JN-53702's page

Last thoughts, for now...

[Communal meals, often colloquially referred to as "breaking bread together" regardless of the meal's constituent parts, are regarded in most human cultures as an integral part of social bonding among familial units and groups of friends. Keleshite and Mwangi communal meals often feature a single serving device from which everyone eats, commonly using flat breads to dip into the dish as a sort of utensil. Ulfen meals prominently feature meats and cheeses, easier to preserve through their long cold season. Taldane communal meals are often lavish affairs interwoven with other social activities such as dancing and conversation...]

As everyone else laughed, joked, and reveled in the company, Jeyne sat at the room's edge, her expression neutral as ever. One track of her mind recited a litany of the mealtime customs of various cultures; another calculated a nutritional breakdown of each of the dishes served (fats and salt were present in high quantities, plant-based foods much fewer and further between). But another voice repeated in her mind as well - the words of the strange android woman Meyanda, and the strange god she had spoken of.

We need to figure out what to do about Meyanda. Jeyne's going to advocate for her release (without her weaponry), since she promised it and Meyanda did after all comply with her questioning, but others may feel the risk to the reactor too great.

@Fabian - I'm assuming no amount of Knowledge (religion) is going to turn up anything about a Hellion?

I'll finish out closing remarks when the above points are addressed.

You're right - that does indeed answer my question. ;) I'll do concluding thoughts from Jeyne later, but I just want to say thanks for a great time! I'm definitely interested in continuing if you find more time - if not, thanks for as far as we've gotten.

Question for everyone, since we're coming up on a pretty natural stopping spot. I'm noticing that, especially with Camrad leaving, we've ended up with a bit of homogeneity in the group - three tech nerds and one from a tech background, even if he doesn't know much about it. We've got three people making most Knowledge checks, two people making most Disable Device checks, etc., and we tend to be coming from similar places roleplay-wise as well. Meanwhile, Seven and to some degree LEEK are the only big damage-dealers we have.

Would we be better served if Jeyne was switched out for another character (perhaps an oracle or a druid) with a less tech-y background? They'd still cover healing/status removal/buffing, but it might help to introduce a bit more variety and roleplay hooks, as well as letting us cover a broader base mechanics-wise. (Don't get me wrong - I'm having a blast playing Jeyne, and I'm glad to keep going with her. I'm just wondering if the group would be better off with a little something different in the mix.)

You got it, boss!

"I'll stay here in case she tries to burn us again."

Jeyne scanned the small lounge, with the barracks off to the side. D5 seemed like the best spot to sequester us. "We will move her into one of the sleeping spaces, on one of the beds. If you feel it necessary, you may remain. But I will ask that you stay by the tables, while I question her in here - it will be more advantageous if she sees no others but myself. I will call out if I require assistance, and you will still be close by."

Feel free to override me if you want, Seven. :)

With the unknown android moved into place, Jeyne reached for the bound woman's arm, activating her nanite-stimulus subroutine. Hopefully the other biomachine's nanites would be compatible with her own.

Healing hex: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
If that's not adequate, I'll use my last cure light wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 If she doesn't need it to come back to consciousness, I'll use it on myself.

As the android woman stirred to consciousness, Jeyne positioned herself in the captive's line of sight, standing over her. "I have repaired some of your injuries, though you will require further repair. You are in no danger at the moment - I do not wish to harm you, though I will not hesitate to protect myself and my companions. Answer my questions and we will be glad to release you; I will even render you further aid once my magic capabilities are replenished, if you remain until tomorrow."

"Did you interact with our acquaintance? He was a human male, by the name of Khonnir Baine." A description of him and his illness follows. "Were you responsible for his injuries, or do you know who was? Do you know of something that would be capable of curing his malady?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 ⇒ 13 Here's hoping for circumstance bonuses. :)
Sense Motive for answers: 1d20 + 3 - 4 ⇒ (7) + 3 - 4 = 6 Any chance my Sense Motive penalty is negated by her being an android herself?

Action 2

As the purple flame roiled up the column, Jeyne felt a flash of...not joy, that was impossible, but...knowledge that their task was complete. With such a response, there was no doubt that the reactor was the source of Torch's strange forge, and with its return, her life would return to its everyday routines. They had been successful, and Khonnir's work had been completed, though he had sacrificed much in the process.

