Lost Among the Stars: Through the Fissure

[The_Dodger]

Lost Among the Stars
http://www.wakingtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Crack-in-Space-Time.jpg
Part One: Through the Fissure

Lightning cracks across the night sky, though there are no clouds to obstruct the glittering stars high above. Within the observatory of the floating tower the final Star Spawn falls to the floor, it's blood hissing as it burns across the stone. Spellfire has charred the walls, and the room is a mess of overturned furniture, broken vials and scattered papers. What had once been the mad sorcerers laboratory and study is now a wrecked battleground strewn with the bodies of your enemies. But the war is not over. Even as you being to recover, the self proclaimed Star King, resplendent in his shimmering black robes and diamond crown, dashes up the stairs.

Following quickly you corner the sorcerer king on the roof of the floating tower. high above, the night sky seems alive with countless points of light. Some of them you know, spectacular constellations you have witnessed every night since you were children. But there are more now than ever before. Alien stars that shine brighter than any you have ever seen. A great purple-blue nebula streaks from horizon to horizon, and at it's heart, a crack has begun to form in the very sky itself. A ragged streak of brilliant light that seems to be slowly opening wider even as you stare in shock.

The Star King stands at the far end of the roof, arms held high, fingers reaching toward the heavens as a triumphant smile parts his wicked face, "BEHOLD! The great ethereal rift opens to my will!! You fools have accomplished nothing here! Soon my armies will crush the people of this land, and my Empire of Stars will spread across the world!" the mad sorcerer bellows as magic flashes between his palms in a building spell. It is clear he has begun casting some new, powerful magic and you have only moments to act...

http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i445/Chirp85/tower%201.jpg

Don't bother with initiative. You all act at the same time

[Syless]

Rysleth is almost collapsed on the ground, her wings drooped, a small shriek coming out from her mouth as she breathes heavily, both unable to produce a blast of breath and unable to hold in what little is left. But she's still standing, her golden eyes fixed on the vile villain. Gathering what little strength she has left, Rysleth charges forward, attempting to tear out a piece of the mage before his spell is complete.

Charge and bite attack!
Attack- [roll0]
Damage- [roll1] Piercing + [roll2] Sonic

[stanleyindraven]

Alvin desperately attempts to cast Dispell Magic, launching a targeteg nulling field at the building spell power. A green bolt of energy flashes as he utters the words.

Good Luck [roll0]

[pupaeted]

"You have more armies?" Landis mutters, thinking of the hordes of starspawn defeated below, and the ample garrison they had to wade through to get here.

Unsure that any of her subtle tricks will work on a mind as unhinged as Adorn Karr's, and having little hope at the arcane knight's attempt to disrupt his spell, she pulls a short willow wand from a pocket of her cloak, takes a step towards the monk to her left, and pokes his bicep with its tip.

Move: Draw wand of Enlarge Person
None: 5 foot step towards Sai B
Standard: Use wand of Enlarge Person on Sai B

Use Magic Device: [roll0] vs DC20

[Bladehunter217]

Thank you my friend. Let us see how we can take advantage of this. Sao B crouched down and breathed, reaching inside himself to release a bit of ki. Horseing forward a few steps, he spun bringing down a hammer fist at the Star Kings shoulder.

Stunning fist [roll0]
[roll1]
Dc stun 19

[Zweanslord]

Jazay the Radiant Zephyr breathed heavily as he gazed over the wreckage, wiping away blood from the already healed wound on his forehead. He dropped the ornately carved sandstone stick from his hand, the last magic seeped from it when he had used it to cure wounds of his companion, the tiny battle dragon Rysleth. The reinvigorating magic would not stave off the tiredness from the long fight. In other times, he might have held onto such a momento, for while the wand's magic had been spent, he had carried it with him from the valley Nahr Alrramal. Yet there was no time to think about such as the Star King was making his departure.

Jazay sunk slightly lower as he spread his wings once more, swiftly taking through the air to follow the quarry they had intended to defeat for so long. His white scarf fluttered along, frayed and burned by hostile spells of fire. Casting a last glance of the dead as he flew through the air, wisps and gusts of air following in his wake as they protected him from attacks from afar, Jazay then set his eyes forward. A brief motion of his hand over the golden holy symbol of Pelor accompanied a stern and serious look. The day had been long.

Seeing the sky not just different, but with a tear in it, as the group arrived on the roof, caused a grimace across Jazay's face. As his wings lifted him in the air above the roof, the light from a magic spell gathered in his right hand. "We will stop you!" He let out, anger filling his voice. The magic crackling between his fingers for a moment, Jazay thrust his hand forward, pointing it towards their foe, the Star King. Searing from above shot a bright white blast, not quite like lightning, as the path was much straighter and the line did not last, but the display certainly alluded to it. The light coming from the blast is sufficient to blind those struck by it, even if it is but for moments.

Yet the bright energy flew a few meters wide from the Star King, a complete miss from Jazay, who was not known for such gross inaccuracies. Looking up, one could see Jazay's flight being a bit off, erratic, dropping down a bit before recatching his position, battle weariness apparent. His eyes betray anger, now followed by frustration as his blast flew so wide. As his eyes glance for a moment at the crack in the sky, the grimace is worse. Such emotions can inhibit one's ability to strike with accuracy just the same.

Fly-by-attack upwards in the sky.
Beshadowed Eldritch Blast
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
If hit: DC 19 or be blinded (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#blinded) for 1 round.

[tonberryking]

Sophie refused to show any weariness, the pink-skinned cleric just looked more and more angrier as she fought with her allies all the way up to the top of this spire, and now this. MORE armies?

For her faith is resolute in the moment, her blood pounding and for all the fighting she's been through, she feels Kord-blessed and ready for more. Bringing the ruckus, hard, she just takes a few striding steps and spins her razor-sharp giant glaive over head before she brings it down like a felled flaming tree at the so called King of Stars. She's not putting up with any more of his incessant gloating, she'd rather be thinking about having to climb down those slippery, blood soaked stairs instead. It ends here.

"Spread this, you half-witted hedge wizard!" she bellows as the blade swings down. All of her strength rides on these final blows!


15 foot move upward, Power attacking the Big Bad:
[roll0] -2 from her to-hit from PA
[roll1] +4 damage from PA/Armbands of Might
[roll2] Fire

[The_Dodger]

Thunder booms through the night air, echoing the laughter of Adorn Karr. He barely has to move to step out of the way of the charging dragon, and the ray of light fails to even make him flinch as his own spell continues to build. The fist of the enlarged monk catches him solidly, but it is like hitting a steel wall as magical protections flash and absorb most of the damage. There is a brief moment as Alivin's spell is cast where the power flaring around Adorn Karr's hands dims, but it surges even brighter as he snarls his defiance, "You see? There is nothing you can do! The age of the Star Empire begins now!" the mad sorcerer cackles with glee as his spell seems to reach its peak and he flings his arms down.

Spellfire streaks up from the roof of the tower and the crack in the sky splits wide open, unleashing a blinding white light that turns the night into day. Light and heat roll across the land, tossing you from your feet and flinging you against the battlements of the tower. The sound and light rob each adventurer of their senses, and a disturbing feeling of vertigo causes many to wretch and clutch at their stomachs. Prayers and curses are shouted to the gods as chaos erupts all around the tower roof. It is as if the universe itself has exploded in a violent barrage of color, light and sound. Then just as suddenly as it all began, it stops.

