The archives of the Skeleton Base PBeM have gotten so big that they've been split up into smaller parts:
- Introduction: The adventure begins. (Player responses.)
- Through the Desert: The journey to the Skeleton Base. (Player responses.)
- Slabtown: Our heroes spot the Guardian and meet the inhabitants of Slabtown. (Player responses.)
- The Sandstorm: The characters shelter with the Far Traders during a sandstorm. (Player responses.)
- The Metal "Gods": Showdown with the CotMG. (Player responses.)
- Froude's Proposal: An uncomfortable stalemate. (Player responses.)
- Back to Base(ics): The party returns to the Skeleton Base. (Player responses.)
- Sewer Raiders: Nappy and Clacher do some scouting. (Player responses.)
- Bullets & Blankets: The gun sentry is thwarted. (Player responses.)
- Beneath the Base: Our heroes find more underground chambers. (Player responses.)
- Cards & Consoles: The rooms are searched, but contain nothing but old control consoles.
- Martuk's Premonition: Martuk has a psychic vision of impending danger. (Player responses.)
- Command Center: Another sentry gun is neutralized. (Player responses.)
- Guardian Rendezvous: We finally meet the Guardian up close and personal. (Player responses.)
- Up Periscope: More scouting, then the party enters an Ancient garage. (Player responses.)
- The Best Laid Plans of Mutants and Men... The group schemes a way to recover their precious security card.
- ...Oft Go Astray: Krang-Nar's telekinesis trick doesn't go as planned. (Player responses.)
- Risky Recon: An above-ground reconnaissance trip turns deadly.
- The Armoury: Krang-Nar and Martuk are trapped in the armoury. (Player responses.)
- Traps & Treasure: Both risk and reward are found in the armoury.
- Traps & Treasure: Both risk and reward are found in the armoury. (Player responses.)
- Ready to Rumble: Our heroes prepare for a final all-out assault on the Guardian.(Player responses.)
- Ready to Rumble: Our heroes prepare for a final all-out assault on the Guardian.(Player responses.)
- Rock'n Roll: The final battle against the Guardian begins! (Player responses.)
- The Old Ways: Nappy perishes, but the Guardian is vanquished at last! (Player responses.)
- Endgame: Our heroes, victorious, return to Lau triumphant.
- Epilogue: The Skeleton Base is claimed as a Nightwind outpost.
Broxie whispers to Krang-Nar and Martuk: "Let's not get into a battle yet. We'll swing around the Skeleton Base, check out the Guardian, and then decide if it's time to waste 'em."
Beeble pipes up, addressing the CotMG: "S4mu3l, it is our desire to leave here as we came - in peace. Allow us to approach the Guardian on our own terms and all will be well."
Both Beeble and Broxie smile and appear as sincere as possible.
Once again, S4mu3l whispers something to Lokotz that you can't hear. (GM rolls some dice.) The CotMG wait alertly - it appears that they do take direction from S4mu3l instead of Froude. Finally, Lokotz speaks: "As I said before, ours is a path of peace. Leave now - without conflict - and the Guardian shall judge."
Antwerp points his shotgun towards the Skeleton Base: "You heard 'im. Get packin', savages."
The raider’s attitude grates on you, but it would be best to avoid a fight at this time, so you hold your tongue and ready your fraxx (and riding dog) in silence. The CotMG still eye you warily as you ride away from Slabtown. As the last rays of the setting sun vanish beneath the horizon, Apothecary calls out to your group: "May we meet again in kinder times." (You're too far away to hear Froude mutter "Fool" back to him.)
("I’m surprised they didn’t shoot us in the backs." retorts Martuk.)
Perimeter Survey:
The CotMG continue to stare for a while as leave, but return to their building in Slabtown when you dismount to approach the base more cautiously. (You still keep an eye out for them, however.)
As you dismount, you spot an ancient sign - rusted and dented - sticking up from the ring of skeletons circling the base. Nappy translates for the rest of you. (See image at left.) "I wonder if our silver ID card will work?" asks Beeble.
"You try first." responds Krang-Nar, cynical as usual.
Ignoring the sourpuss, Nappy says: "Remember - we should keep buildings between us and the Guardian."
Still some distance from the base, you examine the buildings and the Guardian’s current position. Visualizing the layout, you figure out which areas are out of the robot’s sight. (Assuming that it "sees" in the same manner as you do.) Quite a bit of the base - the southeast quadrant in particular - is hidden from the Guardian. (See the map at right. The robot is denoted by the "R".)
(The GM says something about "Sneak checks" and rolls a bunch of dice. He maintains his impassive poker face.)
You circle the base, keeping a respectful distance and darting between areas of cover. As always, the Guardian remains still. It is beginning to get difficult to see the robot clearly in the fading light...
Scoping the base for a path of entry, you examine the perimeter fence in more detail. The old fence that once protected the base against intrusion has long deteriorated over the centuries, leaving only a few scant sections between infrequently placed upright poles. Due to its tremendous age, this defensive line no longer guards the base from intruders - you could easily crawl through at nearly any point.
(GM rolls a bunch of dice. "Investigate checks" he mutters. For a moment he seems happy, then he looks grumpy.)
Trudging onward in the twilight, Martuk nearly trips over something half-buried in the sand. Digging around with his hands, he finds 3 empty plastic jugs (1 gallon capacity each) with easy carrying handles, marked "FEMA" in the Ancient script. "Might come in handy." he says, as he ties them to his fraxx.
Sewage Duct:
As you reach the west side of the base, Clacher (who has been very quiet lately) whispers "Hey!" Pointing at a spot in the sand (area "G" on the map), he says: "Look at that."
The dune here slopes somewhat, giving the indication that long ago this was part of some kind of ditch or natural gully extending north and south. It appears that during the sandstorm, a sizable portion of the gully wall slid away to reveal a gaping, circular hole leading into pitch darkness.
"That’s interesting." says Nappy.
Your location in the gully (just west of the fence near the "M/N" building) hides you from both the Guardian and the inhabitants of Slabtown (which lies east of the base). (By the way - none of the CotMG seem to be following you, and the Guardian still hasn’t budged.) It seems as good a place as any to tether your steeds for a moment - though it’s a little too close to the base to make camp.
Pausing (for just a moment), you take a closer look at the tunnel. (Nappy’s darkvision comes in handy here.) It is blocked by an aging, rusted grating of mesh steel, through which water and small debris can pass, but narrow enough to prevent unwanted intrusion. This grating will have be worked free or clipped to allow passage beyond.
Beyond the grating, the tunnel appears to be made of corrugated iron, and is quite narrow. All of you - except Nappy - would have to remove your weapons and equipment (and any armor with a penalty to movement) before even attempting to crawl into the duct.
"Well..." Krang-Nar says to Nappy: "You said we can try and get through the fence, over or under it." Turning to the rest of you, then looking at the tunnel, the dextrous mutant continues: "Good idea. Let’s send the midget."
What are your actions?
Next Post: The weekend of May 15/04.
Beeblebrox: Sitting out of sight of the Guardian, Beeble is intrigued at what may spark some sort of reaction from it. He'd like to know what we'd be dealing with if it goes active. And just what would trigger that creation, or is it simply an inanimate sentinel, guarding by implied threat alone? (Not likely, given some of the corpses that we saw on the way in to Slabtown.)
