The SSRS Kostroma lies idle in the southeastern bay of Mended Horn Island. Only the front portion, the two forward masts and the front of the superstructure that sits in the center of the freighter's hull, is illuminated by a pair of dim lights that glow orange-red, a sure sign that the boilers of the Kostroma are dying, and the lights will soon go off. The remainder of the ship's funnel, and the mast behind the superstructure are visible only in silhouette. The gibbous moon and starry night that would have provided a clear backdrop to the black hulk of the Kostroma have been smothered by the overcast skies and light rain.
A sound comes, not from the Kostroma, and indeed, not from anywhere at all. A low, vaguely tinnitus-like sound that drains out the sound of silence. It calls to you. It calls to everyone.
"Come to the Kostroma, good soldier. Join us here. Come."
/vx/ - Videogames and Paranormal
1370 replies and 58 files omitted.
>>194315
Yes. Soon (TM)
>>194316
To clarify, Kira and Cavaliere are in one of the cabins trying to break into a locker. It's a smaller locker made of steel. Kira was able to severely damage one, and likely would have shattered it open if she hit it again. But it's steel. Thin steel. It will give way if you hit it hard enough with something like flesh or a sharp weapon. But doing more damage to it than it does to you does not mean it does not damage you.
Yes. Soon (TM)
>>194316
To clarify, Kira and Cavaliere are in one of the cabins trying to break into a locker. It's a smaller locker made of steel. Kira was able to severely damage one, and likely would have shattered it open if she hit it again. But it's steel. Thin steel. It will give way if you hit it hard enough with something like flesh or a sharp weapon. But doing more damage to it than it does to you does not mean it does not damage you.
>>194318
Posey is attacking it with a +2 weapon and ki focus: harder than normal steel or even tempered steel, so it should overcome the hardness of the locker. Can she not hack it open by striking it repeatedly?
If Posey takes 20 using one of her nonmagical weapons or her slam attack (she doesn't care if it hurts her), she could eventually hit a 19 on iajutsu and deal +4d6 damage to it, which I think should be enough to meet the break DC.
If we have no way to open it, we should just keep moving towards the boiler. We can always come back for this later.
Also, this is a case for Silver to learn Mountain Hammer (the Fighter's Lockpick) if he rebuilds after this mission.
Posey is attacking it with a +2 weapon and ki focus: harder than normal steel or even tempered steel, so it should overcome the hardness of the locker. Can she not hack it open by striking it repeatedly?
If Posey takes 20 using one of her nonmagical weapons or her slam attack (she doesn't care if it hurts her), she could eventually hit a 19 on iajutsu and deal +4d6 damage to it, which I think should be enough to meet the break DC.
If we have no way to open it, we should just keep moving towards the boiler. We can always come back for this later.
Also, this is a case for Silver to learn Mountain Hammer (the Fighter's Lockpick) if he rebuilds after this mission.
"We do not have time for this. The boiler is about to die. Onwards."
Posey gives up on opening the locker and proceeds towards the boiler room.
Posey gives up on opening the locker and proceeds towards the boiler room.
>>194320
The locker is visibly damaged, bent towards the right, and with the door appearing stuck in its frame. Maybe Kira could have broken it open, if only she struck a second time.
Posey lines up her sword before taking the strike. When it comes down, it comes downwards and to the right. There is a very loud "CLANG," and viewing in slow motion, the sword hits, bends the steel, bounces, bites and slides back down before the frame of the locker breaks, and then bends. The sword moves backwards, stabs into the wooden panel of the wall and hits the steel hull of the ship behind it with another, smaller "clang," before coming to a rest partly in the wood of the paneling. The door falls over, before falling out on the floor with still another clang. Some fabric item falls out, followed by a porcelin something that hits the floor and breaks.
Distantly, and downstairs, there is a "Tap tap," as if metal tapping against metal in reply.
The locker is visibly damaged, bent towards the right, and with the door appearing stuck in its frame. Maybe Kira could have broken it open, if only she struck a second time.
