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Tavern Watch Plays Starfinder: Murder in Metal City, episode 3: When the answer isn't the end
Mar 9, 2026
The team of adventurers-turned-detectives in our playthrough of Starfinder's Murder in Metal City has the body of Tier-99-Professor on their hands and the assumed murderer hot in their trail for getting too close -- but does anyone think they're really going to stop before they get answers about what happened? They'll delve into the depths of the Striving university archives and uncover something much bigger than a simple hit before it's all said and done, but that's because sometimes finding the answer is just the first step, not the last one.
Liz Harper is the GM for this exciting finale; the group of intrepid folks who keep finding themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time are:
Joe Perez as "Nitpick" Bennit, Ysoki Witchwarper, who always knows a guy, and is a daft hand with both magic and technology
Phil Ulrich as Lunar-17, Android Mystic, who's so terminally online that it gave her magic powers
Matt Rossi as Tooth Hug, Skittermander Solarian, who could really use a snack right now
Special guest Trish Olson, a.k.a. AwkwardishPanda, as Jaedana, a Kasatha Operative gamer who's uncannily good with a gun, but doesn't know why she's here
This is the final part in a three-part actual play series of the Starfinder 2E published adventure Murder in Metal City -- you can check out the first episode here and the second episode here, and be on the lookout for new episodes every Monday!
This game was played using the second edition of Paizo’s Starfinder, which expands their Pathfinder game into space. We're really fond of this rollicking science-fantasy game system -- so much so that we've even played it before on the show -- and if you like what you hear today, you can easily pick it up for yourself!
Music from this episode is “Start a Trek,” by Edgar Henderson; you can check out more of his music on Soundcloud.
Subscribe to Tavern Watch in your podcast player of choice to keep up with our latest actual plays:
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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tavern-watch-podcast/id1788120623
Visit us at https://blizzardwatch.com for the latest news on Blizzard games, and don't forget to subscribe on Patreon to support our efforts! https://www.patreon.com/blizzardwatch
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:26
Hello and welcome to another episode of
0:28
Tavern plays. This week we are playing
0:32
Starfinder and I am your GM Liz Harper.
0:36
We are running through an adventure
0:37
called Murder in a Metal City, which you
0:40
can make some assumptions based on that
0:42
title. Uh but uh all of our players have
0:46
been investigating the now definitely
0:49
murder of their friend tier 99 professor
0:52
who was found hidden in their own
0:55
personal storage cache sliced in half by
0:59
powerful magic. Um, not great. Not
1:03
great.
1:04
As as Tyranny itself said, it
1:07
experienced an unexpected shutdown. And
1:10
uh, now it's just who did this? Why?
1:14
What's going on? Uh, but let me
1:17
introduce our adventurers or have them
1:20
introduce themselves. Starting with Joe.
1:22
Uh, who are you playing today?
1:24
>> Hi, Joe Perez. You may know me from our
1:26
other podcasts such as Tavern Watch,
1:29
Lura Watch, Blizz the Blizzard Watch
1:31
podcast. Uh, and I'll be playing uh
1:34
well, you know, I I have another name,
1:36
but nobody calls me by it, so you can
1:38
just call me Nitpick. Um, I'm a Yuski uh
1:42
witch warper, so uh you know, I got I
1:44
got that that beautiful fur and tail,
1:46
and uh you know, I like uh I like doing
1:49
things with robots and stuff like that
1:51
cuz that's who I am.
1:52
>> Okay. And Matt. Hello, I'm Matt. I am
1:56
playing Tofug who is a very upset
1:59
salarian skittermander right now cuz my
2:02
friend got hurt and isn't here no more
2:05
and someone's yelling stuff about it and
2:08
I don't I'm going to definitely give
2:10
them a with every tooth I have. That's
2:12
me.
2:13
>> And uh Phil.
2:15
>> Hi, I'm Phil. Uh I am playing Lunar 17,
2:17
an Android mystic. And uh yeah, it
2:21
sounds like we're uh I I I don't have
2:24
anything weird.
2:26
Nothing weird about me at all. That's
2:28
that's weird in and of itself.
2:31
>> And our special guest star, Trish. Uh
2:35
who are you playing and where can we
2:36
find you outside of this podcast here?
2:38
>> Hi. Uh I'm Trish or Trish Olsson. I go
2:40
by Awkwardish Panda everywhere on the
2:42
internet. Uh I am a professional mini
2:45
painter and streamer. You can catch me
2:46
on Twitch most days just painting and
2:48
working on a million different things.
2:50
Uh I am playing Jadana. She is a uh
2:54
newly minted adult whose parents just
2:56
dropped her off on this planet and was
2:58
like, "Cool, go find our friend
3:01
Tyranny." And we found friend Tyranny
3:03
and Tyranny is dead. And she's not even
3:06
technically sure if they're actually
3:07
friends. She was just given a name and
3:09
made the assumption.
3:10
>> Big I'm not supposed to be here today
3:11
energy.
3:12
>> Very big. I'm not even supposed to be
3:14
here today.
3:15
>> I could be at home playing video games,
3:18
but no. Now I'm here in the middle of a
3:20
murder investigation.
3:25
>> Parents dropped you off at grandpa's and
3:26
grandpa's gone
3:28
>> basically. Yeah.
3:31
So, when we last left off, you were uh
3:35
considering Tyranny's corpse
3:39
and uh a a booming voice echoed around
3:43
the room uh with a strange static to it.
3:47
You have no idea what you're involved
3:49
in. Thus, I give you a final chance.
3:52
Stay out of it.
3:53
>> Well, see, that's going to be a problem
3:55
for me, pal. You You killed my friends.
3:57
So, now you and I got to have some
3:59
words. So, I would have stayed out of
4:01
it, but you kind of dragged me in.
4:04
>> You see uh staticky
4:09
as you look around. I'll say all see
4:12
this. There are four sort of flickery
4:16
images of a masked hooded humanoid in a
4:21
coat a few yards away from you, kind of
4:24
spread out in all direction, watching.
4:26
They've all sort of like emerged from
4:29
the shadows.
4:31
>> Neat trick. Which one I got to punch in
4:33
the mouth?
4:34
>> I said stay out of it. You don't
4:37
understand what's going on here.
4:39
>> Then uh you can help me understand or I
4:41
can make you make me understand. How's
4:43
that sound?
4:45
>> Um well, you know, that's one way to go
4:47
about it.
4:48
>> You don't come on my turf and kill my
4:50
friend. Yeah. Like I'm I am literally in
4:53
full. like you you just mess with the
4:55
you mess with the neighborhood type
4:57
thing and
4:59
>> um what what is everyone else doing and
5:01
then we're going to go into initiative
5:04
>> after this.
5:05
>> Oh man, I'm going to be like I I at the
5:09
same time that I also want to punch this
5:11
person in the mouth, I need to keep
5:13
Nitpick from charging into combat cuz I
5:15
think I'm the one who's most acutely
5:17
aware of what this person can do. Um,
5:22
>> I'm the one who detected how they
5:23
literally sliced reality at an atomic
5:25
level to take out the professor. So, I'm
5:28
kind of half dad arming him, but not
5:31
really. Just I I'd rather have this
5:33
person talk than have nitpick get
5:35
evaporated. So,
5:36
>> I
5:37
>> you haven't seen me warp reality yet,
5:38
sir. Anyway,
5:40
>> I think Jay Donna,
5:43
not having really been in like really up
5:45
close quarters kind of stuff like this,
5:46
cuz she's she's not even used to having
5:49
feet on ground. She's used to being in
5:50
space. She's going to just jump behind
5:53
one of these headstones to hide and like
5:56
try to get some distance on everything
5:59
because she works best from a distance.
6:01
>> So, okay. Yes, you can do all these
6:03
things except there are four of these
6:05
figures in there's they're kind of in
6:08
each of the cardinal directions.
6:11
>> There's nothing I can hide behind.
6:12
>> I toss a smoke bomb to Janna.
6:15
>> No. Yeah, you can do that. I mean, you
6:17
can hide from some of them, but it's
6:18
going to be hard to find a spot where
6:20
you can get away from all of them.
6:22
>> I mean, there's plenty of trees and you
6:24
got some you got some smoke grenades.
6:25
I'm just saying you can get a better
6:27
vantage point.
6:28
>> Yeah, that's kind of the way I'm going
6:29
to go. I want to like try and aim for a
6:32
like one of the larger tree type things
6:34
and get around it like hoping to have at
6:37
least a little bit of cover and be ready
6:40
to like drop a smoke bomb and possibly
6:43
climb this thing for for a some you know
6:47
high ground.
6:48
>> Um yes, you can definitely get around a
6:50
tree. You weren't sure if you've gotten
6:51
yourself hidden from all of them.
6:53
>> Yeah,
6:53
>> but you're not kind of in the middle.
6:56
>> Yeah. I I just want to like try to get
6:58
some distance. That's That's my goal is
7:00
get some distance and get behind
7:01
something.
7:02
>> I'm just straight up manifesting. Like
7:04
I'm solar manifesting, so all my stuff
7:06
pops up.
7:08
>> Uh this time the armor is purple, like
7:11
swirling with the starfield inside of
7:14
it. Um the weapon is still glowing uh
7:18
golden, and the thing around my hand is
7:20
also golden. It's not uh purple anymore.
7:24
And uh if I'm assuming because it says
7:27
manifestation costs an act costs like an
7:29
action to do and these things come up.
7:32
So I'm assuming that's what I can do
7:34
before we actually bother to roll
7:36
initiative and start doing stuff and
7:38
then I'll start initiative with an
7:39
action used up
7:40
>> to do that. So
7:43
>> how far by the way?
7:45
>> Um they're going to be you were you cash
7:49
they're kind of along the edges of the
7:50
pretty large room. Um, they're probably
7:52
in the 30 feet range away from you. And
7:55
there's like there four of them, one in
7:57
each of the directions.
7:59
>> Okay, not a problem.
8:00
>> Uh, and as you are all setting up, a
8:04
couple of uh, you know, actually, no,
8:06
that's not uh, a couple of uh, drones
8:11
fly in and they're circling the area
8:15
like it's there weren't any drones here
8:17
before. Now there are two uh wing bots
8:21
which are uh pretty standard around uh
8:25
around striping as security or as
8:28
anything like swoop into the area. And
8:32
uh yes, let's all roll initiative.
8:36
>> That's a 14.
8:37
>> Hey, there's a there's a there's a waste
8:39
of a natural 20 for a total of 28.
8:43
>> 25.
8:44
>> Also 25. I would like it noted that as
8:46
soon as we roll initiative, I have an
8:48
ability that my warp reality bubble
8:50
pops.
8:51
>> Okay. Well, that's funny because they
8:52
have their own warp reality bubble. What
8:55
was yours again? Show. I'm sorry.
8:56
>> 14.
8:57
>> 14. Okay. Yeah, that's a little down
8:59
from last time.
9:00
>> That's fine.
9:01
>> Uh, so yes, actually that puts Lunar up
9:06
first.
9:07
>> Yay. It's not that.
9:12
>> All right. Uh well uh
9:16
how about uh I know so we got drones, we
9:20
got clones, right? Basically
9:22
>> two drones, four clones.
9:24
>> Clones trouble me, but I I'm going to
9:30
I'm going to take I'm going to I'm going
9:31
to count the people who uh are more
9:34
combat oriented. I'm going to take a
9:35
couple steps back and I'm going to use
9:37
two actions to shoot an Eldrich lance at
9:40
one of these uh um
9:43
drones, uh, which takes two of my
9:45
actions, condenses a beam of mind
9:47
assaulting Eldrich energy from the dark
9:50
spaces between the stars.
9:52
>> Hey, that sounds unhealthy.
9:54
>> What a good description. Uh, okay. So,
9:58
that's a plus seven. Does a 17 hit the
10:01
drone?
10:01
>> Drone. Okay. Drone stat play question.
10:04
I'm going to say yes.
10:06
>> All right. Good answer. Uh, oh, I don't
10:09
know if we'll be able to take this
10:10
damage type. That's unfortunate. Uh, if
10:13
it can take mental damage, it takes 10
10:15
mental damage
10:17
>> on the either immune to Oh, no. It is
10:21
immune to mental damage. Is that the
10:23
only kind of damage it does?
10:24
>> It's the only type of damage it does.
10:26
Rude.
10:27
>> Hey, they are you. Wow. You zap them,
10:32
but it's
10:33
>> I have no brain. What are you doing?
10:37
>> It's very not sentient.
10:38
>> Uh,
10:40
yeah. You you give it a zap and it's
10:42
like you see the magical energy
10:44
coalesesque and warp around it but you
10:48
know it's it looks really impressive and
10:50
then nothing happens.
10:50
>> Oh good news to the droid.
10:53
>> Uh third action will be to raise a
10:55
shield with that irising shield that we
10:57
pulled out of the stuff that the
10:58
professor left for us. I think
11:00
>> okay
11:01
>> I think raise a shield is one action
11:03
>> I believe so
11:05
>> think so too. Okay. Uh, okay. Onward
11:09
onward to uh Jana.
11:12
>> Okay. Uh, she is going to Does this tree
11:16
look like there's a branch that could
11:17
hold her up there?
11:19
>> Okay. Well, they aren't actually trees.
11:22
They're just carvings. Um,
11:25
>> well, I know they're not like actual
11:27
>> I'll say I'll say yes. Yes, there's
11:29
there's
11:30
>> a carved branch like Yeah.
11:32
>> Yeah. She wants to get on top of
11:34
something where she's got some distance
11:35
and air. Okay. Okay.
11:37
>> Um, so she wants to like use one action
11:39
to like climb up and get a spot.
11:41
>> Uh, and then can she Does one of these
11:44
clones look like it's more uh, you know,
11:47
caporeal than the others or do they all
11:49
look like they could all take damage?
11:51
>> Uh, they are all looking the same. You
11:54
you glance around and it's not like one
11:57
looks real and the rest look fake. They
12:00
just So, no, you do not pinpoint one
12:02
that looks ah, shoot me. Gotcha. Uh then
12:06
I think I just want to kind of pick
12:08
whichever one is closest to my friends
12:12
and take a pot shot at it with my uh uh
12:17
laser. Right.
12:18
>> All right. Go for it.
12:19
>> It's a 15 + 9 for a 24 to hit.
12:23
>> That hits.
12:24
>> Okay. And then it's a d8. Takes five
12:27
fire damage.
12:28
>> Okay. that one. It It flickers
12:33
like it seems to like flicker out of
12:35
reality for a moment and it's still
12:39
there, but it's statickier than it was.
12:42
It's extreme. Like it's there, but it's
12:45
not as there as there was a moment ago.
12:49
>> That makes a lot of sense, I think.
12:50
>> Yeah.