Broxie agrees with the idea of sending Nappy ahead to scout out the sewer duct. If any of us has any rope, we can secure him with that as best as possible for a hasty extraction if needed. Also be sure to send a walkie-talkie along so we can keep in constant contact. (This is assuming Nappy will agree to go.)
(Beeblebrox does indeed have a length of rope; Nappy already has a walkie-talkie.)
Brox, for once agreeing with Beeble, would also like to see what specific sort of threat the Guardian will pose to us all. He suggests that if we take just one of Martuk's new plastic containers and fill it partially with sand or soil to give it some weight, we can throw it into the line of sight of the Guardian and see what happens. Beeble proposes that, since we are hidden here by this western building (M/N), the strongest one of us can throw it inside the perimeter (in the general area of P). This is assuming that any of the rest of the party are in agreement with this idea.
(Hold onto that idea for a bit...)
Nappy: Seeing how his friends are always belittling him, Nappy thinks this might be a good opportunity to show that he is very brave. One does not have to be big, strong and dim-witted to be brave...
Nappy grabs his spear, sets his walkie talkie to transmit and tells his dog (Kanthus) to stay and enters the narrow dark tunnel bravely.
Martuk: I'll lend Nappy my gun - I'm more comfortable with my sword, anyways. I'm not supportive of testing the Guardian. The idea of distracting it with the thrown jug is good if we need to divert attention, but right now I don't think we need attention at all.
(Martuk gets 25 XP for freely offering his gun to Nappy. You decide amongst yourselves that maybe it would be a bad idea to get the attention of the Guardian at this point...)
Beeblebrox asks: "Nappy; are you still willing to be the first to brave the sewer entrance?"
"Yes." answers the dwarf.
Martuk replies: "Oh Nappy, you are so brave! I'll lend you my gun - hopefully you won't need it, but you never know." (Nappy graciously accepts the firearm - better a gun than a spear - though he suspects that Martuk may be making fun of him.)
B-Brox takes some rope from his backpack: "Here - tie this around your waist. If you get into any trouble, or get stuck, we can just pull you back out!"
Nappy's not so sure he likes that idea (it'd probably hurt like hell to be dragged out of the duct), but in the end he agrees to it. "I'll see what I can find out, and will return shortly. Let me know if I rouse the Guardian."
It's pretty dark by the time Nappy is ready to go, and the waning moon shines overhead. Beeble's pincers make short work of the grating blocking the tunnel. With a pistol in hand and trailing a rope (Martuk is at the other end - pincers don't work well with ropes), he enters the duct. Even with his diminutive stature, Nappy has to crawl.
Nappy is thankful - this sewer, though partially sand-filled, is dry and odourless. It seems only to have been used for storm drainage, not for more "disagreeable" purposes. Still, it is not pleasant to crawl in such a confined area - Nappy feels more and more vulnerable as he moves further from his allies. After about thirty feet, Nappy reaches the end of his rope. Ahead he can see a faint light in the tunnel...
"This isn't going to work." Nappy says into his radio. "The rope isn't long enough. I'll continue ahead myself."
"Are you sure?" shouts Beeble from the entrance.
"Yeah." answers Nappy. "I'll be fine. And don't yell - use the walkie-talkie!"
At this point, the normally quiet Clacher speaks up: "Forget it Nappy; I'm coming in with you."
"But you're too big, Clacher!"
In response, Clacher uses his Shaper ability to reduce his size. (The rest of you are surprised - you forgot that Clacher could do this!) Tossing aside his (now too-large) armour, he mutters to Krang-Nar: "Give me your gun. My crossbow is too big now and I'm not going in there unarmed."
Krang-Nar hands him the SITES M9 revolver. With a gun in one hand and his dagger in another (and a third hand free), Clacher moves down the tunnel after Nappy. Together, they crawl fifty more feet feet - towards the distant light.
Ahead, the darkness is broken by a few narrow beams of moonlight from above. It shines down through a vertical shaft, about six feet long and topped with a grate. It would lie inside the Base itself - within the fence. The light adds a welcome glow to the otherwise pitch black length of the sewer tunnel. (Nappy guesses that a few ventilation shafts were sunk to the sewer duct to prevent the buildup of poisonous or expanding gases that might damage the sewer system.)
"Let's keep going." whispers Nappy.
Shooting Gallery:
The duo continues onwards, leaving the light behind him and explaining the situation to the others. After crawling another fifty feet, the tunnel at long last seems to end. Investigation reveals a badly corroded grating covering this end of the tunnel, but beyond this obstacle the air is much cooler. The sound of dripping water echoes in the vicinity.
(The GM makes some Awareness checks for Nappy and Clacher. Then he rolls a bunch more dice.)
Peering through the grating, Nappy and Clacher see a small square chamber, empty except for water and some debris. "It looks safe. I'll take the lead." whispers Nappy. Forcing open the grate (which proves easy), he drops three feet to the calm surface of a well-flooded chamber. The purpose of this room has been lost to antiquity, but it was no doubt part of a series of underground chambers used to support the facility above ground. Ancient machinery, caked in rust and submerged just inches beneath the surface of the water, look like bony islands reclaimed by a sea of brackish waves.
Suddenly, one of the pieces of "debris" moves, catching you completely by surprise! Something that looks like a tripod-mounted firearm swings into action. It seems that a weapon animatron was left here to protect the sewers against looters! Nappy is caught flat-footed as the machine fires a burst of bullets at him. (Attack is 17+5-4=18. Hit! Burst inflicts 15 points of damage!) His tiny body is riddled with bullets!
"NAPPY!" screams Clacher, but there is no response. He grabs the rope (which Nappy had been trailing) and tries to pull the mutant to safety...
Too slow. The first burst knocked Nappy down, the second finishes him off. (Attack is 18+5-4=19. 11 damage.) The little thinker doesn't even have time to return fire, and his pistol falls from a lifeless hand... (Knocked down to -12 hp, he's dead and gone.)
The Skeleton Base has claimed yet another victim...
(It's probably safe to assume that Nappy uses a Karma point to "re-write" this little encounter. Let's turn back the clock... Nappy is still alive and well...)
Shooting Gallery (Redux):
Peering through the grating, Nappy and Clacher see a small square chamber, empty except for water and some debris. Nappy is about to force open the grate when he notices that one of the pieces of "debris" looks suspiciously like a tripod-mounted firearm. "Uh-oh." he whispers to Clacher and into the walkie-talkie. "Looks like we have trouble..."
What are your actions?
Next Post: Either May 24/04 or after vacation.
Krang-Nar: Motion sensors... I have Telekinesis; I should be able to ply that talent to draw the fire of the tri-pod whilst we are able to disarm it or at least empty it of its deadly projectiles. What says you... any idea on the go-ahead plan of attack?
Nappy: Hmm; it'd be nice to get some of those bullets... How do we do that though? Can you telekinesis a blanket over the gun to see if it blinds the sensor and then telekinesis a rock or something to see if that stops the gun from firing? Then maybe we can approach it while it is blind and find a way to turn it off... I imagine it must need power from somewhere - maybe we just have to pull the plug or battery out of it.
Martuk: I don't know too much about the Ancients' so-called "automated machines" but I do know that I'm not the sneakiest one here, so perhaps I should guard the entrance for now. I do have some of those "light sticks", which if thrown at the machine might distract it so that the "eyes" are not looking at the group. If it's smart, however, it might realize the direction the stick was coming from. Maybe telekinesis could work here, in combo with the blanket idea. Use the light stick instead of a rock - if it could see it through the blanket, but not the hammer crashing down on it from behind, the plan might work.