Her gaze was finally broken by Malka's comment; turning away from the purple glow, she responded with her usual cool detachment. It is possible she would be more apt to speak with me. I am more likely to understand her motivations, and as you have stated, it is possible she bears some sort of prejudice against humans. Unlikely, though - prejudice is more than anything an emotional response. Still, perhaps it is best if the rest of you were out of sight. Seven, help me move her to a more private room. Tag Seven.

Action 1

Aid another from me and Zaken should do it! :)

Knowledge (engineering) aid another: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12 Success. +2 to Malka's roll.

I believe we have seen a hypogun before, yes? Just of lesser quality? If we haven't, disregard this post.

Well, clearly it is a hypogun of some variety - and a high-quality one at that, Jeyne chimed in, examining the device. As to its specific function, however, I cannot be precisely certain.

Would identify help to figure out the hypogun? I just really want to get this silly thing locked down. :) Regardless of whether or not identify works, I'll do a check on it using my Think On It ability.

He didn't think she was the type, but apparently she could get real mad, too.

It's a good thing that worked, or delaying healing a round would have been really embarrassing. ;)

Action 2

"Is this how we'll get the purple fire back?" he asked the others hopefully.

Knowledge (engineering): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

"It is...possible that this machine is the flame's source. But I cannot be certain. Zaken? Malka? Can either of you make sense of this? The message seems to be instructions of some sort, but the words are distorted..." Tag all.

Action 1

With the immediate danger past, Jeyne's eyesight began to return to normal, the scramble at the back of her mind began to calm - and the questions began to surface. Another android...here...and ready to die to defend this place... With deft, practiced motions, Jeyne's hands flitted over the android woman's wounds, using the blade of the spear laying to her side to cut improvised bandages from the woman's clothing and packing dressing into the cuts.

Heal check to stabilize with trait bonus: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 7 + 2 = 27

"I will stanch her wounds, make her stable enough to be out of danger. Someone bring the silk rope tied to my backpack - we may use it to bind her, so she cannot flee or attack again. Then I will heal her to bring her back to consciousness, and we can question her, find out more about why she was here. The collector seems to respond to her commands - someone disable it, so it does not begin to attack again upon her awaking."

Action 1

Seven was injured, badly...but merely outlasting the android woman was not working, Jeyne reasoned in an instant's insight. The stranger looked to be on her last legs...but she was no less deadly a shot even at death's door, and another bolt from her strange gun could cripple Seven whether Jeyne closed his wounds or no. So Jeyne took a calculated risk. Reaching again over Seven, she stabbed forward again - but instead of pulling her attack to distract, she leaned into it with all her strength, driving the point forward. As the spear darted over Seven's prone form, a strange glow began to creep over Jeyne's skin, and her expression hardened to a mask of absolute focus; soon, an eerie blue luminescence traced out a complicated, geometric lattice across her face and arms, and her multi-colored irises disappeared behind a white film.

Longspear attack with nanite surge, damage: 1d20 + 2 - 1 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 2 - 1 + 6 = 251d8 ⇒ 7

Aww, I didn't even need nanite surge! Oh well - hopefully that'll be enough to drop her.

Whew - that trip suddenly took off on me! Back now, though, and I'll get caught up. A good time was had. :)

If you saw my last post, disregard. I remembered that Intimidate is technically a fear effect, and androids are immune to them.

If the shooting provokes, then Jeyne would get an AoO with her longspear as well, since it has reach.

Longspear AoO attack, damage: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 61d8 ⇒ 3 Haha...nope.

Cease this. NOW. We mean no harm to this place - but continued hostility toward us will force us to remove you as a threat. Brandishing her spear around Seven's still-clumsy stance, Jeyne punctuated her words with jabs at the android's face and eyes - not to injure her, but to distract her enough that Seven's attacks would stand a better chance of hitting, whether he remained on the ground or rose.

Longspear aid another attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13 Success. +3 to Seven's next attack.

Cool - my action above stands, then. :) (With the caveat that my speech is in Androffan, so Seven won't be able to understand me anyway. :P)

The way I understood it, I could cast out of AoO range and hold the charge, move up, and touch him to discharge it as a free action. Touching to discharge offensive spells doesn't provoke, so touching to discharge a beneficial spell wouldn't either, by my understanding.