Posey lines up her sword before taking the strike. When it comes down, it comes downwards and to the right. There is a very loud "CLANG," and viewing in slow motion, the sword hits, bends the steel, bounces, bites and slides back down before the frame of the locker breaks, and then bends. The sword moves backwards, stabs into the wooden panel of the wall and hits the steel hull of the ship behind it with another, smaller "clang," before coming to a rest partly in the wood of the paneling. The door falls over, before falling out on the floor with still another clang. Some fabric item falls out, followed by a porcelin something that hits the floor and breaks.
Distantly, and downstairs, there is a "Tap tap," as if metal tapping against metal in reply.
>>194331
The porcelain figure is a small statuette of Celestia. Princess Celestia. It was solid, and Cavaliere can tell that because it has broken. While most of the statuette is now in two pieces, little flakes have broken away in such a way that it can't exactly be put back together again elegantly.
The porcelain figure is a small statuette of Celestia. Princess Celestia. It was solid, and Cavaliere can tell that because it has broken. While most of the statuette is now in two pieces, little flakes have broken away in such a way that it can't exactly be put back together again elegantly.
>>194332
"That is interesting. Tell me, why would a communist crewpony sailing from a communist country be keeping a statuette of his former alicorn 'oppressor'?"
"That is interesting. Tell me, why would a communist crewpony sailing from a communist country be keeping a statuette of his former alicorn 'oppressor'?"
>>194332
What if somepony were to cast Mending?
Defiant Dust didn't prepare his orisons, iirc. He could take 10 minutes to prep that.
Anyways, time to keep moving. How much further to the boiler?
What if somepony were to cast Mending?
Defiant Dust didn't prepare his orisons, iirc. He could take 10 minutes to prep that.
Anyways, time to keep moving. How much further to the boiler?
>>194330
>Distantly, and downstairs, there is a "Tap tap," as if metal tapping against metal in reply.
Posey rushes to investigate the sound.
>Distantly, and downstairs, there is a "Tap tap," as if metal tapping against metal in reply.
Posey rushes to investigate the sound.
>>194320
Blackheel:
"What are you doing?! Kill the hippogriff, banish that Chernobog, and let us be gone from here."
>>194333
Blackheel:
"Ugh... the same reason some keep gambling dice or alcohol, I assume."
>>194334
Presumably it is a scarf, though it is thin for that purpose. The fabric is black with a golden floral pattern on it. It may be gold stitched into silk. It may also be dyed thread on thin cotton. Hard to tell. The statue was pretty
>>194335
>distance to the boiler
Hard to tell in doors
>>194336
Steel and wood separates Posey from the sound. It's coming from downstairs. Downstairs and in the direction of the bow.
Blackheel:
"What are you doing?! Kill the hippogriff, banish that Chernobog, and let us be gone from here."
>>194333
Blackheel:
"Ugh... the same reason some keep gambling dice or alcohol, I assume."
>>194334
Presumably it is a scarf, though it is thin for that purpose. The fabric is black with a golden floral pattern on it. It may be gold stitched into silk. It may also be dyed thread on thin cotton. Hard to tell. The statue was pretty
>>194335
>distance to the boiler
Hard to tell in doors
>>194336
Steel and wood separates Posey from the sound. It's coming from downstairs. Downstairs and in the direction of the bow.
>>194337
Cavaliere smiles subtly and nods at Blackheel's chagrin. "Never underestimate a soldier's ability to smuggle contraband under your nose."
"Are we ready to go?" he asks the others. "We should be quick."
Cavaliere smiles subtly and nods at Blackheel's chagrin. "Never underestimate a soldier's ability to smuggle contraband under your nose."
"Are we ready to go?" he asks the others. "We should be quick."
>>194337
Kira wraps the scarf around her neck for extra warmth, before both her and Silver join the others in their journey to the boiler.
Kira wraps the scarf around her neck for extra warmth, before both her and Silver join the others in their journey to the boiler.