Nappy: I'm not sure we want to use a hammer... If we can figure this thing out we will have a very handy and powerful tool at our disposal.
Krang-Nar: I like the light stick idea in combo with the blanket. (Let's just hope it's not a fleshy sensor or all our plans are for naught.) Now who's the volunteer to go in after if it works? How do we disarm this thing so we can use it? (I ain't got the brains for that.)
Beeblebrox: I'm still tempted to lob something in front of the Guardian, just to see what the reaction would be, but I'll hold off until the rest of the party decides its in everybody's best interests. Spoilsports!
"Stand aside," Krang-Nar says to Martuk and Beeblebrox, "My talents may be of use here..." He takes the saddle blanket from his fraxx and Martuk's light sticks and stuffs them into his belt. The dextrous mutant has to remove his backpack and weapons to fit into the cramped drainage tunnel, but he is able to keep his undercover vest on while crawling.
The enforcer and scavenger remain outside, watching the fraxx steeds and guarding the entrance, while listening carefully to the walkie-talkie. (Beeble keeps eyeing a few choice rocks that he wants to toss towards the Guardian.) Meanwhile, Krang-Nar huffs and puffs laboriously as he crawls along the narrow passage, while (mini-)Clacher impatiently urges him to hurry up - he can't retain his small size for much longer.
As Krang-Nar finally nears the end of the tunnel, he whispers to Clacher: "At that size, you look almost as silly as the midget."
Frowning, Nappy whispers: "A light stick is activated by hitting it hard against an object. Can your malformed cranium handle that concept?"
Pulling the sticks from his belt and peering into the dark room containing the weapon animatron, Krang-Nar responds: "I'll use Telekinesis to whip it against the chamber wall. That should get the sentry gun's attention!"
Activating his psionic power, Krang-Nar uses telekinesis to pop the grating and throw a light stick towards the far wall. The animatron fires upon it before it is even lit; you are nearly deafened by the sound of it! The light stick is blown into several pieces and sprays glowing goo everywhere, and Krang-Nar loses his psionic grip on the remains.
"What happened!" shouts Beeble into the radio.
Nappy: "Shh! I can hear you fine... We're okay. Guess it can see in the dark. (To Krang-Nar:) Give Clacher the sticks. He'll throw them as a distraction and you can use your telekinesis to drop the blanket over the sentry gun."
Without waiting for agreement, Clacher (who seems fidgety) grabs the light sticks from Krang-Nar and tosses them one after another into the chamber - immediately drawing the sentry's fire. With no time to spare, Krang-Nar concentrates intently, using his psionic power to maneuver the blanket into the room and above the tripod. Finally, Krang-Nar mentally lets go... and the blanket covers the animatron perfectly!
"Ha! The peckerhead did it!" quips Nappy in surprise.
The behaviour of the gun suddenly changes. Instead of methodically swinging from target to target, it freezes in place.
Clacher (twitching badly now) strikes the final light stick to make it bright and tosses it directly in front of the sentry gun. The glowing stick splashes into the water, and the gun tracks from side to side - as if it is straining to see or hear anything. It does not fire, however.
"Well; that was easy." says Nappy.
(Krang-Nar gets 200 XP for the clever use of his mutant power. Nappy and Martuk get 100 XP each for their part in planning.)
The Great Sewer Tour:
"That's it... I'm finished." Clacher says, and he hops out of the tunnel into the sentry room. Before he even hits the water, he has expanded back to his normal size - like a coiled spring that has suddenly been released.
The gun still sweeps slowly from side to side, but seems blind to Clacher.
Nappy speaks into the radio to Martuk and Beeblebrox: "Looks like Clacher volunteered to test our plan. The way is clear. I am going to examine the machine now."
Nappy and Krang-Nar both jump into the flooded chamber. Krang-Nar picks up the last light stick (he can't see in the dark) while Nappy carefully investigates the weapon animatron. On the the side of the firearm, partially hidden by the blanket, is a numeric keypad and a slot for a card. There is also a LED display with the number "37" glowing red.
"I don't want to muck with it." Nappy says.
"Figures." snorts Krang-Nar. "Gimme the radio - Clacher and I will scout the sewers."
"We'll go together. A quick search." says Nappy, readying his walkie-talkie, gun, and other gear.
Without any more fuss, the three of you explore the sewers beneath the Skeleton Base.
(Looking at the map at right: "G" is the external entrance, "H" indicates a ventilation shaft to the surface, "I" is the small room with the sentry gun, while "C9" and "C7" are described below...)
Nappy provides continual updates via radio to Beeblebrox and Martuk outside. All of the passages are flooded and filled with all manner of submerged machinery, piping, ventilation ducts, etc. (GM rolls Dex checks (DC 10) for Nappy, Krang-Nar, and Clacher: 7-1=2, 8+5=13, and 8+2=10.) You meet no opposition, but at one point while wading through the water, Nappy stumbles into a jagged piece of metal (suffering 2 points of damage).
"Careful!" scolds Krang-Nar.
The watery passages - cold, tepid, and rank - all lead to a central, circular chamber from which other tunnels radiate like spokes on a hub ("C9"). Machinery of all kinds appear close to the surface of the water, while heavy metal ductwork, pipes, and various other constructions of a long-gone era spiral up towards the cluttered ceiling. Walking into the chamber, Krang-Nar's foot suddenly meets with nothing but water and he slips! (Reflex save 6+8=14. Not quite good enough!) He falls beneath the surface for a moment, and sucks down a mouthful of foul water before regaining his footing.
"Careful!" scolds Nappy.
The middle of this room seems to be deeper than the rest of the sewers. Moving carefully around the edge, the three of you continue exploring. Finally, at the end of one passage ("C7"), you find a set of concrete stairs leading up out of the water to a room above.
"We'd better hold on for a moment." says Nappy. "Let's decide what to do."
What are your actions?
Next Post: Hopefully this weekend (June 26 or 27).
Beeblebrox: Well; frankly, Brox is getting quite tired of sitting on his hands with nothing to do outside. Since we have all 'agreed' not to attempt to, uhh, stimulate the Guardian, and since there is no other apparent action taking place outside, Beeble suggests into the radio that, "It’s high time we all get together again. I don’t want to lose underground radio contact with you guys and it’d be safer for us all if we stayed together now that it’s apparent that aren’t any other immediate threats."
"If you guys wanna wait up for me and Martuk, we can explore down there together. Six heads are better than three." Beeble idly flicks an errant pebble with a pincer and glances rapidly between Martuk and the Guardian...
Nappy: I agree with the Freak. Lets all get together and explore up the stairs.
Krang-Nar: I think we should get together and have you guys meets us on the other side of the one-eyed killer. Then we should re-arm it, thus knowing our backs are covered and what we can do to escape (same thing again hopefully). We can take our one-eyed friend with us when we leave.
Working quickly in the moonlight, Beeblebrox and Martuk ensure that the fraxx steeds (and Nappy's dog) are tethered firmly in place - protected in the ditch and out of sight of the Guardian. The characters have far too much gear to fit into the small drainage tunnel, so they strip off their armour and packs and tie them into bundles using saddle blankets from the fraxx. (They also include any items that were left outside by the others.) They aren't able to fit all of the rations and water, however, so they only take a day's worth for everybody.