To use these spells, you cast the spell and then touch the subject. In the same round that you cast the spell, you may also touch (or attempt to touch) as a free action. You may take your move before casting the spell, after touching the target, or between casting the spell and touching the target.

Touching an opponent with a touch spell is considered to be an armed attack and therefore does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

I promise I'm not trying to be difficult - it's a tough situation, and I just want to make sure I'm understanding the rules correctly myself! :) This'll be my last argument on the matter; whatever you call at this point I'll accept (including an AoO from the repair drone if you think it appropriate).

By the way, I'm leaving this morning to visit family - I will have Internet and should still be able to post once a day, but if I go quiet at any point over the next few days, that's why.

My can't-climb-the-ladder action was to walk to and climb the north ladder.

I took last round to go north past the collector and climb the ladder - my movement should have put me at the top of the ladder. You didn't move my token for it, though. Now I'm wanting to cast at the top of the ladder, hold the charge, move around the front of the reactor on the platform, and touch Seven to expend the charge (which shouldn't provoke).

You didn't get my token moved on the board, but I believe I should be close enough to close to Seven unless the machinery makes it difficult terrain. If not, ignore my post. I should end up in the square just north of him, which puts Meyanda in my reach for AoO purposes.

At the top of the ladder, Jeyne invoked her Sarenite prayer of healing, creating an eerie blue nimbus of St. Elmo's fire around her hands. Then, nearly leaping across the machine controls in her haste, she reached out and placed a hand on the fallen man's shoulder, gripping her spear in the other. Seven - come back! There is more yet to do.

Cure light wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

Oh, geez, sorry, I totally thought I'd posted for some reason!

I'm assuming, with the repair droid parked at the top of the ladder, I won't be able to climb it this round? Seven's in bad need of healing, and going around's going to take a while...it's times like this I wish the speaker for the past shaman had a familiar (though it wouldn't have fit Jeyne at all).

If Jeyne can climb the ladder:

Seven was injured, badly, and seemed completely unaware of the fact. So, once he had scaled the ladder to the platform above, Jeyne followed in his tracks, scaling the rungs and preparing to cast a healing spell standing at the top. "Malka - tell Seven to come to me!" she shouted, hoping she could be heard above the din.

Move action to climb the ladder, ready a standard action to cast cure light wounds on Seven when he gets in range (or just cast cure light wounds if I can get in range of him with my move action).

If Jeyne can't climb the ladder:

The situation was looking dire. Seven growled in pain atop the platform, Jeyne stood on the floor staring up helplessly, and the repair drone blocked her path to close the distance between them. So Jeyne took the only option left to her - she began the trek back across the open area in front of the machinery, moving wide to avoid drawing the collector's blows, and made her way up the far ladder, ending up on the reactor's north edge. "Malka, tell Seven to drink a potion!" she called out from the platform, hoping against hope that Malka could hear her - and that Seven had a potion to hand.

Yesterday it was a fire knocking out the Internet, today it's a thunderstorm threatening to knock out the power. XD Ah, this place in summertime. Post'll be up soon assuming the power holds out; if not now, it'll be a few hours from now when I was going to be skipping town anyway. ;)

Action 1

Seven was the one heading directly into the most danger, but Jeyne wasn't going to be able to help him until the ladder was clear...so instead she turned and lashed out with her longspear at the collector, trying to help LEEK take the droid out so everyone could focus their efforts.

Aid another for +3 to LEEK's next attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11 Success. +3 to LEEK's next attack.

Action 1

Seven's sword had finally started to make some progress, stilted though it was by the collector's plating...but then the repair drone moved, and in moments all their progress was lost...

"Go for the repair drone!" Jeyne called out, her voice stiff as ever despite the desperate situation. Seven would not be able to understand her Androffan words, she knew, but hopefully Malka or Zaken would understand and pass her words along. "Otherwise our efforts are useless!" To facilitate her advice, she drew one of the nets at her hip and tossed it at the repair device, trying to entangle it and hamper any further healing. At the last moment, though, the repair drone lurched away from her clumsy throw, and the net fell useless to the floor.