>>194341
As far as she can get towards the boiler, unless obstructed or distracted by something interesting along the way.
As far as she can get towards the boiler, unless obstructed or distracted by something interesting along the way.
>>194341
I think I misunderstood the question.
Posey proceeds downstairs, in whatever direction she needs to move to reach the boiler.
It's not super easy for me to visualize the path without a grid map, so please just assume by default that we are following a logical route based on Blackheel's instructions, or just following Blackheel.
I think I misunderstood the question.
Posey proceeds downstairs, in whatever direction she needs to move to reach the boiler.
It's not super easy for me to visualize the path without a grid map, so please just assume by default that we are following a logical route based on Blackheel's instructions, or just following Blackheel.
Are we able to make it to the boiler? Does anything get in our way?
>>194346
>>194346
Going down the stairs and into the hull are one or more small rooms of unknown purpose. Heading towards the bow from there is Cargo hold 5. From there towards the bow is Cargo Hold 4. And then from there, in the middle of the ship, under the midship deckhouse, is the boiler room. The cargo holds have an upper level and a lower level. Going down the stairs places you more or less on that upper level. But there are rooms under the stern deckhouse, and before Cargo Hold 5
>>194346
Going down the stairs and into the hull are one or more small rooms of unknown purpose. Heading towards the bow from there is Cargo hold 5. From there towards the bow is Cargo Hold 4. And then from there, in the middle of the ship, under the midship deckhouse, is the boiler room. The cargo holds have an upper level and a lower level. Going down the stairs places you more or less on that upper level. But there are rooms under the stern deckhouse, and before Cargo Hold 5
>>194352
Posey travels down the stairs immediately.
(I thought I said that already. Sorry.)
What does she see at the bottom?
Posey travels down the stairs immediately.
(I thought I said that already. Sorry.)
What does she see at the bottom?
>>194339
Posey, evidently, is on her way down the stairs
>>194342
Kira may or may not go down the stairs
>>194321
Zara is in the hallway of the deckhouse, peaking into one of the rooms where Stained Sand and another pony are walking in and investigating it. Mala is behind her in the hallway, though he is occupied by Patient Pippette, who seems to be trying to directly engage with him by... examing the patterns of his fur? It's not obvious.
Zara turns her head to look back towards Silver.
"I'... Yes" She answers, simply
Posey, evidently, is on her way down the stairs
>>194342
Kira may or may not go down the stairs
>>194321
Zara is in the hallway of the deckhouse, peaking into one of the rooms where Stained Sand and another pony are walking in and investigating it. Mala is behind her in the hallway, though he is occupied by Patient Pippette, who seems to be trying to directly engage with him by... examing the patterns of his fur? It's not obvious.
Zara turns her head to look back towards Silver.
"I'... Yes" She answers, simply
>>194353
Looking down the stairs, Posey can see a steel wall that curves backwards as it comes closer to the ceiling. This must be the backside of the ship. There are a couple shelves, and in the center of the room, and to the left of the stairs (but starboard for the ship) is a large, gear mechanism. Or like half of a gear, connected to other machinery.
Looking down the stairs, Posey can see a steel wall that curves backwards as it comes closer to the ceiling. This must be the backside of the ship. There are a couple shelves, and in the center of the room, and to the left of the stairs (but starboard for the ship) is a large, gear mechanism. Or like half of a gear, connected to other machinery.
Cavaliere reluctantly turns off his flashlight and follows Posey down at a short distance. He looks up and says, "We shouldn't lose sight of each other. Let's form a file so none of us gets lost and we can respond to anything we find."
>>194357
>>194356
The room is mostly empty. Oddly empty, in a way. Unlike the rooms upstairs, where the walls were covered in wood paneling, here the walls are naked steel. It's the structure of the ship, only three quarters of an inch separate from the exterior with nothing between. There are steel "ribs" every twenty inches or so, which protrude three or so inches. Everything is painted white, and it almost seems to glow in Posey's field of vision. The room is shaped to the end of the ship, curved in a not-quite half circle with rounded edges. The floor seems to be a sort of grated metal, presumably to prevent slipping when wet. There are two shelves on the left and the right. There seem to be boxes on them with lubricating oil and rope, if Posey could guess, but she can't really know for sure, and there is more empty space than filled. The great gear-mechanism that occupies the center of the room seems to be its purpose. It still only occupies perhaps a fifth of its area.
