The three continue to climb the strange vessel and learn they are not the only Phillians on board.
Almost Immediately: Another Tiny Retcon
Realized this when tidying up the character sheets. The original Faruin build had her Armor total score at 7. This meant a Chain Cuirass was just too much for her to wear. When she was retconned to be a regular starting character and not a novice, her total Armor became 8. Which is able to wear a Chain Cuirass without penalty.
This means the "oversized armor" has to be upgraded to a Chain Hauberk.
And a Great Helm? (Unlikely) >> 46. No.
At any rate, I have been doing a alternate experience point system where rather than giving 30-50 per "chapter"/adventure, I have been handing out +5 per session because the point crawl highlight method makes it harder to know when a chapter ends. Then giving some extra if it seems likely there were a couple of off-screen fights and such. The upshot of which is that she has now spent 20 experience to upgrade her armor. Field training, as it were.
Once more in the strange black ship...
Today's two cards are...
- 24 - Unicorn (indifferent)
- 204 - Imprisoned Troll in a tall tower (friendly)
Is the "troll" a creature of Phillia? (50/50) → 21. Yes. I could go with a literal troll. Common Trolls can be intelligent and not altogether immediately hostile in AFF. Maybe they were trying to capture the giant like this. Create a different sort of nano-machined cultist warrior.
In that light, the unicorn might just be a literal one of those. Another trapped creature for [WIZARD]'s schemes.
We'll also toss in a couple of goblins, a couple of humans, etc.
Oh, and this is Floor (1d6+4[+9]) = 4 = 17. Meaning there is at most only one more point before the boss.
An hour later, the trio enter into a massive chamber big enough to fit a pair of large cathedrals inside. Even though the inverted conical shape of this tower spreads out greatly near the top, Barston gets the sense that something else is happening. The ship is warping space around itself or at least inside of itself.
In the middle of this chamber are several cages, floating high above. Attached to the ground by strange metal cables. The distance and the dark make it hard to see precisely how many creatures in the cages, but Barston can glimpse a few. As well as a strange disk with three arms floating by the cages. A few hisses and spats and curses follow in its wake.
After a few moment of checks, it floats over to a panel about half way up the wall, taps at a piece of shining glass, and then floats through a slot in the wall into some other place.
Around this time a loud, hoarse wailing can be heard.
"LAAT ME GAAN! BEVRIJD ME!"
Faruin listens to this and shouts back, "Wie ben je? Wat is dit voor plek?"
A few exchanges later, she translates as best she can.
She has a Phillian of 8. rolls 10. 10+8=18 [pretty good grasp of the language].
"The creature is a troll. His name is Huffgle. He was captured by the bald people with the weird markings. As were the others. He says little people green and little people hair. And spike horse. Brought here. Some get taken out. Don't come back. Cages float up and down but he doesn't know how."
Barston thinks back to what he saw...
I'm going to be mean to boy and put this at a 17. Awareness = 9. 9+6 = 15. He is not able to quite put it together.
Would one of the other captives know? (Likely) → 83. No. They don't understand it, either.
...and makes no sense of how this place might work.
"We could climb up and see if we can get the cages open."
Derron says, "Right, ho," and starts up one of the cables.
AFF49 says to do a climb check every 5 meters. I'd say based on my own description, that's three to get up.
Is this much thicker than a regular rope? (50/50) → 94. Exceptional No. It's thinner than a rope.
Ok then, let's do a "difficulty test": How easy is it to climb? (Likely) → 59. A "Yes". I'll that as 15. It's a vertical slope but one that is able to be gripped. And Derron has very tough hands.
- First 15 feet: 8+9 = 17. He makes it.
- Second 15 feet: 7+9 = 16. He makes it.
- Third 15 feet: 7+9 = 16. He makes it.
Is the locking mechanism also high-tech? (Very Likely) → 53. Yes.