Move action to move to two squares south of the collector (there's a path that avoids all AoOs) and draw net. Standard action to throw net.

Net - ranged touch attack with nonproficiency: 1d20 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (11) + 2 - 4 = 9

Yeah, if we do have action points I wouldn't mind burning one to add to that attack or ignore the nonproficiency penalty for a round or something...

Action 1

As Zaken withdrew and threw his grenade, Jeyne's movements matched his. The item that emerged from her bandolier, however, was not a sleek metal casing, but a small bag oozing with a dark substance through the fabric's pores. With a deft flick of her wrist, she tossed it at the other android and was rewarded when it burst asunder on her chest, enveloping her in a dark, sticky goo.

Tanglefoot bag throw at Meyanda.

Tanglefoot bag throw with range increments and bless: 1d20 + 3 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (16) + 3 + 1 - 4 = 16 I'll assume her touch AC is less than 16.

Sorry, came down with food poisoning yesterday. Left work early, slept for eighteen hours, woke up again just in time to come back to work and play catch-up. I'll get posted by late morning.

OOC: it's very noisy in the chamber and you have to speak loudly to be understood face to face, impossible to communicate over any distance over 10' or so.

Eh, it was worth a shot. I didn't expect it to work anyway. :)

"See Malka? Bad things!"

*Channels the grandfather from The Princess Bride* "Yes, you're very smart...shut up." ;)

Action 1

"We wish no harm to this place -" Jeyne began to call out to the room's inhabitants, seeing the look of consternation in the android's eyes. But before she could get more than a few words out, the lance of energy had sailed from the android's hand, the loud crack had sounded through the chamber as it struck LEEK, and her vision had turned to crystal. Another Iroran prayer echoed off the violet columns, and all of Jeyne's companions felt power surge through their limbs.

"We are merely explorers, seeking a cure for our companion!" she continued to call out in Androffan, hoping the android could understand her pleas. The last thing Jeyne wanted was to be forced to destroy the only other android she had ever met.

Bless for +1 to attacks and saves v. fear.

Action 1

Heal: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

"Gargoyles are able to speak, and ordinarily more than avail themselves of the opportunity to gloat over an enemy...but this one seemed unable, for some reason. It attempted - it looked almost as if it intended to scream, or attempted to scream reflexively. What ailment afflicted it so, I wonder?" Approaching Zaken, she touched his arm and began the subroutine to infuse her own nanites into his bloodstream to see to his injuries. Healing hex on Zaken - I don't think I've used it on him yet.

Action 2

"I wonder if it was the being itself that they revered, or if they believed it to be a representation of a more remote deity?" Jeyne pondered aloud, looking over the offerings from the "worshippers". "It does seem there are some items in here that may still be functional, though - Zaken, do you recognize any of these? There is a roll of some sort of thin membrane...and these appear to be goggles of some sort, perhaps to increase visual acuity or protect the eyes?"

Knowledge (engineering) aid to Zaken: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19

Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16 Can I assume this'll tell me that gargoyles are usually chaotic evil? If not, ignore this post.

The serious injuries Zaken had sustained looked troublesome to Jeyne; LEEK's intense hit was likely to draw its ire, but the robot was likely to end up in a similar state unless Jeyne took precautions. [Gargoyles: earth-based creatures who gain advantage against their enemies through impersonation of statues and other stone ornaments. They are creatures known to have a penchant for vindictiveness, cruelty, and treachery...]

At her recollection of the malice inherent to most of these creatures, Jeyne had an idea. Her attempt to duck past the creature without drawing a blow ended up a failure, but even with attempting to dodge the creature's heavy swing, she ended up with LEEK between her and the beast. Murmuring a blessing of protection from Brigh's holy book, she touched the robot's shielding, watching as a spark of light expanded into a glowing ward around the robot, with the image of a clockwork mask settling over the robot's own stiff features. For protection, she explained simply.

Move action, use Acrobatics to move next to LEEK and out of the gargoyle's threatened range. Standard action, protection from evil for one minute.

Acrobatics to avoid provoking: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9 Fail; her movement will provoke.

Action 1

Knowledge (engineering) for stuffs: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 Haha...nope.