Dragging their makeshift bundles awkwardly behind them, B-Brox and Martuk then make the slow crawl through the dark and cramped storm drain to the flooded tunnels beneath the Skeleton Base. ("Damn." mutters Beeble; "This water will be no good for my fraxxhide boots!") In the meantime, Nappy, Clacher, and Krang-Nar have returned to the chamber with the sentry gun - the confused weapon is still slowly tracking back and forth. The party is reunited.
Next, everyone but Krang-Nar Moves quickly out of sight behind the gun, hiding a safe distance away around the bend in the tunnel. Krang-Nar remains just within range of his Telekinesis ability (30 feet), then uses his power to lift the blanket from the firearm. The weapon swings wildly from side to side, looking for targets, but does not turn around to fire behind it! The psychic mutant draws the blanket towards him while backing towards the bend in the tunnel. He then rejoins his companions, secure in the knowledge that the entrance is again guarded.
("Not bad." mutters Nappy, grudgingly.)
(Krang-Nar gets another 100 XP for using psionics.)
You all re-equip and swap back any borrowed equipment. Clacher takes the light stick from Krang-Nar (he can hold it in his shield hand) and Beeblebrox starts a torch for additional light. The party makes its way through the flooded tunnels towards the stairwell. Krang-Nar points out the dropoff in the central chamber (where he fell into the water), and (GM rolls Dex checks (DC 10) for B-Brox and Martuk: 14-4=10, 18-7=11) the two new arrivals manage to avoid injury on any hidden obstacles.
(By the way... the water in the tunnels was polluted. Nappy cut his foot and was exposed to disease, and Krang-Nar swallowed some water. The GM rolls some Fort saves (DC 13) for Nappy and Krang-Nar: 12 and 16+2=18; no ill effects.)
Underground Level:
Reaching the stairs, you ascend out of the flooded tunnels, carefully checking for any threats. The top of the stairwell opens into a damp, narrow, concrete-walled room (area C7). Apparently some kind of power still runs through the conduits here, providing intermittent illumination from the fungus-covered fluorescent bulbs that flash and sputter along the ceiling.
Bits of concrete debris from the damaged roof is littered about, and broken mechanical devices ("motors", Nappy thinks) are thrown about with a collection of trash and debris. A number of rusted and paint-stripped lockers line the western side of the room.
Past the room, a clinically cold and metallic hallway bends south (area C4), illuminated by flickering dull lights running along the ceiling before turning east and becoming a stairwell. Junk, cobwebs, and other dicarded debris fills the passage. There are two heavy blast doors set into the walls on either side of the hallway (to areas C5 and C6). Beside each blast door is a numeric keypad and a slot for a card.
What are your actions?
Next Post: In about a week.
Beeblebrox: Beeble is feeling a little more wary now that he's seen what could have happened with the one-eyed gun down here. He's kinda put two and two together and thinks that if the Guardian is rigged to go off in a similar manner, well, that thing is just freakin' dangerous then isn't it?!
Let's do a quick search of these lockers just in case they're hiding something useful, and then we can see if that key card we traded for is any good. And Broxie would like to point out that if we can use the card to open one or both of the doors here, that we use caution when opening the doors just in case there are similar guns in the rooms. So we can check out the rooms and then march on up the staircase.
Beeble gives a flamboyant fling of his beaded head and a winning smile at this wonderfully simple plan. He's also quick to check for irreparable water damage on his fraxxhide boots.
(I'm afraid that B-Brox's fine fraxxhide boots have been reduced to fair fraxxhide boots.)
Nappy: Elegent and simple plan. I like it, Freak. Search and then see if that card we traded for was worth it.
Martuk: I agree with these ideas, and I would like to add that before we search the lockers and doors and such, we should peek up the stairs (or at least take a careful listen) to make sure there is nothing/nobody there to take us by surprise.
Krang-Nar: Let's go; our course is set.
The first thing you do is scout out the southern stairway for threats. Martuk, Clacher, and B-Brox lead the way, with Krang-Nar and Nappy following behind. (GM rolls Awareness checks for the group.) Peering up the stairs to the hallway beyond, you note that the passage's "illumination rods" (fluorescent lights) have long burned out. Peering into the darkness, you can see no sentry guns or anything else waiting to take you by surprise.
"It's dark." whispers Martuk. "But it looks okay."
Next, you return downstairs (back to area C7) to search the lockers. They are unlocked and contain assorted supplies (intended for maintenance workers, you would guess). You get three full coveralls (heavy water-resistant fabric, off-white in colour), four plastic safety helmets (bright orange), two "magic" torches (flashlights, still working), and a pair of walkie-talkies (different model from the ones you have; they don't seem to work).
(You distribute the flashlights to those who don't already have torches, Nappy puts the new walkie-talkies away for later examination, and Clacher packs away the rest.)
The Security Card:
Next, you turn your attention to the heavy blast doors in the hallway. Pulling out the silver-coloured security card, Beeblebrox says: "Let's see if this was worth bartering for." Picking the doorway on the west, B-Brox proudly strides up, card in pincer, and then stops...
"Uh, so how is this supposed to work?"
(Your primitive characters need to figure out how to use the keycard system. GM rolls Use Technology checks (DC 15) for the characters, starting with Nappy: 4+7=11. Not good enough! Now for the others: 11+1=12, 4+1=5, 2-1=1, 16! Krang-Nar succeeds, but it was a close call!)
"It's proximity-activated." says Nappy. "Just walk nearby." (Nope.)
"Maybe I need to speak to it." suggest B-Brox. "Door - OBEY MY CARD!." (Uh-uh.)
"Try pressing the buttons." says Martuk. (Nothing.)
Clacher mutters: "I will pray to the spirits for guidance." (No help.)
Finally Krang-Nar speaks up: "Just put the damn card in the slot!" (Ah-ha! He gets 25 XP.)
Beeblebrox slides the card into the slot provided, then withdraws it. The door doesn't open but there is a beep and some text appears in the display above the keypad.
"Damn." says Nappy. "Let me see that... it says 'Read error. Please Re-insert.' Try it the other way, B-Brox."
Flipping the card around, he tries inserting it again. This time, instead of beeping, the locks on the blast door click open as he withdraws the card! The door is very heavy, and it takes two of you to move it. Before any of you enter the room, Broxie slowly and carefully sticks his head around the corner to scope things out.
"Looks safe." he says. "No guns or anything."
Mysterious Consoles:
This room (area C5) is littered with consoles of unknown purpose, and toppled chairs are thrown about with a collection of trash and debris. The darkness in the room is broken every now and then by a pulse of light coming from fluorescent bulbs in the ceiling, blinking on and off at random. Control panels of unknown purpose clutter the room; the many glass screens have been shattered to reveal tangled wire beneath, or are simply dull and lifeless. The air is moist and the whole western part of the room is flooded with dark water.
(The GM secretly rolls Investigate checks for the characters.)
It looks like many of the consoles were smashed deliberately, and then deteriorated over time (due to direct moisture, humidity, etc). Despite the damage, one computer (in the center of the room) is still operating. What is displayed on the screen is mostly incomprehensible gibberish, but Nappy figures that it is some sort of list with items designated as "standby", "deactivated", or "not responding".
"Interesting. I need to think about this for a while." says the thinker. "Let's check out the other room."
Crossing the hallway, Beeblebrox slides the keycard into the slot then withdraws it. This time, it works perfectly the first time. The massive door snaps unlocked, and once again it requires some muscle to open it (after checking for hazards, of course).
