Chariots of the Godless

[DM Bob]

Enemy's Slumber, 5th of Dominary - Mid to late afternoon

Current Locations: Kreen Empire, The Messenger

J'lact pats Chat-Cho on the back. Some gestures are universal.

[Tohr-kreen] "Storms happen here. We will take your mounts and that 'thing' back. Stay safe & good hunting."

He whistles and the party of tohr begin to round up the mounts and throw the alien body over the back of Fruitcart the Inix. The beast does not seem to be enjoying the weather no matter how much jerky is tossed to it.

As Hurk cuts into the ancient halfling's shirt, a slight squeal & hiss escape the fabric. It bleeds something clear and sticky as he begins to saw the jerkin off.

Tell me if you stop.

Meanwhile, the unconscious Shaper simply lies there unresponsive (for the moment at least).

The dimensional door opens as Niachi ponders the planes. If this world, the one sages call the Prime is near infinite, then the other planes are simply layers, like on a onion and perhaps overlap as a whole (when one considers the ethereal or astral). The moons are said to be on this plane, as well as the Sun and the stars. So where does this Messenger fit in? It does not seem to transverse the planes, but the spaces in between the Sun, moons and stars. Could one fly from here to there? Ande would be the first to tell the shadow wizard that the air gets thin the higher one flies. With a thing like the Messenger, would it need to supply it's own breathable environ?

Those that enter the ship are in the corridor where Efurth Rin'Dahlan and his foe were found. If Hurk does not reduce his size, he will be unable to move, a kreen may crawl unless their form changes. Humans and smaller are fine. I will assume that any of you will be on the side the lightning weapon was laying if Hurk enters at full height.

Those that enter are greeted to the senses that our clairvoyant was unaware of. Thick, musty, recycled air. The sound of throbbing, similar to a heartbeat. A whiff of rotten cheese or spoiled crodlu egg. The weird blue light that only gets displaced once your light stones are produced.

[AthasianLaborer]

Click click click click click click goes Ande's talon on the stone.  She appears as though her limit with the rain has been passed and keeps looking expectantly between those remaining outside and the Dimension Door.  <Aarakocra> "Let's go already!"

Ande will be right on the tail of whoever is the last one in before her and then shut the door.  Once she is in and notices the heartbeat (after unceremoniously ruffling to shake off water), she'll attempt Life Detection on the wall.

Rolled 15 needing under an 18 -3 PSP 8/112

[Attilius]

Aug 30, 2023 3:33:15 GMT -12 DM Bob said:

As Hurk cuts into the ancient halfling's shirt, a slight squeal & hiss escape the fabric. It bleeds something clear and sticky as he begins to saw the jerkin off.
Tell me if you stop.
Meanwhile, the unconscious Shaper simply lies there unresponsive (for the moment at least).

HurK stops immediately when he hears the squeal/hiss, sheaths his blade then focuses on the way to burn any mold he finds...
[Molecular agitation  17-20. rolled 5 [-7 PsP's...]

Aug 30, 2023 3:33:15 GMT -12 DM Bob said:

Those that enter the ship are in the corridor where Efurth Rin'Dahlan and his foe were found. If Hurk does not reduce his size, he will be unable to move, a kreen may crawl unless their form changes. Humans and smaller are fine. I will assume that any of you will be on the side the lightning weapon was laying if Hurk enters at full height.

"shit" The half giant muffles as he gets stuck. He focuses on his inner nexus once again to reduce his size and mass to only 7' tall
[Reduction 20, rolled 11 [-5 PsP's] www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjvV3Y9JMTo

He tightens his pack, weapon straps and toga so that the little man doesn't fall out before moving forward. He pulls out his light orb and says to those following "We need to find the cargo hold or bigger room, I won't be able to stay small for long..." 

The now "quarter giant" moves deeper down the hallway...

[Deleted]

Chat'cho uses her shapeshifting abilities to assume the form of the kes'trekel bird, perching on Ande's shoulder.

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- Eslyk feels strange inside the Messenger, looks everywhere around for any clue in terms of paintings or depicting symbols, but she focuses in the floor, whispering - "A good tracker knows how to avoid traps, let me go ahead and try in here, is very strange, looks like the reflection of Ral in the surface of water" - as she search for traps and activates Danger Sense and holds a bone dagger

[OOC: Failed Danger Sense (19 out of 17), successful Find/Remove Traps (9% out of 65%), PSPs 69/99]

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

The minute she busts in after Hurk, Quila casts a Protection from Evil by touching her Kurn symbol and praying for the powers of Oronis to channel through her. Then she says, "I know I was using the Sight into that direction. That's where that weapon is. Not sure if it's sentient or functions on it's own without it latching onto our halfling's arm. We might want to be careful."