Jeyne looked over the gun, the armor in its small pod, the tool...and found she had little to contribute on their function. Nothing, in fact. So she simply pocketed her tools and moved on, putting their finds in one of the outer pockets of her bag. Perhaps Zaken will know more of them.

Action 2

Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Staring down the statue, Jeyne watched as it roared to life, lashing out at her compatriot - and once again, found that she had nothing to contribute on its identity, its weaknesses.... Most would have claimed her distracted over her incapacitated adoptive father...but that was not possible for Jeyne. She readily acknowledged his important role in her life, but she had no capability for the kind of emotions that would distract her that way...do I? Her hand tightened slightly on her spear as she pondered the possibility and waited for the moment to strike.

Action 2

Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

"An altar, yes..." Jeyne replied, "but to no deity I have ever heard of. And with thousands of years of experiences to draw on...suffice it to say I have heard of many. Perhaps the deity is new, or a fabrication of its worshippers. It is difficult to say for certain - but I can say with certainty it is not one of the known deities. It could expain the fervor of the orcs and ratmen, though, if they believed they were protecting some sort of sacred site..."

Turning around, Jeyne saw Seven reaching for the doors. "Seven, be cautious - we do not know what..." But the big man had already set his hand on the dark metal, and her warning came too late.

Action 1

"Here, Zaken, let me look..." Peering at the lock for a moment, Jeyne spotted a piece of bent metal that was sticking into the lock, preventing the last tumbler from moving into place. With the end of one of her tools, she managed to slip it to the side and free up the locking mechanism, and with one or two more twitches at the picks sticking out from the keyhole, the door popped open.

Take 10 and aid Zaken for +2, which does it. :)

Jeyne wiped a stray speck of blood from her cheek, the dark spot now just a slight stain on her synthetic skin. The orcs had put up quite a fight, as had the remaining ratfolk - but the orcs in their haste had nearly tripped over each other to charge at LEEK and Seven, leaving them vulnerable. Seven's sword and LEEK's slams had been accompanied by droplets of liquid fire, as Jeyne took advantage of their close gathering to lob one of her crystal vials. Using an alchemist's fire.

With the melee settling into calm, she began to examine the fallen, seeing if perhaps one of the creatures had managed to survive after falling to the onslaught. At this point, information was what was sorely lacking - and these creatures seemed very comfortable with the buried vessel. There would be no better source of information.

If there's one that's unconscious but not dead, I'll stabilize them, bind them, then cast a cure spell to bring them back to consciousness.

Malka snickered at Jeyne's comment but quickly composed herself.

"Have I said something humorous?" Jeyne looked genuinely bewildered at Malka's response; she had not intended to attempt a joke, and all her previous attempts at humor had not been well received. Humans are curious...

A little frustrated, Zaken turned to the others. "I found nothing... perhaps the kill switch is on the other side of the wall... so, next door!" While he passed besides Malka and Jeyne, he smiled and laughed. "I knew from the beginning!"

"If you were aware, your divinatory ability must be great. Strange - from your comments concerning the fallen orcs and ratfolk you seemed less than familiar with divinatory magics. So which door hides the disabling switch?" Jeyne answers matter-of-factly, nodding at Zaken and waiting for him to lead the way.

Sorry, mate - couldn't resist. ;)

Nearest door is fine with me, although I'm good with trying to disable everything if folks would like. Also, part of me so wishes sarcasm wasn't an emotional response to Zaken's "I told you so"...;)

Whew - sorry for the barrage of posts! My brain's all over the place today, and I found it easier to respond in small bites than try to compose it in a longer post.

On that note, sorry for my slower-than-usual posting lately. There have been some changes for me at work recently - nothing bad, but all meaning that I now have far more people requiring my attention and in my space, and work is when I usually post. Hopefully it'll calm down over the next little while; until then, I apologize. I am still definitely into playing, but I understand if I need to step aside for a more frequent poster.

"Shall we continue with our original plan of trying the white access card on the locked room?"

"I see no reason to deviate from our intentions. It still seems our most likely chance at obtaining something to aid Khonnir's recovery." Taking her place behind LEEK, Jeyne gripped her spear, ready for what lay beyond the door.