This subterranean room (area C6), when opened, appears to be pitch black. Your light illuminates a small pivoting chair in the center of the room, another large metal console (this one is undamaged), and walls covered in buttons, knobs, dials, and plastic screens. The place seems utterly empty otherwise.
(Once again, secret Investigate checks for the characters.)
Clacher sniffs: "The air here is stale. This place hasn't been opened for a long time."
Upon close examination, there doesn't seem to be anything of immediate interest here. The equipment looks workable, but none of you have any knowledge of how to operate it.
Intimidated by the mysterious consoles, the group clumps together in silence. What are your actions?
Next Post: The weekend of July 10/04.
You're all rather stumped about what to do next, so you decide to follow B-Brox's earlier suggestion to march on up the staircase, leaving these mysterious underground chambers behind. Martuk and Clacher lead the way, followed by Beeblebrox, with Krang-Nar and Nappy taking the rear. After several turns, you reach the final flight of stairs which lead to the dark hallway (area C3) that you spied earlier.
(GM rolls some Awareness checks for the characters. Then he rolls a Special Knowledge check for Nappy: 9+3+2=14. Good enough.)
As you climb the stairs, Clacher points to an object concealed in the corner of the hallway. "What is that?" he asks. It looks like a spherical black eye. (On the map, it's the dot with a circle around in area C3.)
"Damn." mutters Martuk. "We must have missed that before." (Poor Awareness rolls.)
"It's a security camera." says Nappy. "I read about them in the Procedures Manual from the Cave of Life. They are possessed with spirits that constantly stand watch - I wonder if it is still active?"
"If it is, I'll fix it quick." says Krang-Nar, arming his bow. Aiming carefully, he fires a single arrow at the mechanical eye (Attack roll 11+7=18; damage is 8+2=10), and smashes its delicate electronics with his expert shot.
"Nice!" says Beeble.
(Clacher gets 25 XP for spotting the camera, Nappy gets 25 XP for identifying it, and Krang-Nar gets 25 XP for shooting it out.)
You are just about to step into the room at the top of the stairs when Martuk freezes...
(GM rolls a Sixth Sense check for Martuk: 77%. He has a premonition of danger! 25 XP to Martuk for using his mutant power.)
"There's something around the corner." he whispers. "I can sense it."
"What is it?" whispers Broxie. "Another weapon sentry?"
"I don't know..." answers Martuk. "I only know it's dangerous."
What are your actions?
Next Post: The weekend of July 17/04.
Beeblebrox: Beeble is glad to have moved on from the console room. So many machines with keypads and buttons made him feel a little out of place and unwieldy with his great and mighty pincers. No delicate typist is this impressive Freak!
Responding to Martuk's premonition, Broxie immediately suggests that Beeble poke his head around the corner to scan for danger. "I'll keep my head around this side of the corner to watch your back." Broxie assures.
With a disdainful snort, Beeble, completely ignoring his head-mate, checks his pack for an expendable item to lob around the corner, just in case it's the same sort of thing as that 'gun' we encountered earlier. He stops short, thinking of the warnings he received from his companions in regards to attracting the Guardian's attention in the same manner. He then thinks that something shiny might serve as a mirror that we can use to peer around the corner, thereby saving anybody's head that certain 'other' companions may deem to be expendable. (The Freak's 'Stockpile' ability may come into play here, if nobody in the group actually has a mirror.)
(None of the party members has a mirror listed in their inventory, so Beeblebrox will use his Stockpile class ability to try to find one. I'll give it a DC 10; the roll is 11+2=13. B-Brox finds an old CD which is in good enough shape to act as a mirror. 25 XP for B-Brox.)
If it is the same sort of device as the gun, do we have another blanket that we can use to drop over any sensor so that we can move forward safely? Let's use our brains as much as possible before we have to resort to brawn.
(Krang-Nar grabbed back his blanket while in the sewers; B-Brox and Martuk have their blankets too.)
Nappy: Nappy starts looking though his things for anything we can use as a mirror to look around the corner with.
Martuk: I'm going to try and listen as carefully as possible to determine whether or not the danger posed in the room is alive or not - try to hear breathing, shuffling, etc. If any of us determine that there might be something alive in there, I'll try something that I like to call my "Ego Whip" on it. If it's a machine, perhaps we'd be better off getting Krang-Nar to use his Telekinesis to blind it.
"Pipe down!" whispers Martuk. He signals for everyone to listen and you all lapse into silence, trying to hear any clues about the identity of the unseen danger.
(GM secretly rolls Awareness checks for the characters. You hear nothing but the blinking on and off of fluorescent bulbs, somewhere around the corner.)
"Probably another sentry gun." says Krang-Nar, ending the protracted silence. He pulls out his blanket in anticipation of performing another TK ambush.
"Lookie here what I've got!" exclaims Beeble (who has been scrounging through his pack). "I figure we could look around the corner with this." He holds an Ancient bauble, a disc silvery in colour and reflective enough to serve as a mirror.
("We?" mumbles Krang-Nar.)
Another Sentry:
Beeblebrox transfers the makeshift mirror to his tentacle, then (slowly, carefully) extends it around the corner and scans for anything unusual. Not unexpectedly, you see another weapon animatron (as indicated on the map), its business end already pointed in your general direction.
"Looks like a different model." whispers Nappy.
Krang-Nar sighs; "Leave this to the experts." Concentrating intensely, he uses telekinesis to levitate his blanket and moves it around the corner, using B-Brox's 'mirror' to maneuver. As soon as it has a clear shot at the blanket, the sentry gun begins firing at it, punching small holes in the fabric and damaging the far wall.
Ricochets fly everywhere, (GM rolls some dice), and Clacher yelps as a stray bullet strafes his arm (2 points of damage). Ignoring the distraction, Krang-Nar carefully floats and drops the blanket atop the gun, obscuring its vision as he had done before.
"Piece of cake." quips the megacephalic hero.
As if to disagree, the sentry gun tilts upward and the blanket slides off. The weapon swings again to face the towards the stairwell.
"Let's try this again..." says Krang-Nar. Reactivating his power, he lifts the blanket up and again drops it atop the firearm, being careful to cover the whole thing.
And again, the gun simply tilts up and the blanket slides off.
Becoming annoyed, the telekinetic mutant applies his power to the gun itself, sliding it backwards along the floor (luckily, it is not bolted down or anything). Unable to resist, it first tilts backwards on two legs, then topples over in the corner. It tries to flex itself upright, but is unable to do manage more than clumsy twitches along the floor.
Taking no chances, Krang-Nar lifts the blanket yet again and drops it on the fallen sentry gun. It ceases its movement entirely, and lies inert.
(Krang-Nar picks up another 25 XP for using his Telekinesis mutation. He's out of Inner Strength Points for the day; and besides, I'm not going to let you get away with that trick a third time. You'd better hope there's no more sentry guns.)
Duty Officer's Station:
You wait for a minute to be sure the threat of the sentry gun has been averted, then carefully creep into the next room to take a look around.
Peering around the corner (to area C2), you see that it is well lit by overhead lights that continue to flicker despite the advanced age of the facility. The room itself is cluttered with junk and discarded cartons on the floor; brass casings also litter its metallic surface. A futuristic desk (with pivoting chair behind it) sits against the south wall, where a metal console of sorts seems to have been smashed to pieces.
