D&D 5E [IC] THE CURSE OF AMBERSTAR

[JustinCase]

Aanzu has kept to himself after his staredown with Ajax the Teraphim, but he looks up as Lyllie erupts in anger.

Crossing his arms, he does not interfere. Instead, the prince waits for the Teraphim’s response to her allegations. He does not expect them to react with agression, but if they do Aanzu has already decided he will rush in and try to defend Lyllie first, and destroy the Teraphim utterly afterwards.

With a subtle smile only visible to those who know dragonborn well, the prince realizes he has grown fond of the gnome.

 

[Shayuri]

"Often I have found their behavioral patterns to be incomprehensible, and yet you seem to hold this one as an ally. What have you to say for yourself?" - he asks the machineman directly.

Icosa's armored 'face' betrays little, if any expression or reaction, though it's clear that his attention is on the Teraphim in how he tracks his movements.

"I am still determining what to say for myself," is his answer. "You are dangerous. You may also have information I need. I am weighing the value of what you can tell me against the risks of providing you with information about myself."

There's a pause, then the warforged reports, "I have decided."

"I am Icosa. My first clear memory is coming to consciousness as I was excavated from a riverbank some distance from here. I had suffered damage from an unknown source, as well as what appeared to be long-term wear. I integrated as well as I could into the community of those who found me and eventually managed to effect some degree of repairs."

"As these repairs progressed, I became aware of a signal originating from these mountains. I researched the subject, learned the history surrounding this area, and began preparing to come here. When I was ready, I made the journey. In the process I met these others and elected to accompany them."

He turned slightly, regarding each of the party members in turn before returning his attention to the Teraphim before him.

"It is my hope that the signal, and this place, will offer information I have not yet been able to reconstruct, regarding myself and my past."

Absent from his explanation, for the moment at least, was any mention of the 'other' he had communicated with within this complex. He was still uncertain about the motives of the other, but something about how the Teraphim had believed it to have been shut down convinced him not to mention it. He could always choose to tell them later...but once revealed it could not be again concealed.

Icosa glanced back at the blast door closing off the elevator shaft, then remarked, "I did not expect this location to be so...hostile, however."

 

[Archon Basileus]

THULWAR/ICOSA

Ulisses' attitudes take a turn as he listens to the report on the incidents, as well as the questions so directly posed by Thulwar.

"We call things by their names, emissary." - he says emphatically almost as if excusing himself in a humorous tone. "I am sure you can understand the need for simplicity around certain aspects of advanced science, since your own descriptors are tremendous simplifications of your technical work." - he smiles faintly, a hint of concern crossing his gaze.

"The Cthon has been conceived to resist to all manner of opposition, Emissary." - he answers Thulwar in a respectul manner. "Causing harm to it can contain its' movement for a while, but it can't be completely destroyed. Even if reduced to microscopic dimensions the mass might still regenerate itself. Some methods of eradication might prove effective, but the fallout would prohibit such a measure. As an alternative, We have tried to scorch it and decontaminate several parts of the upper layers, but the mass must have intruded areas to which we never had access, since it found ways to regenerate even after disintegration. My guess would be that it intruded layers of the terraformed levels. We couldn't perform complete decontamination programs outside headquarter's limits." - he continues. "And since it can taint advanced systems, it ended up overtaking the entire area, eventually. It wasn't supposed to use Amberilan, though. She had an advanced diagnosis application. She should be able to remove any sort of discrepancy within her programming..."

"Still, maybe we can make the best of it. Maybe I can offer some help to resolve your questions, Icosa. If that fails, we might also take you to the data bank below." - he pauses for a moment, measuring the warforged with a respectful gaze. "Some units were conceived to simulate awareness. It was a necessary measure, in case we found survivors outside. I'd bet this was the case with you - a unit sent out to rescue survivors and bring them inside while evaluating the extension of the damage, as well as the potential for recovery through terraforming means." - he seems pensive for a second, intrigued. "Still.... You don't resemble any of our units. You resemble no unit I've ever encountered, in fact. Tell me, what did you expect to find here?" - he leans closer, a cautious posture falling upon him. "The circumstances of your reactivation are intriguing, to say the least... But we have more urgent matters at our hands, it seems. You've met orcs, you say? Pure-bloods or mutations? If they've reached these areas, it means they managed to breach the security locks we've placed beyond the Cultivation Pavilion - our inner garden, so to speak. That means they might be able to find their way towards the now active Cthon..." - he seems to consider the options.