"It is interesting that each one of the orcs seems to have these brown access cards. I wonder if that is significant for any reason."

"Perhaps it is because they have explored the vessel themselves -" Suddenly connections begin to draw themselves in Jeyne's mind. "- like Councilman Baine's assailants may have done. Perhaps they are the ones responsible for accosting him, as indeed they accosted us." Tag everyone.

Zaken sighed as Seven impaled the ratfolk. "Oh boy... that means we have no answers after all... unless any of you knows that trick about reading the future using a creature's guts..." Zaken looked around, without much hope.

"I am not familiar with Mwangi divination methods, no. But given time to focus my mind...I can access the memories of the souls that previously inhabited this body. An ancestral memory, if you will. If I could obtain a divinatory text written to call upon the spirits of the dead, it is possible I could draw upon the knowledge to utilize it. A text of any tradition - it need not be Mwangi."

It's a third level spell, so I can't prep it, but if we tracked down a scroll of speak with dead I can activate it.

She handed one to Jeyne and one to Seven. "These will knit most of your skin back together. Let me know if any of you need additional bandaging."

As Malka offered the potion, Jeyne waved a hand. "I do not require a potion at the moment - they are better saved for a more pressing situation. I can speed up my own nanites for a few moments to speed my recovery adequately, and I can perform a nanite transfer to help others recover as well. Except for Seven; his system already contains some from this morning's healing, and introducing more would only key onto the old ones' programming and attempt to heal wounds no longer present."

Healing hex - Jeyne: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Healing hex - Malka: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
Healing hex - Zaken: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

I have healing hexes left for everyone but Seven as well, so that'll top off health. Post coming up soon.

Seven was in serious danger - but he seemed to have a fair amount of help as well. Zaken's robot was facing off against the orc with Seven, and Malka's spell was likely to incapacitate the shooters to the south. So Jeyne decided to assist Zaken with eliminating the northernmost of the shooters; charging forward, she stabbed out with her long spear, trying to get past the ratman's defenses, and was rewarded with a heavy thunk as spearpoint met ratling.

Longspear attack with bless/charge, damage: 1d20 + 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 + 1 + 2 = 201d8 ⇒ 8 Makes it probably? Feel free to retcon if it doesn't.

What reason would such have to attack us? We have done nothing apparent to inspire their ire... But the calm words of the rationalist, the peacemaker, began to dissipate, flowing into the rest of the stream at the back of her mind...and the battlemaster, the crystal veil, took over, sharpening her focus. Readying her long spear, she called out a few lilting words in a sharp chant; around her, a blue light began to form into strings of Vudrani text, encircling her and suddenly expanding to form a ring around the battlefield.

Cast bless. +1 to attacks and saves v. fear.

Damn - I was hoping a healing wand would be available, so we don't have to be as dependent on my limited spell slots. Oh well.

Action 1

Seeing the severity of Seven's remaining wounds, Jeyne reached out to set a hand on his arm - then remembered herself and stopped, her hand hovering slightly over the big man's skin. I am going to use the new healing technique I showed you yesterday, Seven. I know you find the sensation unpleasant, but it is highly effective, and perfectly safe. Or we can get you another potion if you like - we still have much of the funds from our first excursion into the vessel available.

Speaking of which, she added, turning to everyone else, perhaps we should discuss the disposition of said funds. It seems prudent to save out a certain amount for purchasing items against emergencies - potions, wands, and the like - with the rest divided evenly among us for personal purchases. I have kept the remainder of the unspent coin here at the Foundry: it seemed one of the more secure options.

Maybe we should spend 500 gp or so on some potions to have as a communal stock, since there's no party wand of cure light wounds available? That leaves 1500 apiece for our own purchases.

Action 2

"Right guys, I'm thinking that, if you exclude the double doors to the far left, this floor looks kind-of symmetric... if it is the case, perhaps it would be wise if we check the doors to the left before entering the central ones..."

"It is the mind's tendency to create patterns, even where none may truly exist...we should be cautious to avoid ascribing too much credence to what could after all be a trick of the mind...but you could perhaps be correct. However, I believe we should first attempt to open the center door with the access card we discovered. Remember, our first purpose is to discover a cure for Councilman Baine - it seems logical to conclude that such a remedy would be kept in a higher-security area."