12:51
>> Yeah. No, that one's flickering. And
12:53
then she's just gonna take her uh I
12:56
think she's going to take her last
12:57
action. She wants to try to like crouch
12:59
up against the tree and try to get some
13:01
sort of cover using these bra.
13:02
>> Okay. There's because it is a fake
13:05
petrified forest. There's not a lot of
13:07
cover. But
13:09
>> you're doing your best.
13:11
>> She's doing her best. She's just trying
13:12
to hide in the trees because she can get
13:13
a better angle and a better shot.
13:15
>> So I do think you have like you've moved
13:17
and you've shot, but I think you have
13:19
another action. Am I counting this
13:20
right?
13:21
>> Uh yeah, I think I have action.
13:23
>> One other action. Let me see what I've
13:25
got. Oh, I have an electromagnetic
13:28
grenade I can throw at things. Let me do
13:31
that.
13:32
>> Okay. What are What are we aiming at?
13:35
>> Um away from my friends. One of like at
13:39
one of the drones.
13:40
>> Okay.
13:41
>> See if I can like knock it out of the
13:43
sky.
13:44
>> Okay.
13:44
>> So, I'm trying to see what I do for
13:47
that. I just It says I have them. I'm
13:48
looking for where I can use them on my
13:51
>> uh that is that is always a question.
13:53
>> What are they? Shock grenades.
13:54
>> Uh electromagnetic grenades. I have
13:57
three of them.
13:58
>> Uh so it's going to be a ranged attack
14:00
type. Does we go uh these grenades
14:03
discharge a shocking field that deals
14:05
electricity damage with a B? Uh no, you
14:07
don't have to roll anything. It's a
14:09
reflex save on their part. Uh, if you
14:11
have access to the critical special
14:13
effect, tech uh, tech creatures and tech
14:15
items that critically fail their saving
14:17
throw against electromag grenades become
14:19
glitching. Uh, and I think you should
14:22
have like a save throw or something like
14:24
that on uh, on your sheet, I believe.
14:26
>> Yeah, I'm looking to figure out where
14:27
that is on my
14:30
it's a my spell saves a 10 is the base.
14:33
>> Yeah.
14:33
>> Oh, that's not very much. So, they saved
14:37
against that. Is there an effect if
14:38
they've saved? Uh,
14:40
>> nope. But it is an area fire. So, how
14:42
close are they to each?
14:43
>> Uh, well, they are pretty close to each
14:47
other. Okay. Uh, I they both rolled a 13
14:50
on the dice. So,
14:52
>> both of them say I, you know, I'm going
14:54
to say one of the projections is in the
14:58
same area. Uh, no, that's a 15 on the
15:00
dice. Okay. Uh, so you did you aimed it
15:03
towards uh it was a valiant effort that
15:08
did nothing.
15:08
>> Well, the the shot did were good.
15:11
There's still progress. Progress was
15:12
good.
15:13
>> There's always progress. Uh, but yes,
15:16
the grenade was not much. Um, so that
15:19
>> they're not too great. Electricity
15:22
doesn't seem to bother them.
15:24
>> Um,
15:25
next up is Tooth Hug. Okay, first up, I
15:30
made sure I looked up a tune goes off if
15:32
I'm rolling initiative in the same
15:34
round, it goes off as a free action.
15:36
>> So, I basically just suddenly have all
15:38
my stuff. Uh, so I have three actions.
15:40
The first action is going to be stellar
15:43
rush.
15:44
>> Okay,
15:44
>> I'm going to describe it now. So, you
15:47
rush forward with a bur a blast of
15:49
stellar energy getting into the thick of
15:52
combat with ease. Uh, strike stride
15:55
twice. So, I move plus a plus 10.
15:59
>> It's a double move, but it's plus 10
16:01
circumstance bonus to speed as well. So,
16:04
it's actually 45 and 45
16:07
>> to go 90 up to 90 to go. Uh, I'm There
16:11
was one that got hit previously.
16:13
>> Yes.
16:14
>> Okay. I can I put myself near him, but
16:17
within 15 foot of another of any other
16:20
target. you're about 20 to 30 feet from
16:23
either of them, which is going to put
16:24
them about maybe 20 feet away from each
16:26
other. Um, I think that would be really
16:29
difficult because they've spread out in
16:30
a in a star pattern around you and
16:32
they're both
16:32
>> What about the drones?
16:34
>> Uh, the drones are kind of circle
16:35
circling around one of them. Um,
16:38
>> okay.
16:39
>> I I you could get a drone and one of the
16:42
one of the clones.
16:43
>> Okay. Um, then that's what I'm going to
16:45
try and do. Uh although this is um this
16:48
is not an actual active thing that
16:50
happens. Just the the attack does. Um
16:54
>> so I just make a normal strike attack.
16:57
>> Mhm.
16:57
>> Okay. 16 + 7 23 uh on the attack roll.
17:02
>> Uh that whichever one you're going for
17:04
that does hit.
17:05
>> Okay.
17:06
>> Are you going for one of the clones
17:07
first?
17:08
>> Yeah, I'm going for the clone that got
17:09
shot if at all possible.
17:11
>> Oh, okay. Um
17:12
>> um there is literally nothing you could
17:15
roll that would not kill this. So what
17:16
what do you what are you explain how you
17:19
kill this guy?
17:20
>> Uh the axe comes up and it is seething
17:25
with with photon power. It's basically
17:27
like a gigantic blade of light and I
17:30
create the field um and like literally
17:34
slam the axe uh face first as part of
17:37
this whole deal um as part of the
17:39
stride. Like I literally run through it.
17:41
And when I do that, there's a 15 ft
17:45
burst centered on me that anything
17:50
outside the field cannot see anything
17:53
inside the field.
17:55
>> Like there's just this giant burst of
17:57
energy. So one of the two drones is uh
17:59
completely incapable of seeing out
18:01
seeing anything out there. And anything
18:04
inside the field like it that drone
18:06
can't see anything else. It can only see
18:09
me, but that's that's only my second
18:12
action because that's a free strike. I
18:14
don't get multiple attack action
18:15
problems.
18:16
>> And I still have I could move with that
18:19
attack. I could continue to move another
18:22
40 or 45 ft. So, could I get to another
18:26
target before I run out of that
18:28
movement?
18:29
>> Um, you could get to one more clone or
18:31
to one more drone.
18:33
>> Okay, we'll try for a clone then. Not as
18:36
good. Uh, that's a that's an 18 to hit.
18:40
>> That hits.
18:41
>> Okay. I'm assuming it's not a crit.
18:43
>> Uh, nope.
18:44
>> Okay. 1d 10 + 4. Got to find a 1d10 cuz
18:47
I did not have one ready. Okay. There we
18:49
go. All right. Uh, that's 7 + 4 is 11
18:54
points of of photon damage.
18:57
>> Okay.
18:57
>> You you slice through a second one. It
19:00
just vanishes in smoke and static. That
19:03
is everything unless something within 15
19:06
ft of me moves. But I don't think
19:07
there's currently anything within 15 ft
19:09
of me. So I'm done. Uh
19:10
>> okay. That is actually uh its turn. This
19:14
is this is how about you rolled Joe. I
19:17
rolled
19:18
>> it happens. Cosmic balance must occur.
19:23
>> There's a weeping skmander who just
19:25
destroyed two of these things like
19:27
looking around. Still crying.
19:30
>> I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
19:31
>> Kill my friend. Uh, so
19:35
one of them is going to go is No one can
19:38
see into the field that you're in, Matt.
19:41
>> Uh, the field is actually where I was
19:43
when I hit the guy.
19:44
>> When you first hit the guy?
19:46
>> Yeah. So, that field is over there. I'm
19:48
currently not in that field unless
19:50
>> Okay. Okay.
19:51
>> Yeah. So, I can be seen just fine.
19:53
>> Okay.
19:54
>> The thing inside the field can't see out
19:55
and nothing can see into it. So, that
19:57
drone is basically just I don't know
19:59
what's happening. Um, but everybody else
20:02
can see me because I came out to hit the
20:03
other guy.
20:04
>> Okay. Um, this one is going to go at one
20:08
of them's going to go for nitpick with
20:11
uh 19 to hit.
20:12
>> Uh, that does it.
20:14
>> You take four points of damage, piercing
20:17
damage.
20:18
>> Okay.
20:19
>> And two points of mental damage.
20:22
>> And the other one is going to go for
20:25
tooth hug, but it only roll Well, that's
20:29
an 18. Then it doesn't hit me. I have
20:31
armor in the armor.
20:32
>> Okay. It It rushes at you and actually
20:36
it doesn't have to rush at you. This is
20:37
a range attack. It it uh moves its hand
20:41
and sends a burst of energy in your
20:43
direction, but it you are too small and
20:46
too fast to even be hit by magic.
20:48
>> Yeah. I don't like you. I just want you
20:52
to know that I'm going to have to thug
20:54
you really hard.
20:58
Um, uh, so yes, I we're going to go
21:02
we're going to go back around to
21:03
nitpick.
21:04
>> Uh, the one that hit me, uh, I'm going
21:08
to target him and his closest ally. Uh,
21:13
actually, sorry, first action is I'm
21:14
maintaining my warp bubble. Uh, and then
21:17
my next two actions are to cast a spell
21:18
called ricochet.
21:20
>> Okay. uh where I reach into my bag and
21:23
pull out a uh looks like a fidget
21:25
spinner uh and I push a button on it and
21:28
like these little spikes come out of the
21:30
side of it and then I do like the yandu
21:32
whistle and this thing just like picks
21:34
up from my hand and
21:36
uh I'm going to need both of them to
21:39
make a reflex D saving throw DC17.
21:42
>> Okay, you know I picked up two separate
21:44
d20s and I rolled them together and they
21:48
both landed on an 18. I I apologize.
21:51
That's just what happened.
21:55
>> Uh let me double check my reaction
21:56
ability and see if I can actually
21:57
interact with this. I think I can
21:59
>> I was just like, "No, I'm not going to
22:00
roll two. I'm not going to roll this one
22:02
dice twice. I'll grab another." No,
22:03
they're both exactly Yeah.
22:05
>> Sorry. I'm just trying to look this up
22:06
because I don't I've never used this
22:09
one.
22:09
>> Well, that's that's the fun.
22:10
>> That's where we are.
22:12
>> I I had to look up Stella Rust to even
22:15
see what it did.
22:16
>> Nope. It is only for me. Yeah. So,
22:18
that's my three actions. So, next
22:21
>> uh yeah, next up is going to come back
22:23
up to Lunar 17.
22:24
>> All right. So, uh let's see. You So,
22:28
Tooth Hug didn't take any damage, but uh
22:30
Nitpick took four. Is that correct? Six.
22:33
>> Yep.
22:33
>> Six. Okay. Uh six is Yeah, six is fine.
22:37
>> Um I'm going to spend my first action to
22:41
transfer vitality out of my vitality
22:43
network. Since you're within 60 ft of
22:44
me, uh, I will transfer six healing to
22:48
nitpick.
22:49
>> Yay.
22:50
>> Uh, second action, interact, will be to
22:53
draw a to draw my semi-automatic pistol.
22:56
And my third action will be to strike
22:58
with my semi-automatic pistol at the
23:00
stupid mindless drone.
23:03
Uh,
23:04
>> I'll teach you to not have a brain.
23:05
>> Dar to be stupid and mindless in my
23:07
presence.
23:09
Oh no. Where' that d go? Uh. Uh 24.
23:14
>> That hits.
23:16
>> All right. Six piercing damage.
23:18
>> I have too many. That's how it goes.
23:21
>> When magic doesn't apply, I have a
23:23
backup spell. It's called gun.
23:25
>> Yeah. Casting the spell gun.
23:29
>> Got my magic wand right here. It's point
23:32
and shoot.
23:32
>> Uh sorry. What? Uh how many damage was
23:34
that again?
23:35
>> Six. Six piercing.
23:38
>> Okay. Six piercing. It does indeed take
23:39
piercing damage. You can still hit it.
23:42
Um, it's uh that goes right into its uh
23:46
metal chassis and it jars it. It's still
23:50
up, but there are some sparks flying
23:52
from its little little hover generators.
23:56
>> It's not looking great. Yeah. Yeah,
23:59
>> that's anything else. Okay, that is
24:02
>> transfer vitality. Interact to draw a
24:04
gun. Shoot robot. Yep, that's me.
24:06
>> Uh, that puts us to to Jadana. Uh, the
24:10
person who was in here with us, whose
24:12
name I still cannot figure out how to
24:13
say,
24:15
>> laing
24:18
bang. Is she still in here?
24:21
>> No, she had she had left to call the
24:24
authorities.
24:25
>> Yeah, I didn't know if she was in the
24:26
room still when this guy popped up. So,
24:29
okay. Uh, all right. I am going to h I
24:35
was my instinct was to go protect her,
24:36
but if she's already out,
24:38
>> then hopefully yell you could shoot
24:40
them.
24:43
>> They they don't like gun.
24:45
>> Yeah, that's going to be kind of it. I
24:47
think I'm going to
24:50
uh How many of the copies are up now?
24:53
>> Uh yes,
24:55
>> there's two. But I can't see one of
24:57
them. Correct.
24:59
>> No, you can't see a drone. One of the
25:01
drones is inside of a big light bubble
25:03
that happened when I hit the other guy.
25:05
>> Okay, I'm gonna just take a pot shot at
25:08
one of these guys.
25:09
>> Okay.
25:10
>> Uh with my laser rifle again. So, it's a
25:14
13 + 9 24
25:17
>> that hits.
25:18
>> Um or no, 22. I can't math.
25:23
>> That still hits.
25:24
>> Okay. Uh, so that is uh three fire
25:28
damage to whichever one I hit.
25:31
>> Okay. Um, it it sort of flickers in and
25:35
out of reality when you hit it. Uh, it's
25:38
still there, but it it had a good
25:40
flicker.
25:41
>> Okay. Uh, then I am going to hop down.
25:45
Is it like close enough that I could hop
25:47
down and run up on it?
25:49
>> Sure.
25:50
>> So, I would do that. And I want to run
25:51
up on it and I want to hit it with my
25:54
zero knife. Okay,
25:55
>> so that is 14 + seven to hit.
26:00
>> Uh, that does in fact hit.
26:01
>> Okay, that's 21 again. Yeah. Okay, I can
26:04
math. I promise. I'm just really bad at
26:06
it. Um, not going to do as much damage,
26:09
but it is cold damage. Uh, four coal
26:12
damage.
26:13
>> It's or five cold damage because it's
26:14
plus one.
26:15
>> It is. It is also gone.
26:17
>> Nice.
