I could do either of those two as well.
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Thanks! I'll keep an ear out while I work out what I may want to do.
Chronicle sheets are up on my Dropbox. Let me know if you find any problems or have any questions.
Nice! Two winners.
Bigrin42 and Shifty - please PM me your email address so that I can submit them with the report. Thanks all for playing! Chronicle sheets will be done later tonight.
Boon rolls! I'm going to put them in the next post. A roll of 19 or 20 wins a boon (I'll then roll a d4 to determine which boon you get). The roll order will be in sign-in order: Me
@Shifty - I need your sign-in info/day job for the chronicle sheet and session report. Everyone, let me know if you need any notes for the chronicle (Skittershot, etc)
"Don't worry. We'll send a team to the mine to further document what you found and strip out the remaining artifacts. We'll make sure that that location won't be used like this again."
You gather up the evidence collected in the mine, as well as what you can find on the bodies. You retrieve your rides and make the uneventful trip back to the lodge. Venture-Captain Suulhu-Huur meets them at the entryway and walks them to her office. You run down what you learned about the basalt and tell her about the cultist's ritual. “Well, Starfinders, it’s a good thing you were there to stop that ritual from happening. Imagine what could have become of this whole planet. We aren’t out of trouble yet, though. Datch is up to something suspicious with that basalt. What are they using it to hide?”
What *would* happen if you failed to stop the ritual...: Ghatanothoa enters Arniselle through the portal, dooming all life on the aquatic planet. Any surviving PCs are petrified along with the cults, and eventually, everyone on Arniselle. Powerful forces then move in to limit Ghatanothoa’s influence to Arniselle, effectively making the planet his new prison.
The basalt portal seems quite old but inert. Beyond their weapons and equipment, the slain morlamaw provide no other clues or information. When you have finished resting and exploring, you can make your way back to the lodge and Venture-Captain Suuhlhu-Huur.
The nearby horror continues to have its effect on Nomoline and Velloro.
Nomoline attacks, hitting thanks to the distraction from Roquefort. Roquefort and Velloro then finish him off. With the cult leader dead, the portal begins to shrink, and a few moments later closes completely. As soon as the portal closes the stiffness that had begun in Nomoline vanishes. The last surviving cultist is nowhere to be seen, having dived into the ocean and begun swimming away in their panic.
Nomoline and Velloro continue to catch glimpses of the horror trying to get through the portal.
Both are able to stave off the effects. Nomoline slashes at the leader and hits shoots them. The leader lashes out at Velloro with his tusks.
Chivix hits! Both Nomoline and Velloro approach the portal to get closer to their targets. The horror within writhes unnaturally.
Nomoline feels her muscles tightening up.
Velloro downs the remaining cultist.
Roquefort hits! The leader returns fire at Roquefort, hoping to knock him out of the fight.
Roquefort hits the closest cultist, who tries to reflect the damage back at him.
The cultist (red) strikes out at Velloro as he approaches
The leader yells out at Velloro, "You're too late! Soon you will all meet the Eternal Source!" Then takes a shot at him.
The nearest cultist (red) takes a step back and mind thrusts Velloro.
While the other cultist (blue) takes off running.
On target indeed! Chivix downs the mummy, leaving only the cultists and their leader.
Chivix misses. Nomoline stumbles as the mental assault takes its full effect, but is still able to connect once.
Roquefort hits the leader, drawing the attention of the cultists who rush to protect him. The mummy continues to attack Velloro.
"Get that Ysoki!" calls out the leader, taking another shot.
One cultist mind thrusts Roquefort while the other attends to the leader.
As he approaches, the mummy strikes at Velloro.
Velloro hits the mummy. The cultist leader takes a shot at Roquefort.
The mummy again tries to skewer Velloro
The two remaining cultists mentally attack Velloro and Nomoline.
Chivix backs away and shoots the mummy.
Roquefort shoots and kills the cultist. Nomoline attacks, missing once before connecting with the mummy. The mummy resists some of the damage.
Roquefort hits the one of the cultists. They react with a mental attack. The far morlamaw pulls and fires a pistol at Nomoline.
