[Horde] Session Fourteen
The Mechanar
As the warband enters the keep, Azgadaan asks Mu’ru if there was anything he wanted them to do other than finding the source. However, his main concern was the fate of the star, and mentioned that if there were any survivors, he wanted them to try and help them. Ultimately, however, his main desire was addressing the source.
Azgadaan, Yrel, and Sorak take point at the head of the group. They descend into the hole that serves as an entrance to the keep. They travel deeper down, and the natural lighting from outside dims. The floor is slightly tilted. Eventually the wreckage breaks off into a larger hallway, which leads into some sort of lobby. There are cracked and damaged crystals jutting out from the wall before them. The walls are smooth and made of violet-blue steel.
There are a few stairs and the broken furnishings of draenic statues and simple decorations that have been toppled and broken. There are also signs of battle. Scorch marks are smeared across some of the walls, and discarded, broken, and beaten simple weapons of orc and draenic make are littered among bones.
There is a cave-in to the right which could possibly be maneuvered around.
The more burly members of the party are able to clear aside the majority of the rubble after about 10 minutes or so. Azgadaan shows off his ability to now summon a magical weapon due to his freedom from his warlock pact.
They continue on, and Samaara mentions that the room seems to be where people were once welcomed. There were once desks there, and orders were likely processed from other satellites. The desks seemed to have drawers that had strips that once glowed, but they are dim now.
Azgadaan tries to pry one open, but was unsuccessful.
As they continue to survey the room, Sorak seeks some empty crates tossed around in addition to something curious in a corner: a bright pink rectangular box that seems to have a metal piece at each corner.
Sorak goes to investigate and it seems to hum with magical energy. Samaara is able to identify it as a “mana cell,” which seems to be a power source. Samaara suggests they collect any they find, as one of the purposes of the craft were to produce them.
It is stashed in Azgadaan’s bag of holding.
They continue to navigate up a flight of stairs and carefully maneuver around rubble. The room opens up again as they ascend the stairs, and the new room has a clear glass floor. There is something beneath it, but it’s too dark to see. There are more crates in addition to large pillars that extend up into the ceiling. As they look up there seems to be more rooms up in the air, and long, metal scaffolding and pipes snake their way through the sky. One of the most notable things is a natural source of light - a pool. The contents are familiar as it’s the same bright pink liquid that seems to be contained in the mana cell. It is coating the floor a ways away, but there is another undamaged mana cell nearby.
Sorak is easily able to collect the mana cell and he hands it over to Azgadaan. However, Sorak then takes a vial out.
Samaara holds a hand out. “That could be dangerous. It’s volatile, don’t let it touch your skin.”
Azgadaan also stops Sorak and conjures a rapier that he throws to Sorak and suggests that he use it to drip liquid into the vial. However, as soon as Sorak tries to do so, the magical weapon sparks and vanishes.
Sorak tries to do it the old-fashioned way and he is successful. He gingerly packs it away in something padded and puts it away safely.
Samaara offers a sigh of relief.
Azgadaan finds some basic draenei tools in a corner. Samaara also finds a cargo lift, and she flags Remnii down and suggests they can use it to get to the upper levels. Remnii seems to have momentarily spaced out given where there are.
Samaara suggests they rig a mana cell to the lift (which would deplete it) to explore they upper levels, but Azgadaan suggests that they finish exploring the main floor as he found a narrower patch of the plasma that could potentially be stepped over.
Azgadaan pushes a crate into the plasma to step over, but Sorak hears a humming. He tells Azgadaan he probably shouldn’t jump on it as it’s the same sound the mana cells were making.
Azgadaan suggests that there may be a mana cell inside. He goes to get another box and finds another mana cell. He also sees a really peculiar crate - some sort of other containment device. It seems to have a slot on either side, but it’s fairly strange. It juts upward in two directions, and it is heavy and seemingly full of something.
/revision/latest?cb=20070516215010He asks the draenei what it is. Yrel didn’t know what it was, but Samara did - a cache of the Rangari. She said that whatever is inside could be really useful. However, the two slots are empty - it seems those were the keys.
The party joins Azgadaan on the other side, and they find another lift.
As they descend down another staircase, Azgadaan sends an illusion ahead to make sure there is nothing there. Nothing happens to it. They continue inside.