26:19
So, yes, you come up and you slice it
26:21
and it just cuts through it and it's the
26:24
the smoke kind of, you know, it looks
26:27
like a real figure there, but when you
26:29
come up and attack it, it just sort of
26:32
coaleses into smoke and it's gone.
26:34
>> Yeah, another one down. And that would
26:36
be my turn cuz it's two hits in a So,
26:39
>> and that is back around to tooth hug.
26:42
>> Okay, I'm not seeing a limit on how many
26:44
times I can use Stellar Rush. I mean,
26:46
I've looked at it like three times now
26:48
and I just not seeing anything saying I
26:49
can't use it every round. Um, so yeah,
26:53
uh, it does cost me an action, so
26:56
>> yeah.
26:57
>> Yeah, I'm going to use it. Uh, first
27:00
thing there's there's one guy and a
27:01
drone up, right?
27:03
>> Yes.
27:04
>> Drone is hidden.
27:05
>> Assuming that the Well, no, my bubble
27:07
went away now.
27:08
>> Oh, okay.
27:09
>> At the top of my order, the the bubble
27:10
goes away. It doesn't stay forever.
27:12
>> It lasts for a round. Okay.
27:13
>> Yep. Uh, so there's that drone that was
27:16
floating around that that guy's Is he
27:18
within 45 feet of the guy who's still
27:22
up?
27:23
>> Uh, he is not.
27:24
>> Okay. How far away is he from the guy
27:26
who's still up? And how far away is the
27:28
guy who's still up from
27:31
>> um so if you're telling me like let me
27:34
just make this simple. I can't get to
27:36
both of them within 70 ft. Correct. I
27:38
mean, you're going to have to go like
27:40
the 30 to 40 feet to one of them and
27:42
then 40 feet back to get to the other
27:44
one. You're you're zigzagging.
27:46
>> All right, then I'll just go for the one
27:48
uh the one kind of copy person who's
27:51
like I'll trust other people to get the
27:53
drone. Okay. Uh I go zooming up to him
27:56
and I miss on my attack unless a 15
27:59
hits.
28:00
>> A 15 hits him.
28:01
>> Oh, okay. Then I hit him for nine plus
28:04
four uh 13 damage from the uh strike.
28:08
>> Gone. It's gone. You smash your hammer
28:12
through them. It's a hammer, right?
28:13
>> It's his axe.
28:15
>> And okay, you you slice your axe through
28:17
them and the fawn kind of the shadows
28:21
around him shudder and then coalesque
28:24
into nothing like there was nothing
28:25
there.
28:26
>> So that's I don't have to move any
28:28
further actually. Um, that thing is
28:30
within 30 ft of me, assuming I'm still
28:32
I'm not done moving. Or is it like
28:34
closer to 50 ft from me?
28:35
>> Uh, I will I'll say it's within 30.
28:38
>> Okay, then I am going to use my second
28:40
action to just try to shoot it with a
28:43
vault of sunlight. Uh,
28:45
>> okay.
28:46
>> Which is a better roll than last time.
28:48
It's going to say an 18 to hit.
28:51
>> Yeah.
28:52
>> Okay. Takes 1d8. Okay. Okay. Well, he
28:54
takes five points of damage cuz I rolled
28:56
one on my damage roll, but the So, the
28:58
drone takes five points of And uh yeah,
29:01
it's late.
29:02
>> Okay. Yeah, the the drone is it shutters
29:05
and there are sparks coming out of it,
29:07
but it is still in the air
29:08
>> and that's it. I've done everything I
29:10
can.
29:11
>> Um
29:12
>> I could have I guess I could shoot
29:14
again. No, no, I'm done. I'm done. I'm
29:16
done. No, it's
29:17
>> Yeah, I've done all the actions. Sorry.
29:20
And now the drone is going to
29:24
Well,
29:26
this poor drone. This poor drone. It
29:27
feels like it has to attack something.
29:29
Um, it can attack me. I'm fine with it.
29:33
>> Or me. I mean, I was the one
29:34
>> I was the one mouthing off to
29:36
everything, so I don't know.
29:37
>> Uh, that's true. That's true. Um,
29:41
uh, but it I'm I'm going to say it goes
29:44
up to nitpick and it like it it's kind
29:49
of like a bug shaped thing, which it has
29:52
a long tail. It sort of tries to come in
29:54
and swat you with its tail. Uh, but it
29:57
ruled a 12.
29:58
>> That's not it.
29:59
>> Uh, so yes, onward. That is going That's
30:03
going to be you. That's going to be nip.
30:05
Uh,
30:06
at the end of the day, I think I just
30:08
don't care about the drone. And I'm
30:10
going to try again. Two, one. I'm going
30:12
to maintain my bubble. Actually, do I
30:14
want to drop it? So, yeah, I'll drop it.
30:16
I can always pop it back up. I'll
30:17
probably regret this, but hey, here we
30:19
are. Uh, let's start with those reflex
30:21
saves on two of the dude.
30:23
>> I think we're down to just the drone.
30:25
>> Yeah, this was just drone.
30:27
>> Oh, then, uh, I'll keep the bubble up
30:30
and I'll just shoot it with a pistol.
30:32
>> Okay.
30:33
What is my regular attack? I laser
30:36
pistol 22.
30:37
>> Yeah, that hits.
30:38
>> Does it It doesn't exceed by 10, right?
30:40
>> Two. It's AC 13. So close but not quite.
30:44
It It also has two hit points. So
30:46
>> Oh, well, five fire damage.
30:48
>> Uh yes. So you
30:51
light it up and it was already sparking
30:54
and now it is sparking and on fire and
30:58
it crashes into the ground
31:00
>> and there's nothing left.
31:01
>> There's nothing. All right, I start
31:02
looking immediately to see if I can see
31:04
who I have to go hunt because I'm mad
31:06
now. Oh, as this is happening, the the
31:11
after this is happening, you know, you
31:12
have this moment of silence at the end
31:14
of the fight where everything seems to
31:17
be defeated and uh the doors at the end
31:20
of the hallway open up and in come uh
31:23
Striving's security forces with uh uh
31:28
various anites assigned to security,
31:31
including some big anestors,
31:34
which are kind of beefy things. uh
31:37
covered with guns. Uh a little too late,
31:41
but they swarm in and some uh I I am
31:47
going to from here I'm going to uh move
31:50
us forward a little because
31:54
one this is man combat takes forever.
31:56
Everything takes forever. Uh but yes,
31:59
security comes in, sweeps in and the
32:03
goes through and questions everyone what
32:05
all of you know. You are all uh you know
32:08
they take everyone down to the station.
32:10
Everyone's questioned. Everyone goes
32:12
through it. But at the end of the day,
32:14
you are all sent home. There's an in an
32:16
official investigation going on by the
32:19
uh uh by the insight array and the
32:23
machine court will definitely figure
32:25
this out, they tell you. and there's
32:27
nothing to worry about and you are sent
32:30
off on your own. Uh so at this point,
32:34
let's see, let's let's look at what we
32:37
what we know and what you want to do
32:39
next. Um we know that someone's been
32:43
after tier 99 professor. We know someone
32:46
is now after you and has told you to get
32:48
your nose out of all of this. We know
32:50
tier 99 professor has been dead for
32:52
about two weeks at this point. And um
32:56
>> and we know that there was some kind of
32:57
dangerous object that he took out of
32:59
Polytenica's collection.
33:01
>> Yes, there was an item he was after
33:04
>> there was an item he was researching
33:06
that he thought was dangerous that um
33:09
was maybe why he was being chased. Am I
33:12
missing anything else here? And a
33:14
mysterious figure possibly named Z or
33:17
some sort of Z related name.
33:19
>> Yeah. So, I think that's the next thing
33:21
we want to chase down is that professor
33:22
that he was paling around with that has
33:25
the Z related name. And I'm going to see
33:27
if it is Zyum or cuz that was what was
33:29
in the uh the data logs from the drone.
33:32
So, I guess I see if I can find any
33:35
information on a professor with
33:37
something similar to that or close to it
33:40
or or whatever the case is. Yeah, I'm
33:43
try to do while he's doing that, I'm
33:44
going to try and do an in a artifact
33:47
check on that ship in that thing that if
33:51
it was related to that thing that he may
33:53
have taken like if it ended up in the
33:55
collection that was he removed something
33:57
from cuz I remember that that I had some
34:01
information about it before.
34:02
>> Uh yes. Yes. you know that um uh the the
34:07
people striving have been recovering
34:08
artifacts from the acton, but um I I
34:12
don't know what exactly you're trying to
34:14
find out.
34:15
>> Basically, did anything specifically
34:17
from the acton go to the to the uh
34:19
Polytenic that he would have had access
34:21
to and able to take?
34:22
>> Uh that is that is very easy information
34:24
to find out. Yes. Yes. Polytenica has
34:27
been studying artifacts from the
34:29
remnants of the Acteton that so yes,
34:32
it's possible.
34:33
>> I'll kick that over to to everyone.
34:35
>> Um I'm going to say that you've decided
34:38
the next good point of investigation
34:40
would be to go to Poly Technica yourself
34:43
and you know try
34:46
where is this visiting a professor? Um
34:50
did
34:50
>> so do multiple things you check there?
34:52
Gotcha.
34:53
>> Yeah. Did anyone know what uh Tyranny
34:56
was working on? Uh so you go
34:59
Polytechnica is just it's a it's a
35:01
university. It's there's just kind of a
35:03
whole district of striving that's
35:05
dedicated to different parts of
35:08
Polytenica. Maybe I don't know where
35:10
we're going as I scroll through my
35:12
notes.
35:15
>> I think we've all been there.
35:16
>> Uh yes. I if if anyone out there has run
35:20
a game, it's like, you know, I'm just
35:21
I'm going to turn the next page of my
35:23
notes. Oh, that's not what I thought was
35:25
on the next page of my notes.
35:27
Polytechnica. Yes. Um and it's very easy
35:31
to get around the city of striving.
35:32
There are highspeed trains and public
35:34
transportation. That's just very easy to
35:38
get there. uh you found out that tier
35:40
999 professor worked at Polytenica's
35:42
central archives alongside an assistant
35:46
nicknamed Euro um and so you head there
35:50
and it's just a big complex of archives
35:53
servers museums reference libraries
35:57
um and it is packed with people of all
35:59
sorts. There are actually a lot of
36:00
organic life forms here which is a
36:02
little unusual for some parts of uh
36:05
striving but you know there are a lot of
36:06
visiting researchers as the one you were
36:09
searching for. Uh where where would you
36:12
like to get started here?
36:14
>> I'd want to go talk to his assistant.
36:16
>> I like I think that's a logical a
36:18
logical starting point. Um, so you go in
36:21
and you ask after Euro and you are
36:26
pointed uh down into the basement with
36:30
vending services, which is uh kind of a
36:34
kind of a break room. It's kind of a
36:37
break room uh with uh vending machines
36:40
offering everything from prepackaged
36:42
ready to eat meals for the organics to
36:45
you know uh uh quick battery packs which
36:50
>> package meals
36:54
>> uh battery packs which are kind of like
36:56
the anite version of an energy drink
36:59
just and they're they're definitely
37:02
packaged in exactly the same way. Um,
37:05
and uh, yes, there's there's a few
37:07
people down here, but not not a lot. But
37:10
you find uh, Euro, which is short for
37:15
Idudite Collaborator. He is a large He's
37:20
kind of a hulking thing with big with
37:23
big arms and wide shoulders. Uh, not
37:28
what you thought of when you thought you
37:30
were looking for a research assistant.
37:32
And he has a belt full of like papers
37:35
and little tools and um
37:39
uh but yes, he's sitting at a desk with
37:41
with a little battery pack that he's
37:43
nursing.
37:44
>> Uh hi
37:46
>> yes
37:48
>> your go. Yeah.
37:49
>> Yes.
37:49
>> Um can we find a quiet place to talk
37:53
about Professor Tyranny?
37:55
>> Oh. Oh yes, Tyranny. I mean yes, of
38:00
course. Um, you're not with the array.
38:03
Um, but the array hasn't found anything
38:06
that I've heard of. Um, so yes, he he
38:09
gets up and uh leads you back to a
38:12
cluttered little office. Just uh not
38:16
much to it. It's barely more than a
38:18
closet, which he's he's a pretty large
38:21
anite. The closet isn't much. This tiny
38:24
office isn't much bigger, isn't enough
38:27
for much more than him, but you kind of
38:29
uh squeeze in here in there. He shoves
38:32
things away on the desk and sort of
38:34
backs himself up into a corner to make
38:36
himself as small as possible so everyone
38:38
can uh fit in here and have a private
38:41
conversation. Um, so yeah, we all got
38:45
letters a couple days ago to come meet
38:48
with Professor Tyranny yesterday and we
38:51
tried to do that and we've now found out
38:53
he was murdered and it has something to
38:55
do with what he was working on here. I
38:57
know that's probably a lot to hear, but
38:59
we're all a little overwhelmed and we
39:00
want to know what you might know about
39:03
what he was working on so we can maybe
39:04
find out who did that. And she looks
39:06
around at everybody else like, "Did I
39:07
say too much?"
39:09
>> I don't I'm nodding. I think she said is
39:12
true.
39:12
>> Um I think he was he was obsessed about
39:15
the the the
39:18
first ones and the wreck of the of the
39:21
on Actton. That's for and for weeks
39:25
before the shutdown, Tierney was
39:28
preoccupied with someone they thought
39:30
was following them.
39:31
>> Based on the fact that they're dead, I'd
39:33
think they're some
39:34
>> It does seem logical. Um,
39:38
Tierney was studying an a a relic, a
39:41
relic from the Aaton from Aaton and
39:45
thought it was dangerous. Maybe I um and
39:50
insisted it go to a more secure
39:53
facility. I we had it here, but he was
39:57
worried there was a break-in attempt and
39:59
he was concerned. So, it's moved to
40:02
archive 404, which is just that's just
40:04
where we keep all the high security uh
40:07
devices. That's um anything that might
40:10
be dangerous, anything we aren't sure if
40:12
it's dangerous. Things like that. I The
40:15
last I saw him, he moved it and then he
40:17
entered a deep sync to analyze our
40:20
research. They must have shut down
40:23
during that time.
40:25
I just I just don't know how this could
40:27
have caused I don't know how our
40:29
research could have caused something
40:30
like this. It was just it was just a
40:33
it's
40:34
>> there any way we could take a peek at
40:35
that research?
40:36
>> Um I mean sure and it's like you know
40:42
like a like a multi- gigabyte database
40:45
of just numbers and statistics. It's
40:49
like he is completely willing to give it
40:51
to you, but it's I don't know how much
40:53
use he will get out of that. Do you have
40:55
a more specific question?