After a few minutes, Derron is hanging from the side of Huffgle's cage and calls down to Derron that there is no lock here. Just some sort of shining mirror.
Derron crawls up to the top of the cage, which is flat, and sits down.
Down below, Barston also sits down as Faruin starts to explore elements around the room.
How often does the bot come back? Presumably it has to feed the prisoners. Does it come multiple days a day? (Likely) → 20. Yes. We'll say on 6 hour cycles. That will put the team waiting until 7am, though, which will have them tired. Still...an option.
Another option is Barston's Commune ability. He can put a question to Sennas once per day. Then get a "cryptic answer" back. In solo, I'll just have Barston roll his Devotion (5) versus 15 to see if he can figure it out. For every point he misses, it will take an hour.
Oh. 9+5 = 14. Whatever the message is, he has an inkling after an hour.
While Faruin curses and kicks at a thin-barred grate, Barston reaches out to Sennas and waits. At some point, Faruin comes back and sits down beside him. She does not rouse him, though.
Derron is snoring when Barston's eyes open and he looks up towards the strange glowing panel of glass. He remembers now that the robot did some work on it before flying off.
Is there any chance of climbing this, normally? (50/50) → 98. Not in the slightest. Completely smooth black walls.
And I'll assume the cages aren't close enough.
Let me look up something. Ok, on AFF88, it says that the godly power might be reused after midnight. Midnight passed on the way up the ship so he can reuse that. To keep it balanced, a bit, let me do it like this... {1-4: 0 | 5: 1 | 6: 2} = 3 = 0. The amount of change required to alter the wall into a ladder like shape is so little that will not take Luck, which is good because...
He again takes out his brush and his paint and he begins painting in the air. As the wall starts reshaping itself into a ladder, it is like the ship listens to the command itself. Growing more and more, the ladder eventually extends all the way up to the box.
Barston climbs it and sees a swirling mixture of light and color. He beings moving his fingers over the panel...
...because I am going to make him make multiple Luck rolls, guided a bit by Sennas and the fates, to get this right.
- First: 3 out of 12. Pass. -1 Luck.
- Second: 12 out of 11. FAIL. -1 Luck.
Is this enough to stop the process? (Unlikely) → 91. Exceptional No. Ok, what does it do, then? 15 Communicate 47 Fears. It alerts the "Zookeeper" bot. It will show up in 1d3 = 1 more round. Noooo good.
- Third: 2 out of 10. Pass. -1 Luck.
But now we have an enemy to fight, in the air.
On the first presses, the glass seems to be fine without whatever Barston is doing. Not that he knows. He is just guessing. Unfortunately, on his next touch of the screen, it flashes red for a moment. He waits to see what is happening.
Then press again, and once more it seems to accept his random choices.
Only before he presses it again, the strange flying disk creature has returned and tries to grab him.
The Alacrity Blessing will enable him to act before the bot IF he can sense it.
Awareness = 9. Bot's skill we'll put at 8. Bot has a 5+8 = 13. Barston has 10+9 = 19. Even with some penalty being likely, that's a pretty clear thing.
Now, we do a SKILL test. B = 7 + 8 = 15. Just a pass. He still manages to turn the tide on the bot.
Rather than attack, he's going to try and finish the sequence.
- Fourth: 5 out 9. -1 Luck.
He has finished the Communing with Sennas and has unset the controls. The cages are lowering down. He, however is still in the air and about to get tasered.
As the flying disk reaches out, it closes its claws on nothing. Barston has moved faster than the creature can react. Though not to attack or flee, but to reach one more time for a chance to free the creatures in the cage.
With one last press of the button, the cages start descending.
Barston has no chance to enjoy this fact, as now he must fight one of his strangest ever foes.
Barston is going to be at -4 for this. The Zookeeper is trying to capture him, at least to start. A successful hit will take a Luck "save" to not be shocked unconsciousness.