The western wall section has a slip of clear, thick glass (as indicated on the map), allowing those in this area to see into the entranceway. You move into this room, which appears to be a guard station, abandoned for centuries. You guess that the weapon animatron was set up to guard the entrance after the living inhabitants had fled.
This area is a mess. The computer console is completely broken (destroyed deliberately, it seems), and any firearms kept in the duty officer’s locker were looted long ago. Despite this, a careful search (GM secretly rolls Investigate checks) turns up 20 loose rounds of 5.56mm ammunition (the 'brass casings' mentioned above).
"Damn!" says Martuk. "They don't quite fit my gun." (He pockets the ammo anyways.)
While Martuk was hunting for ammo, Nappy has been exploring. "Hey!" he says. "Check out that door!"
The party moves to the entranceway (by C1). It appears to be some kind of magnificent armored gateway. The doors are perfectly formed, suggesting at ancient and flawless construction. A small armored box sits to the left of the doorway, which Nappy examines closely.
(GM rolls a Use Technology check for Nappy: 19+7=26. Beautiful roll.)
"This is a secured entrance." he explains. "We can get out by holding down this button for two seconds, but to come back in we need a 'Class IV Security Card or higher'. It say anything on the silver card, B-Brox?"
"There are tiny letters - I missed them before - but I can't read them." replies Broxie. He hands the card to Nappy.
"Class IV, it says. Should fit the bill." He passes it back to B-Brox.
Martuk clears his throat: "Well; should we stay in here (he glances at the fallen sentry gun), or try our luck outside?"
What are your actions?
Next Post: After the weekend of July 25/04.
Nappy: I wouldn't mind taking a closer look at that animatron gun... There has to be a way that it is alive, maybe there is a way to unplug it or take the ammunition out of it. I wouldn't open that door just yet, if my bearings are correct opening that door will put us into full view of the Guardian outside. We'll have to be ready to fight the Guardian if we are going to open that door.
We could open the door and see if the Guardian attacks, if so maybe we can use the animatron gun to help us? We can move it while it is covered up next to the door and then open the door. Let the two mechanical nightmares duke it out while we wait to see what happens maybe?
Or we could use the "jug trick" and try to get the Guardian to attack the jugs while we run and hide around the backside of this building... weren't there a bunch of old vehicles or something in the back... we could hide in them and maybe set up a strategic ambush for the Guardian? Kinda like how those coyote-dogs hunt... we all hide in different areas of the area and as one attacks and gets the Guardian's attention the others attack from behind... Not sure I like this approach so much though.
(You won't be using any jugs - Martuk had to leave the containers with his fraxx steed outside the entrance to the sewers. You're right about the vehicles; there were a bunch of rusted hulks in the southeast corner of the base.)
Not much here to salvage but these two animatron guns, unless we missed something... this one seems a lot smarter than the other one though.
The other option is to go back into the sewers and climb those ventilation shafts, perhaps they lead into other buildings on the base?
(You could see moonlight through all of the ventilation shafts you encountered. They all seemed to lead to open areas around the base - not inside buildings.)
Beeblebrox: Broxie is all over Nappy's idea of using the newly covered animatron gun to duke it out with the Guardian, if that really is what's behind Door Number One. We could move the gun right up to the door, keeping the blanket secured to it the whole time, then open the door and allow the two to beat each other up. We'd have to ensure that we were all well behind cover when we opened the door.
The problem is, we have to hold the button down for two seconds, and Krang-Nar can't use his mind trick for the rest of the day. We could tie something to the blanket to pull it off at the right moment, but that still leaves us with the problem of opening the door from behind cover.
Tell you what: since it was Broxie's idea to try to distract the Guardian from outside to begin with, he'll volunteer to open the door while the rest of you take shelter around the corner of the hallway. Hopefully, there'll be some delay as the door is opening, and he can sprint around the corner to join you before there is enough access through the door for the Guardian to get any kind of shot at him. Then, when we're all covered, we can yank the blanket off the animatron and see if they duke it out!
And be sure, this time, to take sufficient cover to avoid any shrapnel as well. Best to learn from our recent mistakes.
So:
- Move the covered gun,
- Press the button,
- Run like hell,
- Pull the blanket,
- Watch with glee!
Unless there's no consensus on that idea, in which case Beeble wouldn't mind exploring the ventilation shafts to determine what else this compound holds.
As Nappy and B-Brox flesh out their plan, the rest of you grow increasingly uncomfortable. Mistaking your horrified silence for consent, the two conspirators manage to concoct what you figure is the most elaborate suicide attempt of all time. Visions of dying in a crossfire of bullets fill your mutated heads.
Yet, there is a certain insane charm to the plan. (Though none of you will admit it...)
Clacher, Martuk, and Krang-Nar eye each other dubiously.
"So you're going to open the door?" Clacher asks B-Brox.
"Uh huh." both heads nod.
Martuk asks: "Do you figure you ycan put the gun in place by yourselves?"
After thinking for a moment, Nappy answers: "Yeah; probably."
"Okay." says Krang-Nar, backing towards the stairwell down. "We'll cover the rear." Clacher and Martuk follow him, nodding their agreement.
"Good plan, guys." adds Martuk as he backs away. Clacher is praying to the spirits of your ancestors.
Plans and Preparation:
Ignoring their detractors, Nappy and B-Brox set their plan in motion.
Not wanting to risk a tussle with the animatron, Nappy first ties the blanket firmly to the gun with his rope. Using both claws, B-Brox is able to drag the firearm into position facing the closed doorway (it twitches in his grasp) while Nappy makes sure the blanket stays on and its "feet" are stable on the ground. When the two of you let go, it starts to tilt its barrel up and down, side to side - as if trying to free itself. Luckily, the blanket is firmly tied.
(GM rolls an Knowledge (Tactics) check for Nappy against DC 15. 17+5=23. He gets an idea - and 25 XP...)
"I think there's a way to make this safer for you." Nappy offers after contemplating the gun's actions. "Hold the blanket in place." he says.
As B-Brox constrains the gun, Nappy removes the rope then ties it differently - an unusual knot around the gun. Next, he backs up slowly and ducks behind then backs around the corner (area C3), uncoiling the rope as he goes. When B-Brox lets go, the animatron resumes its movement, but is still blind.
"Ah!" says Broxie. "I see your plan!" (Beeble still looks confused.) "I, too, have an idea."
B-Brox moves to the destroyed duty officer's station and (using his claws) rips a long, thin section of metal out from the console. Shifting his torch to a claw, he grasps the metal stick in his tentacle and positions himself as far away from the door as possible while still being able to press the button.
"Ready?" he asks.
"Ready." responds Nappy.
(Clacher begins praying more vigorously.)
(A brave plan, but foolish. Nappy and B-Brox get 100 XP each. Let's hope for their sake that the dice are in their favour...)
Midnight Shoot-Out:
"Almost forgot the card!" laughs B-Brox. He slides the silver security card into the slot beside the armoured doorway. A small green light turns on in responsey. Moving back into position, B-Brox takes a deep breath and pushes the button with his stick, holding it down...
One...
Two...
Beep!
(GM rolls a Sixth Sense check for Martuk: 94%. He has a premonition of danger, not that it matters. 25 XP. There goes another ISP.)
Martuk yells an incoherent warning to his companions, but it's too late. Rusted gears squeal as ancient servomechanisms shudder to life...
"NOW, NAPPY!" shouts B-Brox as he dives for cover. Nappy pulls the rope and the blanket falls clear.