40:57
>> Oh, no. It was more like I wanted to
40:58
look at like notes and stuff to see if
41:00
we could figure out like when he started
41:02
seeing somebody following like the
41:04
documentation around being followed and
41:06
like what they were researching. So
41:08
maybe we could get a lead as to where to
41:10
go next.
41:10
>> See, maybe there's a part underline that
41:12
says they'll probably want to kill me
41:13
for this one.
41:14
>> Yeah, basically.
41:16
Well, we definitely have somebody who
41:17
has intimate relic knowledge. So, I'm
41:19
pretty sure if we turn some of that
41:20
stuff over, our little uh Skittermander
41:22
friend Tofug might
41:23
>> I'm good at thinking sometimes.
41:28
>> Thought Tyranny thought it was a battery
41:31
or a power source.
41:33
Uh but we couldn't figure out a way to
41:36
activate it. And it's it's sometimes
41:40
frowned on to reactivate these things.
41:42
It's really depends on the religious
41:45
affiliation of the people you were
41:47
talking to as to whether they think you
41:49
should use them or uh worship them or
41:52
whatever. Um
41:54
>> um whatever it is would be missing
41:57
though, right? Cuz he said he took it
41:59
out.
41:59
>> No, he took it. It was in the
42:02
university. It was at Polytechnica and
42:04
he put it in the archive.
42:05
>> Okay. And the archive is still in Poly
42:08
Technica or is it somewhere? Uh it's uh
42:11
I I'm going to say yes, it's part it's
42:13
part of the Polytechnica complex which
42:14
is quite large but it's a secure
42:16
archive. I mean I could if you went to
42:19
look at it I could show you but
42:23
>> okay
42:24
>> it's it's just
42:26
>> I don't think I I I don't think that's
42:28
where
42:28
>> I mean we could they don't have to
42:30
actually go physically see it to see
42:31
what it looks like, do we?
42:33
>> Just show us images of it, right?
42:35
>> I um Yes. Um, it's just uh I mean it's
42:40
just a it's a crystal. It's sort of a
42:42
blue glowing crystal formation.
42:46
>> How about this? Can you like take us to
42:47
it so we can see if maybe somebody's
42:49
tried to break in?
42:50
>> Uh, do you think
42:53
>> point of order though real quick? Uh,
42:55
this is just out of character. He said
42:57
he hid it. I don't think he would have
42:58
like the archive feels like
43:00
>> he he hid it in that um I mean out of
43:04
character. He hid it in the archive. I
43:07
mean, it's not like he took it and
43:09
buried it somewhere. It's not like a
43:10
piece of buried treasure, but it had
43:12
been like just out in Polytenica. It had
43:15
been in his like research station, but
43:18
he made sure it was in the secure
43:20
archives where not just everyone can go
43:22
into the secure archives,
43:24
>> right? Then I guess we go and check that
43:25
out then. That makes sense.
43:27
>> Well, I I can probably get you in. I
43:30
mean, there's still everyone's still
43:32
here. I can I can talk to the archivist.
43:35
He I'm I can Yeah, I'm sure they'll be
43:38
fine. It's fine. Uh so, uh you know, he
43:42
he runs you to the other side of the
43:44
Polytenic campus. Uh you go down into
43:48
archive 404, which is the most secure
43:50
archive there is. And does have to have
43:54
a few conversations.
43:56
There are conversations with a lot of
43:59
people who are like, "Why are you coming
44:01
down here? Why who are all of these
44:03
people?" And Eroko is actually very
44:06
charming as far as robotic charm goes.
44:08
Uh you know um making polite excuses,
44:14
acting very griefstricken over tyranny
44:16
which kind of turns on and off sort of
44:18
depending on who he's talking to. Um and
44:21
eventually you do get into this uh
44:24
facility in the basement of s of central
44:26
archives where
44:29
um you know there is there some security
44:32
staff are following you cuz they don't
44:34
just they won't get wasn't convincing
44:38
enough to let them just let you go in
44:41
and uh you you walk up to where it is
44:45
and you find an empty display case.
44:49
>> Yep. thought that was going to be the
44:50
case.
44:52
>> It was here. It was here this morning.
44:54
It and uh security is going, security
44:59
has been called, etc., etc., but the
45:03
display case is intact. No sign of a
45:05
break-in that anyone has seen. And
45:09
>> can I just make sure it's not an
45:10
illusion that that it's like still here
45:12
but showing not here?
45:13
>> Uh, absolutely. Give me a roll.
45:16
>> Uh, 17. Uh it you
45:21
detect traces of magic something like
45:25
you know you're I'm assuming you're
45:27
using like your data pad to do like a
45:29
scan here maybe just uh
45:32
>> uh I'm actually I'm actually using my
45:34
witch warper senses.
45:35
>> Okay. Yeah, that that that works too
45:38
because you someone has warped reality
45:43
very locally here. There's not it's not
45:46
an illusion. There's nothing in this
45:48
display case.
45:50
>> Mhm.
45:50
>> But there was some kind of powerful
45:52
magic used that happens to have been
45:54
used right here to
45:58
shift reality in some way.
46:00
>> Is it possible they did the same thing
46:02
and they were able to like cut this
46:03
thing open and just take it out?
46:05
>> Yeah. Should we check for hairline
46:07
fractures again?
46:09
Uh, I will say
46:10
>> honestly given the given given the the
46:14
occult power required to cast uh shape
46:17
to to slice reality the way they do,
46:19
it's entirely possible they could just
46:20
warp it out of the case into their hand
46:22
if they needed to.
46:23
>> Oh, that'd be a cool trick, huh?
46:25
>> Mhm. But we may as well check for atom
46:28
atomic thick thin cracks. Anyway,
46:31
>> uh, I'm going to say I I'm going to say
46:34
no. You do not see anything of this
46:36
kind.
46:37
I'm going for another hand.
46:40
>> Zyum.
46:41
>> Oh. Uh,
46:43
so Eruda
46:45
Erku is actually pretty distressed at
46:48
this point. Um, and has been talking to
46:51
all of the security guards and repeating
46:54
the same story over and over and over.
46:56
Uh, and has kind of got distracted from
46:59
you, but has come back. Um, uh, I What
47:02
was that
47:03
>> name? Zyum ring a bell?
47:05
>> Oh. Oh.
47:06
Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z
47:07
Z um there was a visiting professor that
47:12
uh Tyranny had been talking to
47:16
uh someone from
47:19
>> He happened to wear a mask.
47:21
>> I mean I I never talked to him. He was
47:23
from Oh, I can't I can't remember where
47:27
he was from. Would know where he was
47:28
from, but I Liz do not remember. Um he's
47:32
been here for a few weeks. interested in
47:34
first ones a few months interested in
47:37
first one's relics which is of course
47:39
this is the place you come if you want
47:40
to study first one's relics and so he
47:43
and Tyranny had uh had a lot a lot to
47:47
talk about I mean I thought they they
47:49
were friends they were friends but I
47:50
haven't seen him in a little while and
47:53
then of course I haven't seen Tierney in
47:55
a
47:55
>> like two weeks a little while
47:58
>> like two weeks a little while
48:00
>> right well uh I think I look at
48:02
everybody I think we know who we need to
48:03
find next. Where can we find the Zyum?
48:06
Sorry.
48:07
>> Yeah, I mean that was going to be my
48:08
question is where is Zyum?
48:10
>> Yep.
48:11
>> He He came here, but I
48:13
>> did he leave here?
48:14
>> I haven't seen him in weeks.
48:17
>> Okay. Did Do you normally record your
48:20
archive people in and out or something?
48:24
I mean, you had that big security deal
48:26
that was supposed to be keeping the
48:28
thing except it's not there. I figure if
48:31
somebody took it, they would have to
48:32
come here and get it and leave with it.
48:34
So maybe you could see if he's anywhere
48:36
there or find us an address cuz he was
48:38
organic, right? He'd have to live
48:40
somewhere. He can't just plug into a
48:42
recharge. Uh yes, all of the but um the
48:47
security anites all around here are
48:49
seeing are are seeing to the
48:51
investigation and there's apparently no
48:54
sign of anyone except you guys coming
48:56
into the archives today or there's no
49:00
weird activity. So uh that is a buzz of
49:07
confusion. This place is now swarming
49:09
with anocytes and people trying to
49:14
figure out what's going on. I I'm going
49:17
to ask which which one among you is the
49:20
most terminally online? And I think I
49:21
already know the answer, but I'm asking
49:23
anyway.
49:25
>> Go forth, warrior.
49:29
>> Okay. Um,
49:31
>> go ahead. Uh, so you you were always
49:35
kind of, you know, you're here, but
49:37
you're also just sort of monitoring the
49:40
feeds, monitoring the the digital
49:43
traffic going on and around in the short
49:45
wave. And you get a message ping. Uh,
49:50
>> okay. Check my future phone. Space
49:54
phone.
49:55
>> Space phone.
49:56
>> Space phone. your your your space uh
50:00
your space is very communicator.
50:04
>> Um and you have received a message.
50:07
>> Is it from an unknown number telling me
50:09
to back off?
50:11
>> Um I just shared it with you if you'd
50:13
read it.
50:14
>> Oh, okay.
50:15
>> It wasn't me this time.
50:18
>> Okay. She just didn't want you to she
50:19
wanted somebody besides you to read it.
50:21
Okay. Uh yeah. So, I'll read this text
50:24
message from presumably an unknown
50:25
number. Uh, and it says, "A plan is only
50:29
as good as the execution, and I have not
50:31
executed my plans well. Or perhaps I
50:34
simply failed to anticipate the
50:35
consequences and the unpredictability of
50:38
anites, who I assumed were altogether
50:40
predictable. Return to where it all
50:42
began. The smog, the alley. I believe
50:45
it's in our best interest to work
50:46
together. Do not go to the authorities.
50:49
Return, and I'll provide more
50:51
information. We must meet. We must speak
50:53
plainly. But our meeting may not come
50:55
easily. There's more work yet to be
50:57
done. An unexpected meddler threatens
50:59
all I have worked to prevent. Hear me
51:02
out. You will understand or we are
51:04
doomed. Agent Z.
51:08
Now he wants to work together. Okay.
51:10
>> Uh unless he's unless Vy is not actually
51:14
in fact the murderer.
51:15
>> Yeah. or uh well, the fact they say they
51:19
haven't executed their plans well makes
51:21
you wonder if maybe they didn't mean to.
51:23
>> Yeah,
51:24
>> we could at least hear them out. We can
51:25
at least hear them out before we unleash
51:27
Tooth Hug, right?
51:28
>> Yeah. I mean, I can just climb across
51:30
the roofs and stick to the shadows and
51:32
if he tries to pull anything, you know,
51:35
back of the head, no big deal.
51:36
>> Bam.
51:37
>> And I can go front of the head.
51:39
>> I I never doubted you. Uh, just remember
51:43
that we're dealing with a potentially
51:45
extremely powerful spellcaster here. So,
51:48
everyone be on your guard.
51:49
>> Or maybe not him. Maybe it was the
51:51
artifact.
51:52
>> We'll find out.
51:53
>> Well, if you figured out how to use an
51:54
artifact to do all that stuff, I don't
51:56
know. That doesn't sound like
51:58
>> I cracked my rat knuckles.
51:59
>> So sad.
52:00
>> Let's go find out.
52:02
>> Can't believe he's gone. He's not going
52:04
to ever tell me about magic rocks from
52:06
old times anymore or or buy me an entire
52:10
good and told me I can eat the whole
52:12
thing.
52:13
>> I bet you an entire good and you can eat
52:15
the whole thing.
52:15
>> Cuz he didn't eat. It was great. And
52:18
we'd go and he'd get food and then he
52:20
wouldn't eat it cuz he didn't eat. So I
52:22
would just eat all the He's a good
52:24
friend. And I'm gonna hug people really
52:27
hard until I find the one that did this
52:28
to him. And then I'm gonna hug that one
52:30
even harder. Let's go. Sally fourth to
52:32
the alley.
52:33
>> Yeah. I want to position myself on a
52:36
rooftop as we're getting there. Like
52:38
sneak up to like one of the rooftops or
52:39
something just so I have I can provide
52:42
cover.
52:43
>> Yes. I mean it's no trouble to get back
52:45
to where you were. Um uh and it doesn't
52:50
look any different. I mean you've been
52:53
on striving here for a couple of days
52:55
now in between doing all of this. Uh,
52:59
and uh, it feels like it's been a long
53:02
time. It feels like you've been working
53:04
on this for a while, but the alley looks
53:06
just the same. It's smoggy. It felt like
53:10
you were at a dead end, and here you are
53:12
back in this dead end alley. You walk
53:14
back in. You, of course, Justina have
53:17
have gotten up high. There are lots of
53:19
good vantage points you can get to and
53:22
to to watch all the going on. You don't
53:25
see anyone usual. Um, and
53:28
>> is the droid still there?
53:29
>> It is not. Uh, it's smoggy, but you
53:33
don't see the little scamps who were
53:34
still here. But there are a pair of
53:38
cyber wings, which are mechanical
53:41
um mechanized uh flying creatures. I'm
53:46
sorry I don't have better description
53:47
than that. Um, they're um
53:52
they uh don't appear threatening, but
53:54
they are there. And I'm just going to
53:56
say you can tell well enough that they
53:59
could be threatening.
54:00
>> I don't even hesitate. I just kind of
54:02
walk forward.
54:03
>> Okay. Uh, one of them turns towards you
54:06
as you approach. And here here we go. I
54:10
got something for you to read.
54:15
>> Did it. We're back.
54:17
>> Text it. Didn't text it to me this time.
54:20
>> Uh, sorry. Wait one moment as it
54:22
downloads cuz Discord is is dumb.
54:26
Recording from Agent Z. Got it.
54:28
>> Thank you for agreeing to meet. This is
54:30
the only place I know that's protected
54:31
from prying eyes. Or I hope that it is.
54:34
I fear I can't meet you in person. So
54:35
I've sent these messengers. I fled to
54:38
the ice wells where I know that the one
54:39
who is tracking me can't find me. The
54:42
one who betrayed me even after I placed
54:43
my trust in them. Go to frost lookout
54:46
near the surface if you wish to find me.
54:48
This place holds many dangers. vicious
54:50
local flora and fauna. Not to mention,
54:52
we would invade us from beyond the
54:54
stars. But I must take this chance. All
54:56
life could depend on it. The relic must
54:58
remain hidden. Better yet, it must be
55:00
destroyed. The research must end. Tier
55:03
999 professor trusted you to find the
55:05
murderer, but can you help ensure the
55:07
death had a purpose? Meet me and let us
55:10
end this. I lack the power to destroy it
55:11
myself, but with others it may be
55:13
possible. I can't make the mistake of
55:15
trusting anyone. I trusted prime
55:17
facilitator and and the
55:19
>> prime facilitator is what
55:21
>> that that's it. There's nothing else
55:23
there. It kind of faded out there. Yeah.