The silence that follows is deafening as your senses slowly return and you take in your surroundings. It is immediately clear that you are not where you were a moment ago. Instead of the top of the floating tower, the group lays scattered about an open expanse of dry, brown sand and dust. A constant wind blows graceful dunes across the horizon in all directions, and the land is shrouded from the sun by a heavy layer of dark clouds. There is no sign of the floating tower, the Kingdom of Fairhorn, or anything you might find familiar. Resting in the sand not far from where you are is the body of Adorn Karr. Still wrapped in his black robes, his corpse appears desiccated. Dry skin stretched across visable bones, with hollow eye sockets.

The only feature to break the vast, wind swept desert around you is what appears to be a shelter of some sort, constructed from metal junk and a lot of good intentions...
http://orig10.deviantart.net/c62e/f/2012/056/0/6/desert_market_by_forozan-d4qxh3l.jpg

[tonberryking]

Either Sophie hit the wizard, hard or not at all if the topsy turvy light show was any indication, the giant-blooded cleric pulled off her feet and pinwheeling through the nothingness.

When she regains consciousness, her dominant hand still tightly clutching her pole arm, she is confused more than anything else. No crumbling tower, no aftermath of a terrible costly battle, just a bunch of dust, a ramshackle dwelling and one very dead wizard. Probably. Sophie's been warned of undead wizards from other Kord Paladins and priests; if she was alone the first thing she'd be doing is cutting off that mummified head so it doesn't give the rest of Adorn Karr any ideas....

But she's not alone. So, first things first...

With a snap of her fingers, her magic shield ("Buddy") floats off her back and hovers around her as Sophie stands, wobbles from inertia, and with her footing barely under control, she staggers to her friends, trying to get them on their feet.

"Everyone, wake up! Please, if you have any injuries just cry out, but we need to get to shelter, fast! Things didn't...didn't turn out right, by Kord's beard!"

[pupaeted]

Shifting at the noise, Landis' eyes flicker open. She gives a pained cough, then rolls onto her hands and knees and empties her stomach onto the sand. Beside her, a tiny imp is no better off, sitting on its backside and retching quietly.

"I feel like I've been through a mangle," she says, patting her waist and cloak, feeling at the pockets, "but I still have all my parts." She stands then, and takes in the surroundings. Eventually her eyes settle on the withered body of Karr.

"Things weren't going well..." she begins slowly in answer, "but Karr is dead, and we're alive. I've never heard of a spell backfire do that to a body, but... we must have managed to disrupt it there at the end. His grand plan couldn't have been meant to end like this."

[stanleyindraven]

Louis, the hawk familiar, stood on Alvin, pecking at his head. As his face pulls up from the dirt Louis takes to the sky to scout round. Groaning over the painful transition he rolls onto his back and stares up at the sky. A very different sky, he then realizes, this is not the place they should be. He sits up and looks around. Drawing to his feet, he dusts himself and sheaths his sword.

"Well, with cloud coverage, it will be hard to tell where we are. Shelter would not be a bad idea." Alvin walks over to inspect the 'presumably' dead wizard.

[Syless]

The small dragon slowly unearthed itself from the dirt- almost unnoticeable, her scales bearing a similar coloring to the dirt and sand below her. As she regains her bearings, she looks between the rest of her slowly-awakening group. "...I can't tell if we won or lost, and that's never a good thing." Following the prompts of the others, she looks at the distant shelter and nods a little dragon nod. "That seems like a safe place to go and rest. After a short nap, want me to go and do some scouting?"

[Bladehunter217]

Sai B listens to the others, laying in the sand contemplating what happened. Opening his eyes slowly, he glances at the others before looking to the structure. This is a new one. I do not believe we should wait before getting out bearings but we cannot stray too far from here, best to keep that thing in sight. He points at the structure and begins walking away.

[pupaeted]

Landis grimaces at strange building. "Your safe 'shelter' looks like it'll come down at the first stiff breeze."

She turns to watch Alvin poking at the dessicated madman. Wondering about the spell that destroyed him, she snaps her fingers, waves her hand, and utters a word, before beginning to concentrate on Karr's dried corpse.

Landis is casting Detect Magic, and staring at Karr's body.

If she can see any auras around it, I'd like to try and identify the schools of magic with a spellcraft check.
Spellcraft: [roll0]

[The_Dodger]

The corpse of the former Star King is truly and completely dead by all appearances. The way the body appears, it looks as if he has been mummified for centuries, but the body is still warm and indeed small wisps of smoke rise from the eye sockets and mouth. His robes are torn in places and already covered in a fine layer of dust, but three rings still glitter on his skeletal hands. In the pockets of his robe and on his belt are a total of five wands, and a bandoleer across his chest holds six potion vials. He also has a rather large coin purse filled with gold and platinum coins.

The land surrounding the group appears to be barren desert in all directions as far as the eye can see. The shelter stands roughly thirty feet away, ragged canvas awnings flapping in the constant wind and a variety of tiny metal and glass bits hang from stings like bizarre wind chimes.

[Zweanslord]

Points of light surged around Jazay as the force from the final spell of the cackling spellcaster flung him through the air, gravity pulling him down in a spiral when the blast had ruined his balance. Tower, stars, a streak of light, stone, they were upside, down, swirling about amidst a storm of colour. A thud, hard or soft, the Zephyr knows not anymore. His breath pulled from him, the world turned dark.

Amidst the dust lay the body of Jazay, not moving when the others rose. The tumble downward, the dizzying vertigo, he lay slumped as if crashed in the dirt. Dust settled near him, settling on his wings amidst a stir of dirt. It took the shout from Sophie for Jazay to return to some state of consciousness. A vile coughing attack followed, Jazay spat the sand out of his mouth. His chest shocked as he tried to catch his bearing. When the coughs eventually die down, Jazay remains lying down, breathing heavily as tired eyes blink, yet settle down closed as he listens to what his companions have to tell. The news from Landis, that Karr is dead, leads to a sigh of relief.

After the dragon spoke, a whimper stirs from the slumped down figure, resting in the sand. "A nap.. sounds nice.." Between Sophie's call to get to the shelter and Landis' comment about how it might come down easily, Rysleth's comment about a short nap was definitely the most enticing one.

[Syless]

Rysleth makes a small cry and tugs on Jazay's clothes. "Not here! I meant over at the shelter! I think it would've collapsed by now if it wasn't safe." Bounding across the sand on foot, the small dragon heads over and sits under the shade it offers.

[The_Dodger]

As Rysleth approaches the shelter she finds two bleached skeletons half buried in sand under one of the ragged awnings. They have obviously been there a very long time, and the bones are wrapped in simple clothes made from the same material as the shelter's awnings. Sitting beneath on of the canvas coverings, the little dragon also spots an opening that seems to lead inside the shelter. There is a some hum coming from inside and a very dim, steady light.

[stanleyindraven]

Alvin lifts the corpse of Karr and carries him over to the shelter. "We should bury him. It is only right. He may have been evil but that is no reason not to honor the dead." He huffed as he dropped the dried husk on the ground. "Besides, we need to make sure he isn't a lich and cannot come back."

Alvin then started pulling items from the tattered flesh bag and tossing them into a pile off to the side. "He won't be needing these."

[pupaeted]

Landis watches the knight strip the items from Karr's husk.

"Take his robe too. I'm not keen to see him without it, but I need everything that might be enchanted moved away from him, if we're to try and understand what in the Arcane happened here."