However, as they enter the room they hear some sounds coming from behind the desks. It’s a loud hissing (almost like the sound of a welding torch), and Sorak sees a small glowing object. He carefully gives it a wide berth as he tries to get a better look.
He sees a small, light blue prism that is floating in the air. It stops, and swivels to look at Sorak. It beeps, and a light extends and shines on Sorak. As Samaara creeps along the other side, she mutters “that’s not good” and immediately fires an arrow through it.
She suggests they try to be more careful.
They do one more surveillance of the room, but they find nothing else of interest. They discuss whether or not they should investigate the lift or not, and they can always come back. Azgadaan is insistent on exploring everything, but the others suggest they try to be a bit more conservative given their mana cells are limited. It’s likely they will have to return through these rooms later.
They go to the elevator first, and it seems to require two mana cells. Azgadaan disperses two, and they go to insert them at the same time. Azgadaan, however, slips up, and some plasma starts to leak from the mana cell. Samaara curses under her breath. “If we are going to save this we need to find some way to fix it and quickly.”
Sorak asks her how.
Remnii is able to patch up the leak with ‘’mending’’.
They also retrieve the mana cell from the crate from earlier.
They are able to ride the elevator up to the second floor. There are some small pests - various flies and such - that have gotten in and there are some containers that probably once contained food. However, there is nothing now. There is also a small rise on a pedestal, and there is a clear glass panel that connects up and has a second crystalline panel above it that resembles some sort of altar.
Spinyl asks what it is.
Samaara explains it’s a console - though she isn’t sure what it does. Remnii goes to investigate, but it seems to lack a direct power connection. Remnii alerts the others, and says they may be able to utilize a mana cell.
Meanwhile, Yrel is investigating elsewhere.
Remnii asks for input from the group, and Spinyl says she’s fine with using a mana cell, and Sorak is just deferring to the judgement of the draenei. Azgadaan uses ‘’enhance ability’’ on Remnii, and she sighs and goes to plug in the mana cell.
She successfully does so, and the console whirs to life. As it boots up Remnii sees glyphs light up on the upper screen. All of them are in draenic eredun. It says “tertiary console activated” and then in red lets it says “warning: plasma leak detected in primary generator.” There is a power bar that shows up, and it seems to be ever-so-slowly decreasing.
As she looks through the menu. There is a section for “plasma bridge activation”, “access private logs”, “emergency flash forger,” “security override”, a map, and other such things. She relays them to the group as they appear.
Samaara explains a flash forger is able to conjure things into existence using advanced magic borrowed from a naaru.
Remnii opts to open the map after some suggestion. A hatch slides open and a beam of violet light shoots out. It slices its way through the air, and a piece of metal materializes in the air. On it is a map of the Mechanar facility - at least from before it was damaged.
Remnii picks it up.
Yrel asks if they can take the console with them, somewhat wistfully.
They then go to the security override. A popup appears that says “security drones deactivated.” It was really, really simple all things considered.
There are three power cubes remaining. They decide to leave it in case they need it later.
However, as they look into the next doorway, they see a bare chasm. It can be assumed that this may be the plasma bridge. There are also more labels on the map that indicates what a few other locations on the first floor are.
Samaara peeks out over the chasm, and it seems the bridge area overlooks the room they had left and all the scaffolding. Samaara looks at Spinyl. “Spinyl. Those wings aren’t just for show, are they?”
Spinyl says she can’t fly, but she can glide.
She leaps off the side of the chasm, and the wind suspiciously whips up beneath her (courtesy of Sorak). She sticks the landing over among all the flash forgers that the map pointed out.
She found another mana cell as well as the primary and secondary command consoles along with the generator.
She tries to fuddle through one of the consoles after she connects the mana cell she found. There is no red, so no errors, but everything is in draenic eredun.
Sorak provides some rope so that the rest of the party can be lifted down. Remnii looks at the options when she gets there. “Access logs 1-5”, “Activate CAPACITA”, “Restore Auxiliary Power”, “Activate Self-Destruct Protocol”, and one other.
Remnii upon seeing “self-destruct”: “...Really?”
They converse a bit, but then decide to look into the logs for some information. The console flickers. “Retrieving chief technician log one.”
For a second the screen shimmers and it projects an image of a draenei on the ground. He is tall and kind of see-through. It’s a lot like the Crystal Chronicle. As it speaks, it flickers, and an error pops up that says “playback damaged”.
He speaks in draenic, and the log indicates his name is Remallus.