55:25
>> Um so yes, as as the the cyber wings
55:30
played this recording for you and as it
55:33
gets to the end, there's like a shock of
55:36
static in one of them and it starts
55:39
glitching like it it's has like an odd
55:43
tick to it as it tries to move. And one
55:47
of them just uh collapses just into like
55:51
a shower of like sparks as something
55:54
overloads it. Uh and this other one is
55:58
going to attempt to attack you because
56:00
that's
56:01
>> as soon as it looks like it's going to
56:02
attack. Can I just take a pot shot at
56:04
it?
56:04
>> You positioned yourself to do that. So
56:06
yes,
56:08
>> uh an 18 plus nine.
56:11
>> Uh that does definitely hit
56:13
>> what a 27. So,
56:15
>> but is it a crit?
56:17
>> Is it a crit?
56:18
>> I have everything on the same page. Uh,
56:20
it's an AC of 16.
56:22
>> So, it is a crit.
56:23
>> Yes.
56:25
>> Okay.
56:26
>> Okay. So, what do I do now?
56:27
>> Double the damage and you double the
56:29
damage and add your modifier.
56:31
>> Okay. Uh, well, I rolled dog [ __ ] I
56:34
rolled a three. Oh, sorry. I'm not
56:35
supposed to cuss. I'm sorry. I rolled a
56:37
three. So, that's six doubled. I don't
56:40
have any other modifiers to it. It's six
56:41
fire damage.
56:42
>> Okay. Uh, yes, it's I mean it's a sort
56:46
of cybernetic bird creature. And yes,
56:50
its wings are now scorched and it makes
56:54
a screeching sound.
56:57
And as it does this, it is going to try
56:59
to attack you, nitpick. But I rolled a
57:02
three on the dice, so I don't think it's
57:05
going to do that. Nope.
57:06
>> It's It's distracted by being set on
57:09
fire. I and it dives for you and misses.
57:14
Uh so let's do, you know, I'm just gonna
57:18
instead of doing going through rolling
57:20
with initiative, I'm just going to I'm
57:21
going to go down the list of all of you
57:22
because I don't think it's going to
57:23
survive long enough to do that. Uh uh
57:27
nitpick.
57:27
>> I'm just going to shoot it.
57:30
>> Yeah, I'm just going to shoot it. So
57:33
>> I mean, yeah, straightforward
57:35
>> 23
57:36
>> that hits. And it's a crit because right
57:40
>> it's 16
57:41
>> aces. Well, it's gonna take five fire
57:45
damage.
57:45
>> Okay. It's not it's not happy with it
57:47
that but it is not collapsed into a
57:49
power pile of sparks either.
57:51
>> I'll take a minus four and shoot it
57:53
again.
57:54
>> Okay.
57:54
>> Uh on the die plus six score is 18.
57:58
>> Yeah.
57:59
>> Uh three more points of fire dam.
58:01
>> It has two hit points left.
58:03
>> I will take a minus eight. 19 on the die
58:05
plus six is 25 is
58:08
>> 17.
58:08
>> I 17. So I'm I hit. Yeah,
58:11
>> that hits. Yeah, it's AC16.
58:13
>> Two points.
58:14
>> It does collapse on the ground in a pile
58:16
of sparks.
58:18
>> This thing just twitched the wrong way
58:20
once and took four shots to the face.
58:25
>> It lunged at me.
58:27
>> That'll teach it. That'll teach it to
58:29
lunge.
58:30
>> I don't see how it's going to teach it
58:32
to lunge. I'm pretty sure he's dead. And
58:34
then you can't learn much of anything
58:35
then.
58:36
>> Well, it learned that it it learned that
58:38
lesson for the rest of its life.
58:39
>> Uh I think it's time to bundle up. I
58:41
think we gone to the ice flows. Yeah.
58:43
>> I got a ship. I got a ship. I got a
58:46
ship. We can fly. I can fly us there. I
58:48
got a ship. I'm a pilot.
58:50
>> I mean, this is I'm a pilot. I don't
58:52
actually have any
58:53
>> This is on this planet. Um the ice wells
58:56
are uh just a feature of Abalon.
59:00
>> Yeah, it's how you terraform. I'm
59:01
guessing it's like the whole uh uh
59:03
whatchamacallit total re the [ __ ]
59:05
are actually underground is our
59:07
>> they're underground. Yes, they are
59:09
underground. They're like ancient
59:12
forests that are now frozen over and
59:14
full of strange fauna and wildlife that
59:17
could have been like a whole adventure
59:19
on their own except we've spent so much
59:21
time on everything else that it's like
59:23
we're going to the ice wells.
59:25
>> Yay. A segue.
59:29
>> It's Yes, you get that little Travel
59:31
montage.
59:32
>> Travel montage.
59:34
Um,
59:35
>> I was going to say
59:37
>> rising up.
59:39
>> Does everyone give me one thing you were
59:42
doing as we're heading out to this
59:45
place? You know, Agent Z has come out
59:47
here. Maybe Agent Z killed your friend.
59:50
Maybe not. Uh, but agency is certainly
59:54
in trouble with some other folks it
59:56
seems and wants to talk to you about
59:58
this and maybe something worse is going
1:00:00
on. What is everyone doing? We're
1:00:02
heading to the ice wells which are a
1:00:04
ways out of striving and it is very cold
1:00:07
and there's a lot of climbing and
1:00:09
dangerous fauna in your way. Give me a
1:00:12
scene of what you were doing on your way
1:00:14
out here.
1:00:14
>> I mean, I think I'm just running in the
1:00:16
shadow of whoever is larger than me
1:00:18
trying to like stay out of the way. I
1:00:20
think I'm bundled up in like the uh ice
1:00:23
planet Hoth gear that I could find and
1:00:26
uh you know just running support for my
1:00:29
friends using you know my my witch
1:00:32
warper mage hand to like distract things
1:00:35
get them out of our way so that we can
1:00:36
just kind of make as a quick amount of
1:00:39
time to our final destination as
1:00:40
possible. Yeah, because there are some
1:00:42
some strange and dangerous fauna that
1:00:45
you could have spent, you know, weeks
1:00:47
befriending and taking home as pets. But
1:00:50
no, no, you've got a mission. You have a
1:00:52
mission.
1:00:53
>> Yeah.
1:00:54
>> Um, who's next?
1:00:55
>> Yep. Uh, Lunar is using her uh
1:00:58
connection to the Aashic record to uh
1:01:01
she has the ability to scan the
1:01:02
environment within a mile, learning
1:01:04
things about the atmosphere in the
1:01:05
biome.
1:01:06
>> That's pretty good.
1:01:07
>> Yeah. So, I think that in anything like
1:01:09
this where you've got basically
1:01:10
underwater or underground ice wells, I
1:01:13
think she's basically steering them
1:01:15
steering the group clear of like sudden
1:01:18
cold fronts uh that would potentially,
1:01:21
you know, more of those things organics
1:01:23
should probably not be exposed to on
1:01:25
Avalon. Not a great planet for organics.
1:01:28
>> Um,
1:01:29
>> not really.
1:01:30
>> Yeah, I think she's uh Yeah, she can
1:01:33
detect large effects that span spaces
1:01:35
over 30 feet. So I think basically just
1:01:37
like avoiding the the most hazardous,
1:01:40
you know, things that attract the most
1:01:42
hazardous wildlife in these ice jungles,
1:01:44
avoiding uh very very very deadly
1:01:47
weather, that kind of thing with uh just
1:01:50
kind of continuously mentally
1:01:52
downloading uh data around there.
1:01:55
>> Okay. Yeah. You're you're getting close.
1:01:58
You're you're climbing through this ice
1:02:00
well and yes, there's a lot of dangerous
1:02:03
fauna. There is a giant plant that for a
1:02:06
moment you're just so tempted to walk
1:02:09
overwhelmed with the desire to walk
1:02:12
towards this plant and then you're like,
1:02:15
"No, no, no." Lunar is like, "No, stop
1:02:18
pushing everyone away from the plant.
1:02:20
Stay away from the plant. Hazardous
1:02:23
fauna. Go the other way." And continue
1:02:26
on. Let's see. Uh Jana, what are you
1:02:30
what are you doing as we are traveling
1:02:31
down through the ice wells?
1:02:33
>> I think Jana is like kind of got that
1:02:35
childlike wonder in her face cuz she's
1:02:37
never been on a planet before. This is
1:02:40
like the first time she's ever been on a
1:02:43
like on the ground in her entire life.
1:02:45
So I think she's just kind of like
1:02:47
mystified by everything, but she's also
1:02:49
anytime something like she perceives
1:02:52
something as a threat, she's got a gun
1:02:53
pointed at it. Um, so I think it's just
1:02:56
a she's very much a cross between trying
1:02:58
to protect everybody by keeping an eye
1:03:00
out for anything that might attack them,
1:03:02
but also being incredibly curious about
1:03:04
everything around her. And yeah, this is
1:03:08
an amazing space. I mean, this is like
1:03:12
this is like climbing Everest in
1:03:14
reverse. I mean, there's even like a
1:03:16
base camp at the top of the ice well
1:03:18
where people come down for expeditions.
1:03:21
And um there's you've never seen snow
1:03:24
before. You've never seen, you know,
1:03:28
these great stelagtites of icicle.
1:03:31
You've never seen anything like this
1:03:32
except in a vid. And being here, it's a
1:03:35
lot. Okay. The cold is less fun than it
1:03:37
looks like on vids. But uh and it's it's
1:03:41
full of astounding wildlife. Like it's
1:03:43
not a dead space. Plants and flowers.
1:03:46
This was at one point an ancient jungle.
1:03:48
and it's just uh just kind of hiding
1:03:52
away in the heart of the planet and it's
1:03:54
just full of wondrous sights to explore
1:03:57
if you were not on the hunt for a killer
1:04:00
or someone who had betrayed a killer or
1:04:02
something.
1:04:02
>> Yeah.
1:04:03
>> Uh so it's down to you tooth hug. What
1:04:06
What are you doing on this trip going
1:04:08
down the ice?
1:04:10
>> If anything looks like it's going to
1:04:11
come attack us, I
1:04:12
>> That's a good idea. That's a pretty good
1:04:14
idea. Or I mean if we don't have to kill
1:04:17
it, we can avoid it because I I know
1:04:19
stuff about like outside places, things
1:04:22
that have got out of character. She has
1:04:24
the survival skill. Um so she's
1:04:27
basically trying to make sure nothing
1:04:29
can hurt them. And if anything looks
1:04:31
like it's going to hurt them, she'll try
1:04:32
to intimidate it first, what with the
1:04:34
big glowing laser weapon. And you know,
1:04:37
she she can put up quite a display all
1:04:39
of a sudden. So that's watching. If it
1:04:42
looks like something can be scared away,
1:04:43
she'll try to scare it away. And if it
1:04:45
has to be not if it won't let me scare
1:04:48
it away, I can I will take action to
1:04:51
make sure it does not hurt any. So
1:04:52
that's that's my goal.
1:04:53
>> And there there are some very ominous
1:04:56
creatures, but actually they are
1:04:58
wellthreatened. Uh there's kind of some
1:05:01
large salamandery things with tennas.
1:05:05
um they don't look threatening, but
1:05:07
they're coming at you in a certain way.
1:05:09
And you do this big you go out with your
1:05:11
light show and your your ax appears and
1:05:15
they think twice. They back off. They
1:05:18
slowly back away and you don't see them
1:05:20
again. So you are going down. You're
1:05:23
you're looking for this agency. You're
1:05:26
way down in the ice wall at this point.
1:05:28
You are way farther than most people go.
1:05:31
Um, everyone roll me a perception check.
1:05:35
>> I've done famously well at these so far.
1:05:37
>> I know. Now is the time. Turn it around,
1:05:40
Joe.
1:05:41
>> Uh, I got a 19 on the dieice. So, 23. I
1:05:44
did good. I did good.
1:05:46
>> Hey, look. We're going to switch places.
1:05:47
I rolled a three on the die for an 11.
1:05:50
>> Total of 17.
1:05:51
>> 19 plus five.
1:05:53
Uh, so it is Tooth Hug and Nitpick are
1:05:57
kind of out in front of the group
1:05:59
looking to see
1:06:02
hoping to see some sign of anything.
1:06:04
It's really desolate down here. It's
1:06:06
particularly
1:06:08
and you see a stone painted with a
1:06:13
symbol. Um, it just it just looks out of
1:06:17
place because there's so so little
1:06:21
anything here down this far. Um, you
1:06:24
approach it and uh you see it was hiding
1:06:29
a door. It looks like this door used to
1:06:31
be locked. It is no longer locked. It's
1:06:34
been smashed open. You go down a set of
1:06:38
steps into just an icy cave. Uh there's
1:06:42
another door that looks like a blast
1:06:45
door that would installed like it's a
1:06:47
little blast shelter down here. It is
1:06:49
also torn open. And uh inside
1:06:55
is ah where is the description? I had it
1:06:59
right in front of me 3 seconds ago. Ah.
1:07:02
Um, so this is extremely cold down here.
1:07:07
And it's just kind it's like a one room
1:07:09
bunker just buried down deep at the
1:07:12
bottom of this ice well. And um it's a
1:07:16
cramped space packed with steel shelves
1:07:18
stacked with supplies like canned
1:07:21
rations, filtered water, uh things of
1:07:25
that nature. And um there is a card
1:07:29
table that's stacked with various types
1:07:30
of ammunition and a disassembled laser
1:07:34
pistol. Um and a plasma sword.
1:07:38
>> Is there a person or humanoid of any
1:07:40
type in this room? Great. Uh there's no
1:07:43
other entrances or exits out of this
1:07:45
room that we see.
1:07:46
>> There is not. Oh, you uh but you search
1:07:50
the room and it's stuff stuff. I mean,
1:07:53
it's clear someone's been living here.
1:07:55
or someone has been staying here. Um,
1:07:58
it's tucked away that like uh is a you
1:08:03
finally find a null space chamber in the
1:08:06
corner and inside an unusual object, a
1:08:12
glowing crystal. And
1:08:13
>> we would have seen it before, right? We
1:08:15
would have seen images of it.
1:08:16
>> Yes, you you've seen Yes, you've seen
1:08:19
pictures of it. The relic and I'm going
1:08:21
to give something to Joe to read. uh
1:08:24
which is uh in this uh there's a data
1:08:28
pad sitting in here with it that has
1:08:30
results of scans on it.
1:08:32
>> All right. Results of scan foot long
1:08:35
romboy device smooth blue texture like
1:08:37
glass flickers within a fire. Cellular
1:08:39
structure mostly unknown. Same
1:08:41
similarities to cellular structure of
1:08:43
anocytes. Abnormalities. Object shows
1:08:45
signs of recent exposure to multiple
1:08:47
forms of energy. Origin unknown. Purpose
1:08:50
unknown. Magical properties unknown.