HARFIK/AANZU/LYLLIE

"What do your people say about above? Have none traveled outside of the mountain?"

"Well... We've sent a few droid units to evaluate damage and seek out survivors. We planned to help anyone we could... Maybe terraform the land, fight the fallout. But the droids never returned. We sent two Teraphim expeditions afterwards. Never heard of them again. Without a steady flow of energy, hope dwindled. We managed to keep our basic technological needs up and running... But a huge part of home-base had to be shut down." - he glances at Harfik, Aanzu and Lyllie, an expression of pain and sadness running trough his face.

And only I remain, with these scars a sadistic, persistent reminder of the atrocities I promised myself I would mete upon your kind! Yet here we are, and the fates have seen fit to tie my hands still."

The captain lowers his head in shame as Lyllie bursts in frustration. His words become even more scattered.

"I can't..." - he falls mute, as if gasping for air. "It was a stupid decision, bred by fear and blindness. Bred by hate. Some of us tried to stop the others. Some of us voted against it. Some of us even refused to fulfill such orders..." - he seems to reminisce, his void eyes watering as he speaks. "The worst hour came when the button had to be pushed. A mutiny bred. Armed Teraphim tried to stop the perpetrators by force. Many died. Again. And the mutiny failed. The warheads flew...And they fell. And nothing could be the same anymore." - he falls silent for a moment, trying to hold a grasp of himself once more.

"Afterwards, some of the mutineers were banned. Others were imprisoned for live. Others received the worst kind of work... Such as the unending watch over the Cthon at this very division." - he points towards the others. "These men you see here sacrificed their lives to defend your world. They failed, and they blame themselves. All of us that still have souls do so." - he considers his own words for a moment, smiles a sad smile, and continues. "But you lived. As I believed, you lived, you survived. It's only fair that, in due time, you judge our actions, and pass the sentence upon our lives. I, for one, would be relieved to pay the price."

He shakes his head, snapping out of his own sadness.

"But first we must get you out of here. That is, if you'll accept our help."


EVERYONE

It is Hermes to declare the bad news.

"Sorry captain, no can do... It's impossible to establish the comm link now. Maybe if we get the floor running once more... But we don't seem to have enough juice. Also, it needs repairing..." - the Teraphim looks around with his arms sprung out.

"Good news is that we seem to have some niiice Viranium sources right outside. Given time we can improvise a source - one that won't explode on us, of course" - Sisyphus adds. "We might even manage to take some back with us, if we're lucky!"

The captain reflects for a brief moment.

"We'd still need to find a way down... Well, seems we'll be here for a while. Ajax, get everyone to set up camp. We rest for a while. As soon as we're ready, we set up a party to go outside and grab some Viranium. Get our guests comfortable." - he issues the orders with a sure, hard voice, right before turning back to the heroes.

"You should take your time. I have a few rations I can spare,but they won't last. This was supposed to be a routine mission." - he motions towards a hidden pocket in his armor, taking out five small, cubic packs. "Tastes awful, but it'll keep you running.


[Ok, dialogue can continue. A camp's being set up. You can use the downtime to rest, eat or work on your first XP batch! I'll post the points on the OOC thread!]
[MENTION=24380]Neurotic[/MENTION] [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] [MENTION=23298]industrygothica[/MENTION] [MENTION=6776182]JustinCase[/MENTION] [MENTION=6855102]Greenmtn[/MENTION]

 

[JustinCase]

Aanzu is surprised as Lyllie's outburst manages to humble the Teraphim captain. The prince chuckles softly as he sees the small and, in his mind, vulnerable gnome woman looks up at the imposing warrior, and it is he, not she, who lowers his head in defeat.

The dragonborn is satisfied, convinced that these Teraphim are not more powerful than him. Despite their tools and training and magic, in the end they are just softskinned weaklings.

Aanzu sits himself down, crosslegged, and closes his eyes. For a while it seems the warrior prince is meditating or sleeping, until suddenly he asks aloud, "Mordayne. Ellah Ravenblade. Do the birds know these names?"

