Elven Navy Delta Squad: Thought Taker

[Old Fezziwig]

Akodo shifts back into hybrid form, to take advantage of his low-light vision (as soon as someone gets some light going on)—No sense in being caught unawares when pirates jump out and attack us. This is a perfect pirate ambush place, of course. After Marcus has finished checking for traps, Akodo moves down the tunnel a little ways, about 10 feet or so, and tries to sense air, calling upon his ancestral spirits to help him focus and guide his divination.

OOC: He'll expand the range of his check every six seconds until he finds some air, then he'll check and see where the air's at (Spellcraft check +4, DC 20, OA 27). I completely forgot I could do this, but I really like the ability.

 

[Mirth]

"I can scout ahead, since I have no need for light. My darkeyes, my nose and my training should be sufficient," Chjargal offers as the rest of the squad makes final adjustments and looks for a light source.

 

[GruTheWanderer]

As Chjargal moves to enter the tunnel he feels a slight resistance against inward movement. This increases to a maximum 5 feet inside the threshold, although it is still barely noticeable. Beyond that point there is a slight push in the opposite direction.

In addition to the lack of light, there is another complication inside the tunnel. The interior of the asteroid has no gravity whatsoever. Outside it has a normal gravity plane, as would a ship or planet, but inside Chjargal feels totally weightless. His gadabout will help him manuever, but the remainder of the party will find navigating the tunnel somewhat difficult.

Akodo does his best to sense air, but finds none of significance within range (other than the air envelopes surrounding each member of the party). There are faint traces of air in the tunnel (perhaps kept in by the weak force field), but not enough for living beings to survive on.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

"Blast. There's little air inside the asteroid. Very little. Not nearly enough for a living being to survive on." The hengeyokai wrinkles his nose and cocks his head, looking at Thought Taker. Both annoyed and confused, he cautiously asks the illithid, "Are you sure this is where we're supposed to be?"

 

[GruTheWanderer]

"Yes, I'm sure. Each moment we spend here reveals more about the Elders than most will learn in a lifetime. The lack of gravity inside the station, for example, introduces some interesting possibilities for my research. Now, let us enter the belly of the beast."

Based on the lack of response to my question about light, it would seem the group does not have light sources handy. In this case, Chjargal can fetch a sunrod from the ship.

The mind flayer moves through the weak force field to stand beside the bugbear. He raises the crystal he mentioned earlier and throws it against the wall. It shatters, and fresh air begins filling the tunnel. This is good, for your own air envelopes were already growing a little stale.

As you drift slowly down the tunnel you feel something that you've never felt before: age, pressing in on you. This outpost has been around longer than you'd even care to think about. Although you have no real basis for the belief, you're convinced that this thing has been deserted for longer than many crystal shells have been in existence.

A patch of deeper darkness up ahead tells you you're coming to the end of the tunnel. You drift forward, and the walls open around you into a roughly spherical space some 30 feet in diameter.

The walls of the chamber coated with dust deposited over the millenia. But, through the patina, you can see strange murals on the walls of totally alien landscapes. There's something about the colors and the perspective that looks slightly "off", as though the paintings were intended to be viewed through very different optical equipment. The detail is intricate, however, and the workmanship incredible. These are not your average cave paintings...

Thought Taker points to a symbol on one of the murals: a three-pointed star. His words ring in your head: "The Elders."

 

[Mirth]

"Alright, flayer," Chjargal says shortly. "You can ooh and ahh all you like, but our time here is limited. Tell us what you want us to be doing and you can get back to your amazement."

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Akodo stares at the cave paintings and the three pointed star. Interesting, surely, but what's the point? What are we doing here? He starts to poke around the rest of the room, inspecting it carefully.

 

[GruTheWanderer]

Thought Taker replies to Chjargal, "I want you to stand guard, of course. The Elders may have left defenses or guardians of some form. Keep your eyes and ears open while I inspect the artifacts in this room. If you see anything noteworthy, please bring it to my attention."

While the mind flayer is giving instructions, Amanu surveys the room. There are several strange artifacts scattered around the chamber, mounted on the walls. He approaches the nearest, a thin sheet of dull metal, three feed high by two feet wide, mounted in a metal frame.

The sheet is vibrating rapidly and creates a high-pitched tone. As the light shifts - Marcus lifting the everburning torch - the tone changes in pitch and drops in volume.

 

[Keia]

"Well, that's different. Anyone think it means anything?" Marcus asked.

Marcus will establish teams of two to either watch the perimeter, search the room as a normal standard operating procedure. If there is an odd number, Marcus will stick to Thought Taker and watch what he is doing.

OOC: Plus I'll be gone til the 28th

 

[GruTheWanderer]

Marcus spots another interesting artifact. There is a square plaque mounted on one wall that can only be a piece of art. About 2 feet square, it displays an intricate geometric pattern made from thin strings of metal mounted on edge. Marcus raises a hand towards the device, but instinct stops him from touching it. Looking closer, he sees that the strips of metal have edges as keen as any razor. They'd shred the hand of anyone who handled them recklessly.

Please see my post in the OOC thread.