"Hmm."
I have a feeling that explaining to everyone that Vikkan lost his hand to some form of magic might lead to... distrust among the team. Maybe I'll go tell him myself if I can get him alone.
Name: Wiellste Gunsmithy
Description: A young Ethral, no taller than 4 feet. Her fur is unpatterned and a milky white. Usually wears a rather plain quilted brown silk cloak, and a polished copper mask with symmetrical, spiraling lines etched on the sides.
Goal: Wiellste is like many Ethral in that she seeks to gather knowledge about the world before all else. Though being an Ethral from Knot, her skills are largely more on the practical building side than the scholarly side. She isn't particularly invested in the teachings of the Tenebrous Church, but the idea of the spheres intrigues her, especially Balarim, with it's writings and technology.
Stats:
Str: 7
Dex: 12
Spe: 10
End: 8
Awa: 7
Cun: 15
Kno: 13
Ner: 11
Skills:
Weaponsmith 2
Diving 2
Pistol 1
Bore 1
Translate 1
Stealth 1
Inventory:
Silk cloak
Copper mask
Ethral revolver 6/6
1 Fathom
"I'm feeling faint. I'm not good for any more adventuring at the moment." Vikkan replied. He felt like shit and looked the part too, all sweat, deathly pallor and wincing from pain and discomfort.
Is it time to leave? I hope it's time to leave. Help to carry some amount of loot if necessary but nothing dangerous or heavy.
Name: Vikkan Laerthe
Description: A human from Anvil and a moderate Chthonic who was born and raised close in the neighborhood of the Hammerfall boreyard, where his parents were employed as menial workers. Being so close to a place so filled with machinery and boring machines left a lasting impression on Vikkan, who became a furnace helper, then a drivemaster's apprentice until he finally reached the controls of a bore. He's quite good at conducting driving bores and, most importantly, he deeply enjoys his work.
Bore love aside, Vikkan is also generally quite friendly and good-humored even when he's not behind a bore's controls. He is, however, aware of his limitations out of the control room, and he'd rather leave most other matters to more skilled people. What he lacks in intellectual education he displays in polite curiosity, and he tends to be interested in listening even to topics he can only vaguely grasp, making for a good talking and drinking buddy if nothing else.
At odds with his friendliness, he looks rugged, if young. His hair is dark brown and cut short, and he has a well-groomed handlebar mustache (though he's been known to let it grow and style it into a horseshoe at times). A small diagonal scar moves from his right eyebrow to the bridge of his nose. His skin is brown and displays a few burns thanks to a few years of furnace and boiler work. He's fairly hairy, with his shirt's sleeves covering hairy arms and a few spots of scar tissue. His uniform is made of thick cloth and utilitarian, overalls, a long-sleeved shirt and a cap. His major concession to vanity is keeping his uniform and mustache impeccable.
He doesn't have a right hand.Goal: To deep driving bores and having fun while doing it. It's not a difficult dream, even if it can be hard at times.
StatsStr: 10
Dex: 10
Spe: 10
End: 10
Awa: 13
Cun: 10
Kno: 10
Ner: 10
Skills+3 Vehicle (Bore)
+2 Navigation
+1 Defense (Mail Shirt)
Inventory-Conductor's Clothes
-Dynamo Lantern
-Black Book (Copy)
-Field Lighter
-Mail Shirt
-2 Fathoms
Wiellste helps Vikkan out of the pit and back towards the entrance. As they go, Wiellste whispers her theory about whats going on to Vikkan in the most...non-frightening terms she can muster. Together they both wander back over the numerous pathways and to the tower they started in. However, from there, they're not too sure where to go. The lack of memory as to how they reached that main tower means they don't know the way back. Also the tower's entrance door is solid and unyielding with out the crystal friend.
Pocket some sheet music then cast Balaram Es to move one of those brass orbs to me.
path: 3 rolls
reinfoce balarm 1x reinforce es 1x
5 rolls + final nerve roll + final Balaram roll
Name: AsHul
Description:Former human. Awful, ugly, indifferent
Goal:To find God
Stats
Str:9 Dex:8 Spe:8 End:10 Awa:12 Cun:10 Kno:10 Ner:16
Skills
Diving: 3
Animal Handling: 2
Survival: 1
Inventory
Relic Fragment
Black Book (copy)
1 Silent Night - calming. gives advantage on diving rolls
4 Worm Blood - steadies nerves
2 Occult Junks
2 Fathoms (One magnetically welded to the wall of his room in the Bore)
You close your eyes and call the orb to you. It comes but...not in the way you expected; the entire conveyor above you tears itself in half and part of it twists and distorts horribly to connect with the belt you're currently on. You grab one of the orbs and some sheet music as you pass, but somewhere overhead you hear a screeching scream and then thumps as something descends the conveyors in leaps and bounds.