Things begin to happen very quickly.
As if in anticipation of your plan, the animatron has already spun back towards B-Brox's lunging form. Simultaneously, the door opens a crack, revealing a metallic horror lurking in the midnight darkness outside...
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(The GM rolls for initiative: 8+2=10 for B-Brox, 12+4=16 for the animatron, 19-1=18 for the Guardian.)
Blinding flashes of light fill the Command Center. (Attack rolls 9+7=16 and 17+2=19. Both shots hit! Damage is 15 and 11.) With an eerie crackling noise, the sentry gun is blown into semi-molten chunks by the Guardian's powerful laser! The metal-skinned demon was waiting less than five feet outside the entrance and fired upon the first target it spotted!
A flash of horror freezes Nappy's blood - the thoughtful midget realizes that the robot somehow knew you were inside!
B-Brox is pelted with shrapnel as he lands on the ground, out of sight of the doorway. He is lucky. If he were caught by either Guardian or animatron he would have been slaughtered!
He has little time to reflect on his good fortune, however. From outside the command center, the Guardian begins to autofire its Hydra 70 cannon. Bullets shatter the "bulletproof" glass of the duty officer's station, blowing huge holes in the metal beyond. (Earlier, the animatron's shells merely ricocheted off the walls.) The noise is deafening! Surely you will all be killed!
Paralyzed with fear, the party freezes in place. Each of you now prays to the spirits...
The assault seems to continue for hours. (It's actually six seconds.) Then - suddenly, unexpectedly, the gunfire stops. You are sure that the Guardian is still outside, but it has ceased its attack and not entered the building.
For a moment you remain frozen. Then, as if waking together from a nightmare, you all scream and lunge down the stairwell, gibbering insanities. Behind you, the Guardian opens fire once again, ripping apart the command center which has stood inviolate for centuries.
(You could have easily been slaughtered, but in the end Nappy and B-Brox's plan led to the destruction of the Skeleton Base's second deadliest trap. 250 XP each to the two brave fools.)
Fearful Flight:
In later years, when you tell the story to your grandchildren, you claim that you stood bravely and laughed at the Guardian as it spent its rounds in vain. You will even claim that you spit at the metal demon in disdain, and that it was the Guardian that cowered in fear.
At the moment, however, truth prevails.
Shrieking like frightened girls, you race down the stairs, shoving one another aside in your fear. (At least you didn't wet yourselves.) Fleeing in terror, you run blindly. None of you regain your senses until you reach the second set of stairs leading to the sewers. Finally, (GM rolls Will saves: 7+1=8 for Beeble, 16+1=17 for Broxie, 11+4=15 for Nappy, 5+1=6 for Martuk, 7+1=8 for Krang-Nar, 6+2=8 for Clacher) Broxie regains control and brings the party to a "HALT!" with a commanding voice.
"Spirits be praised!" he mutters, steps away from the water. "We live!" (He gets 25 XP for coming to his senses first.)
Krang-Nar points an accusing finger at the bicephalous scavenger: "I am never following your plan again." (Turning to Nappy) "You too, dwarf!"
Broxie starts to laugh, then Nappy. The humour spreads contagiously, and soon you are all guffawing. Tears stream down your faces. You have survived!
After a time, Nappy stops laughing. He sucks his teeth, thinking clearly once again. "The card." he says. "The silver security card. It's still in place. It's still in its slot beside the doorway."
You all look at the dwarf in confusion.
"The door will remain open until the card is removed. Perhaps the Guardian will stay in place too.."
What are your actions?
Next Post: In about a week.
Nappy: "Well," Nappy huffs, "that was extremely enlightening! Well done Beeblebrox! We now know the Guardian has two weapons! We know it knows we know! We know we need that darn silver card. We know the Guardian is awake. We know we need to go up another way."
This gives us direction that we where desperately needing. What we need to do now is figure out which of these shafts we can go up and see if can get into some of the other buildings. The Guardian can obviously 'see' through walls somehow... what we need to test now is whether or not it can see down into these tunnels.
I propose the following course of action in order to test the Guardian. Lets go to one of the ventilation shafts and send someone up it. We should make a stick with a mirror on it that will fit through any grating that is on the top. We can send it up like a periscope. See if the Guardian moved to near the shaft. If it has then we know that it can follow our movements down here. If not we can assume it only senses on a level field of view.... except walls don't count.
This 'seeing through walls thing' will totally negate my plan for the vehicle junk yard... (not that I liked that plan at all anyways).
What we need is some sort of weapon that will be able to take the Guardian out. We need to disable the beast somehow so we can 'salvage' what is left in this base. Once news gets out that the Guardian is disabled I imagine a lot of raiders will discend on this base. We need to 'salvage' everything we can...
We should also make sure we have appropriate weapons to deal with those CotMG snooks outside as well.
(Out-of-game comment: I work with a Snook - Karen Snook.)
First things first... We have to get into those other buildings and loot. Too bad we lost that animatron gun... I WANT THE OTHER ONE INTACT! If I can figure out how to use it, it will be a very handy tool.
(Here are two maps of the Skeleton Base - one of the sewer level and the other one of ground level. The red circle shows the Guardian's initial position - but the last you know of it was parked in front of the entrance to the command center (the southernmost building).)
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Nappy explains his plan about the periscope; unlike his last idea, this one sounds reasonable. You search through some of the assorted debris in the maintenance room (GM makes Investigate checks; first roll is 18 so he doesn't bother with any more), and quickly find some thin metal rods. Next, you fashion a crude 'periscope' by using Martuk's duct tape to attach B-Brox's mirror at an angle to the end of a bent rod. It should be thin enough to slip through the ventilation shaft grating.
(GM rolls Intelligence checks against DC 15 for the characters: 10+1=13, 11+3=14, 5+1=6, 18, 8-1=7. Krang-Nar gets an idea - and 25 XP.)
Krang-Nar, with a smug look of self-satisfaction, clears his throat. "While the rest of you yahoos were busy gawking at the sewers, I was figuring out where each of the shafts would be up top."
(Take a close look at the maps above. Note that the locations of the underground ventilation shafts correspond to the little dots on the surface map... Krang-Nar was paying close enough attention to the sewer layout to be able to guess at the surface locations of all the ventilation shafts.)
"If my guess is right," Krang-Nar continues, "The shaft furthest to the northeast (at the upper right corner) should lead either inside a building, or right between two. Either way, it would be out of sight of the Guardian."
"Excellent!" Nappy says with excitement in his voice. "We'll check it out... But let's scout out one of the closer shafts now - to see if the Guardian's had a chance to move."
"What?" answers Krang-Nar. "Sounds like another one of your schemes. It's your idea, buddy, so you get to climb the 'closer' shaft and check things out."
("I wish he would stop doing that." mutters Nappy. "Let's see him come up with a plan...")
"Besides," Martuk chimes in, "You're the only one that can see in the dark."
"Alright. But the rest of you stay close, in case something happens."
Periscope One:
The party descends into the sewers and you make your way to the nearest shaft (the one pretty much in the middle of the base). With some trepidation, Nappy takes the improvised periscope and ascends the ladder (carefully checking each rung, lest one be rusted out). With a steady hand, he manoeuvres the instrument through the grating and scans the surroundings.
(The GM secretly rolls an Awareness check for Nappy.) The Guardian is still firmly planted in front of the command center, weapons trained on the open doorway. It does not seem to notice you. An annoying beeping emanates from the keypad inside the entrance (perhaps intended as a reminder to retrieve the keycard?), but otherwise the scene is eerily still. Nappy retracts the periscope and descends again to his companions.