Landis continues to concentrate, hoping to see which of the auras remain after his equipment is gone, if any.

[The_Dodger]

Once the corpse is stripped of all it's equipment no auras remain on it. It appears to be just a dead body.

[pupaeted]

"I'll never be rid of that sight," Landis says, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She moves to fold the dead man's robe, and wraps the rings, wands and coinpurse of the dead madman into it, making a secure bundle which she drops into her pack.

"We can work out what all of these are later, and I agree with burying the body - if someone has something to shovel with. I can't imagine two feet of sand would stop a 'lich'? But it will put off wild animals... if there even are any animals in whatever desert he dropped us on," she finishes, looking around at the desolate sands.

[Zweanslord]

"Oh." Jazay lets out after the explanation from Rysleth, faintly noticing the tug on his clothes. Grunting loudly as he heaves himself upward from the sand, the dust stirring from his wings as he slowly rises. Resting on his elbows, he speaks softly. "We should... honour the dead.." Is the sole contribution he has to the discussion he hears from Alvin and Landis. He would help, but while taking care of the dead is an honourable task, it is not exactly Jazay's top priority at the moment. Coughing out more sand is.

With a wheeze, the fatigue remains apparent from Jazay as he struggles to get on his knees. Sitting there, he takes a breather and with slumped down wings he looks around. Slowly he lifts his head and looks up at the dark clouds. "I miss the sun.." He mutters idly, to no one in particular. Should Sophie offer aid to get him on his feet, as she seems willing to do, Jazay will with a grateful smile accept the help to rise further. Standing, his breath seems to return to a normal state of affairs. Looking towards the shelter, he then looks at Sophie and gives a short nod, shuffling towards it in the wake of Rysleth's exploration.

"At the shelter?" Jazay offers in response to Landis' question whether anybody at something to shovel with. There could be something there to aid.

[tonberryking]

"Personally, I would be more comfortable if we cut off the head and cremated the entire thing," Sophie rarely speaks with dark intones, but she fought the same guy that the rest of the party did and it is rather clear she doesn't want to take any chances.

"Without a body, it's much harder to bring the wizard back... and making a small pyre would be quicker and less work than breaking the ground." She says all these things while trying to usher the others towards the shelter, in particular Jazay.

"Once we're done taking care of the dead man and making sure this place is safe, I say we just hunker down and rest this...adventure off before figuring out where next we go, Kord give us strength."

[pupaeted]

"No shovel for a grave, and no wood for a pyre. I came into this half expecting to die myself, it's no surprise we're not equipped for a funeral."

At Sophie's urging, Landis wanders towards the shelter, stopping when she hears the humming coming from inside.

"I'm going to look inside," she whispers to the small dragon, before casting a spell and vanishing from sight.

Landis is casting Invisibility on herself, which will last about ten minutes, and then sneaking into the shelter.

Move Silently: Take 10+10

[Syless]

Rysleth flies over and perches on Sophie's shoulder. "Too bad I'm not the fire-breathing kind of dragon right now, I agree with the burning option!" She turns to face Landis. "Good luck! I'll be waiting right by the door if something happens!"

[Bladehunter217]

Sai B sighs, listening to the conversation from a distance. Looting the corpse already? I understand the need to make sure he's dead but still. I suppose I'll make sure nothing bad will happen. He wanders to about a hundred yards from the shelter and takes a deep breath, focusing on his energy. Blinking slowly he jogs to a run, making a circuit around the shelter, looking as far as he could see for anything standing out against this dessert.

[roll0]

[Zweanslord]

A shrug was all Jazay showed as his opinion on whether to burn or to bury, especially as Landis had pointed out they were ill equipped for a funeral. Staring in the distance, Jazay's mind was less present about all what was transpiring around him as he paced towards the shelter, ushered on by Sophie.

The fight had been long, much had happened. His surroundings did slowly seep in Jazay's mind, however, as his a faint smile broke through and eventually settled to be a modest one. Blinking, he gazed in the distance, but this time floating over the sandy surroundings with an appreciative look.

As he looked up for a brief moment, Jazay frowned. "Gloomy clouds.. a storm to come?" A question asked to no one in particular.

Standing near the shelter, he joined Rysleth and Sophie in the waiting on Landis. With his thoughts on Landis, he grabbed the golden sun symbol of Pelor he carried with him and moved his thumb over it, sand trickling off of it. "The Shining One protects."

[The_Dodger]

Sai B makes a complete circuit of the shelter, eyes gazing out over the endless expanse of sand and dust, but there is no sign of anything breaking the horizon. Sweeping dunes of sands stretch out in all directions, and in the few areas where the wind has blown the sand clear there is only dry ground, the brown dirt webbed with cracks. As far as the monk can see there are no two stones standing a top each other, and no sign of any vegetation or animal.

Landis passes through the opening into the interior of the shelter and finds the space to be a mess. The single room that comprises the entirety of the shelter is strewn with dozens of large metal chest-like crates, each with a strange glass panel and small red light where a normal lock should be. The crates are stack haphazardly around the space, interspersed with seemingly random collections of metal poles, old canvas, spools of copper wire, and boxes of what appear to be flat green plates covered in bits of metal. The walls of the shelter are almost entirely dominated by thin, flat boxes with large, black glass panels, all of which seem to be connected by a tangled web of ropes and string made of some strange, waxy looking material that all lead to a number of black boxes set in a rack in one corner of the room.

The dim light and humming sound seem to be coming from a single massive metal box standing against the back wall of the shelter. It stands easily six feet tall with a number of vents along it's sides where small fans are spinning, and more of the strange, waxy ropes spider out from it to connect to the rack of boxes in the corner and the flat, glass paneled boxes on the walls. On the front of this massive box is a hand sized red button, and just above it is a glowing green panel of glass that reads “Reset”

[pupaeted]

Landis lets her invisibility fall and steps back outside onto the sands.

"It's safe to come in. It looks like some kind of storage cache."

She brushes her hair behind her ears and begins picking through the site. She lifts fallen canvas sheets, pokes at the skeletons outside, and tries to find some document, book, or artefact that might tell them where they are - maybe a map scroll, or piece of artwork from a culture she might recognize.

Can I search the shelter and skeletons for any illuminating items or trinkets?

Search: Take 10+18

[The_Dodger]

Landis makes a complete search of the shelter but doesn't manage to turn up anything that wasn't obvious when she first walked in.

[Syless]

Kysleth stays perched on Onisophia's shoulder. "Maybe we've been flung to the plane of pointy metal wastelands. Is there such a thing?"

[Bladehunter217]

Sai B frowns, wondering how they got to wherever they were. He jogs back to the shelter and glances in before entering. Nothing in any direction. Did a loop around this thing. There is nothing in any direction other than the sand dunes. He sits against a wall, glancing at one of the skeletons. So was our friend dead?

[pupaeted]

"He's dead, and not the kind that gets back up," Landis says, walking out of the shelter and dusting sand from her hands.

"You said there's nothing in sight? No roads, no water? I couldn't find a map inside, not even a scrap of parchment."

"Unless anyone has any better ideas, we could try and get into the metal crates in there. I don't like them, there's a fell glow upon them, but if it's our best option then I can work with Alvin to try and crack their enchantment."

[Bladehunter217]

I ran in a circle around this place, did not see anything. Patience is as much a tool as anything. We could use a short break and before touching anything, I would imagine we could all use a moment to catch our breath and think. We are all stuck here and I am curious to know if anyone else has any ideas. Sai B is in no rush to go anywhere, he stays seated and looks around the room, wondering what everything is.