Not until someone answers does he open his eyes.

OOC: Do we take a Short Rest or a Long Rest?

 

[Neurotic]

"We could go up and check the systems infected by Chton...maybe it has some hidden cache of itself so it can keep growing if its roaming self is destroyed? And I want a sample so I can find a way to destroy it fully."

OOC: I think Short Rest - none of us is seriously hurt and we're in the middle of the dungeon.

 

[industrygothica]

- he considers his own words for a moment, smiles a sad smile, and continues. "But you lived. As I believed, you lived, you survived. It's only fair that, in due time, you judge our actions, and pass the sentence upon our lives. I, for one, would be relieved to pay the price."

Lyllie approaches the man as he hangs his head and finishes his words. She reaches up, places a gentle hand upon his cheek and guides him closer to her. She speaks softly into his ear...

"And pay you shall..." She lets the whisper hang in the air, and the conversation is over.

 

[Greenmtn]

Harfik Human Monk

"Your efforts to make contact with us likely ended the same way that ours to contact you did. It brings me hope, to hear that the decision to destroy everything above was met with resistance among your people." Harfiks voice betrays him a little, bitterness and anger perceptible in his tone. He quickly composes himself when he recognizes it. "Your rulers. They still punish you for this? How will we be received?"


Harfik accepts the "food" and, during the interaction between the captain and Lyllie, produces some of his own rations from his pack, offering some dried berries and hard bread to the captain as Lyllie walks away. "This will not be easy, not without conflict or even death. Some hate is too strong to let go. The dried fruit is good. The bread is barely consumable without a liquid to soak it in. The mission is peaceful, but there are a lot of emotions to manage on both sides I am sure."

OOC: I'd imagine a short rest

 

[Archon Basileus]

AANZU

Mordayne. Ellah Ravenblade. Do the birds know these names?

While arranging a resting area, Ulisses takes upon himself to present an answer.

"I can't speak for the second name, your highness. But the first one..." - he considers for a second - "...I am quite sure I've seen it somewhere in the old records. If the names match, Mordayne was one of the volunteers for genetic recombination before the incident that isolated Mount Amberilan from the rest of the world." - he finishes improvising a bed with foam remnants and stuffing from a nearby drywall. "Mind if I ask where have you heard it?" - he asks, polite and curious.

"Mmm." - Ajax grunts on the other side. "Ravenblade. A girl? Witty, light fingers, soft step...?" - the warrior asks in surprise and disbelief, opening a console's lead with brute force, so Hermes can work it. "Last I heard, such a gal was building a name for herself at Palatine's Waterworks. Friend o'yours?" - he mocks as he continues to do the heavy lifting.


THULWAR/LYLLIE/HARFIK

"And pay you shall..." She lets the whisper hang in the air, and the conversation is over.

The gnome's words are heavy, and no one dares put them to the test, at least, for now. Even though the captain's observations seem genuine, it is clear to everyone that the actions of the past are set in stone, never to be forgotten.

"This will not be easy, not without conflict or even death. Some hate is too strong to let go. The dried fruit is good. The bread is barely consumable without a liquid to soak it in. The mission is peaceful, but there are a lot of emotions to manage on both sides I am sure."

The captain sits, managing the food as he prepares it to be redistributed. The Teraphim serve themselves frugally, probably more as a demonstration of gratitude then anything else. The captain himself takes some of the fruit, tasting it with curiosity. His face shows a strange kind of satisfaction as he munches on the parcels.

"Mmm!" - he rolls the food around his mouth, pressing a small piece between two fingers and his thumb. "Crops really did pick up, hm? Good..." - by comparison, it seems that the rations offered by Harfik are way better than the strange cubic masses presented by the Teraphim.

"Listen..." - he swallows up, hurrying himself to talk - "...I understand this can't just be forgotten." - his eyes run around between Harfik and Lyllie. "No one's asking for it, believe me. But if we can cooperate there might be ways to help the survivors." - he glances at the heroes, trying to devise some reaction.

"Your rulers. They still punish you for this? How will we be received?"

"I can't say for sure how the Teraphim lords would react. They're... Edgy around anything concerning the outside world. But there are those that would be eager to receive you and protect you. I'd take you to them first, of course. Once your presence became public, you'd be able to address the lords from a more favorable position."