Tell me some more about divine communion and how to go about it (preferably stuff that isn't already in the rule/lore docs).
Then look around the room to see if there's anything else of value or interest lying around.
Adam stepped up to Kara cradling the divine artifact and lay a hand softly on her shoulder.
"This is a relic of great divine potential, though its power may not be apparent in its current form. Protect this orb with your life, young Corven."
Name: Adam Blavatsky Darvaza
Description: A young man of slightly pale complexion and eternal 9 o’clock shadow, he was raised in a small village. While the village priest and passing mystics droned with endless sermons of the Church and their teachings, what had always captivated young Adam’s attention more were the stories of his Granny.
Old stories of the world as it once was, before people were forced to flee to the caves and crannies of this damp hell. Of warm days where pleasant green plants tickled your feet as you walked through them and a cool breeze blew through your hair. Where food was plentiful, nature was benign and endless vistas reached as far as they eye could see.
Adam was nominally a card-carrying member of the church, though he mostly did it for the connections and perks that brought. They were powerful and had ancient lore, all things he would need to fulfill his true heart’s desire: to return to the surface, vanquish the madness that tainted their homeland and reconquer paradise.
Goal: Plunge the secrets of the depths below to find an answer to the horrors above.
Stats
Str: 10
Dex: 10
Spe: 10
End: 10
Awa: 10
Cun: 10
Kno: 10
Ner: 13
Skills
Diving: +3
Stealth: +2
Occult: +1
Inventory
Clothing: simple priest robes, shortened a bit so as to less restrict his movements
1 minor artifact
1 black book copy
1 black flame
1 Silent Night
1 field lighter
17 fathoms
(loaned 6 fathoms to aigre)
Communion is effectively locking yourself in small room and burning relics to get high on the smoke. In terms of the mechanics, there's little more to it than that. The difficult part is getting the room set up just right. Real shrines are air tight with powerful, independent burners because the occupants aren't going to be conscious to stoke a fire. They also have either chairs with straps or beds for them to lie in. The rooms are often locked from the inside as well, to prevent people from taking advantage of the unconscious people. [6] You look around. Anything in here would be work some money, but in terms of effort to profit, probably nothing really worthwhile.
Get out of pit, poke crystal friend too.
You slither out and follow Kara, poking her friend. It waves a foot at you.
"Allright, we are almost there, friend Harm. Let's just get this third barrel cracked open completely and then we can get to dividing the goods between the two of us. I believe the Octahedrons might be some kind of replicators by the way, able to replicate material somehow. Those are rather useful, so we should each take half of those."
Allright, try to break the thing completely open. I need them goodies.
Also, two questions:
1. Can we get a list of all the stuff in all three barrels, at least the stuff we can reach? So we can divvy up the loot more easily?
2. Can we turn the now borken barrels into junk parts?
Name: Clate
Race: Shluck
Description: Being a Shluck, Clate is rarely seen outside of his environmental suit. Inside, he is the standard albino mollusk, with his only true defining characteristic being the alternating white/borwn pattern of his beak, much like on a nautilus shell. His environmental suit and exoskeltons are full of scuff marks and small blemishes from work, but the knowledgable observer will notice that it is mechanically kept in tip-top shape. He wears a toolbelt and a satchel to store his tools and other knickknacks, and has a blue cap perched on top of his helmet.
Goal: To create great works of craftsmanship and become filthy rich in the process.
Stats
Str: 8
Dex: 10
Spe: 8
End: 10
Awa: 9
Cun: 16 (+3)
Kno: 12
Ner:10
Skills
Electronics 1
Mechanical 1
Biological 1
Chemical 1
Occult 1
Weaponsmith 1
Armorsmith 1
Stealth 1
Steal 1
Explosives 1
Inventory
Clothing: A tool belt that can be modified to fit the exoskeleton, a satchel and a blue cap with "If it ain't broke, fix it" embroidered on.
Bladed Shovel - handle coated with chrome stuff
Silk rope (100ft)
TNT x3
Dynamo lantern
Field lighter
Path markers x10
1 structural junk
5 Fathoms
”Most magnificent!”
Help Clate finish opening the barrel. At the same time, be wary of more snakes.
Name: Harmony “Harm” Li
Description: Lean and broody looking. This woman has short black hair and is partially covered in interlocking black tattoos. She wears simple black clothes, with a knee-length Maggot Wool Coat overtop.
Goal: Overall, Harm would like to find a place where refugees and travelers could seek refuge without dealing with the dogmatic influence of the church. Right now, though, she just wants to get away.
Stats
Str:10
Dex:11
Spe:10
End:10
Awa:10
Cun:12
Kno:10
Ner:10
Skills
Weapon smith (3)
Mechanical (2)
Lucky Shot (1)
Inventory
5 Large branches of crystalline lead
Several large chunks of blue crystal
Lucky Shot (6 rounds)
Field Lighter
10 Path Markers
2 units structural junk
2 units mechanical junk
[4]
You finish smashing the barrel open.
