The rear portions of the SSRS Kostroma have been cleared. The Boiler room draws near. Still that sound persists. Calling them.
756 replies and 68 files omitted.
>>195000So much death and destruction, and for what? Silver snorts, vowing that this death, and the lives of all those who gave their lives on this island, won't be in vain.
Точно так же, как и у неё, Сильвер?Kira grimaces at the griffon. "Well...as long as we don't see any more of those...tentacles..." She shivers. "...I think we'll be fine."
>>194998 →That is either Silver, or they are out of medical supplies
>>195001One knocked unconscious by Silver.
One killed outright by Posey
One captured by Kira and tied up by Cavaliere
One downed by Posey and Cavaliere, currently dying
One got away.
Stained Sand, Silver, Cavaliere, and to a lesser extent, Posey, are all wounded in this fight.
Probably Kira too >>195003 →While every pony else is distracted or looking away, I would like to take the dead unicorn's head, or just his horn if I have a hot minute to saw it off.
>>195004Posey takes a second to heal herself.
>>195001"If we cover each other's backs, we'll be fine. You did good work there restraining that pony." He nods appreciatively toward Kira.
Cavaliere also gives the rope back to Posey.
>>195004What are our HP totals? Cavaliere is 3/29, with 7 lost hitpoints to nonlethal damage.
And I know we have medical supplies, because we kept arguing about plans for entry and I tried insisting on designating someone to carry them. Silver probably has them.
>>195005I don't think she can do that without being spotted. You'll have time later at any rate.
Oh wait, nevermind, I misread the ritual. Unicorn horns are no good after the uniforn is dead.
>>195005Would you believe me if I told you that both time and privacy are at a premium? I mean, she can try. It's kind of like masturbating loudly in the open at the front door of a busy, open room everyone else is entering and exiting at a party, though.
This unicorn body is pretty close to the entrance into Cargo Hold 4. Zara Zama walks through the door, followed by Starfire, who prances in as if forced into the room. Mala follows close behind. With a paw he holds onto and guides Patient Pippette, placing a paw over her eyes as they near the corpse
Blackheel is already deep into the room, inspecting the contents, with Rustling Pine by his side
>>195006Cavaliere is low, Posey is high, Silver is probably low.
No NPC has the medical supplies.
>>195007How prescient of the others to take them alive
>>195006Cavaliere cuts off a segment of rope long enough to bind a pony with. While Cavaliere gives the rest back, he says to Posey,
"Thank you for hitting that one pony with your bow. You may have saved one of our lives with that reaction."He stops near the downed pony and calls Silver over.
"He'll need treatment more than I do. He won't last long on his own." He binds the pony before treatment just in case.
>>195008Dark Star and Blue Skies had sex in front of the party outside a burning dungeon >>195006...that is, uh...not good...
>>195008Going roll search to check if any potions of Cure Critical Wounds or Healing Belts randomly spawned in the cargo hold as part of the treasure pull for this encounter.
Search
[1d20+5 = (5+5) = 10] >>195009Heal: Silver goes over to the downed but still alive pony, using what medical supplies he has combined with his medical knowledge to get him stabilized.
[1d20+5 = (17+5) = 22] >>195013At the same time, Cavaliere will aid in searching, though he's unlikely to search the whole hold.
[1d20+4 = (17+4) = 21] >>195012I’m not sure about that? In the open? I mean… maybe?>>195013No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. Yes. No. N- Wait
>>195014Silver takes a uniform, rips off a part of it, and tries to place it on a wound, then uses a belt to keep it in place. It has hopefully slowed down the bleeding enough for now.
>>195016Hmmm? Does she find anything?
>>195015>>195017Somewhat near the center of the line are a trio of small beds, mostly on mobile steel frames. One is empty, one has noticeable blood on it, and the third has a pony on it. A stallion, somewhat small, light grey in color, on his back, a small rag over his eyes, ribs visibly above his belly, no clothing on, and either dead or comatose.
Nearby is a table and a few crates used as tables. An IV bag is set up, and on the tables are several medical tools, plasma, bandages, drugs like Hydroxychloroquine, Doxycycline, Penicillin, and Morphine. And yes, there are magical potions as well.
>>195018"We're in luck. It seems whatever crew held up here turned this hold into a makeshift hospital."He checks to see if the unresponsive pony has a pulse.
>>195018>Nearby is a table and a few crates used as tables. An IV bag is set up, and on the tables are several medical tools, plasma, bandages, drugs like Hydroxychloroquine, Doxycycline, Penicillin, and Morphine. And yes, there are magical potions as well.Posey swishes her tail and ushers the party over with one of her coquettish giggles
"~Yoohoo! Healing potions for the big strong warriors." she says, whirling her cape to reveal the medical crate
I sleep now.
>>195018>MorphinePosey takes the yummy morphine because reasons.
>>195019No. Wait. Yes? That slow of a heart rate isn't consistent with... being alive
>>195022"This pony is alive...barely. Who knows how long he has been like this? He needs a doctor." Cavaliere looks toward the science mares expectantly.