"As for the punishment... The Teraphim have long lives and even longer memories." - his gaze becomes sad, and his laconic posture says it all. They'll pay for as long as the lords are in power, that's for sure.

"We could go up and check the systems infected by Chton...maybe it has some hidden cache of itself so it can keep growing if its roaming self is destroyed? And I want a sample so I can find a way to destroy it fully."

The captain considers Thulwar's words, offering a piece of the salt-cube ration.

"Here, tell me what you thing of it. Tastes like , but it keeps you going. As for Cthon, I would rule out the shaft as a means to reach it. We managed to severe all physical links to the consoles upstairs before abandoning the area as well. We could put these to work back again" - he gestures around - "...and use them to scout the terminals until we found traces of a cache. It'd be risky, though. If we can reach the thing, I assume it can do the same to us."

"We can try to go through there, as an option." - he points out towards the source of the blue lights, beyond all glass walls. "I assume we can find access to the command center through the caves, although I can't guarantee what lies in there now. Specially after you mentioned orcs making their way up here..." - he grimaces in concern.
[MENTION=24380]Neurotic[/MENTION] [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] [MENTION=23298]industrygothica[/MENTION] [MENTION=6776182]JustinCase[/MENTION] [MENTION=6855102]Greenmtn[/MENTION]

 

[JustinCase]

While arranging a resting area, Ulisses takes upon himself to present an answer.

"I can't speak for the second name, your highness. But the first one..." - he considers for a second - "...I am quite sure I've seen it somewhere in the old records. If the names match, Mordayne was one of the volunteers for genetic recombination before the incident that isolated Mount Amberilan from the rest of the world." - he finishes improvising a bed with foam remnants and stuffing from a nearby drywall. "Mind if I ask where have you heard it?" - he asks, polite and curious.

Aanzu opens his eyes and looks at Ulisses. For a moment or two he remains silent, then he speaks.

"The bird Mordayne offered this one help, and has shown helpful to the lizards. This one is not sure of her intentions yet," the prince says, more open than he himself had expected to be. Perhaps it's that this soldier, unlike his brethren, has not shown Aanzu any more agression than necessary.

"What is this 'generic combination' the ladybird volunteered for?"

From his incorrect use of the phrase it is obvious Aanzu has no idea what that means, and Ulisses probably realizes that it will be difficult to explain in a way that the warrior prince will understand.

"Mmm." - Ajax grunts on the other side. "Ravenblade. A girl? Witty, light fingers, soft step...?" - the warrior asks in surprise and disbelief, opening a console's lead with brute force, so Hermes can work it. "Last I heard, such a gal was building a name for herself at Palatine's Waterworks. Friend o'yours?" - he mocks as he continues to do the heavy lifting.

Aanzu's eyes narrow as he looks at Ajax, the rivalry still palpable. However, now that the dragonborn has decided that the Teraphim is not above his level, he speaks more easily.

"Once," he says, not going into detail. "The Ravenblade will return what she took from this one."

It is impossible to gauge his emotions from his face or tone, but those travelling with Aanzu for a while may notice that it is exactly this seemingly neutral expression that masks a great depth of feelings.

"How does one slither to the Palatine's Waterworks?"

 

[Shayuri]

"Still, maybe we can make the best of it. Maybe I can offer some help to resolve your questions, Icosa. If that fails, we might also take you to the data bank below." - he pauses for a moment, measuring the warforged with a respectful gaze. "Some units were conceived to simulate awareness. It was a necessary measure, in case we found survivors outside. I'd bet this was the case with you - a unit sent out to rescue survivors and bring them inside while evaluating the extension of the damage, as well as the potential for recovery through terraforming means." - he seems pensive for a second, intrigued. "Still.... You don't resemble any of our units. You resemble no unit I've ever encountered, in fact. Tell me, what did you expect to find here?"

"I was seeking the source of the signal," Icosa replies. "The fact that I can hear it, when no one else can, implied it was related to me, and my origins. At present, I cannot explain my awareness, nor my apparently unusual appearance. I hope to remedy that. Data banks, as you suggest, would be useful for that."

The warforged glances back the way they'd come.

"The CTHON entity poses an obstacle. Have you attempted to attack it's programming?"