1:08:53
Technological properties unknown.
1:08:54
Biological properties unknown. So here's
1:08:58
the rock. Where's the where's this
1:09:00
agent?
1:09:00
>> Uh there's also a laptop here. And if
1:09:03
anyone digs through it, you find
1:09:07
uh information about the first ones or
1:09:10
theories. You find one that reads, "My
1:09:13
current thesis about the first one's
1:09:14
true purpose in returning to this
1:09:16
reality. They wish to use it as fuel for
1:09:18
their interdimensional journeys. I spent
1:09:21
days and weeks on this research.
1:09:22
Countless equations, endless
1:09:24
technomagical diagrams, hours of
1:09:26
research spanning Ashlin, Avalon, Lojuk,
1:09:29
and most recently Ackaton. My head spins
1:09:32
just thinking about it. But I must
1:09:34
continue. There are many potential uses
1:09:36
of recovered First Ones technology. Even
1:09:39
if we keep it out of the hands of the
1:09:40
First Ones themselves, anyone who learns
1:09:42
the secrets of these devices could wreck
1:09:45
havoc across the galaxy. Fools with
1:09:48
simple scanning devices may not learn
1:09:50
anything. But what could th But what of
1:09:52
those who are more persistent
1:09:54
scientists, philosophers, wararmongers?
1:09:57
What of them? I can't imagine the
1:09:59
purposes they could concoct from these
1:10:01
devices. And I have seen on many worlds.
1:10:03
I must befriend tier 99 professor.
1:10:06
They're a mere researcher, but they are
1:10:07
stubborn and they serve an institution
1:10:09
that is too powerful to ignore.
1:10:12
>> Um,
1:10:13
>> well, that explains some of it, but not
1:10:15
all of it. Uh you keep looking and there
1:10:17
is another you know skimming through
1:10:20
okay where's the good stuff where's the
1:10:21
good stuff uh you find a later entry
1:10:24
more recent it says I did not mean to
1:10:27
kill indeed after all of our time but
1:10:30
mere friendship can't stand in my way
1:10:32
the first one's relics must be destroyed
1:10:35
I cannot spare any time or waste any
1:10:37
effort on friendship do I regret the
1:10:39
professor's death yes to a point tragedy
1:10:42
of course an unintentional death
1:10:44
resulting from their stubbornness and my
1:10:46
own desperation. But had they persisted,
1:10:48
I may have needed to resort to violence.
1:10:50
In any case, I may have needed to res
1:10:52
words. That's not in the log. That's
1:10:54
just me talking. Uh that I think is the
1:10:57
true tragedy that there simply is no
1:10:59
other choice. What is one death against
1:11:01
the potential deaths of innumerable
1:11:03
others? I must find a way to destroy the
1:11:05
relic. Otherwise, more like tier 99
1:11:08
professor will seek it out. They'll
1:11:10
trigger the anesy progenitors return to
1:11:12
this dimension, destroying everything
1:11:14
and killing everyone instantaneously as
1:11:17
they burn this reality for
1:11:18
transdimensional fuel. What is one death
1:11:21
compared to that? I suppose it's nothing
1:11:22
at all. Who had the best uh perception
1:11:27
role out of that last one? Was it Was it
1:11:29
>> I think it was Matt Mad Matt.
1:11:32
>> Yeah, it was it was too thick.
1:11:34
>> Yeah, it was me. Um, so you you notice
1:11:39
you're looking around here and I mean
1:11:41
you you're a smuggler. You're used to
1:11:43
maybe hiding things out of sight. Uh
1:11:47
you're used to maybe a little a little
1:11:50
bit of trick of trickery. You notice
1:11:52
there's something the se is odd like an
1:11:55
odd something attached to a ventilation
1:11:58
shaft up there. And uh it's a little a
1:12:03
tiny angular gray device. It's just it
1:12:06
just looks like a lump until you get up
1:12:09
there, climb up on the desk, and uh
1:12:11
start really looking at it. Uh it's
1:12:14
about the size of a pebble. It's
1:12:16
completely alien to you. And it's it
1:12:18
came to the surface. You don't even know
1:12:20
how it's stuck there. Some sort of
1:12:22
molecular thing. I mean um but uh
1:12:27
uh h everyone give me a wow society
1:12:33
check
1:12:34
>> surprisingly I actually have
1:12:36
>> I have
1:12:37
>> this this also says
1:12:38
>> that
1:12:39
>> this also says scoured stars lore but I
1:12:43
bet I'm not sure if anyone has anything
1:12:45
that specific
1:12:46
>> well I I have a plus seven on society I
1:12:49
rolled a 724
1:12:51
>> I that is going to do it. Once Tooth Hug
1:12:54
points this out, you're like, "That was
1:12:57
made by the Ginsel. That's a Ginsel
1:13:00
device, which uh Ginsel are not native
1:13:04
to this place." But actually, Nitpick
1:13:08
would know that there was a wreck of a
1:13:10
Ginsil ship here. And it's uh that's
1:13:15
that's about all you know, that a Ginsil
1:13:17
ship was wrecked in or near one of the
1:13:19
ice wells. and you just know that that
1:13:21
sounds really dangerous and you stay
1:13:23
away from that stuff. Apparently that's
1:13:25
your um
1:13:27
>> Okay, then
1:13:28
>> is the artifact, device, relic, whatever
1:13:30
you want to call it, is that just out
1:13:32
here in this room?
1:13:34
>> Um it was it was in a um what do you
1:13:38
call it? A security cash thing. What's
1:13:41
what's the equivalent of a bag of
1:13:43
holding? It was in it was in a thing.
1:13:45
>> The null the null space thing.
1:13:47
>> Null space.
1:13:48
>> Yes, that's it. Um, and I will say you
1:13:51
know you know your smuggling knowledge
1:13:53
you I'm going to say tooth hug you
1:13:54
recognize you think it's a listening
1:13:56
device.
1:13:56
>> Okay. We haven't really said anything
1:13:59
other than reading some scans, right?
1:14:01
Like we read a couple of things but we
1:14:03
haven't actually been talking to each
1:14:04
other that much.
1:14:05
>> I that's up to you. Have you been
1:14:07
talking or have you been uh looking
1:14:08
around in complete silence?
1:14:10
>> I've been pretty sad.
1:14:12
>> I've just been asking where the heck
1:14:13
this person is that we're because yet
1:14:14
again this is not me. I think that Jadea
1:14:17
or Jayana is like looking around and
1:14:21
she's like looking for papers. She's
1:14:22
looking through what else is in here
1:14:24
with this thing. I don't think she's
1:14:25
talking a whole lot cuz she's just she's
1:14:29
kind of got her curiosity up and she's
1:14:31
just kind of investigating around like
1:14:33
looking for anything else that we might
1:14:35
get information from.
1:14:36
>> And well, you who's who's looking at the
1:14:40
laptop or who was last looking at the
1:14:42
laptop?
1:14:43
>> Probably me. Yeah, as you say, probably
1:14:45
you or me. Yeah.
1:14:46
>> Yeah. Um, an alert pops up on the
1:14:49
screen. Uh, you can tell that it is
1:14:52
Wingabot pinging with a live security
1:14:55
feed. It keeps pinging.
1:14:57
>> Take a look.
1:14:58
>> Um, it's some crazy motion shots of
1:15:02
inside the ice well. And then the feed
1:15:06
focuses shakily on a hooded human figure
1:15:09
wearing a mask. They're clutching their
1:15:12
side and casting a spell at a monstrous
1:15:14
six-limmed alien with blades grafted to
1:15:17
each of its powerful legs, which
1:15:20
skitters towards them. Uh, quickly
1:15:23
unleashed spell blasts the monster back,
1:15:25
but two more charging at the lone
1:15:28
fighter and the figure stumbles before
1:15:31
the attackers's shining blades, kneeling
1:15:34
now with a blade resting on either side
1:15:37
of their neck. A garble of sound
1:15:39
indicates speech as the attackers
1:15:42
communicate. The drone transmits the
1:15:44
approximate location since satellite
1:15:46
imaging doesn't reliably work inside the
1:15:48
ice well. The attack occurred down a
1:15:52
zone down a zone in the gloming which is
1:15:54
the darkest deepest part of the ice
1:15:56
well.
1:15:57
>> The attack literally occurring live.
1:15:59
>> Yeah,
1:16:00
>> this is a live feed from a drone.
1:16:03
>> I don't like him. He killed my friend.
1:16:05
>> I mean, that's a that's a fair point. I
1:16:08
don't I want to know what it was all
1:16:11
for.
1:16:12
>> Yeah, I'm in the same camp there, bud.
1:16:14
>> I'm going to grab that null field
1:16:17
device. The thing that has the relic
1:16:19
inside it.
1:16:21
>> Yeah.
1:16:21
>> Is that carryable? I'm assuming it's
1:16:23
portable like a bag of holding would be.
1:16:25
>> I Well, in my head it's a bag of
1:16:28
holding. I don't know how true that is,
1:16:29
but I'm going to say yes.
1:16:32
>> Okay. I'm going to like put it on buckle
1:16:34
myself. That way if they have to kill me
1:16:36
to get it
1:16:38
>> if we're going to go, let's go. I have
1:16:40
some things to say.
1:16:41
>> What does everyone else think?
1:16:43
>> Are we going for it?
1:16:45
>> I'm already heading out the door cuz I I
1:16:47
need to know what happened.
1:16:48
>> Yeah, I'd just be following along.
1:16:50
>> Okay, down you go. Another travel
1:16:53
montage into the darkest, deepest part
1:16:57
of the of the ice well. Um, and uh, here
1:17:02
you are. You're on a you've been
1:17:04
climbing for what feels like hours down
1:17:08
to here, and you're in this a flat
1:17:10
landscape of white stretches out,
1:17:12
dappled with pools of frozen water. Uh,
1:17:16
everything blurs together as snow with
1:17:20
flurries of snow and the ice field
1:17:22
stretching in every direction with
1:17:24
landmarks. boulders here, a petrified
1:17:27
stump there, indelless configurations of
1:17:31
frozen lakes. Um, but you you know,
1:17:35
you've got a general location, but not
1:17:38
very precise. You keep trekking. You
1:17:40
have to find out what happened to your
1:17:41
friend. Why? Why did all of this happen?
1:17:45
>> Yeah.
1:17:45
>> So, you continue. Yeah.
1:17:47
>> Keep rushing forward.
1:17:49
>> Yeah. until you see in the distance
1:17:51
there's the broken hull of a dark gray
1:17:55
angular fighter craft that's jutting out
1:17:58
of the well the wall of the ice coming
1:18:02
out of the rocks. It's sheared nearly in
1:18:03
half and scorched by fire, but part of
1:18:07
its hull is still intact. It's shackled
1:18:10
to the cliff face with articulated metal
1:18:13
chains to kind of hold it together and
1:18:15
peculiar purple symbols blaze in the air
1:18:18
above the wreck.
1:18:20
>> Interesting. Is it a ship that I would
1:18:22
recognize? Like a type of ship I would
1:18:23
recognize.
1:18:24
>> Um I do not think so.
1:18:27
>> Okay.
1:18:27
>> I mean I have piloting. I don't know if
1:18:29
that would mean I would recognize the
1:18:31
ship though.
1:18:33
>> Fly doesn't mean that's what I'm saying.
1:18:35
>> It'd be more like a lore lore Starcraft.
1:18:38
Uh yes, it is a well uh Nitpick probably
1:18:41
knows that this is this is probably the
1:18:43
wreck of the Ginsul ship that he came
1:18:46
down on the planet that he has tried to
1:18:49
stay away from. Um I assume you are
1:18:53
approaching.
1:18:54
>> Well, we know he's getting attacked.
1:18:55
We're we're going to where he is.
1:18:57
There's no there's no detour.
1:18:58
>> Yeah. Yes. Um are you doing anything as
1:19:02
you are approaching? Are you being
1:19:04
stealthy? Are you being anything of this
1:19:06
nature?
1:19:07
Uh, I'm running measure so that we It's
1:19:10
a cantrip that lets me get the height,
1:19:13
width, height, length, depth, and weight
1:19:15
of everything I can observe within 200
1:19:17
ft. Uh, it should be really obvious when
1:19:21
we get within to me when we get within
1:19:23
200 feet of uh big knifey boy and our uh
1:19:28
our question mark friend question mark
1:19:32
uh that way.
1:19:33
>> Uh, okay. So you as you approach there
1:19:38
uh the ship's cannon comes up out of the
1:19:42
side of the ship and turns towards you
1:19:45
and fires a blast in your direction.
1:19:49
>> So maybe I'm confused. He was fighting
1:19:52
outside of the ship, not in a ship,
1:19:54
right? that that has been like timewise.
1:19:59
That's been uh that has been that was
1:20:03
the last thing you saw. That wasn't five
1:20:05
minutes ago. That may have been several
1:20:06
hours ago at this point.
1:20:08
>> We had to travel all the way down here.
1:20:09
So, if they caught him, they might have
1:20:11
dragged him inside. I don't know. He
1:20:13
might have killed him. Actually, can I
1:20:15
just make a survival check to see if I
1:20:17
see any obvious signs of dragging
1:20:18
someone away?
1:20:20
>> Oh, that sounds like a good idea.
1:20:21
>> Uh 19 + 5. uh before.
1:20:25
>> Yes. So, you're poking into the snow. Uh
1:20:29
it holds footprints pretty well. You
1:20:32
feel like there's been some pretty
1:20:35
serious scuffles in this area recently.
1:20:38
And as you look to the ship, I mean,
1:20:40
there are certainly tracks of some large
1:20:42
creatures that have come this way,
1:20:44
possibly dragging something. Uh and the
1:20:47
ship's laser fires at you, but you dodge
1:20:51
into cover. uh watching the tracks. That
1:20:55
sentence made sense.
1:20:56
>> Yeah.
1:20:57
>> Yeah, I understood it.
1:20:58
>> All right. Well, we got to get our We
1:20:59
got to get our
1:21:00
>> He's in there. Um how far away is the
1:21:04
ship's laser? And how far up?
1:21:06
>> Um at this point, I'm going to say
1:21:09
you're 70 or 80 feet. Like, it's still a
1:21:12
ways away, but it's you could get up to
1:21:14
it if you if you wanted to. And uh the
1:21:18
ship is attached to the wall, but it's
1:21:21
that's more it's more attached to the
1:21:22
wall to keep it from to keep it from
1:21:24
falling down and collapsing completely.
1:21:26
There are ground level ways into it, if
1:21:29
that makes sense.