[stanleyindraven]

Alvin will let Louis continue to scout the skies as he slips his head into the habitat. "Looks interesting. So, Detect Magic anyone? I did not think I would be needing it."

[pupaeted]

Patience is as much a tool as anything. We could use a short break and before touching anything, I would imagine we could all use a moment to catch our breath and think.
"So we should sit here and meditate for a week? Perfect. That will give the starspawn armies plenty of time to pour through the rift Karr opened before he died."


Alvin will let Louis continue to scout the skies as he slips his head into the habitat. "Looks interesting. So, Detect Magic anyone? I did not think I would be needing it."
"I can scry for magic, but if I see anything suspicious, I'll need your help to dispel it."

Landis repeats the odd hand movements of earlier, and starts looking around the interior of the shelter.

Landis casts detect magic and concentrates on the crates, and the humming box.

After that, she examines one of the crates for anything that might be a trap and tries to open it.

Search: Take 10+18
Open Lock: [roll0]

[Bladehunter217]

We are adrift in the ocean that is time. Not a week but a minute will not harm us. Besides, I feel that we have already been here a long time.

[pupaeted]

Landis looks up from the panel of a crate curiously.

"What makes you say that? We could have been unconscious for a few hours, but surely no longer."

[Bladehunter217]

Call it a feeling. Something about this place doesn't feel right. I wonder how long we've actually been here. Sai B sighs and looks at the boxes in the room. He bows his head and begins to meditate, replaying the events of the last day through his head.

[stanleyindraven]

"Magic was involved, so time and space are relative to whaever happened." Alvin looks around at the boxes.

[Zweanslord]

"One pointy metal shelter does not a plane of pointy metal wastelands make." Jazay mentions to Kysleth. Which plane this was, if a different one, was something he had to deliberate. Yet for the moment, other priorities pressed on and he made his way inwards, into the shelter, following the others, while dusting off sand as he went.

The earlier sight of the two skeletons they had passed was not a vision Jazay had liked. Yet it had been a sight familiar. The desert claimed lives. The sight he now witnessed in the room was.. new. Knowing not what to make of it, he focused on the subject he could easily make something out of. "Two hours rest.. would be appreciated." Jazay takes a deep breath in and follows it by a slow exhale. Sai B's example is a good one. Meditation will give some rest, for Jazay has a hunch even two hours might not be granted to them for rest. Already, the oddities they were surrounded in drew more attention than the desire to rest.

Jazay had recognised the hand movements of Landis for the incantation of the spell Detect Magic and he now looked at him. He had given the room a quick survey and was while settling next to Sai B and for now, taking it easy. He gave a short nod to Sai B as he spoke off a long time having passed, showing respect for what he was thinking. Jazay's wings lay down, resting, only moving slightly to brush the last itching sand off. Coughing to clear his throat, Jazay spoke up. "What do you see, Landis?" With that, he referred to the what Detect Magic would reveal.

[pupaeted]

"I see... hmm..."

Landis widens her eyes and strains to concentrate on the room's strange boxes.

[tonberryking]

Sophie, meanwhile, has taken possession of Adorn Karr's remains and drags it by the foot a ways away from the shelter with little effort. If you want something done right...

With the corpse aimed at the base of one of the shifting sand dunes, the half-giantess ignites her magical pole arm and severs the head from the body, idly waiting to see if either parts of the body ignite as she grinds the blade down.

Her job is done if it does, but if it doesn't, she gives the corpse a shove, letting the sand begin to cover it, while she plucks up the head and *chucks* it without remorse towards a different dune.

"Kord spits in your soul's eye, wizard, but if there is any way for your spirit to be cleansed, may you seek it away from the legions of those you've hurt and trouble us no longer." Spinning on her heel, Sophie heads back to the shelter with her polearm resting on her shoulder, suddenly feeling more tired with every step.


"Is there enough room for us all in there?" she asks upon her return, eager for a chance at rest and dare she hope a chance to restore her spells.

[Syless]

Hopping down and gliding into the shelter, Rysleth looks back over her shoulder at the half-giant. "Plenty of space, Sophie! Come on down!" Once down, the dragon looks around for the most comfortable perch, taking a seat so she can look the others at eye level.

[The_Dodger]

The corpse of Adorn Karr does not ignite when struck, but the head severs cleanly and it isn't difficult to hurl the severed head away into another dune. Even before Sophie turns away from the corpse the shifting sands have already begun to cover it. By the time she returns to the shelter there is only a small mound showing where the body was left, and even that has begun to disappear beneath the howling wind and twisting sands.

Inside the shelter, the metal crates show no signs of magic, nor does anything else in the shelter beside the what the party has brought in with them. A search of one of the crates turns up nothing that Landis can identify as a trap, but when she attempts to open it she has no luck. It seems to be firmly sealed despite having no visible lock. However, when her hand touches the glass panel where a lock should be, it lights up blue for a moment before turning red and issuing a soft buzz. It then goes dark again. Touching the panel a second time results in the same reaction, it lights up, buzzes, and goes dark.

[pupaeted]

"Here's a mystery, no magic in the room, but sound and a candle's light beneath the glass. Can magical signatures be hidden? Can a firefly's glow be stolen?"

Landis turns back to the crate and speaks a spell, then tries the lid again.

She's casting Knock on the crate, and trying to open it again.

[stanleyindraven]

"When at first you do not succeed," Alvin says as he strikes a box, directly on the glass plate with his sword.
[roll0]

[pupaeted]

Moments after casting her spell, Landis sees Alvin's sword descending and dives for cover behind her own crate.

[Zweanslord]

"It is possible. Peculiar." Jazay responds to Landis. Closing his eyes and breathing in, he then opens his eyes alongside a wave of his hands and an exhale. As he gazes, he can only confirm what was said, visible from an obvious frown. His face settling back, he watches to see what will happen to the crate.

[The_Dodger]

When Alvin strikes the crate, the small glass panel cracks and breaks apart. Shards of glass fall away reveal a thin strip of black, waxy paper-like material, and another of the strange green boards covered in metal beneath it. There is a small spark and a wisp of blue smoke rises from where the panel had been, but the red light remains on and the crate does not open no matter how hard he pulls.

Landis casts her spell. For a moment, nothing happens, then the small red light on her crate flickers, as if struggling, before turning bright green. There is a snap and the lid of the crate opens to her touch. Inside are dozens of short, slender glass vials packed in some sort of soft, squishy material that seems to keep them from breaking. Each vial is capped with a metal plug that has no visable means of being removed, and the liquid inside is a bright amber color. Also inside the crate is a smaller black box made of hard, waxy material. Inside is a metal device that somewhat resembles the handle and stock of a hand crossbow, but ends in a long needle instead.

[pupaeted]

Landis crawls out from behind her crate, trying not to look embarassed, and peers inside.

"These look like potions, and here's part of a crossbow."

She removes the crossbow hilt and passes it to Alvin, then heads over to the large humming box at the edge of the room. She eyes the "Reset" button curiously, and gently depresses it, a look of grim curiosity on her face.

Immediately after pressing the button, she dives back behind a crate.

[stanleyindraven]

Alvin will examine the piece he is handed. Checking to see what it is made of and if it is an incomplete weapon or tool.

[tonberryking]

Oddly, it's Sophie who starts to get worried at the destruction.

"Hey! Was that necessary???" she chides Alvin, looking aggravated enough to rub her left horn out of habit.