Action 1

"No change is perhaps the best possible outcome at the moment, Val," Jeyne murmured softly to her sister, readjusting the blankets over her sleeping mentor. "It means the illness is not worsening - and the clerics will continue to minister to him, ameliorate his condition until we are able to find a more permanent solution. And we intend to continue searching earnestly; there is more yet to be discovered in that vessel, and every trip finds us more accustomed with its layout."

Rising, she straightened her skirt and turned to Val. "Has it been troublesome to get him to eat? If it becomes difficult, I have some concentrated sustenance tubes from the vessel on the shelf in my room; they are not difficult to see. You may feel free to use them, if they should be required." Looking at the tear running down Val's cheek, Jeyne found herself pondering - and not for the first time - how inadequate she was at dealing with the situation. She could see to their practical needs, of course...but there was an entire ocean in Val's mind that Jeyne could not begin to navigate. Would never be able to.

"I will do what I can," she finished softly, leaving Khonnir's bedchamber and returning to her own small room to rest.

I'm ok with keeping going if everyone else is. Sorry for my slow response - I got called into work last night, then spent sixteen straight hours yesterday trying to sleep off the nasty cough I've had. Post in a bit.

Just to confirm (in case it wasn't clear) Jeyne's vote is to stay down here. She's got goo tubes and a small, hard place to sleep either way, and that's how she likes it. :)

Action 1

Malka wrote:

Malka took her first good look at the room. "We may want to consider halting our search after this room. I have used up a considerable portion of my resources and it may prove difficult if we continue."

Zaken shrugged. "Even if I could keep going for a bit more and Mr. Baine really needs the medicine, I agree that if we rush forward, there is the chance that neither we nor him will survive... things are getting worse as we find more and more threats down here..."

Though she knew delay could prove disastrous were it for too long, Jeyne could see the wisdom in Zaken and Malka's suggestions. "I concur. If we wish to spend the night below again, I suggest it is in here; it is as defensible a space as any we have seen. Or perhaps we can make do in the elevator - it has only one entry as well, and since it did not function until today it is likely few would suspect to search in it. Or we can return to the surface - but it will be time consuming." Tag all for camp-out v. real bed.

Action 2

"The orcs' armor is finely made - it will likely be valuable. The shields as well." Taking one of the wood saucers, Jeyne straps it to her arm, testing the weight of it and finding it light and manageable. She'd focused more on keeping people at reach with her spear than worrying about the up-close defense a shield would provide, but this one seemed unobtrusive enough to hinder her little, even attacking with her spear or casting a spell. "If no one objects," she chimes in, "I intend to use one of the shields - a bit of extra defense will not go amiss."

Not technically proficient with shields, but since a masterwork buckler has a 0 ACP, it doesn't much matter. Her AC will increase by 1 unless she attacks in a round.

Action 1

Though she trusted Malka's assessment that the creature was vulnerable to electricity, the zipstick was not a highly-damaging weapon even with that advantage...and Seven's sword was, even having to contend with the robot's heavy outer shell. So with the zipstick in one hand, she reached out to Seven with the other, chanting the Kelish words she understood more by wordless memory than definition.

Introducing more of her nanites into his system would be ineffective, she knew. In her own system they were highly adaptive, but in another's they would default to the programming of the original burst, working to finish repairing already-closed cuts - at least until the original infusion deprogrammed and were eliminated, within the next twelve to twenty-four hours. So instead it was the Sarenite invocation she called upon, with a nimbus of heatless fire erupting around her hand and working its way into the injured Seven's flesh.

Cure light wounds on Seven: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

Action 1

Malka yelled at Jeyne over the loud clangs of metal on metal, "Did you keep one of the zipsticks? If so, the electrical jolt it produces may cause harm to the creature."

Good thing I wasn't able to post until now, or I wouldn't have thought of it. :)

At Malka's cry, Jeyne remembered the device they'd found before - she'd kept it on the off-chance they found a use for it, little expecting to. Pulling it from her bandolier, she darted forward and lunged at the robot, depressing the red button on the zipstick's side. But the robot was too quick; it ducked away from her, and the zipstick merely rushed through empty air, its tip sparking.

Melee touch attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8