1:21:30
>> I was just thinking I would go up and
1:21:32
make it so the laser didn't work
1:21:33
anymore.
1:21:34
>> Uh you can go and do that if you want
1:21:36
to. Anyone who would like can uh could
1:21:40
make a run for it or does anyone have
1:21:42
any other
1:21:42
>> Well, I can basically cover.
1:21:45
>> Yeah.
1:21:45
>> Yeah.
1:21:46
>> I can travel like a solid 75 like 35
1:21:50
plus 35 is uh 75 right 65
1:21:56
would be 70 and then an additional 10
1:21:58
per. So 80 90 I can go 90 ft in a in a
1:22:02
>> Yeah, you can get you can get right
1:22:04
there up to it
1:22:05
>> and then when I get there I
1:22:06
automatically have an attack I can make
1:22:08
>> from the from the strike. So uh that's
1:22:12
not a great roll for me. 14 to 721.
1:22:17
>> I mean I that is actually plenty. I mean
1:22:20
they aren't they're they're large guns.
1:22:22
They're not dodging out of your way.
1:22:24
They're not. This is This is the epitome
1:22:26
of uh offense is the best defense. So,
1:22:30
yes, that hits.
1:22:32
>> Okay. Uh do you need me to roll damage
1:22:34
or do you just want to assume it breaks
1:22:35
it?
1:22:36
>> Um
1:22:37
>> I'm fine with you.
1:22:38
>> You know, I'm going if you if you want
1:22:39
to go in and do damage. I'm assuming
1:22:41
that yes, you can go in and you know,
1:22:43
you're familiar with ships. You can go
1:22:44
in and slice wires. You can slice
1:22:46
control cables. Uh you have enough
1:22:49
familiarity with this kind of equipment
1:22:50
to to disable them. So, yes, you make a
1:22:54
run for it, get in there, slice up some
1:22:58
control cables with your axe, and their
1:23:02
power spins down and the whole assembly
1:23:06
droops down towards the ground. You hear
1:23:10
shrieking, a shrieking noise, kind of an
1:23:12
insecttoid kind of voice shouting. But,
1:23:17
uh, I I do not think any of you share a
1:23:19
language. Uh, wait. That we don't share
1:23:23
a language. What language?
1:23:24
>> You don't share a language with this
1:23:25
rey, I assume.
1:23:27
>> Well, I mean, we might. You never know.
1:23:29
>> I can speak uh cassava, vesque, and
1:23:32
common.
1:23:33
>> I have ecatonian, brethodan, common,
1:23:36
shiran, trinary, yoskai, and vesque.
1:23:39
>> Oh, I have common, trinary, and versite.
1:23:42
Languages I've never heard of.
1:23:44
>> Trina, anite. Um.
1:23:47
>> Oh, good. I speak anite. I I just began
1:23:49
to site Latin.
1:23:52
>> You do. So
1:23:54
>> So no, none of you speak
1:23:57
>> and none of you none of you speak none
1:23:59
of you speak their native language. Um
1:24:02
but there does it does sound like
1:24:03
there's activity inside the ship.
1:24:06
>> So I mean I think at this point we're
1:24:07
just breaking neck onto the ship, right?
1:24:09
Like we're just we got to get in.
1:24:11
>> Yep.
1:24:11
>> So door rip it open whatever we got to
1:24:14
do to get onto the ship and get to get
1:24:16
to where we need to be. I mean, I have a
1:24:18
really simple idea on how to get in the
1:24:20
ship. I'm assuming there's a door in
1:24:22
that those tracks lead to.
1:24:24
>> Yes.
1:24:24
>> I'm assuming it's closed.
1:24:26
>> Yes.
1:24:26
>> I'm assuming I have an axe made out of
1:24:29
light.
1:24:29
>> Uh, that's an easy assumption to make.
1:24:31
Yes.
1:24:32
>> Yeah. I'm going to start unless somebody
1:24:34
tells me they can open this door, I'm
1:24:36
going to start axing it open. I'll wait
1:24:37
till some everyone gets a chance to look
1:24:39
at it and tell me if they can open it or
1:24:40
not. And technically speaking, I have
1:24:43
thievery, so I guess I could try to open
1:24:46
it. I I think that is in fact what
1:24:48
thievery is for. Opening doors that you
1:24:50
don't know how to open. So I could try
1:24:52
it too, but if somebody has a better
1:24:54
idea, I'm more than happy to let them do
1:24:56
it.
1:24:56
>> Anybody know how to hack a door?
1:24:58
>> I mean, I can try to computer hack it,
1:25:00
but
1:25:00
>> I don't know. It sounds like he's going
1:25:02
to hack it with an axe
1:25:04
>> with that.
1:25:05
>> I mean, I can try thievery. I don't know
1:25:06
what particular thievery would do here.
1:25:08
>> Ask the door a question and tell it to
1:25:10
open up. Oddly enough, that's the real
1:25:13
>> while everybody while everybody's
1:25:14
debating, I just jack into the door and
1:25:16
I've rolled a 25 to hack it.
1:25:19
>> Okay. Yeah, the door opens right up. It
1:25:21
thinks you're its best friend.
1:25:22
>> I don't suppose while you're being
1:25:24
friends with the door, you could ask the
1:25:26
door where the guy were looking for it.
1:25:28
I don't know if I'm that far in the
1:25:31
system,
1:25:32
>> but uh as as you pull open the door, you
1:25:35
pull open the door to in time to see a
1:25:38
large insecttoid creature with its body
1:25:42
covered in armor uh
1:25:45
hurrying down in this direction.
1:25:48
>> Okay, I'm going to keep that thing busy.
1:25:50
Maybe you guys shoot it, too, and you
1:25:53
try to figure out if you can find out
1:25:54
where we're going.
1:25:55
>> Uh, sure. I'm gonna see if I can while
1:25:57
that's happening, I'm just going to see
1:25:58
if I can get like a layout of the ship.
1:26:00
>> Uh yes, there there is a layout of the
1:26:03
ship. Um I there's not much left to the
1:26:06
ship, but what what there is you can see
1:26:09
there are some there are some quarters,
1:26:11
there's an armory, there's a barracks.
1:26:14
Uh there is of course a brick is clearly
1:26:17
a military focused ship that uh
1:26:21
>> yeah I I don't think we necessarily at
1:26:25
this point I don't think our characters
1:26:26
really
1:26:28
ship
1:26:29
>> I understand that big bug bad going out
1:26:32
>> we we know we're going into a warship
1:26:33
but shot cannon that so we're going to
1:26:35
we got to get through this thing to get
1:26:36
to where we need to go. So, we're going
1:26:38
to put this thing down, go get it, go
1:26:39
get Z,
1:26:41
>> and then figure out what's going to
1:26:42
happen.
1:26:43
>> Roll initiative.
1:26:45
>> Uh, actually,
1:26:47
>> uh, everyone give me an initiative roll.
1:26:49
Okay. 19.
1:26:50
>> I rolled a two for a big mighty 10.
1:26:53
>> I I'm never giving this die up.
1:26:56
>> This is the best die I've ever had. It
1:26:58
just rolled another 19. I'm rolling 19
1:27:00
so commonly with this thing. 24 total.
1:27:04
>> Okay. and Lunar
1:27:06
>> 22.
1:27:07
>> Our our bug did not roll well at all. So
1:27:11
that does indeed put Yes, Matt, you are
1:27:15
first. What does Tooth Hug do with this
1:27:18
massive creature running out of this
1:27:22
ship towards it?
1:27:23
>> How far away is it from me?
1:27:25
>> I mean, not very far. You were right up
1:27:28
tearing up the guns on the ship, and
1:27:29
it's running out to meet you because you
1:27:31
have destroyed its beautiful guns. Okay,
1:27:35
I will cover the distance. Uh, I am
1:27:38
using my stellar rush ability because
1:27:41
when I stop, before I do anything,
1:27:44
before I make my attack, he needs to
1:27:46
make a DC19 save, a fortitude save. If
1:27:50
he fails, he gets yanked back to me and
1:27:54
ends in an adjacent square.
1:27:56
>> It's a six. Okay. So, however far away
1:27:59
he was from me, I could go back down the
1:28:02
hallway a couple of rounds to he gets
1:28:04
pulled back to me. It doesn't make him
1:28:06
prone. It doesn't knock him down. It
1:28:08
just means he's now closer to me than to
1:28:09
anybody else.
1:28:10
>> But it yanks him towards you
1:28:12
significant.
1:28:12
>> That is correct. Yep.
1:28:14
>> Okay. So, he's pulled forward and sort
1:28:16
of stumbles on his feet of which he has
1:28:19
six.
1:28:20
>> Okay. Yeah, depending on how you
1:28:23
different decide to differentiate feet
1:28:25
and arms. Possibly he has eight feet and
1:28:27
no arms. I don't know. That's personal
1:28:31
question.
1:28:31
>> Rocking the same amount of limbs. That's
1:28:33
the important thing. Um I'm going to use
1:28:37
uh my strike from this ability, which is
1:28:41
17 + 7 is 24 to hit him.
1:28:43
>> Yes. This is AC16 is what your target
1:28:46
is.
1:28:46
>> Okay. So, this is just a regular hit.
1:28:49
>> Yeah. uh nine takes 13 points of
1:28:53
graviton damage.
1:28:54
>> You smash into him pulling uh with uh
1:28:59
your your attack kind of shifts its
1:29:02
center of gravity and it smacks it into
1:29:04
the ground as you hit it. It makes a
1:29:08
horrifying shrieking.
1:29:09
>> Okay, let's try to make it stop doing
1:29:11
that. I'm going
1:29:14
first regular attack so there's no
1:29:16
penalty. Uh, exact same roll. So, 24
1:29:20
>> that hits.
1:29:22
>> Okay. Uh, think to the
1:29:25
>> uh less on the damage. Uh, 6 + 4 is 10
1:29:28
damage again. Graviton damage.
1:29:30
>> And so, you come back in with a swing
1:29:32
from the other side and smash it. It
1:29:35
goes, you smash it down into the ground
1:29:37
again, shifting its, you know, you're
1:29:39
shifting its center of gravity and
1:29:41
throwing it down as you hit it. And this
1:29:44
time it makes a sickening crack as it
1:29:47
goes down. And it does not get back up.
1:29:51
>> Okay. I then hold my position to see if
1:29:53
anything enters, if anything comes
1:29:55
within 15 uh feet of me, I have a
1:29:57
reaction ready, but I can only use it if
1:29:59
they come towards me and make an attack.
1:30:01
>> The minute the thing is down and I have
1:30:03
a position of where Z is, I am I am
1:30:06
moving.
1:30:06
>> Okay. Um, so you do hear So this guy is
1:30:10
down. You're standing outside. Who?
1:30:12
Actually, who is next? Is that That is
1:30:14
Joe. No, it's Lunar 17 is next on
1:30:18
Initiative.
1:30:19
>> It's me. Uh, it's down, but does it look
1:30:23
like it's still alive?
1:30:24
>> Um,
1:30:26
it it's not moving.
1:30:29
>> Okay. Uh, I'm going to find C because C
1:30:32
might need healing. Um, what do I need
1:30:34
to do to find to find and secure uh this
1:30:38
person that we're supposed to meet?
1:30:40
Uh, are you So, they are inside the ship
1:30:43
and we do know Nitpick was looking up
1:30:46
where inside the ship they might have
1:30:47
been.
1:30:49
>> Uh, yeah, just uh I'll just holler at
1:30:51
Nit. Did you figure out where Z is?
1:30:53
>> I think I did.
1:30:56
>> Where
1:30:58
in insert plot moving along here?
1:31:03
>> Okay. Well, you know, you know it's the
1:31:05
>> inside.
1:31:06
>> Yeah,
1:31:06
>> inside. He's inside. So,
1:31:08
>> yeah, I got the layout of the ship. So,
1:31:09
let's go.
1:31:10
>> Yeah.
1:31:10
>> Yeah. I'm booking it further in.
1:31:12
>> Nothing else is attacking. Uh I will
1:31:14
start moving trying to keep ahead of
1:31:16
people just so nobody gets attacked.
1:31:18
>> Uh so you are moving in and
1:31:22
uh as you come you hear noises in the
1:31:27
distance, noises of fighting. and you
1:31:30
see you turn a corner and you see this
1:31:33
masked figure, Agent Z, uh, putting down
1:31:37
another one of these spider creatures
1:31:39
with a spell, crushing it against the
1:31:42
hull. Uh, he does not look good. Looks
1:31:45
very bad. He is after after finishing
1:31:47
off this creature, he is extremely
1:31:51
winded and clutching his chest. He looks
1:31:55
>> Yeah. Well, he can't answer he can't
1:31:56
answer questions for us if he dies. Um,
1:31:58
I'm taking I'm taking two actions in a
1:32:01
spell slot to cast heal on him. Uh, he
1:32:05
has to be willing.
1:32:08
Is he willing?
1:32:10
>> Yes. I think I think he's I think he's
1:32:12
willing to accept help on offer.
1:32:14
>> All right. Well, good time to roll a max
1:32:16
roll. He gets 16 hit points back.
1:32:19
>> Wow. That that is great. It's okay cuz
1:32:24
you know
1:32:25
>> Jadana's down the hall from them because
1:32:28
she was following up and she's got the
1:32:30
rifle leveled at her head just in case
1:32:32
we need to take those back away.
1:32:34
>> Yeah. I mean the the help the mystic
1:32:38
giveth the operator taketh away. That's
1:32:40
how things work.
1:32:42
>> Uh I'm gonna say moving and then two
1:32:44
actions to heal. That'll that'll that'll
1:32:46
do me.
1:32:47
>> There's energy crackling around me as
1:32:49
I've not let go of my witch warper stuff
1:32:51
yet. And I look at him. Are there more?
1:32:54
>> Not that I'm aware of. At least none of
1:32:56
them. No one else has chased me this
1:32:58
far.
1:32:58
>> Great. You got your wind back? Start
1:33:01
talking.
1:33:03
>> Professor the professor sent for you.
1:33:05
>> Well, professor's kind of dead, so that
1:33:08
sort of complicates things. You said you
1:33:10
were going to explain. You got about one
1:33:13
chance at it.
1:33:14
>> He was my friend.
1:33:16
>> He was my friend.
1:33:17
>> My friend hoped he didn't mean to kill
1:33:19
him.
1:33:19
>> Guess you're never going to find out
1:33:20
now, huh? So, what happened?
1:33:22
>> You didn't know he was in the container.
1:33:24
>> Container? I thought he'd hidden the
1:33:25
relic there. It was the only thing that
1:33:28
made sense to hide the relic, not
1:33:30
himself. Why was he?
1:33:32
>> Cuz he didn't want to get killed and he
1:33:34
didn't want taking the relic.