The morlamaw which was standing frozen by the portal, advances towards you. The remaining cultist take shots as well.
Yellow vs Nomoline
Nomoline moves forward, causing them to respond violently!
"Stay back! The time has come for all to learn about the importance of morlamaws once the Eternal Source returns to Arniselle!" As expected, they seem to be summoning one of the Great Old One.
Roquefort is able to disable the runes holding the door. Nothing happens when he is finished, so you cautiously head through them. Beyond the door you find a rough hewn tunnel leading upward. Shortly after you start up, you emerge from the water. Much sooner than you would expect, you see daylight ahead. You exit the tunnel onto what seems to be an island in the middle of the Arniselle ocean. The surface of the island is jagged and rough, and basalt columns have fallen, unable to support their own weight out of the water. A single clearing opens up to reveal a group of morlamaws in black robes chanting in a strange tongue. A large portal carved of basalt stands open in the middle of the group of chanting figures. Occasionally, the tip of a greenish-brown tentacle emerges from the portal and then retracts. The morlamaw on the far side spies you and yells to you to stay back.
Roquefort is able to determine that the equipment is quite ancient, and of mi-go origin. In the distant past it was used to remove the brains of already mummified morlamaws.
While the others rest, Chivix searches the chamber. The strange equipment lining the room requires further examination to understand. He notices that the mummified morlamaws which did not attack, each have damaged skulls, and it is easy to see that their brains have been removed. The metal door on the far side of the room is inscribed with another rune, keeping the door locked.
Roquefort takes a shot, but misses. Velloro comes in with might blow and downs the final mummy.
A might blow indeed! But the mummy still stands.
Chivix gets in a lucky shot and takes down one of the mummies. The remaining mummy strikes at Nomoline.
Velloro strikes down the mummy attacking him with a mighty blow. Both Roquefort and Nomoline hit.
Chivix hits. Vel hits once, though the water dilutes his acid.
Nomoline struggles to continue her attack, but it is unable to connect.
Velloro and Roquefort hit! Nomoline identifies them as undead mummified morlamaws, and knows they are resistance to cold and vulnerable to fire. Alas this information does not help her as she misses twice. Chivix and Gravy lock on to the nearest mummy and hit!
Both Nomoline and Roquefort get hit, and the mummies use there powerful tusks to drag them closer. You immediately feel ill from the wounds.
Roquefort hits the morlamaw engaged with Velloro!
Nomoline and Roquefort approach the circle to try and deactivate the rune. Chivix and Velloro stick close, but not too close. With a few moments work, they are able to shut down whatever ritual had been started there. But as soon as the power leaves the runes, three of the desiccated morlamaws let out moans and begin moving your way. GM Dice:
Nomoline studies the area and is able to determine that the circle was part of a ritual that caused the earthquake. The runes are still active, but she believes they can be deactivated, though not without some risk. Chivix finds nothing of interest.
While Roquefort investigates the dark arts, Velloro searches for spoils. He finds that many of the relics are very old and worth quite a bit. Finished here, you make your way deeper in the mine. Around a bend in the cavern, the mine suddenly transforms into an occult lair. More symbols and runes carved into the walls and floors leer out, and strange equipment lies piled up against the walls. The equipment is too small to be designed for use by morlamaws, and drills, claws and spikes stick out of various metal gadgets in an unsettling fashion. A circle of runes on the floor glows with an otherworldly light. Surrounding the circle are a dozen morlamaws that are shriveled and desiccated. At the top of the cavern you spy what looks like a pocket of air, and at the far end is a closed door.
Roquefort recognizes that the Eternal Source appears to refer to a specific creature, and that the Followers of the Eternal Source apparently worship this creature. With a little more research he is able to identify the creature as Ghatanothoa, who is exceedingly strange even for a Great Old One. Ghatanothoa is a mass of limbs, tentacle, and eyes, that folds up over on itself, constantly shifting and melding in and out of form. His appearance is said to be so horrifying that those who gaze upon him or upon perfect images of him can be turned into effectively immortal, petrified mummies, aware of their surroundings but unable to move.