“...Processed the incoming transmission we received at the console at Te… seemed to be legitimate. It was from Argus, and it was not traced, magically or…
I’ve…. Case to the others. If we are going to rescue Prophet… the rest, now is the time. If we do not act now, there may not ever be another…
we have to do something. Velen is our only hope.”
Samaara explains they got a transmission from Argus they were attempting to trace, and it was likely the rescue attempt that lead to the Battle of Tempest Keep.
The second one plays.
“Just heard a loud… the battle is joined. They saw us. They knew. That lying… knew this was too good to be true. This is what you get for trusting the Eredar.
Scanners are… The Eye. Command was in the eye. Without it, there’s no way we are all getting out of here alive.
...Bringing it in. We are not warriors, but we will not sit idly by and let our… be slaughtered like livestock any longer!
I pray that the children and the noncombatants can make it to safety.
Light protect us.”
Azgadaan was able to assume the eredar mentioned was likely his mother, Erraa.
They decide to listen to another log. The playback is much cleaner on this one, but the figure is not the same. Instead it is a woman, and judging from her features she is much younger - perhaps a bit older than Remnii. The log indicates her name is Farera. It begins to speak.
“The battle is over. We’ve… we’ve lost. The damage to the engines and warp capacitors are beyond measure, and my father died in the impact, along with many others. So, I guess that means I am the Chief Technician, now.
Not how I pictured getting a promotion.
We are in a lot of trouble. The Mechanar has suffered immense structural damage. We don’t know the status of the other satellites or the Eye, but we can’t get out of here, and we can’t access any of the other vessels.
We’re trapped.
We have little under a hundred mechanics and their children remaining, and the Mechanar is not suited for long-term hospitation. We have enough provisions for, perhaps, six months? A year if we starve ourselves. But there are children. Jehiri is not even a decade old!
If there is anyone out there, I pray they are able to find us.”
The rest of the logs are corrupted.
They decide to then activate the auxiliary power, and they go to the other console. “Repair primary power,” “Activate Flash-Forger,” “Activate Large-Scale Flash-Forger,”, “Support Manual,” Access Logs Backup.”
They decide to go to the support manual. It requests an inquiry, and Remnii asks what CAPACITA is. It generates a hologram. “Primary function: overseeing of the production facility of the Mechanar and the creation of mana cells.” It also has a date of when it was created. It pre-dates the draenei leaving Argus. It itself is of naaru origin. “Current status: unknown.”
Remnii suggests they leave it alone, but Samaara suggests that she may have the ability to make more cells or may have more in her vicinity. However, it would likely be dangerous.
Azgadaan asks Remnii to ask the console what the flash-forgers can make.
Remnii does so. “What are the flash-forgers used for predominantly. What do they make?”
It’s primary purpose was to create replacement tools, weapon, and armor, but it can be used for many other functions - such as making toys to creating assisted mobility devices for the elderly, infirm, or injured. It then suggests that they consult chief assistant Remallus for further information.
Azgadaan asks Yrel if she thought that they could make the tools needed to repair the Crystal Chronicle, but she was not sure. She goes to look, but finds a repair function. She asks Azgadaan to put the Chronicle in a small entry way.
She activates it and it whirs to life. The Chronicle doesn’t look any different when it opens again, but it is warm to the touch.
Yrel announced that it said that repairs are commencing, but it will take a few days. It seems that small devices are running across the Chronicle and repairing it. However, it is mobile. He returns it to the bag.
He also asks if it could possibly make some armor. Yrel looks, and pushes a button. One of the larger flash-forges starts to whir. A moment later, it opens, and some mist pours out. As it opens and the smoke clears:
Remnii inhales for a moment, and she shuts her eyes. “Well, that is Sha’tari armor. But Azgadaan, this is more of a personal note for those traveling with us that will return. Again, I do not doubt your conviction, but others seeing brand new shiny armor will not take it so well.”
Yrel confirmed and said it may have to be explained to members of the Legion.
Remnii, however, said that the armor itself meant a lot to other members, such as Kaylaan, and it carries a lot of weight. She wanted him to consider that.
He said he would.
He puts it all in the bag of holding.
Samaara also flash-forges a longbow to replace her shortbow.