1. first barrel is basically unreachable without removing that tree thing. Otherwise, 15 Octahedrons, 1 Labradorite rod, Your chrome stuff, several (5) cubes of gold about an inch to a size, a large roll of silver or maybe tin wire, a box made out of slate, and a knife.
2. Yes. 6 structural per broken down barrel.
Try dreaming.
Name: Lokam Pilgrim
Description: Lokam is an Ethral Aspirant of the Tenebrous Chruch currently on pilgrimage. His soft fur is pale yellow, his large and fuzzy mane is golden and antennae and wings are dark purple with white details. His antennae, unlike most Ethral, are also very long and fluffy. Most of the time, he's wearing his silky church robes, which also have a hood included. His mask is very dark purple, with bright yellow spirals and curves, similar to tentacles.
Goal: His goal is to just complete his pilgrimage and ascend in the chruch. He wishes to go as deep as possible and someday become a Living Saint, Stygian or even a member of the Council. But his dream is to someday go deeper than everyone, reach the center and finally find God.
Stats:
Str: 7
Dex: 12
Spe: 10
End: 8
Awa: 7
Cun: 13
Kno: 13
Ner: 13
Skills:
Diving: 3
Caving: 1
Navigation: 1
Survival: 1
Translate: 1
Inventory:
The Black Book (Real)
Black Flame
Bag of Path Markers
Silk Aspirant Gray Robes
Purple Mask
You dream of a perfect black void. Something is watching you.
Help with the looting.
Name: Alex Wells
Description: A middle aged man standing 5'7" feet tall. He has short brown hair and an unkempt beard.
Goal: Exploring the depths and collecting its wealth.
Stats:
Str: 11
Dex: 10
Spe: 10
End: 10
Awa: 10
Cun: 12
Kno: 10
Ner: 10
Skills:
Explosives 2
Mechanical 1
Survival 1
Caving 1
Chemical 2
Geology 1
Inventory:
Dynamo Lantern
Field Lighter
3 TNT
Bladed Shovel
Mail Shirt
8 Fathoms
Look for some valuables and gather as much loot as possible.
"If we are done, we might as well get as many things as possible. It would be a waste to leave them behind."
You break off from the group and walk back towards the tower you think you started in but find that the door is solid and impassible without Kara's crystal friend. You're gonna need that walking key of you're gonna do any real looting.
Start wandering back the way we came, looking for a derpy crystal golem to keep as a pet and/or paperweight.
Name: Auft Kindheart
Description: Standing 3'10", with even fluffier than usual snow-white fur, this Ethral radiates adorable innocence even by the standards of her kind. Her porcelain-white mask is a circular shape carved into slices, each bearing a smiling face with eyes and mouths arched in joy, and adorned with pink blush marks. Her cloak is similarly pure white and a little too large for her, adding to her cute and defenseless appearance.
Goal: To amass and improve loyal pets and slaves.
Stats
Str: 7
Dex: 12
Spe: 10
End: 8
Awa: 7
Cun: 16
Kno: 13
Ner: 10
Skills
+1 Medical
+1 Translate
+1 Acrobatics
+1 Persuasion
+1 Stealth
+1 Animal Handling
+1 Archeology
+1 Biological
+1 Chemical
+1 Occult
Inventory
2 Fathoms
Ethral Rifle [7/7]
Doctor's Bag
You walk out onto the open air pathways and wander around until you find a golem. This one looks like a dodecahedron with long, unjointed, sharp stone shards for legs. It moves like a spider with all its legs in casts, delicately and slowly tink tink tinking forward. The main body is about the size of your fist so you can easily grab it and pick it up; its legs move randomly for a few seconds and then go limp. Seems to be waiting for a surface to stand on again.
"I'm feeling faint. I'm not good for any more adventuring at the moment." Vikkan replied. He felt like shit and looked the part too, all sweat, deathly pallor and wincing from pain and discomfort.
"Oh, uh, do you think you need some help moving, then? It's a pretty steep slope to climb..."
As he clasps his bag back up, he looks up to Kara. I suppose I should not be too upset with her. She means well, though she lacks the knowledge of what her words may mean, he thinks to himself.
Yes, I suppose I could take a look at the artifact. My knowledge tends more towards the biological, but I have spent much time with my antennae in many books. As for the flame, he chitters softly, an approximation of a chuckle, It is the light of knowledge, and a metaphor for enlightenment. As least, it is for me. Some Ethral take it all to literally. He pauses, briefly. I suppose I should stop myself before I end up boring you to sleep. I will need to see the artifact, but I can promise you I have no interest in the thing beyond potential uses. I understand it is our lives on the line.