- B vs Z: 7-4+12 = 15 vs 8+8 = 16. Suck. B's luck save? 6 out of 8. -1 Luck but he stays upright.
- B vs Z: 8-4+12 = 16 vs 11+8 = 19. B's Luck save 11. Luck is down to 6 and he is knocked out.
Is the Zookeeper's focus going to be on stopping the cages from going down? (50/50) → 36. Yes.
Derron seeing Barston crumble under the attack of the disk takes off running leaping from cages to cage and then leaps from the one closest to the disk...
Is it far to reach? (50/50) → 79. No. A normal leap check. Though failure is going to be.....spicy. So spicy I am going to require a Luck check either way.
- Derron's Jump is 9. He rolls a 9. 9+9 = 18. Success with a bit of a bonus. Luck check = 8 out of 9. -1 Luck but he can immediate turn this into an attack on the Zookeeper. Hell, I'll even give him that +3.
- D vs Zookeeper: 9+3+11 = 23. Z = 6+8. D does 5+1=6 (3*2 stamina) damage. Zoe keeper with medium armor blocks 2 (0). Takes 6 of its 8 stamina.
Now, does it drop Barston? (50/50) → 14. Yes. We've established that was 45 feet. This is no good. This means in game terms, Barston has to make a Luck roll, verus 6, at -3. He does have Acrobatics so that would be a -2.
I am going to have Faruin try to catch him. She'll do a Skill (7+2d6 vs 15). If she succeeds, I'll add her overages to it. She gets an 11+7 = 18! That's +3. He is now rolling Luck +1. 7 vs 6+1. She just catches him enough that he doesn't take damage. Yikes.
We'll say the cages touch down, now. Do they open automatically? (50/50) → 09. Exceptional Yes. Look, the dice are just usually mean to him.
Barston wakes up while falling to the black surface below. He does his best to turn and twist but knows his luck is nearly out. Right as he is bracing for impact, Faruin is there leaping to catch and roll with him. The two hit the ground hard but thanks to her intervention he is saved from serious injury.
Up above, Derron is grappling with the flying disk.
Down at the surface, the cages touch down and as they do let out whirrs as doors start opening.
Humans, goblins, and dwarves start fleeing out from the cages and running into the ship.
Will they make it? Who knows. They are effectively out of the story unless I draw a Human, Dwarf, or Goblin card before the end of this ship.
But Huffgle comes running towards Faruin and helps her up. Behind him is a sight that makes Faruin's breath catch...
In this most polite way I can think to ask this...would the unicorn have a special attachment to Faruin? (Likely [she is young and was raised in a church]) → 89. No. Enough said.
That being said, would the unicorn have any sense of the blessing of Sennas upon Barston? (50/50) → 31. Yes.
At any rate, the unicorn is highly intelligent and not likely to be aggro towards people risking their lives to save the prisoners. But is more interested in Barston than Faruin.
...as a unicorn comes over and starts sniffing Barston as he gets to his feet.
"You have quite old on you," she says to the priest.
"I feel like it."
Barston turns to look up Derron as the fight up above continues.
Since Derron is practically attached to the Zookeeper, I'm going to give him a +1 instead of a -4.
- D: 11+1+11 = 23. Z: 8+5 = 13. Another Powerful hit for 2+1 (3*2) vs 5 (-2). Four more point of damage.
This finishes it. Which means it is now Derron's turn to fall. Because he is more graceful and was in control the whole time, I'll give him a chance to Jump for the ladder first but at -3. 9-3+12 (double sixes)...my BOY! Makes it with all the style in the world.
As the flying disk starts to fall, flames shooting out of it, Derron leaps off its back and grabs the ladder that Barston painted.
Down below, the others scramble out of the way as the metallic thing slams into the floor.
The two humans look at the unicorn and the troll (the latter's eyes still red from crying) and listen to the sound of a whistling Derron climbing down the ladder.
"So," Barston asks, "can either of you explain?"
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