Remnii flash-forges some fresh clothing. One in yellow, one in white. (
)
Samaara goes to handle the machine again, looking for new armor… until she sees her hands. She pauses, stopping and then she smiles sadly. “Perhaps I will… see to that later.” While Remnii goes to comfort her, Samaara offers her another haunted smile.
Azgadaan gets two empty books and some writing utensils for lessons.
They look into the final log that is accessible. It’s also from Farera.
“We waited for some time, to make sure that the Legion had moved on, but we have finally restored auxiliary power. The main generator has been damaged, but with the right supplies, we might be able to repair it. Unfortunately, we are running low on mana cells, and CAPACITA has been damaged. We aren’t sure if her programming is intact, and, Light be damned, anyone with the expertise to fix her died in the crash.
Father, why did you have to die? You would know what to do. You could lead us far better than I ever could. I wish I had died in the crash instead of you. If you can hear me, please… please, tell me what I can do? I do not want to give up, but hope is dwindling alone with our rations.
I am so scared.”
Remnii questions the group if they want to listen to the last log or not. It would mean going back upstairs.
They decide to swing back by the desks as power is now back on. They find some office supplies and a family portrait of a smiling, happy draenei family. Azgadaan turns it face down, but takes a lot of the office supplies. However, Remnii takes the portrait and says she can, at the very least, put them to rest in the befitting way. She wraps the portrait in her dresses and places it back in the bag.
They then return to floor two and access the tertiary console. They decide to look at the final log. It is also by Farera.
“We are all going to die.
But there is hope. Gordomis finally got the scanners working. The Exodar is gone! They made it!
Our sacrifice wasn’t in vain. I cannot believe it. Perhaps the Naaru, Velen, everyone else, made it off! I cannot believe it. I cannot. The Light truly protects.
We ran out of water three days ago. We are almost out of food. No one is coming. We are all going to die.
But someone lives.
And that is all we could have asked for.
Tonight, we’re shutting the auxillary power off, so that no one might find any other survivors that lie in the wreckage of the Botanica, the Arcatraz, or the Eye. We couldn’t get to them, but perhaps someone will.
I’m heading to the meeting place now. If death will claim us, it will claim us with smiling faces and lifted hearts.
I’ll see you soon, Father.”
Yrel looks to Remnii. “Are you alright?”
Remnii doesn’t say anything, but bites her lip and shuts her eyes. There is a loose tear, but it is a mourning quiet. No sobs. “I’ll be fine.”
Wordlessly, Samaara activates the bridge.
They cross the bridge. Everything seems fine. As they enter the next room, they see a crate in the very center. On it is a mana cell which seems to be hooked up to a small device. It’s incredibly small. They heard a song as they rounded the corner - a draenic song - playing from the small device.
Around the crate are a lot of bodies. They are all sitting in a circle around the mana cell. There are crates upon crates that were likely filled with food at one point. Many of the bodies are curled together - their skeletons still embracing. There is every size. Men. Women. And children.
Remnii knows all the words to the song.
Yrel squeezes Remnii’s hand.
Wordlessly, through tears, Remnii finds Farera’s identifying card, and she collects it. Azgadaan also finds a key for the cache they saw previously, and he plucks it from the body. There are some tools around, and a pile of gemstones. One of the skeletons has a pair of seemingly fancy goggles. Azgadaan goes to collect them.
Remnii, through tears. “Azgadaan, please stop. Don’t take everything. They have already given us so much.”
Sorak mentions something about not disturbing the dead.
Azgadaan takes the gems and the tools, as well as a mana cell that was not hooked up to the music. However, he left the one that was playing.
Azgadaan: “They should have their music at least.”
They go to leave, but Remnii remains behind to take a moment of composure. Yrel also looks a bit misty.
Yrel: “It’s not going to get easier, Remnii.”
Remnii: “I know, I’m just trying to brace myself before we continue.” (Crying)
Yrel hugs her while Sorak pays his respects quietly.
They head out from the Mechanar and are traveling for a few hours as they shove aside rubble and the like. The metal gradually takes on a greenish hue instead of the purplish from before. One can only assume that the chamber they enter is the start of the botanica.
There are trees on either side. Plantlife and trees decorate the area. There is something preserved in a glass case that Sorak has never seen on Draenor, and Remnii has never seen. There are also two strange trees, but something is wrong. Their bark is black and twisted. Some branches have broken and fallen to the ground.
It’s the same thing plaguing the plant life outside.