"Great! Thanks! Here you go!" Kara said with some excitement (made obvious by the slight bobbing of her tail) as she unwrapped the artifact and presented it to Drett.
"And don't worry about boring me, I left my home to see the world and its people." she continued in the same excited tone, shifting the artifact a bit as she noticed the way Drett looked through it.
"Meeting all these different species and exploring these ruins is very exciting! Too bad it's not under better circumstances."
Temporarily give Drett the artifact so he can study it. Aid him in any way I can. Stop him if he tries to do anything that could damage it though.
Does the glass distort what I see through it? Just for fun, while holding the artifact for Drett to inspect it, try to use the distortions to make his face look funny. You know, make his eyes huge or make his head tiny, stuff like that.
Name: "Kara" is what most humans call her, though the closest pronunciation would be Kr'ra-Kax
Race: Corven (advantage for climb, disadvantage for falls)
Appearance: She is a crow-like Corven with matte-black feathers. A bit short. Constantly moves her head around, examining her surroundings. Moves her tail up and down whenever she's excited.
Age: Adult, but just barely
Goal: Wants to find artifacts and experiences that she can use to make an (under)world-famous museum. Wants to prove herself to her mother and piss off her brother with her success (both financially and socially).
StatsStr:8
Dex:13
Spe:13
End:6
Awa:12
Cun:10
Kno:8 + 3 = 11
Ner:10
SkillsRifle: 1
Medical: 1
Translate: 1
Acrobatics: 1
Caving: 1
Machine Control: 1
Stealth: 1
Geology: 1
Archeology: 1
Navigation: 1
InventoryFire Orb Artifact (in backpack-like thing made from shirt)
Ethral Rifle (rifle 3, pierce 3) 7/7
Crystal Friend
Field Lighter (Fire 2)
Simple Clothes (no shirt)
Kara's Diary
You give the artifact to Drett for study, but not before attempting to distort his image through it. Oddly, you notice that his image is completely undisturbed, except that it is mirrored.
Drett sighs, packing his doctor's bag back up. Whatever caused this was not an ordinary thing. You should not bleed out, but it will probably not heal very gracefully. Is there a reason you never used a prosthetic, by the by? I cannot imagine driving would be easy without one.
"Hi Vikkan. Are you feeling well? And Drett, thanks for aiding Vikkan. We can't have anything happening to our bore driver, especially one so skilled. It looks like you did a good job. I really hope he's going to be all right."
Kara shifted the artifact in her hands (which was still hidden beneath her shirt), trying to think about how to approach this.
"Umm... Anyway, would you mind taking a look at this artifact? I'm thinking we should try to figure out what this is. I mean, if this is some kind of power source for the ruins, removing it would probably put us in danger and, well... I hope I'm not being presumptuous, but I heard Ethral worship some sort of flame, so I was thinking perhaps you could tell me a bit more about your religion? And maybe if you think this artifact is related to it in any way?"
As he clasps his bag back up, he looks up to Kara. I suppose I should not be too upset with her. She means well, though she lacks the knowledge of what her words may mean, he thinks to himself.
Yes, I suppose I could take a look at the artifact. My knowledge tends more towards the biological, but I have spent much time with my antennae in many books. As for the flame, he chitters softly, an approximation of a chuckle, It is the light of knowledge, and a metaphor for enlightenment. As least, it is for me. Some Ethral take it all to literally. He pauses, briefly. I suppose I should stop myself before I end up boring you to sleep. I will need to see the artifact, but I can promise you I have no interest in the thing beyond potential uses. I understand it is our lives on the line.
First and foremost, help Vikkan, my patient, up and out of the room.
Having seen the artifact, and contingent upon being able to study it more, what can I glean from the artifact?
What sphere is it tied to, if any?
What could something like this be capable of?
What else might I know about it in relation to the gemstone people here?
Drett Medizin, Ethral- Str: 07
- Dex: 12
- Spe: 10
- End: 08
- Awa: 07
- Cun: 14
- Kno: 15
- Ner: 10
SKILLS:- Medical +2
- Biological +2
- Mechanical +1
- Chemical +1
- Occult +1
- Archeology +1
INVENTORY:- Doctor's Bag x1
- Field Lighter x1
- Cave Spider Venom x6
- Fathoms x10
You know that
1. What a relic is tied to is impossible to tell without communion. Many theories exist for analyzing what it might hold, but these always fail. Nothing about its nature can be told by the relic or its supernatural actions.
2. Hard to say. It seems to be a mid range relic so whatever lurks inside is going to be fairly powerful.
3. You know that almost all races collect relics, though exactly what these people did with it or how they viewed it is hard to say. They clearly viewed it with some deference, considering the way its displayed and where it is.
Author
Topic: DIG: Heresy (Read 385536 times)