>>195023Patient Pipette, the only science mare around (unless Starfire counts), raises her right hoof, widens her eyes, and leans her head back in a "Who, me?" expression
>>195024I forgot Star Fire's role. Isn't she with the science team?Cavaliere beckons Pipette forward.
"You can tell better than me. Is this stallion stable, and what's wrong with him?" >>195025He isPipette moves forward, followed by Starfire and Mala. She looks down and over to the pony.
"I know that one. He... might be?" She turns and looks at Cavaliere, "He looked into one of the Entity's eyes"
>>195026Kira's ears twitch as she hears this, and she turns to look at the poor pony. She points and shakily asks, "...That...t-that's what happens?"
>>195027Pipette turns her bloodshot, red eyes to Kira,
"I-I think so. I'm not really interested in testing it myself."
>>195026>>195028I need to write notes for all the characters again. Sorry about that.He nods solemnly at the comatose pony.
"He seems to have been wasting away in this short amount of time. It's not the same as petrification, but we'll have to take the same precautions we would if we were fighting a cockatrice. We'll have to see if he revives." >>195029Starfire:
"He hasn't responded to anything yet..."
>>195028Kira blinks. "...so, we're going to agree that the Traveler is evil, right? Like, there's no good creatures that do...that...to you when you look at them in the eye..."
>>195031Pipette stares into Kira's eyes
Starfire, lowering his head and horn slightly:
"Well... it isn't clear it did it intentionally. I mean, it seemed to be dead to us. Not as well as that - as that pony, even."
>>195032All Pipette sees is the eyes of a young mare, scared, not a warrior in the traditional sense. The eyes might be slitted, something like that of a bat pony - though possibly with just the barest hint of reptilian quality to give away her true nature as not quite a pony, unless she's just imagining things - but can she truly say they're so different from her own?
Kira does seem to be feeling at least a bit awkward as well, having her eyes be so scrutinized. She thinks back to the stories told to her by her cousin about desert lamias wandering the Zebhara, who have the power to hypnotize those who look into her eyes. She's not certain that the cousin wasn't making things up, but with all that she's seen today? It's not so unbelievable now, thinking that someone has the power to control you by peering into the windows to one's soul.
>>195035Heal: Silver might not be as experienced with griffon biology as he is with pony biology (female griffon reproductive organs notwithstanding), he'll give it his best shot. After all, he's growing into an expert in filling holes, not just creating them.
[1d20+5 = (19+5) = 24] >>195035Pipette, then Starfire, blink
As the party recovers, Posey looks at the unconscious and dead with subtle but bitter scowl.
"These ponies were under the control of the Intruder, their servile opening mantras and wordless fighting was proof of that, but their tactics had no rhyme or reason. The beast knew of our intentions, and it had no reason to sabotage our efforts to fix the boiler, and yet it expended the lives of its thralls instead of merely summoning monsters. Worse, it compelled its thralls to destroy its own means of transportation to escape this island, even though it had other means to attack us with... Even if the Intruder is a creature too alien to comprehend the consequences of its own action in this timestream, Light Water should have known better than to destroy his own ship. I have seen wights with better discipline over their minions. Perhaps there are limits to the telepathic control of the Intruder, but its long range precise communication abilities contradict that hypothesis... The only logical conclusion is that even with Light Water staying remotely lucid, the Intruder possesses no tactical mind or capacity for higher intentions and is acting at random, like an amoeba absorbing all of the food around it until it explodes. What an absolute waste of power!"
She flicks the blood from her sword and sneers. Her eyes give off a magical glow and her horn surges with red magic as her mane stands on end. The deck trembles beneath her hooves while bullet casings and droplets of blood to levitate around her, shaking in a dance of arcane rage
"This is the Eldritch demigod what was supposed to reshape the world and free us from the shackles of demiurge?! This is the herald to a better tomorrow?! This is the one who is supposed to defeat death?! What an absolute joke! This is no shaper. This is no savior. This is no more than rabid dog that needs to be put down!"
>>195038Blackheel walks up with his lips pulled back in a mostly neutral, but overall displeased expression.
"What are your intentions with the Traveller? Not some long convoluted answer about how you want to grind its head into an aphrodisiac or anything like that, a simple answer to a simple question: do you intend to kill Light Water, the Entity, or otherwise disrupt their plans, yes or no?"
>>195018How many magical potions are there? What kind? Are they labelled?
If they're healing potions, familiar creatures (most adventures, but not Posey) should be able to identify them by taste.
>In addition to the standard methods of identification, PCs can sample from each container they find to attempt to determine the nature of the liquid inside. An experienced character learns to identify potions by memory—for example, the last time she tasted a liquid that reminded her of almonds, it turned out to be a potion of cure moderate wounds.Posey rolls her skills to discern them:
Arcana:
[1d20+11 = (13+11) = 24]Religion:
[1d20+11 = (4+11) = 15]Alchemy
[1d20+5 = (8+5) = 13]Characters with ranks in Heal/Medicine might be able to roll those to identify them too.