The tracks extend west and east through this room. To the west they go further into the depths of the facility, though hazard tape indicates the area has seen little use. There are lights along the tracks to the east, so you make your way that direction. The first area you come across has clearly been repurposed recently. Shelves contain datapads on occult subjects and a neatly machined wall of basalt has various diagrams and symbols carved into it. The phrase “the Eternal Source” is repeated over and over again in Morlamaw, Aklo, and once in Common. One of the clearest images looks like a jagged spire of rock stretching high out of an ocean, surrounded by waves. There are old and bizarre relics featuring morlamaw imagery as well as occult symbols. Nomoline is able to read the Morlamaw text of some of the datapads, and finds that there are many on the topic of the Great Old Ones, strange, powerful, and malevolent ancient beings associated with the planet Aucturn and known to inhabit the fringes of space.
Roquefort is able to quickly disable the explosion. Checking the computer you find it has been expertly cleared. No personal effects were left behind, but the furniture in these rooms looks reasonably well worn. Survival DC 20:
You note that Datch probably stayed here several months. Physical Science DC 24: You can tell that the air in this room hasn’t been cycled in a year.
GM Dice:
Chivix sits down to start on the computer. It starts up with a cartoon-like pixelated image of the white ysoki holding up a mining pick and smiling at the camera while snacking on an apple. "Ah ah ah! You didn't say the magic word." Several of you notice at once that the computer is set to explode unless you act quickly.
Chivix makes short work of the airlock lock. The airlock leads to a small office, with furniture clearly sized for a creature much smaller than a morlamaw. This room is filled with air. The desk is bare other than a computer. An open door leads to a small bedroom, though there are no personal items visible in here.
After a short rest you make your way out and around to the airlock door. The door is locked.
Searching through the room Nomoline and Roquefort find a first-aid cabinet with six mk 3 serums of healing.
Chivix tries to access the computers but is thwarted by their security. He spends the next several minutes examining the tests on the tables and notices that in addition to standard materials science procedures on the basalt, many of the tests are seeing how well the basalt blocks sensors. Roquefort is able to break into the underwater computer system and access its files. The data contains records of experiments demonstrating the cloaking properties of the basalt, as well as simulations modeling how those properties would function in extremely large quantities. It all suggests that AbadarCorp wanted to hide something very big from detection.
The double doors to the west are unlocked and appear safe, so you head through. Beyond them is a large workspace. Several desks with computers line the walls of this room off the main entrance, while long tables down the middle of the room are crowded with machinery and experiments. Basalt sample float in suspension in front of sensors or set up for strength testing and many broken pieces of basalt fill waste bins.
Nomoline and Roquefort uncover some useful equipment which got left behind: Two driver seismic picks, and a medium excavation laser. Chivix is able to extract LFD screamer modified for underwater use, and an andesite magma blade (not modified). The drill is too much a part of the robot to be of any use. When he joins the others to search the crates, he finds a simple datapad with the shipping manifest. There is an addendum slipped in with the manifest stating that the mining equipment is being held back in lieu of shipping 50 tons of basalt on the Golden Meteor and that subsequent arrangements would be made to ship the mining equipment. It is signed by Datch and dated one year ago. As you finish up going through the crates, there is an earthquake which shakes the entire area. Physical Science DC 24 or played S1-08:
You know that earthquakes are very common on Arniselle and are what caused the Starfinder Society lodge, which was once on land, to end up underwater. Mysticism or Physical Science DC 25:
You believe this earthquake is likely magical in origin, not natural.
Nomoline soundly strikes the robot, disabling it completely.
With the robot out of commission you are able to more thoroughly explore this part of the mine. You can tell that an enormous quantity of basalt was mined from this facility, easily enough to fill the cargo bays of a large starship. However, none of the mined basalt is present.
As Velloro approaches, the robot strikes with its drill , but fails to get past his armor. Velloro strikes the robot, but the water lessens the blow.
Both Nomoline and Chivix hit.
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