill you all...

Unfortunately, the warning comes too late, as Pangaea's electronic equipment begins to hum quietly at first but build to a louder refrain of one of the drow heavy metal band Abysshead's greatest hits "Buried Alive!"

Rocks rumble to the beat of the loud music from Pangaea's cursed electronics. No one spots it in time, and you are caught in an Abysshead-induced cave-in, as terrifying as any drow mosh pit you may or may not have ever seen before.

Falling Rock Damage: 4d10 ⇒ (4, 1, 5, 2) = 12
Shohiraj Reflex: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
Kane Reflex: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
Pangea Zeta Reflex: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Dart Reflex: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18
Spanner Reflex: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Much of the ceiling comes crashing down. Shohiraj, Kane, and Dart are able to dodge out of the way of the heaviest rocks to fall, but Pangaea and Spanner are not so nimble and take especially nasty hits. Then as quickly as the cave-in started, it is over, and the music stops. The ceiling seems pretty safe now, its ammunition spent.

Pangaea and Spanner take 12 bludgeoning damage, everyone else 6. If you have any DR or evasion like abilities that help or something like that, let me know.

The room seems safe now. The crack in the wall is still intact and you could make your way through there, or take a break and rest again. There is not much else to the other areas you have seen in this cave, so the crack is the only way forward.

Well, rest people or push through, many of you took a lot of damage from those rocks, so unless there is another danger, we can rest.

Pangea starts dancing to the music, and does not think to avoid the falling rocks.
The android grumbles and looks around, wiping dust off: "If anybody wants to download the album..."

Spanner is getting up from the ground and turns to PZ "Why? Why would anyone want to download that?"

Rocks fall and you all die! What a classic.

"I prefer to keep my circuits clean. Thank you."

Sho brushes dust from his armor and wipes a finger across his eyes.

"I couldn't see much through the crack, only that it widens out again."

Was there any sign of footprints coming out of the crack?

SP 18/24. HP 26/28. Happy to take time to rest if anyone wants to. I am not going to burn a RP to recover stamina however.

The data pad of Dart also echos loudly along. "I find it wonderful mediation music, espcailly during heavy workouts! Song is one of the greatest Joys with Kaydin Kalin. "

He looks over himself. "I am fine to push on, this is not much to slow me down"

"You can download this 'cause it's cool Drow agrosynth music! And it just pipes up now and then... okay, now was not the best timing, I agree. But it's cool music!"
Pangea is ready to move along.
The android looks around: "Anyone need a Serum of Healing?"

"As long as I don't have to listen to more of that noise, then yes, I could use a serum."

Zeta gives Spanner a serum.
Serum: 1d8 ⇒ 7

"Thank you."

If this is one we just got it is a Mk 2 Serum.

Sorry, back before the cave-in when you were investigating the altar you found some items. Pangaea found them in their search.

Near the altar Pangaea found some religious iconography. A holy symbol that you do not recognize: it's a gold triangle set in a black circle, and a set of mk 1 planar runeplates (which are aligned to Lawful Neutral).

Does anyone want to equip those plates? Do you take the unknown holy symbol?

--------------------

@Shohiraj - the footprints lead in, but none lead back out.

@Spanner, Pangaea, I think Spanner only took stamina damage, so the serum doesn't do anything yet. But after taking that stamina hit might be planning on holding onto it, in which case just ignore me :)

As it now seems safe to continue after the rocky outburts, you slip through the crack with no further drama. A long rocky passage leads deeper into the moon, then ends abruptly at a smooth stone wall. Carved glowing glyphs adorn the wall and create a high-pitched hum, but no obvious exits lead away from the passage.

A Culture check may help read the runes, and/or Perception to search

No, that was one of mine.
We can keep the bigger ones for later.
Seeing your lost HP, a Mk1 seems enough.
Oh--- no HP damage Spanner?