>>195035Haven't you already been treated with the heal skill today? We don't have time to rest.
Take the potions. You need them the most.
Also, buy a wand of cure wounds at the next opportunity. As a ranger, you should be the party's backup wand-user.
>>195039Posey replies
"I promised to destroy both of them and ensure their dreams only end in ruin, and I intend to make good on that promise." Posey replies
She tosses her mane, and runs through it with an ivory comb as she calms down
"Although I do admit I had some personal motives. This creature disgusts me, and they insulted the hard work of myself and my mentors. I intend to teach them a lesson."
>>195041Blackheel
“What do you think your chances of success are? Collectively as your troop, or you individually, either way. Regardless of whether you live or die. What do you think the odds are that you kill or seriously inconvenience it?
>>195039>>195040>>195041Heal: After finishing up with Cavaliere, Silver helps with identifying the potions, though he does express a concern. "Over course of this mission, Traveler has proven to be prideful and vindictive. We should likely be more cautious with expressing negative intent to him, we are all on same side regardless."
[1d20+5 = (20+5) = 25] >>195042"Odds? I do not bother myself with worrying about that. I am already resolute in my quest to slay this beast, and the greater the danger means the greater my powers will grow when all of this is over." Posey replies
"As a fellow warmagus, you should know. You might have studied for years pouring over tomes and practicing petty spells in the comfort of a guild hall, but only brushing close with death brings out your true potential."
She continues on her mane, making sure she looks beautiful for her future victims in the next battle.
"Superstition comes naturally in my line of work, and my pet belief is that fortune favors the bold. Second-guessing myself or hesitation would only show weakness. I am a warrior, and my conviction is my armor."
She pauses, mouth open as if in faux epiphany
"Unless of course you are suggesting that our little band of losthesome, cowardly, treacherous pirates should take our hostages on that torpedo boat and sail away to leave your crew to deal with that monster yourselves? I did not think you to be so considerate for criminal scum like us." she says, slightly mockingly
Her expression then softens
"I jest of course. Just be aware that I am resolved, despite the odds. My crew could leave with crumbs now, but we would not be in this line of work if we were not in it for the whole cake. I am resolved, and I suggest you cast your doubts aside too; unlike my crew, your sailors have no way out of this other than to win: you can only move forward. The beast wants you to be afraid, to question yourself, to waste energy worrying. Banish your doubts before you banish the beast."
Diplomacy check for motivation
[1d20+10 = (15+10) = 25] >>195044Blackheel remains in his mostly neutral but clearly irritated state:
“Would you say that you are a threat to it?”
>>195045"Yes, if I do say so myself."
>>195046Blackheel:
“Then that alone should inform you why the Entity may have taken a risk. Now tell me, if this ship were destroyed, would you have any possible way to get off of the island?”
>>195047"I had half a heart to flee on that torpedo boat as soon as I saw it. It was free for the taking. It needs some repairs, but it should be seaworthy. Big enough to carry our crew and the hostages." Posey replies
"And I suppose I could order my faithful servant Monstro to carry me across the sea, although that would mean leaving empty hoofed and without the crew, which is not acceptable." she continues
"There is the plausibility of seizing the GRU ship, although that would be even more risky and I would prefer to sink them if I can."
"As for more drastic means.... Well, a lady has to keep her secrets." she says, with a flirtatious smile
>>195036>>195037>>195041So I guess no HP from that check? That's fine. And yes, I'll look into a wand of cure wounds and a merciful enchantment (which has only upsides; it doesn't even preclude lethal damage).
Cavaliere will drink one of the health potions. He also empties five empty casings from his gun, which clatter to the floor, and reloads it.
>>195044He butts in,
"What we're doing here is boldness enough. Our stakes are high and we can't afford to gamble them on foolhardy tactics. We have a rare opportunity where we can plan ahead for the next cargo hold." >Meanwhile, where we last left Vir...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cGrP9w5E7M&list=PLKXdyINOQYsb38jn5HGiF6w8X3rph4IIx&index=16>>195047I'm ready whenever you are, but I get that handling hte group and their mission takes priority (since they are more). I really do. Like, it's not a sarcastic quip. I could never run a dnd game nor as good as you do.
Blunt flattery. ^^ But really, I never told you,
I'm pregnant. it's impressive. c:
So anyway, feel free whenever to pick up where we left off.
>>195050Yay, you're back! Have you been following along with our escapade? Any thoughts on it?
Amoeba-baby? >>195043>>195039Can we know what potions were found in the treasure? If there are any buff potions, I might like to have ones.
Is there any other treasure in this room?
>>195049"There is only one way, and that is forward. The plan is same as the last room, which is to neutralize anything in the way. Except this time expect monsters to attack us from the rear again."
>>195050>I could never run a dnd game nor as good as you do. It's not as hard as it sounds.
To get started, consider running a module.
>spoilerAre you being ironic?