While on the move, she touches the walls lightly to feel if they are warm or feel alive to the touch at all. She will also try and use ESP on the Messenger to feel whether it expresses any emotion or feeling or need. (rolled 15 on 19, -psp per Contact cost). She tries to be as watchful as much as she can to avoid being surprised.

[Attilius]

Aug 30, 2023 5:35:59 GMT -12 Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP] said:

- Eslyk feels strange inside the Messenger, looks everywhere around for any clue in terms of paintings or depicting symbols, but she focuses in the floor, whispering - "A good tracker knows how to avoid traps, let me go ahead and try in here..."

The quarter giant nods & hugs a wall for Eslyk to get by unmolested and do her tracking job unhindered.

[DM Bob]

Burning the mold away seems to work.

The Messenger radiates life upon detection. The hallways are warm to the touch. ESP is unsuccessful as the mind is closed to contact.

Tell me if you want to fight the ship. Mentally. I doubt you're putting holes in the drywall, Kyle. I mean, Quila.

Ande is feeling the effects of claustrophobia.

Hurk still needs to kneel to shuffle & crawl through the corridor. Give me a marching order with Hurk at the rear, please. I will have him positioned where the tiny halfling was originally laying. That means the weird weapon will need to be picked up or Hurk may very well crush it.

[Attilius]

Proposed order:

Eslyk
Coden
Niachi
Andy/Chat-cho
Quila
HurK

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

Quila will not force contact by mentally attacking. She is sufficiently reassured once she knows that the living being known as the Messenger seems to be hale enough to fend for itself.

She will follow Eslyk but would prefer to have Niachi or Coden on position two, ”Coden or Niachi, is one of you up to position yourselves between me and the halfling in our marching order? We need to find a bigger room for HurK to be able to expand back to his regular self again.”

Quila will let Ande and the kreen druid fall into place after the human from Balic and the sharp-dressed shadowy elf. “You should walk in the middle in case anything unforeseen happens. Do you both feel good? Can I do something for either one of you?”

[AthasianLaborer]

Ande snips at Chat'cho on her shoulder instinctively, she's agitated obviously and near hyperventilating, fumbling with her Templarate insignia when she lets out <Aarakocra> "Oronis ease my panic!" (casting Remove Fear on herself) She takes a moment to regulate her breathing before turning back to Chat'cho <Common> "Apologies, close spaces and the rain have me not feeling myself" and then towards the wall with fascination in her eyes "We mean you no harm, if fact we have even restored your Halfling comrade to life, can you not see we come in peace?  Can you speak?  I have long been a fan of yours!  As a fledgling I dreamt of seeing you streaking through the Athasian night and to think, I am now within The Messenger!"

She's blushing, giggling (as much as a bird can) and seems a bit starstruck with the whole structure once the remove fear does its thing.

[DM Bob]

You don't have to move far to see the strange scaled weapon on the floor of the corridor before you. Not too far (5-6') and beyond that is a fleshy, pinkish membrane that blocks passage. It's thin enough to kinda see through, but not well. Like when you blow a bubble from bubble gum.

It's really cramped in here and the ship does not respond back to the bird woman. Only Eslyk feels comfortable here... in fact it makes her feel kind of tall. It is nigh near impossible to track here, although the ground/floor feels a bit like walking on packed earth. The walls have slightly more give, like soft wood or a tensed up muscle.

[Deleted]

Chat'cho is somewhat disinterested in the alien weapon--armsmanship is not her craft, after all, so it is likely worthless to her.

[Niachi]

Forced to continue while crouching bent over double and tightly enclosed inside a Living Spacetraveling Craft/Being is not what's got Niachi jumpy. It reminds him of the elven song of Gax, who "Carved his way out of a megapede's gullet /  but later found misfortune / in an infamous Tyrian dining house." (it rhymes better in Elvish)

No, he is nervous while bathed in this otherworldly blue glow that casts only the faintest shadows. 
As they edge closer to the strange weapon, he admires its lines and imagines how it may be used. In service of Oronis, of course.
To nobody in particular he murmurs:

"Is the weapon sentient?"

Then he addresses the item in Common,  directly within 5 feet of it:

"H-Hello...?   then Elven:  ["What is your story?"]

[Attilius]

Aug 30, 2023 17:35:27 GMT -12 Niachi said:

"Is the weapon sentient?

"I guess no." HurK says in a cramped manner as he reaches to gently pick the 'weird scaled rod' up in the center so as to not touch either ends fingers or open tube. He'll carefully stuff it in his belt pouch as he says
"The unconscious sailor will want his lightning wand back when he wakes. I know I would! Come, let's make haste to find larger space to dry off in..."