Turning around and towards the bow of the ship is a wall, not all that many feet past her. It has two doors. The door on the left is closed. The door on the right is cracked slightly open, though she cannot see past the darkness into that room. To the far left on the left wall of the room is a duct - not hidden behind a wall but on top of the wall, completely exposed. It emits a slight sucking sound.
But the most interesting sight in the room - even more than the gear mechanism, is what lay on the floor a foot left of, and perhaps four feet in front of the right door.
There is a pool of blood, partly dried, which covers a three foot radius area of the floor. In the center of that radius is... to be blunt, part of a griffin. "Part," because the hind quarters, the hind legs and the like, are completely missing. The griffin - it seems to be a male - has outstretched claws reaching forward as if in the direction of the stairs. Its beak is closed, its golden eyes remain open and in the direction of the stairs, its tan jacket has some blood on it but is mostly intact, its dark red feathers and wings remain close to its body, and it lies on its belly, as if crawling to the stairs. Everything below its ribcage is missing. No entrails are strewn behind it.
>>194356
The room is mostly empty. Oddly empty, in a way. Unlike the rooms upstairs, where the walls were covered in wood paneling, here the walls are naked steel. It's the structure of the ship, only three quarters of an inch separate from the exterior with nothing between. There are steel "ribs" every twenty inches or so, which protrude three or so inches. Everything is painted white, and it almost seems to glow in Posey's field of vision. The room is shaped to the end of the ship, curved in a not-quite half circle with rounded edges. The floor seems to be a sort of grated metal, presumably to prevent slipping when wet. There are two shelves on the left and the right. There seem to be boxes on them with lubricating oil and rope, if Posey could guess, but she can't really know for sure, and there is more empty space than filled. The great gear-mechanism that occupies the center of the room seems to be its purpose. It still only occupies perhaps a fifth of its area.
Turning around and towards the bow of the ship is a wall, not all that many feet past her. It has two doors. The door on the left is closed. The door on the right is cracked slightly open, though she cannot see past the darkness into that room. To the far left on the left wall of the room is a duct - not hidden behind a wall but on top of the wall, completely exposed. It emits a slight sucking sound.
But the most interesting sight in the room - even more than the gear mechanism, is what lay on the floor a foot left of, and perhaps four feet in front of the right door.
There is a pool of blood, partly dried, which covers a three foot radius area of the floor. In the center of that radius is... to be blunt, part of a griffin. "Part," because the hind quarters, the hind legs and the like, are completely missing. The griffin - it seems to be a male - has outstretched claws reaching forward as if in the direction of the stairs. Its beak is closed, its golden eyes remain open and in the direction of the stairs, its tan jacket has some blood on it but is mostly intact, its dark red feathers and wings remain close to its body, and it lies on its belly, as if crawling to the stairs. Everything below its ribcage is missing. No entrails are strewn behind it.
>>194358
"Somepony drag Silver down here do we can put that zegro to wor-"
Posey pauses as she sees the griffon, cautiously approaching the corpse to examine it
"Bisected cleanly... A conjuration effect? Could it be a portal mishap? Or baleful discorporation? "
Arcana to think of what sort of magical effect or monster may have caused this
[1d20+11 = (14+11) = 25]
Posey looks at the pool of blood for any pony or monster tracks, that might indicate activity, and then looks into the darkness on the opposite side of the griffon to see if whatever sundered it still lurks there.