"The metal demon hasn't budged." whispers the dwarf. "Let's check out the far shaft while it's out of the robot's sight."
The party, moving quickly now, makes its way to the northeast corner of the sewers. (GM rolls Dex checks (DC 10) for the characters: 20+2=22, 16-1=15, 5+2=7, 6+5=11, 11+2. Martuk fails.) Martuk swears as his leg is slashed open while running by a hidden piece of metal. (3 points of damage.) Guess you were going too fast.
"Careful, everyone." he warns.
Periscope Two:
Once again, Nappy climbs the ladder and spies the scene above. It's pitch black outside this shaft - he cannot see the sky at all. Rotating the mirror around, he sees walls and realizes that this shaft does lead inside a building. (The GM secretly rolls an Awareness check for Nappy.) It looks like some sort of warehouse or garage. There are two hulking objects inside. At first Nappy worries that they might be more Guardians, but on closer examination he sees that they're Ancient 'otto-mobbles', not robots. Scanning the room carefully, he doesn't see any movement, any weapon animatrons, or any camera 'eyes'.
Speaking to his companions below: "It goes up inside a building. I can see two vehicles. Everything looks safe. I'm going up."
He's already above-ground before he remembers his theory about Guardian being able to see through walls...
(Nappy gets 100 XP for coming up with the periscope plan and scouting the shafts.)
Ancient Garage:
Not wanting to appear cowardly, the rest of you follow the dwarf topside (after an appropriate pause to make sure he's not blown to bits, of course). You climb out of the shaft into the vault-like building. It is absolutely pitch black, cold, and huge. Footfalls echo softly in the room, and your lights barely illuminate a pair of heavy metal machines sitting silently in the darkness.
You guess that this building was set aside as a repair area for the Ancients’ vehicles, though now it is mostly empty. The remaining two vehicles found here appear damaged. In addition to these, a few bits of rubbish and metal scraps lie about here and there, along with coils of worthless frayed wiring, but little else of use.
You start hunting through the hollow repair bay for loot at once (GM rolls Investigate checks.), and find a couple nice items. These include a man-portable metal box inside the engine compartment of one of the vehicles. The box contains a complete set of mastercraft mechanic’s tools (these give a +2 bonus to Craft (Mechanic) checks), and a powerful military-grade flashlight (complete with power cell). Martuk takes the tools (he's the only one strong enough to carry them without becoming encumbered) and B-Brox grabs the flashlight.
Meanwhile, Nappy has been examining the vehicles. "I think one of these might still work." he says, pointing to the larger of the two. "It's in good shape. I wonder what it sounds like when it's on; it says 'Hummer' on the side."
"Yo, brainiac." says Clacher, standing by a keypad by the entrance. "What's do these letters mean?"
Nappy walks over and translates the words. "Class V Security Card or higher." he says. "It's a bit different than the one we saw before. The last door asked for a 'Class IV' card."
"Too bad we lost the card." says Beeble, frowning.
"No sense dwelling on the past." answers Broxie. "We must always look ahead..."
What are your actions? Do you still want to go back down and check out the animatron?
Next Post: In about a week.
Beeblebrox: Beeble, much to the chagrin of Broxie, starts to think out loud: "There's a couple of things I'd like to accomplish here," he starts. "I'd really like to get my claws back on that Class IV security card since I hate to lose something that useful; I'd like to disable that damn Guardian; I'd like to figure out how to use this 'Hummer' vehicle, if Nappy is to be believed that it's still capable of working. It'd come it real handy to take stuff with us. Imagine the trade value of this vehicle!"
"Perhaps, if we're careful," Beeble stipulates with a wry grin, "we can set up the cloaked animatron in a strategic position so that it will distract the Guardian and we can salvage the Class IV card. But how do we do that without getting the animatron blown to bits? To start, perhaps Nappy and one other can stay here to figure out the Hummer, and three of us can secure the animatron so that we can use it and bring it back here. I'd love to hear any more ideas on distracting the Guardian that don't involve the destruction of the animatron, or us for that matter, to get that card back. Does the Guardian have a single sensory device similar to the other guns that we can disable? Somehow I doubt it would be as simple as dropping a blanket over top of it. Especially since it seems to have the ability to track us through walls. We don't necessarily have to destroy it, just so long as we can blind or disable it."
"Then," Broxie continues for Beeble, "we would be able to make a more secure getaway with the Hummer than with our Fraxx steeds. I'm sure it can carry more too. Do we want to at least agree on grabbing the gun and getting the vehicle going? After that we can decide on a method to distract ol' one-eye out there..."
Nappy: I have an idea that may work to get the card back. It'll depend on the grating on the sewer drains. What I propose is with the use of our radios we can make a diversion for the Guardian, by using a thin cutout 'dummy' that someone can hoist out a duct away from the door. This should make the Guardian swivel to attack the new target, at the same time a
small strike team goes back up the stairs and waits for the Guardian to open fire on the dummy (I hope that with the camera we destroyed the Guardian will not know you are coming up the stairs this time) you can run and grab the card and get back undercover in time before the Guardian to react.
Multiple dummies can be used to try and make the process safer. Also if the strike team can discern how the Guardian moves maybe we can disable its movement capability somehow... that will give us free reign to search this side of the base, wonder if we can 'hamstring it' somehow?
I can stay here and try and get this 'Hummer' functioning but I will have to study it for some time I bet... perhaps there is a manual similar to the one we found in the 'missile silo' that will show us how it operates? I will go into the 'Hummer' and search the inside for anything I can find. I will search both the "vehicles" in the shop actually.
I am not keen or risking losing the second animimatron. I really want to try and keep a working one with us as a weapon of mass destruction. I am also disappointed we did not find any books or manuals so far...
Krang-Nar: I like the 'dummy' idea. Is there any chance I could use my telekinesis to get the card? This way the Guardian would only blow the card to bits and not one of us. (Nothing ventured nothing gained.) I may be able to place myself within range but safely out of sight of the Guardian (plus I can always count on one of you to pull me out if the Guardian retaliates, since I will be concentrating I could easily get blown away otherwise.)
(Poor Krang-Nar; you've expended all your Inner Strength Points for the day. GM makes an Intelligence check vs. DC 10 to see if he realizes this: 3+1=4. GM smiles. This might not be very fair of me, but damn it feels good...)
I am still contemplating on how to remove this metal heap permanently from existence. It would may a nice lamp, or whats left of it would (wide stupid ass grin follows).
Martuk: If we can get the vehicle running, I would say that it would make the best distraction. We already have our fraxx steeds packed with all our stuff, so perhaps we could use the vehicle as a distraction and possible 'battering ram' to potentially destroy (or at least distract and damage) the Guardian. Ideally it could be done without someone driving the thing (I'm not too sure how these Ancients' things work). If Krang-Nar is set up to grab the card using his telekinesis, he could get it and head back to the animatron and our fraxx. That way, if we don't screw up too bad, we might be able to bring the animatron back to Lau for further study.
The rest of us could be divided up depending on how the vehicle needs to be run. I would prefer using this idea than the dummy idea simply because it is a more threatening distraction and has the potential to bring down the Guardian and show those stupid CotMG fools who's the real shit.
(I like all the plans. The four of you get 100 XP each for your scheming.)