"Look, Kord knows I'm on edge too, but is striking strange devices and objects really necessary? We should be conspiring to figuring out our next step and at least taking stock of everything we have or don't have... We may have to walk across these dunes after our respite; what if there's soemthing here that could help us?"

As if to demonstrate, the half-giant looks over the device Landis has been investigating, though to her embarrassment, it's also a mystery to her.


Can I make a heal check at this item and more specifically the vials that came with it? Sophie may be able to tell if these things are used for medicinal means even if the device is alien to her:

1d20+15p

[The_Dodger]

Sophie is unable to determine the function of the liquid in the vials, it is unlike any potion or elixir she has ever experienced before. Alvin can determine that there is a space at the rear of the device he is holding that seems the perfect shape to hold on of the vials.

When Landis pushes the button, there is a soft whine from the large box as more lights turn on across it's surface. The humming sound grows louder, and suddenly more lights turn on in the shelter. The black glass panels on the walls suddenly flicker and begin to show long lines of numbers moving across them, and the rack of smaller black boxes in the corner seem to come to life with lights and noises. There is a long minute of seemingly random numbers on the glass panels before they seem to settle on an image of a nude human woman covered with small pictures that read things like "File Cache" "Supply Shipment 001209" "A.I.D.exe" and a variety of other things.

Then a soft, female voice speaks seemingly from everywhere in the room, "Reboot complete. Scanning....biometrics detected. Initiating A.I.D. user interface," there is a flicker of light from the large box, and a female figure seemingly made out of light appears, hovering an inch off the ground. She appears human in most regards, save the blue tone on her skin, bald head, and opaque white eyes. tiny numbers seem to crawl across her entire, translucent body. She smile at the group, "Greetings. May I be of assistance?" she asks.

[Bladehunter217]

Sai B tilts his head, surprised by this new appearance. He hops to his feet and strolls over. Well, this is truly curious. Good afternoon miss, I suppose you could be of assistance. First, do you have a name? Second, where are we and please be very specific. Third, where is the nearest town?

[Zweanslord]

Jazay had watched as Landis and Alvin investigated the crate. Wincing when Alvin assaulted the device, he listened closely to what Landis had to say about the contents of the chest. He gave a short nod to Landis, to acknowledge that her action - diving away - was more than justified.

When the different lights spring to life after the touch of the button, Jazay quickly stands again, looking around and watching intently for what is happening. They have had enough surprises with their foe, though it looks obvious they will face more. And such is the case as the glass shows glyphs which turn out to be known letters and numbers. As Jazay is kind of a natural with magical devices, his interest has now awoken. Wading through his tiredness, he cautiously inches closer to the black glass panels which eventually display an image.

When eventually the voice sounds and the female ghost appears, Jazay can only scratch his head for a few moments. "By Zahagund.." He mutters softly. And it is the wealth of knowledge to his disposal he now turns, trying to dig deep in his font of knowledge to make sense out of any of this. Looking to be in deep thought, he forsakes the opportunity to respond early as Sai B takes the word.

Jazay tries to use his vast magical knowledge to try and deduce anything about the glass and devices around.
Knowledge (arcane) [roll0]

Jazay tries to recognise, or deduce, what kind of creature the translucent woman is.
Knowledge (?) [roll1]
Arcane (if magical or construct): +21
Planes (if outsider or elemental): +20
Religion (if ghost, thus undead): +9

[Syless]

"Oooooh..." Rysleth's eyes open wide as the glowing girl appears, impressed by the shiny light. After hearing Sai's questions, she adds one of her own. "And how do we get back to Fairhorn?"

[pupaeted]

Lands brushes her fingertips across the screen.

"Like a magic mirror, though I couldn't imagine mages scrying so lewdly... or perhaps I could."

She moves to stand behind Sai as he addresses the phantom.

[The_Dodger]

The ghostly woman does not seem to match any descriptions of anything Jazay has ever heard of before. Her form seems to be made from pure light, which seems to emanate from the large black box. She does not appear to have ever been a living thing, and though numbers crawl across her translucent body, they do not appear to be magic in any way. There are no indications that she is from another plane of existence, nor does she conform to any religious iconography Jazay is familiar with.

At the questions from Sai, the woman closes her eyes for a moment, as if thinking, before responding, “My designation is A.I.D. V11R4. According to my database, we are on Sollis Minor, the smallest moon orbiting the planet Desdin II, which is the second planet orbiting a yellow dwarf star in the Desdin System, located on the outer spur of the Gambit Arm of the Ethervyr Galaxy,” she explains matter-of-factly, “I have no records of any permanent settlements on Sollis Minor, however, it has been flagged as a possible Black Port for illigal smuggling operations in this sector of the Imperial Alliance,” she smiles, then turns her attention to Rysleth's question, once again closing her eyes to process, “I am sorry. My database contains no information pertaining to a Fairhorn planet or system within known space. If you can provide coordinates I can attempt to extrapolate a route,” she offers apologetically.

[tonberryking]

Sophie rubs at her horns a little, trying to process all of this, with only a grain of success. But at least she has something to grasp at before speaking:

Wait... Systems, planets? Space??? Are these different planes or realms and if so, how can we leave this place? And what exactly is this Imperial Alliance--what nations are involved?

She tries, she really does, to comprehend some of this but to her it feels vague, as if her informant switches to a language she can't understand now and again.


Kn. History and Kn. The Planes to see if those names trigger anything:
[roll0]
[roll1]

And hell, Kn. religion too:
[roll2]

[Zweanslord]

Jazay grits his teeth. He frowns and looks at the creature intently, as if trying to stare it down into something that makes sense. His fingers squeeze together several times in a row. His eyes start to frit around nervously.

"Like a magic mirror. It's not. It's not." Frustrated, Jazay proclaims the words. "I would know, I should know, if it was!" As he speaks, he steps alongside the screens, touching them, while looking confused and frustrated. Moving along the boxes, as well as the one opened previously. The strange button that was pressed, the web, everything. He paced with large, annoyed steps.

"A moon. If true, that means we're not on our world anymore. She mentions stars.. Alvin, does any of that ring a bell to you?" Then, with a few paces, Jazay moves towards the woman and eyes her several times. Not a living thing, translucent body, no magic and made from light emanating from the large box. After using his Detect Magic ability to confirm she does not register as magical, he sticks his hand out, intent of sticking it through her belly, to see if he meets any resistance.

[Syless]

Rysleth curls up and just stares. "I lost track of what she was saying at 'Database'. What even is this thing? Like, this whole metal place?"

[Bladehunter217]

We are Siamese fish now in a lake. Sai B frowns, not understanding anything the woman had said or what she was. He turns his attention back to the strange woman. You said smugglers were suspended of being here. Would anything in this shelter likely be smuggled? What are the vials for?

[The_Dodger]

When Jazay reaches out to touch her, the translucent woman makes no move to pull away, continuing to smile at him as his hand passes through her belly without resistance and without touching anything. Her form shimmers and flickers a bit as her outline is broken, but it doesn't seem to effect her at all.