1:33:36
>> And I just want to follow your your
1:33:37
train of thought here. So, something
1:33:40
that I was easily able to open up with
1:33:42
uh, you know, a basic data pad connected
1:33:44
to the thing. You said, "Nah, none of
1:33:48
that. I'm going to use some super
1:33:49
powerful magics and just rip this thing
1:33:52
in part. What's wrong with you?
1:33:54
>> I I clearly do not have your hacking
1:33:57
skills.
1:33:59
>> You could have bought it from anybody on
1:34:01
the streets.
1:34:03
The kids that work like walk up and down
1:34:06
could have done it for you. Why do you
1:34:08
have to go to something like that?
1:34:10
>> I feel like you underestimate your own
1:34:12
abilities.
1:34:13
>> And I feel like you underestimate my
1:34:14
overestimate my patience. You said this
1:34:17
was going to be a universe ending thing.
1:34:20
>> It is a universe ending thing. The first
1:34:22
ones are not some benevolent thing come
1:34:25
to save the anites or raise them up.
1:34:29
>> Okay. Okay. Um I feel like we are
1:34:31
wasting time yelling at each other and
1:34:34
blaming each other. I need to know how
1:34:37
to wreck this thing. If what you're
1:34:39
saying is true, how do we get rid of it?
1:34:41
>> I tried to destroy it myself. It's if
1:34:44
it's activated, I think it will summon
1:34:46
them back to this reality and drain it.
1:34:48
They will drain every ounce of it as
1:34:50
fuel.
1:34:51
>> So, how do we deactivate it?
1:34:54
>> I think I thought I could do a ritual to
1:34:57
deactivate it. To drain it of its magic
1:35:00
and render it inert. I thought I could
1:35:02
destroy it. Perhaps with your help
1:35:06
could.
1:35:07
>> How do we do that?
1:35:08
>> I look at Lunar. He gets no more
1:35:10
healing.
1:35:11
>> Yeah, that's fair. I look at him.
1:35:13
>> We got to destroy this rock though.
1:35:15
>> Rock gets go go go go go go go go goes
1:35:17
uh kaboom. Then you and I are going to
1:35:18
have a reckoning. What do you What do we
1:35:20
do?
1:35:20
>> It's fair enough. Um I am going to I
1:35:25
just need a I mean who wants to try to
1:35:28
tamper with this? I mean you're
1:35:30
basically making a crafting check to
1:35:33
destroy it or if you want to make uh if
1:35:36
you give me a reason why you could use a
1:35:37
different kind of check to destroy it.
1:35:40
And we're looking for two successes.
1:35:42
>> I have a plus seven to crafting and
1:35:43
arcana.
1:35:44
>> One of you's got a cultism.
1:35:46
>> Yeah,
1:35:47
>> not as good as your crafting.
1:35:49
>> Well, no. We We need two successes. So,
1:35:51
what's your answer to? Oh, boy. Okay.
1:35:54
>> The only thing I can think to do is to
1:35:55
summon a big axe and shop at the thing.
1:35:57
That's all I've got. So,
1:35:59
>> yeah, I've got I've got nothing. I have
1:36:01
like a nature check I can do and I have
1:36:03
and it's like nothing. Same for
1:36:04
survival.
1:36:06
>> She's perceptive and good shot. uh any
1:36:09
kind of technology or magic stuff is
1:36:12
kind of the direction.
1:36:13
>> Okay.
1:36:13
>> All right.
1:36:17
>> Uh two-prong attack. So, I think I'm
1:36:20
going to try to change the frequency of
1:36:21
the crystal.
1:36:22
>> Like I'm going to try to mess with it to
1:36:24
to offshoot the frequency from what it's
1:36:26
like supposed to be, whether it's adding
1:36:29
something on or taking like shaving a
1:36:31
piece off or whatever. Oh, that's a
1:36:33
natural 20.
1:36:35
>> I [ __ ] you not. I would take I Thank
1:36:37
you. Dice. Uh, that's a 27 crafting.
1:36:41
>> The best dice.
1:36:42
>> Okay. Um,
1:36:44
>> it's my lemon yellow dice that I bought
1:36:45
specifically for this game.
1:36:48
>> It's It's for paying you. Uh, so yes,
1:36:51
you you shift the frequency of the
1:36:53
crystal itself. And um, was anyone else
1:36:57
helping with this? Who else was doing
1:36:59
something?
1:37:00
>> Lunar.
1:37:00
>> I assumed I was doing the I assumed I
1:37:02
was doing a second check.
1:37:04
>> Yeah, we need, right? So that's going to
1:37:06
be you you need to do something else. So
1:37:08
like I've got the frequency shifter the
1:37:10
thing to like implode on itself or
1:37:12
something.
1:37:13
>> Yeah. I'm God. Uh
1:37:16
>> wait a minute. He mentioned that he
1:37:18
wanted to try to drain the magic out of
1:37:20
her, right?
1:37:21
>> Yeah.
1:37:22
>> Um
1:37:23
>> you you know about magic.
1:37:25
>> I'm going to attempt to divert its magic
1:37:27
directly into the Akashic network.
1:37:29
>> Okay.
1:37:29
>> Uh that sounds like some occult nonsense
1:37:33
that I could probably do. a cult or or
1:37:35
Kana or you know.
1:37:37
>> Oh, it's it's all a cult all day. And uh
1:37:39
my die is apparently resonating with
1:37:41
Joe's die. That is a natural 20 for a
1:37:44
total of 24.
1:37:46
We save the day.
1:37:48
>> We save the day.
1:37:49
>> It's It's like, okay, we're walking up.
1:37:51
We're getting away from the table. We're
1:37:53
done. That's what the dice are saying.
1:37:55
>> The dice The dice say finish. We're
1:37:57
hungry.
1:38:00
>> Well, there's Yeah, there's one last
1:38:01
thing we got to do before the before
1:38:02
this is over. Yeah. Uh, okay.
1:38:05
>> So, so describe to me, uh, Joe and Phil,
1:38:10
how how do you destroy this thing?
1:38:12
>> So, I think I think at first Nitpick's
1:38:14
got the crystal like loaded up on like
1:38:17
these like tendrils and probes that are
1:38:18
coming off of his little data device.
1:38:20
Uh, and he's got his his goggles down,
1:38:22
his glasses up, and he's he's messing
1:38:24
with stuff. He's altering stuff. You're
1:38:26
probably seeing lights pulse at it.
1:38:28
You're seeing energy come in, pull out,
1:38:30
come in, pull out. Uh, and then there's
1:38:32
like a little oscill oscilloscope uh on
1:38:35
on the thing and right now it's a
1:38:38
perfect wave and then he keeps messing
1:38:40
with it and messing with it, messing
1:38:40
with it. Gets fuzzy for a couple seconds
1:38:42
and then a second wave appears.
1:38:44
Basically, this thing has split its
1:38:46
frequency. It's no longer aligned. And
1:38:48
at this point, he disconnects and turns
1:38:50
to Lunar and goes, "Yeah."
1:38:52
And for Lunar, I think she just plants
1:38:54
hands on this thing. Um, and like most
1:38:58
androids, she's got these like teal
1:38:59
circuits that criss-cross her skin
1:39:01
everywhere. And I think they just flare
1:39:03
white cuz one interesting thing about uh
1:39:06
about energy is energy is also just
1:39:09
another form of information. And she
1:39:12
serving as a conduit to the aosic
1:39:14
record, the uh the um multi-dimensional
1:39:17
source of all knowledge that ever has
1:39:18
been or will be just unloads the energy
1:39:21
of this thing back into the aosic
1:39:23
records. not the approach she usually
1:39:25
takes drawing on it for power, but yeah,
1:39:27
sort of reverse. Um, and I think her her
1:39:31
like her circuits are just this blinding
1:39:32
white. It's not meant to do this, but
1:39:35
she is just unloading this thing's magic
1:39:37
out into wherever the AOSIC record is.
1:39:40
Hopefully not sending it straight back
1:39:42
to the first ones, but it's a good way
1:39:43
to get it the heck out of here.
1:39:46
>> Yeah.
1:39:49
And just yeah, it's just it's it's it's
1:39:51
it's in the realm of the gods at this
1:39:53
point. So,
1:39:54
>> you are making this look so easy.
1:39:58
>> Is the crystal itself still there?
1:40:01
>> Um I'm going to say the crystal is
1:40:03
there, but it's it's gone gray. It kind
1:40:07
of it's doesn't have that strange glow
1:40:09
that it had before. It just just looks
1:40:11
like a
1:40:12
>> I'm going to start hitting it with a big
1:40:14
axe until such time as it looks like a
1:40:15
bunch of power.
1:40:16
>> You say you're going to eat it.
1:40:19
Not hungry right now.
1:40:23
>> Hungry for hurting something
1:40:26
w until it is just nothing.
1:40:29
>> Okay. Okay. Yes, you can. You can
1:40:31
definitely do that. Uh and and Agent Z
1:40:34
is just here kind of staring. I really I
1:40:38
really tried to destroy this thing. I I
1:40:40
>> Now imagine if you would have just
1:40:42
waited I don't know two weeks.
1:40:45
I don't you guys decide and I I go walk
1:40:48
over and kind of collapse in a little
1:40:49
ball and I'm just crying my eyes out.
1:40:52
>> I go comfort tooth hug
1:40:54
>> is my friend and I didn't help him.
1:40:56
>> You did more than enough. It's okay.
1:40:59
>> Didn't help.
1:41:00
>> She'll sit down next to him and like
1:41:01
scoop him up into her lap and like, you
1:41:04
know, comfort the crying toddler thing.
1:41:07
>> I walk over to while this is happening.
1:41:10
I walk over to Agent Z and I poke them
1:41:12
in the ch the chest and I say dance and
1:41:15
I need him to make a reflex saving
1:41:16
throw, please.
1:41:17
>> He's not going to.
1:41:18
>> He takes 16 points of lightning damage
1:41:20
as I thunder strike him.
1:41:22
>> Okay,
1:41:23
>> I see you again. I hear from you again.
1:41:27
And the words aren't, "What do I do to
1:41:29
not mess up again?" Your insides are
1:41:32
going to become outsides. The only
1:41:34
reason, the only reason I am not ending
1:41:38
you right now and I'm just hurting you
1:41:40
real bad is cuz we're hurting real bad.
1:41:44
Professor liked you and thought you were
1:41:46
a friend. But instead of asking for help
1:41:48
like he did, trusting in his friends.
1:41:52
Instead, you killed your friend and put
1:41:54
the universe in danger cuz you're
1:41:56
impatient. You think about what you did
1:41:59
and again get off my planet. And I turn
1:42:02
and I grab Twofug. I Well, I'm the same
1:42:05
size as Twofug. I reach out a hand for
1:42:06
Twofug.
1:42:08
>> Yeah, you you I'll take your hand and
1:42:11
let you yank me up. I want to go I want
1:42:13
to go somewhere else.
1:42:15
>> We got you, buddy. And I just start
1:42:17
walking out.
1:42:18
>> Okay. It's It's a long trip back out to
1:42:21
the uh to the top of the ice wall. When
1:42:24
you get at the top, you get to the base
1:42:25
camp and there who oversees the base
1:42:27
camp sees you coming in looking cold and
1:42:30
bedraggled invites you in for some hot
1:42:34
cocoa in front of the fire. Make sure
1:42:36
you're all set up with blankets. Well,
1:42:39
you certainly had a time down there.
1:42:41
>> Yeah,
1:42:42
>> buddy. If you only knew.
1:42:44
>> We did the thing the professor wanted us
1:42:46
to do. We We did the thing. Terry would
1:42:48
have been happy. We did the thing he
1:42:50
wanted.
1:42:51
>> We did do the thing he wanted,
1:42:52
>> you know. I got an idea.
1:42:55
>> Mhm.
1:42:55
>> Tyrion wanted knowledge and wanted to
1:42:57
learn what was out there, right? He
1:42:59
wanted to learn more about the first
1:43:00
ones and their true nature. Well, we did
1:43:02
a lot of that. I think maybe it's time
1:43:04
we get off this rocket and maybe we go
1:43:06
looking for some I think maybe the
1:43:08
universe needs to know the tr I think
1:43:10
that's the best way I can honor his
1:43:12
memory.
1:43:12
>> Well, I'm in.
1:43:14
>> I mean, I ain't got nothing better to
1:43:15
do. My parents told me to find him and
1:43:17
then they took off and they left me
1:43:18
here. I don't even got a place to sleep.
1:43:20
So, I fly a ship, though. I'm real good
1:43:22
at that.
1:43:23
>> I keep things from hitting you. And if
1:43:25
they try to hit you, I can hit them back
1:43:28
really, really hard. And then I can eat
1:43:30
your food cuz I'm hungry.
1:43:33
>> Hey, maybe we go get lunch before we
1:43:35
find a ship to get off this rock.
1:43:37
>> Yeah, they usually got food near places
1:43:39
with ships. We go to the shippy place
1:43:42
and there's usually a foodie place is
1:43:44
pretty close. We got to tell them that I
1:43:46
got to tell that that uh bartender about
1:43:48
what happened to Tyranny.
1:43:50
Yeah, we'll stop there first. We'll go
1:43:53
get food there and then go figure out
1:43:55
what's next.
1:43:56
>> And I think with that I think with that
1:43:58
we head off towards back towards the
1:44:00
city. Liz, take us out
1:44:02
>> and off off to a life of new hopefully
1:44:05
happier adventures. We know all
1:44:07
adventurers live happy, welladjusted
1:44:08
lives. That's just how these games work.
1:44:12
>> Ah, yes. Adventurers well known for
1:44:14
being welladjusted normal people.
1:44:17
We're all here playing the game, so we
1:44:19
we know that. Uh, thank you everyone for
1:44:22
playing. I am so glad we got to play
1:44:24
this, even though this was this took
1:44:27
weird amounts of time in places I didn't
1:44:29
expect it to take weird amount of time.
1:44:30
And that's how adventures go. They're
1:44:32
full of surprises.
1:44:34
>> Sometimes you end up Yeah. Sometimes you
1:44:36
end up missing like a 20 minute chunk
1:44:38
that you really expected to be
1:44:40
important. Sometimes the five minute
1:44:42
conversation you thought was going to
1:44:43
have takes 25 minutes. It's just gets
1:44:46
the way of things.
1:44:47
>> There was some really good stuff with
1:44:50
that Vesque social media influencer that
1:44:54
we just Man, we zoomed right past. Very
1:44:56
sad.
1:44:57
>> Thank you all for playing. Thank you all
1:44:59
for playing. Thank you everyone at home
1:45:00
for listening. That's going to do it.
1:45:03
>> Bye everybody. Bye. Hi.
1:45:06
>> Bye.
1:45:31
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1:45:50
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