Search
[1d20+5 = (15+5) = 20]
Spot
[1d20+3 = (10+3) = 13]
"Somepony drag Silver down here do we can put that zegro to wor-"
Posey pauses as she sees the griffon, cautiously approaching the corpse to examine it
"Bisected cleanly... A conjuration effect? Could it be a portal mishap? Or baleful discorporation? "
Arcana to think of what sort of magical effect or monster may have caused this
[1d20+11 = (14+11) = 25]
Posey looks at the pool of blood for any pony or monster tracks, that might indicate activity, and then looks into the darkness on the opposite side of the griffon to see if whatever sundered it still lurks there.
Search
[1d20+5 = (15+5) = 20]
Spot
[1d20+3 = (10+3) = 13]
>>194358
>>194359
With his light off, Cavaliere and the others cannot see their surroundings. He pulls out his flashlight, but refrains from turning it on. "Ms. Ring, what is bisected cleanly? What are we dealing with in here?" He says this softly, but perhaps his voice reverberates anyway off the metal walls. Even for the grizzled griffon, the oppressive darkness is a strong disincentive to talking at all, let alone loudly.
>>194359
With his light off, Cavaliere and the others cannot see their surroundings. He pulls out his flashlight, but refrains from turning it on. "Ms. Ring, what is bisected cleanly? What are we dealing with in here?" He says this softly, but perhaps his voice reverberates anyway off the metal walls. Even for the grizzled griffon, the oppressive darkness is a strong disincentive to talking at all, let alone loudly.
>>194360
Posey puts her hoof out to halt Cavalier and shushes, slowly pointing towards the body.
"Something anonymous happened here. The question is whether or not it has passed..."
Posey puts her hoof out to halt Cavalier and shushes, slowly pointing towards the body.
"Something anonymous happened here. The question is whether or not it has passed..."
>>194361
"This is a life-or-death situation and you have to be specific," he whispers sternly. "If you won't be, we cannot trust your eyes and we will use our own."
"This is a life-or-death situation and you have to be specific," he whispers sternly. "If you won't be, we cannot trust your eyes and we will use our own."
>>194359
Posey goes around to the other side, to look into its bisected torso.
This doesn't seem quite right. Posey knows what portal mishap looks like. Clean slices through intestine and bone. But that isn't exactly what we have here. Some of the intestine is outright missing. It's like predation, almost. But some of the intestine is indeed sliced, and some is hanging out, albeit not by much. Never more than a few inches. The bone is cracked, suggesting that it was broken with force. The thing likely was cut or sliced, albeit probably by more conventional - or at least, less precise - means.
There are no tracks, but there is a trail of blood going towards the right door. It seems the griffin probably was crawling or dragged from the door. Likely it was cut in half right there, right where it lay, after being mortally wounded earlier, in the other room. Hard to tell, though
The door is in the way, too closed to see past
>>194360
The vent makes a sucking noise from negative pressure
Posey goes around to the other side, to look into its bisected torso.
This doesn't seem quite right. Posey knows what portal mishap looks like. Clean slices through intestine and bone. But that isn't exactly what we have here. Some of the intestine is outright missing. It's like predation, almost. But some of the intestine is indeed sliced, and some is hanging out, albeit not by much. Never more than a few inches. The bone is cracked, suggesting that it was broken with force. The thing likely was cut or sliced, albeit probably by more conventional - or at least, less precise - means.
There are no tracks, but there is a trail of blood going towards the right door. It seems the griffin probably was crawling or dragged from the door. Likely it was cut in half right there, right where it lay, after being mortally wounded earlier, in the other room. Hard to tell, though
The door is in the way, too closed to see past
>>194360
The vent makes a sucking noise from negative pressure
>>194358
>>194359
>>194364
There are certain things that, when one sees it, it has an extreme negative effect on the mind. Kira has seen plenty of dead things, eaten things, and by virtue of being a lamia has seen (and participated in) things get eaten alive, but this...this is messed up. The lamia freezes for a moment, staring at the gore, before she slowly points to the room the griffon had come from. She speaks, though her voice is a bit shakey and she continues to stare at the half-griff. "Some...s-something bit this griffon in h-half. He w-was trying to crawl away, and it...it got him. Pulled his...his guts...out with his l-lower half. I think it's s-s-still in there. It left this out here. As a lure..."