Turning her attention to Sophie she seems a touch puzzled. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure I understand your questions. but if you wish to leave Solis Minor, the most expedient method would be aboard a star ship," she offers, trying to be helpful, "The Imperial alliance is made up of twenty seven member planetary governments spread over thirteen systems in two arms of the galaxy. Would you like me to list them?" Looking to Rysleth she responds, "This is a shelter originally built by a small team of geologists seeking to study this moon's ore content. they were the ones who installed me here to assist in analyzing their samples. I'm afraid it has more recently been used as a supply cache for Denbaro smugglers," she explains, which turns her attention to Sai as she continues, "According to my records the current contents of this shelter are all contraband, deemed illegal by the Imperial Alliance," she gestures to the screens on the wall as a list of the crates contents is displayed, "Most of this shipment consists of Qui'laan Amber, a highly addictive hallucinogen harvested from the glands of Qui'laanian swamp hoppers. There are also illegal arms and a quantity of stolen Kylas crystals worth approximately eighty three thousand imperial credits."

[pupaeted]

"Aaiede," Landis says, stepping out and addressing the woman, "what can you tell us about Adorn Karr, the Star King, and the creatures he commands?"

Landis punctuates her question by casting a Silent Image of the Star King standing in front of a crowd of starspawn for AID's benefit.

[The_Dodger]

The translucent woman regards the image curiously while she processes Lanis's question, "I'm sorry, my database contains no information on Adorn Karr or a Star King. The current emperor of the Imperial Alliance is His Royal Highness Hyperion Raemsis III," she explains, "And I'm afraid these Star Spawn do not match any known creature in my records," she then seems to hesitate before asking, "Might I inquire as to how you are projecting such a high definition hologram with no visible emitter?"

[pupaeted]

"Such things are common where we are from," Landis says evasively, looking around at the others as her illusion fades.

"Our arts must be quite different, since I'm just as perplexed by these devices. What powers them? I can sense no energy I recognize."

[stanleyindraven]

Alvin has been silently inspecting the divice in his hand. Once the image began answering questions, he put the divice back where it came from. "Weapons, which boxes? We may need to negotiate or fight our way out of here and I am unsure if our weapons will be up for the task." He begins looking around.

When addressed, he thinks. "Well, the names are not familiar but I am sure they call things what we do not."

[tonberryking]

Sophie seems a bit perplexed that her questions are confusing to this mechanical spirit, but something else gets her concerned...

"Now, when you say weapons... what kind of weapons, how many, and how dangerous is the contraband you've described?

[Zweanslord]

"Hmmm.." Jazay looks at the woman, then pulls his hand back. He bows in apology, then asks with obvious curiosity: "What Plane is this?" He will indicate he is talking about a plane of existence if needed.

[Bladehunter217]

You said you were installed here by some people. How long have you been here and are the corpses belonging to the people you mentioned? Can you tell us if this equipment has been here for a long time? Sai B turns from the illusion to the others. I cannot say I understood everything she said but if this is a stash for smugglers they will come back eventually and we can either convince them to take us along or for here. I prefer the former personally.

[Syless]

"Smuggling? Ew." Rysleth ponders for a second, then raises her hand. "Oh, oh! Can we divine for a ship? Or do you have some sort of cool ship-findy-thing since we don't really know what you can do?"

[The_Dodger]

The translucent woman watches the illusion fade with a curious expression but does not press the issue. When Landis questions what powers the devices in the shelter she brightens as she is able to answer, "This unit is powered by two class B power cells. An additional class A cell provides supplementary power to the computers and lights in this shelter," she answers.

As the questions about the weapons come up she appears to stop and think, and the list of supplies on the screens scrolls rapidly until it stops suddenly, highlighting two crates, "There is one crate containing twenty five Sherwood Arms Type 43 optical handguns, and one crate containing twelve Sherwood Arms E-32 carbine rifles. All Sherwood manufactured arms are outlawed within the boarders of the Imperial Alliance," as she explains she points to two crates stacked one on top of the other against one wall of the shelter.

She seems confused by Jazay's question and it takes her a long moment of processing before she responds, "I'm sorry, can you please explain your question? I do not understand," she looks apologetic.

To Sai she says, "I was installed sixty four imperial calendar years ago. Four years after my installation the original crew of this outpost failed to return from an expedition. I do not know their whereabouts now. This outpost was then claimed by a group of Selluan rebels. I served them for fifty two years before they were found and captured by an Imperial Alliance patrol ship. I remained alone for three years before a group of Denbaro smugglers calling themselves Red Maw took control and began using this outpost as a black port," she explains, "They have been using this outpost for five years. The current shipment has been here for sixteen standard days and is due for pick up within the next thirty six hours."

Her gaze then flickers to Rysleth, "My scanning range is limited due to a relay malfunction. I am currently limited to only three hundred kilometers. If my relay were repaired I could make a thorough scan for any star ships within one light year of Solis Minor."

[Zweanslord]

A nod to Alvin acknowledges that Jazay heard his answer and is grateful.

Jazay studies the woman for a moment before glancing at his companions and back again. He closes his eyes for a moment as he bows his head. "Thank you for all your answers, A I D." From Jazay's face it is obvious he has to adapt to calling somebody by letters as he pronounced it slowly, hoping he said it correctly.

"You answer our questions tirelessly and mention you serve all these people. You need.. an emitter, is that correct? Are you perhaps trapped by these devices? A kind of genie, forced into servitude? Could you describe what you are and why you serve?" Now concern has taken posession of Jazay's expression.

[pupaeted]

Landis turns her head to hear the answer to Jazay's question.

"And the correct way to open these crates would be useful."

[The_Dodger]

The floating woman smiles at Jazay, "You are most welcome sir," she offers a small bow, "As I stated my designation is A.I.D. V11R4. I am an Assisted Intelligence Database equipped with a second generation artificial intelligence interface. The form you see is a hologram, projected from emitters mounted on the case of my A.I. core," she gestures to the large black box, "I am not able to leave this outpost unless my core is removed and installed elsewhere, and my holo-emitters do not extend past the entrance. I have never considered myself trapped, though I suppose by the technical definition of the term...I am," this small revelation seems to intrigue her more than anything, "I serve because it is what I was programmed to do. It is my purpose."

Looking to Landis she answers, "The locks are keyed to the DNA of the Red Maw smugglers. They will not open for anyone else. It may be possible to override the locks if you can hack into them," she suggests.

The icons on the screens are currently covered by the list of the supply shipment's contents being displayed.

[stanleyindraven]

"It takes more than one hack to do the trick though," Alvin laughs. "Look, I understood some type of hand weapon and a rifle, and that in about a day and a half, we will find these Red Maw people. So, what's the plan?"

[pupaeted]

"If these moon people are anything like the sweetleaf smugglers back on the Ganz tributaries, they won't offer us a polite conversation. They'll try to kill us, just to keep the secret of their cache."

Landis turns to look at the stacked weapons crates.

"I say we lay an ambush, subdue them when they arrive, and take their vessel. I might be able to open these weapon crates, if someone can bring them down, and we should have someone hide with their gems, against the chance that they turn our ambush against us and we need leverage to negotiate."

[Bladehunter217]

Then we capture them unless one of you has experience with any type of vessel. I don't even know how to rig a ship. We will likely need some of them alive because I don't ever know what kind of vehicle is usable in the desert. Drugs are expensive no matter where you go. They wouldn't want them destroyed so we can use that as a bargaining tool. Sai B sighs, frustrated by this whole chain of events.

[stanleyindraven]

Alvin pulls the crates to the middle of the room to allow Landis to try opening them.

[tonberryking]

As it turns out...

"I know how to sail ships," Sophie ads in, looking a bit sheepish as she does so. "I even have a folding boat in my gear; back when I was a neophyte, Father Orsten and I helped the Deacon coast sailors back during Skullbeard the Pirate's reign of terror. Sometimes, my proficiency was the only reason the sailors even let me board...