"If one of our combat oriented wants, these plates can be nice... but what Deity are you serving?
I would be willing to carry the Holy Symbol"

In front of the wall, Zeta pulls out a couple kits from its belt.
A broad-spectrum scanning kit that it uses to help search--
Perception: 1d20 + 9 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 9 + 4 = 20
--and a linguist’s kit that it uses to help decipher the runes.
Culture: 1d20 + 6 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 6 + 4 = 19

If Zeta can lend the kits to others, it is a +4 on each type of roll (Perception & Culture)

Do the footprints stop at the smooth wall?

"I recognise the power of the gods, but bow to none. " Sho replies before squeezing through the crack. In the passageway beyond, he watches for the footprints. At the end of the passage he starts to examine the walls.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20 possibly +4 more for P-Z's scanner?

With the assistance of his linguists kit, Pangaea finds the language is similar to Terran, and is able to translate it as both a welcome and a warning.

To outsiders who visit our land:
Welcome and be greeted.
Know our homes and discussions can be
Somewhat heated.
But do not bring religion to our door,
It is not permitted.
Those who push their beliefs on us
Will not be acquitted.

When you engage the scanner and search the wall, Pangaea and Shohiraj find the traces of a secret door behind the writing. But more interestingly than that, a spirit floats out from the wall to stand before you. While he is green and wispy similar to the ones you saw animating rocks, he has more definite humanoid form than you could catch from those two. And its very presence radiates calmness and a sense of peace. He looks curiously at each of you, then hold his hand out before him, reaching toward you as if wanting to make contact, but not approaching too closely or threateningly.
And his picture is on a slide

The lost hit points are because I didn't put them back from the last scenario. Spanner doesn't need the healing serum. I've corrected that. Thank you though.

Pangea will also hold its hand out, and slowly reach out in return-- touching the extended hand if allowed.

The spirit touches Pangaea's hand, and its incorporeal hand passes right into the same space. As contact is made, the spirit's form becomes even wispier and it dematerializes, appearing to flow right into Pangaea's arm.

"Was that supposed to happen?"

Pangea turns to Spanner and smiles: "ณ ะ้รืา ะ้รห รห ืนพทฟสม ัำห!", then shakes its head: "Yes, I think this is normal. Why?"
While talking, Pangea types away on the runes, in a certain sequence.
"We should not bring religion with us...", the android says, slipping the Holy Symbol into its backpack."[/b]

"I think it went according to the spirit's plan."

Presuming that Pangea's typing will open the hidden door, Sho draws both pistols. He waits anxiously to see what lies beyond.

With Pangea suggestion Dart sheathes his sword. "I think we should be fine wihtout the holy blade of the drinkless god."

HE then waits for what ever portal opens in order take point and step through.

The door opens into a passage leading down even further into the moon. Pangea gets an urge to speak something in his new language. Does he oblige and speak it, then translate it to the others?

To save time if Pangea wants to accomodate communication, we can assume he does any talking the spirit attempts, and translates back and forth. I'll then speak for the spirit through Pangea, unless it seems dangerous to speak for stealth or something. Up to Pangea.

Pangea will gladly speak anything the spirit wants.
And will accompany that with nice Abysshead music too!
speak for me

Pangea points through the door and says something in the spirit's language, which Pangea then translates. "That way is Xaharee, once home of Mentrasi, my kind." It says nothing else without prompting, and waits for the party head through the door.

Now that it can communicate, does anyone want to ask the spirit anything before moving on?

"Tell us about Xaharee and the Mentrasi."

Pangea responds through a translation of talking to himself. "I don't remember everything anymore. We were once alive, but now are dead. Xaharee once was home, and still is. I want to leave, but am anchored. Let me help you, show you Xaharee."

Pangea taps the side of its hand, checking to see its AI is still in place and functioning.

"Do you remember other visitors? Others that you have shown your home?"

kane stands nearby wondering if he will hear more music from his allies, it would be a bad time to play it.