Silver unsheathes his sword. Unfortunately, the light from his horn and his magic reflecting off of his blade casts a blue light upon the scene, making it more visible.
>>194359
>>194364
There are certain things that, when one sees it, it has an extreme negative effect on the mind. Kira has seen plenty of dead things, eaten things, and by virtue of being a lamia has seen (and participated in) things get eaten alive, but this...this is messed up. The lamia freezes for a moment, staring at the gore, before she slowly points to the room the griffon had come from. She speaks, though her voice is a bit shakey and she continues to stare at the half-griff. "Some...s-something bit this griffon in h-half. He w-was trying to crawl away, and it...it got him. Pulled his...his guts...out with his l-lower half. I think it's s-s-still in there. It left this out here. As a lure..."
Silver unsheathes his sword. Unfortunately, the light from his horn and his magic reflecting off of his blade casts a blue light upon the scene, making it more visible.
>>194365
There is no blood between the griffin and the stairs, save for what has pooled on the floor.
There is no blood between the griffin and the stairs, save for what has pooled on the floor.
>>194366
Kira tries to sneak up to the door on the right, where the griffon must have came from, and tries to use all of her senses - sight, sound, and smell - to figure out what's inside.
Hide: [1d20+14 = (9+14) = 23]
Move Silently: [1d20+14 = (18+14) = 32]
Spot: [1d20+8 = (20+8) = 28]
Listen: [1d20+8 = (16+8) = 24]
Survival: [1d20+11 = (9+11) = 20]
Kira tries to sneak up to the door on the right, where the griffon must have came from, and tries to use all of her senses - sight, sound, and smell - to figure out what's inside.
Hide: [1d20+14 = (9+14) = 23]
Move Silently: [1d20+14 = (18+14) = 32]
Spot: [1d20+8 = (20+8) = 28]
Listen: [1d20+8 = (16+8) = 24]
Survival: [1d20+11 = (9+11) = 20]
>>194367
>Hide
flicks tongue
>move silently
flicks tongue
>spot
It's dark
>Listen
There is a sound, though not especially loud, and somewhat damped by the door. The sound is like some kind of repeated clicking. It corresponds to no animal nor machine known to Kira. The constant pace seems more mechanical than animal, but Kira does not know for sure
>survival
Kira suspects that the griffin fell down after opening the door, or perhaps was let down, based on patterns in the blood.
>Hide
flicks tongue
>move silently
flicks tongue
>spot
It's dark
>Listen
There is a sound, though not especially loud, and somewhat damped by the door. The sound is like some kind of repeated clicking. It corresponds to no animal nor machine known to Kira. The constant pace seems more mechanical than animal, but Kira does not know for sure
>survival
Kira suspects that the griffin fell down after opening the door, or perhaps was let down, based on patterns in the blood.
>>194368
Damn, really thought a nat 20 for the Spot check would let her see *something*
Kira looks back to the group. "Only mechanical noises. Unless whatever was inside is super quiet." Kira goes quiet for a moment as she has a thought. "Machines can't hunt down creatures...right?"
Damn, really thought a nat 20 for the Spot check would let her see *something*
Kira looks back to the group. "Only mechanical noises. Unless whatever was inside is super quiet." Kira goes quiet for a moment as she has a thought. "Machines can't hunt down creatures...right?"
>>194369
the darkness stares back
Was that a smell check?
The smells of the room are, frankly, more subtle than those of the torpedo boat, with its smell of sweat, feathers, equines and the like. But Kira can smell something. Brass, explosives, griffin - more griffins, and that blood. She can smell oil and rock. Saltwater and mildew.
the darkness stares back
Was that a smell check?
The smells of the room are, frankly, more subtle than those of the torpedo boat, with its smell of sweat, feathers, equines and the like. But Kira can smell something. Brass, explosives, griffin - more griffins, and that blood. She can smell oil and rock. Saltwater and mildew.
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