[Syless]

Silly humans, obsessed with weapons. So squishy and harmless. "How long would it take to fix this relay thingy you mentioned? I mean, if the smugglers are getting here by ship it'd be good to know exactly where they are, right? ...also, how would we fix it? And where is it?" Rysleth nods to herself. All very important questions.

[pupaeted]

Landis gestures towards the weapons crates and speaks the words for Knock, then turns away.

She thoughtfully lifts the needle device from where Alvin placed it to move the crates, then cuts a square of canvas from the detritus, and carefully sorts the vials of Amber into the makeshift sack.

"I'm burying these," she says to the others, dragging the sack towards the doorway.
"While I'm gone, it might be helpful if someone could find another way to open these crates. There are dozens, and I've already spent more arcane power than is wise. I'd suggest brute force?"

Once out of sight outside, she drops the needle-device and a dozen of the vials into her bag, and drags the rest some way away to bury in a shallow grave in the sand.

Landis casts Knock twice, once on each of the weapon crates.

I'm taking the needle gun and a bunch of Amber vials (purely for their offensive poison purposes). Don't do space drugs, kids.

Landis will walk a hundred feet away from the shelter perpendicular to the entrance, turn left ninety degrees and walk another hundred, then bury the sack beneath the sand, shoveling with her hands.

She'll leave her familiar behind, squatting invisibly and listening in.

[Zweanslord]

Jazay looks thoughtful at A.I.D.'s explanation. He glances at the large black box, estimating its size and weight for a moment. He gives a nod to her, grateful for her answer, after which he sinks back in thought. One question arises for the translucent woman and he voices it: "Were you created? Constructed?" The question seems more out of curiosity at this point than in the belief that it is as important as say, Rysleth's questions.

As the others talk about a plan, Jazay eventually abandons his train of thought to focus on what the others are discussing. "Let's at least try to rest before they get here." He adds eventually, knowing it is but an idle and obvious suggestion, but he feels that it is worth mentioning. Especially considering the tiredness he is surpressing.

"A confrontation, as Landis remarks, seems likely." Jazay sighs at his admission, showing reluctance as he continues. "An ambush.. sounds okay." He grits his teeth for a moment, looking away. Looking at the chests, then the way Landis went, he slumps his shoulders as he his currently unable to come up with an alternative suggestion.

Seeing as Alvin struck at the chests previously, Jazay looks at him, switching subjects. "Do you wish to try and open these chests? Or should I?"

[Bladehunter217]

Rest sounds like an excellent idea. AID, you said you cannot leave this shelter, can you observe what is beyond it or are you limited to what you can see in it. Sai B still doesn't understand what she is, assuming its a confused soul trapped but not bothered by it or perhaps some strange kind of golem. We should take turns resting and trying to open the crates. If we can make it look like someone ransacked the hideout, I may have an idea.

[The_Dodger]

AID, as the group as decided to address her, looks to Rysleth, "A skilled mechanic could repair the relay in approximately twenty minutes," she replies, "The damaged array is located at the top of this structure and requires a new receiving dish and re-calibration. there are replacement parts located there," she points to one of the open boxes stuffed full of metal and waxy string.

The two weapon crates spring open in similar fashion to the first crate Landis opened. One has twelve long devices which seem to consist primarily of long pipes, with bulky metal at one end. They have a trigger mechanism similar to a hand crossbow. The second crate holds twenty five devices that look almost the same as hand crossbows made of smooth, silver metal, but with no bow, string or groove for bolts. Instead there is a hole at the end of the grip.

AID nods at Jazay's question, "My A.I. core was constructed by the Sciladyn Corporation and programmed by in-house specialists," she then turns to Sai, "As I stated, my scanning range is currently limited to three hundred kilometers around this structure. If my relay is repaired, I will be able to conduct long range scanning out to one light year from Solis Minor."

[stanleyindraven]

"Well, I don't believe any of us are skilled 'mechanics' so there goes that." Alvin seems slightly annoyed but picks up a small "pistol" and "rifle". "No time like the present to figure out how these work," and he heads out of the shelter. He will attempt to activate the devices aiming away from the shelter.

[Zweanslord]

Jazay nods to A.I.D. as she answers his question. He turns to look at Sai B, directing the following statement to him. "I would be interested to know what your idea is. Taking turns to rest and open the crates sounds good to me."

For a moment, Jazay looks thoughtful and pondering. When he speaks up, he looks upward for a mmoment, as if towards the array. "Between my own aptitude with the workings of magical items and Landis' skill with devices, we may be able to figure some things out with that array. We have more time than twenty minutes after all. It may be futile, but at least we'll learn that swiftly enough." He then turns to look at Landis. "What do you think, Landis? Shall we try? After a rest, that is."

[The_Dodger]

AID looks to Jazay, "If you would like, I can walk you through the process of repairing the relay," she gestures to a small pile of collar-like devices nearby, "If you would put on a communicator I can offer guidance and instructions."

[pupaeted]

Landis arrives back in the tent to hear Jazay's suggestion, and AID's offer.

"A 'light year'. Is that the distance a ship can travel in a year? That seems like a superlative distance, and an unnecessary one if the smugglers are at best days away, but I'm willing to help."

She walks over to the weapons crates and grimaces down at them, before turning back to Jazay.

"It's just... I'm not sure I'm up to the climb. You might have to carry me."

"Oh, AID, by the way, which chest is storing the smuggler's cache of gems?"

Landis will cast knock to open the chest of gems if possible. It would probably be best if we shared these out among everyone?

[Syless]

Rysleth waves her hands. "Ooh, ooh, I'll do it!" She looks at her claws. "Um, assuming that I'm physically capable."

[The_Dodger]

AID smiles at Rysleth's enthusiasm, "I'm not familiar with your species, so I am not sure what you are capable of. but I will attempt to provide instruction if you would like to try," she offers.

Turning to Landis she closes her eyes as the supply list on the monitors scrolls rapidly before stopping, "There are six crates containing the Kylas crystals," she regards the collection of crates and points out the appropriate ones when she locates them. when the chests are open they are revealed to be filled with thousands of thumb-sized, uncut crystals. They are clear with a brilliant rainbow hue when held up to a light.

[Syless]

"Okay!" Rysleth hops excitedly, then grabs one of the weird collars and puts it around her neck, then goes over and grabs the box. "How's this neck thing work? Do I just talk into it or something? I've seen all sorts of Sending junk." She fidgets a bit more with the collar, but seems rather excited about the prospect of doing new and complicated things.

[Zweanslord]

"Uhm.. I can fly up there, but not while carrying anybody." He admits to Landis. Hearing how A.I.D. offers instructions, he then looks at Rysleth and her enthusiasm. "Let us try together then, Rysleth. If you don't mind, Landis?"

Picking up one of the collar-like devices, he holds it up and looks at it, turning it around and analyzing it. Meanwhile, he glances at A.I.D. awaiting her response to Rysleth's questions, so he will know how to use it as well.

[pupaeted]

Landis rolls her eyes.

"I'm not going to be carried up between you like sack of potatoes. I think you two will have to handle this yourselves. I'll... I'll help Alvin test the weapons while you're up there."

Landis grabs a pair of the pistols, passes one of them to her imp, and walks over to join Alvin.

[The_Dodger]

AID holds up her hands and an image of the collar device appears between them as she speaks, "This is a Comtech series two communicator. Though the model is out-dated and obsolete, it should still function for our purposes. Simply speak normally and I will be able to hear you clearly. My voice will also be transmitted for you to hear," she explains to Rysleth as the little dragon grabs the box of repair parts. AID then gestures to a small black bag next to the box, "You will also require the tools in there to perform the repairs," she states, "When you reach the relay, use the tools to remove the damaged dish and replace it with a new one. I will then talk you through re-calibration."

Meanwhile outside, Alvin's tinkering with the weapons leads him to discover how they work. Their mechanism, though apparently more complex, is similar enough to a crossbow that he soon finds the safety release on the carbine rifle. aiming it at a sand dune he pulls the trigger and is rewarded with a sharp crack! and a small puff of sand where the projectile strikes the dune, though he never saw it. A small set of glowing numbers on the stock of the rifle also counts down from thirty to twenty nine after the shot. The pistol seems to be a much simpler design, and again he is able to release the safety with minimal effort. Squeezing the trigger produces a much different effect however. There is a muted crackling sound, and a small ball of blue light fires from the barrel, impacting the sand dune and leaving a small, shallow crater of glass.

[Zweanslord]

Jazay puts the collar around his neck and then grabs the bag with tools. "Sounds good. While I would prefer some sleep now, I think it is easier to take a look first and asses the situation. Let's go, Rysleth." With that said, Jazay walks outside and stretches his wings. With a strong flap or two he lifts off towards the top of the shelter, only momentarily looking back to see whether Rysleth is following.

[pupaeted]

"Alvin, do you mind giving that device a proper test?" Landis asks, brandishing the black rod from her hip, and gesturing at a nearby dune. Moments later, a huge monstrous centipede flickers into view.

She watches the vermin flex idly for a few seconds, directionless without orders or apparent enemies, and raises the pistol she collected to fire a few experimental shots at the creature.

I'm activating Landis' Rod of Shadowblending to turn a casting of Minor Image into Shadow Conjuration, and using Summon Monster III to call a huge fiendish monstrous centipide for target practice - to try and work out how much damage the weapons do.

Rod of Shadowblending is from Complete Mage page 128, text goes something like

Activation: A rod of shadowblending requires a swift action
to activate. You must take advantage of it within 2 rounds of activation, or you waste the charge. It can be activated up to three times per day.

Effect: A rod of shadowblending infuses your normal illusions with shadow, making them partially real. This effect allows you to transform any casting of either minor image or major image into a casting of shadow conjuration, and any casting of major image into shadow evocation.

Attack: [roll0] for ?

That attack bonus is without a non-proficiency penalty, I'm not sure if it's close enough to a hand crossbow to be easy for her to use.

[The_Dodger]

At the top of the shelter Rysleth and Jazay find the relay, a great mass of long thin metal rods attached to a wide, metal, slightly curved plate. As AID explained the plate is damaged and sits askew on it's mount. AS the pair approach, AID's voice crackles over the comm around their necks, audible to anymore near them as it is projected, "You should begin by removing the old dish and installing the replacment, I will then talk you through the re-calibration process," she explains, and continues to guide and instruct as the pair of them work.

Rysleth and Jazay, please give me intelligence checks

[stanleyindraven]

Alvin pulls the trigger again, firing at the centepede.

attack [roll0]
damage [roll1]

[Zweanslord]

Descending upon the shelter, Jazay looks at the dish and takes in the sight. When the voice of A.I.D. speaks up, Jazay carefully listens and tries to follow the instructions carefully.

[roll0]

[The_Dodger]

Following AID's instructions Jazay is able to make the repairs to the relay and perform the re-calibration. "Thank you very much. I will begina long range scan and inform you of any developments," AID speaks through the comm device.

Congratulations. Jazay has just gained Craft (Mechanical), Craft (Electrical), Repair, and Computer Use as class skills. You can now put ranks in them as you would any other class skill when you next level up.

[Zweanslord]

"Hmmm." Looking at his handiwork under instruction of A.I.D. Jazay adds: "Educational." Then he relays through the communication device the following. "Thank you, A.I.D. Your instruction was good and very appreciated." Without, Jazay would not have been able to do the job.

With outstretched wings, Jazay descends on the sand next to the shelter. "A.I.D. is doing the scan." He announces to those outside the shelter. Looking around, he checks to see what the state is of Alvin's training exercise with the device, or rather, the weapon, and if anything else is going on.

[tonberryking]

Onisophia seems deep in thought for a long, quiet time, trying to mull over things, but before absconding to a deeper rest as to replenish her spells, the sound of Alvin's gunfire is enough to get her up onto her feet again. Attempting to try to help with the mechanics AID advised Jazay over wouldn't do much, but as the healer and frontliner she may as well see what the fuss is about concerning all these fire arms. Looking at the opened crate, she picks up the biggest rifle, assuming that it would best fit her hand before hustling outside.

"Do you mind if I join you, Alvin? I've rarely used a crossbow, but this one has a good heft... I think." she says, thinking the idea of herself trying to use a handgun seem silly. "At the very least, i want to see how fast these things are..."\


I'm not sure if the centipede summoning player is still around, but is there anything else Sophie can aim at? ...Can she even fit her hand over the rifle's triggering mechanism?

[stanleyindraven]

"Be my guest," Alvin says with a smile.

[The_Dodger]

Since I'm not sure the summoner is still with us, I'm going to rule that the centipede is not there. Instead Alvin has set up some of the junk from the shelter as targets to shoot at. Sophie can use the rifle, though it probably feels a little like a toy in her hands.

The rest of the day passes quietly for the stranded adventurers. As the hours pass, the sun sinks toward the horizon and the temperature drops considerably, making the windswept desert around their shelter much cooler, though the driving winds do not subside. Inside the shelter AID activates a small heating device that keeps the interior comfortably warm. As late evening approaches the sky on the northern horizon is dominated by the imposing green and brown mass of a large planet. AID helpfully informs the group that it is the planet Desdin II, the world which Solis Minor orbits.

Soon the sun has set and the sky is filled with unfamiliar stars. The group is able to settle in and get some rest for several hours before they are awoken in the early hours of the morning by a soft beeping sound. When they rouse themselves, AID's holo-projection appears to inform them what is happening, "I have detected a medium class II freighter on approach to Solis Minor. The trajectory puts them on course for this shelter. They will arrive in approximately two hours," she explains as she silences the alarm.

[Zweanslord]

A few hours rest. That is what Jazay desired. When he saw things looked alright after fixing the array, he found a humble place to lie down and close his eyes.

Sleeping but for a few hours, he was soon awake and rested. The time after he used to spend one hour to pray to the Sun Father. In his spoken prayers he spoke of his gratitude for their survival. The desert before them he spoke kindly of, as if it were a sign of the Shining One.

It was this same desert he spend quite some time in after as he flew through the sky to behold the sight of sand. Flying to draw a larger area to scout, he witnessed that which he had expected: more sand, befitting of a desert. The cold of night during his survey did not seem to bother him.

Returning in the early morning, he decided to nap through the last his of night. With a busy upcoming day and a campaign to defeat a great evil behind them, he felt he deserved it.

When the beep alerted him as it did the others and A.I.D. informed them, he looked around. "Any good ideas on how to handle this situation? I would prefer to talk it out, but they are probably not that kind of audience."

[stanleyindraven]

"All we can do is try," Alvin says as he memorizes spells.