Sorak examines the plant behind the glass. He isn’t sure if the plant itself has a function beyond decoration. It could be potable.
For half a second it looks like he wants to smash the glass, but he doesn’t.
There is a door up ahead, but it has a small slot. It is likely for a passkey of some sort. Remnii slots in the key they found.
The next room looks very museum-esque. There are two large glass cases. The one to the right is broken and empty, the one to the left is not broken. It’s a large floating sphere with what looks like some strange mouth. It has moss growing on it.
It’s body is about the size of a large rock.
Sorak asks if any of the draenei recognize the creature. Samaara said that it is not something she had seen as she had still been learning when she visited other worlds.
In theory, it could be from anywhere across the galaxy.
The… thing seems to bump into the glass in the group’s general direction.
Sorak cuts his finger in front of the creature, but it does not seem to react any differently. Likewise, even as he draws closer, it does nothing.
It doesn’t have eyes.
There is a small console nearby, which could perhaps open and close the case.
Sorak points out that, seeing the draenei brought it on their ship, it probably wasn’t capable of mass harm.
They go through another door, and there was another of those creatures floating directly on the other side. It immediately inflates to fill the hallway and starts to reach for Remnii.
Azgadaan immediately hurls a lightning ‘’chromatic orb’’ at the thing, and it immediately explodes into a burst of spores. The poisonous clouds fill Remnii’s lungs. She coughs and uses ‘’lesser restoration’’ on herself.
They enter the room, and there is another broken case.
Remnii speaks to Azgadaan about how important it is to assess risks before acting. After all, he would be wearing that armor, and would be holding up what it meant, and someday, it may not just be party members he was trying to protect. It was something important that needed to be made note of.
There is another plant in the room. It’s a strange plant with vines drooping down, and the vines have thorns on them, but, again, it is nothing Sorak is able to recognize.
He assumes it may have some sort of defense mechanism. He lightly brushes some of the flower petals on the plant with a dagger, and as he does, the thorns suddenly shoot out at him.
Sorak ducks behind his shield, and the thorns stick in his shield. The flower sucked itself back into the rest of the plant.
Sorak: “We’ll just… leave that there.”
Sorak and Azgadaan go to peek around a curve, and there is another one of those bloated, spore-filled things. It promptly expands to fill the hallway.
They duck back behind the corner, and Sorak sends an arc of lightning at it. It makes a strange squishy noise and starts to move slowly in their direction.
It explodes.
Yrel coughs as she gets a lungful of the spores, but Remnii immediately heals her.
Azgadaan said that he will stay 10-15 feet ahead in case there is another one so he can pop it out of range.
There are no glass cases in the next room, but there is a glass piece in the floor. As Azgadaan peers down, he sees a bunch of trees down below. They are all blackened. The glass itself is covering the entire floor, so it needs to be walked across.
He tests the glass for a moment, but then walks across it.
There are signs of battle. Papers are strewn about in an area that seems to be designated for studying and research, and a fence that divides the area. He sees a bridge that connects. There’s a central room that’s shielded by a wall. There’s a study. As Azgadaan continues, he sees another gas spore. Chucking a chromatic orb at it, it pops and spores clear through the air.
Sarok pokes around in the Observatorium window. There’s a creature sitting in a chair, facing away. Sarok conjures a gust of wind to turn the chair around. As it spins, the desk itself has started to grow vines. Those vines have begun to wrap around the chair legs.
There’s a Draenei women sitting in the window. Or, she was. The vines have grown into her. She has no eyes and the plants have replaced her very veins. It’s similar to the Orcs they Warband encountered, but it’s worse.
As she spins, her head snaps up and she “hhHHHHHHHHHHHH”s. She wrenches herself up from the desk.
Seeing the aberrant creature, Samaara takes a shot with her new bow. She misses. Remnii, too, misses her attack-- with surprising speed, it throws the office chair at Remnii’s spell. ~countered~
Sarok blasts the Thrall with a Lightnening Hammer. It staggers be seems solid.
Yrel asks about it, Spinyl can assess the situation. She learns that it’s resistant to some, but slashing damage would work well. She advises not to use poison. She’s able to see a thin aura of spores that shuff off of it. “It’s got spores on it.”
Yrel than hits it with a hammer. One hit connects, another fails. Spinyl follow up with a beam attack, hitting it too.
The Thrall swings at Yrel, scratching her and successfully drawing blood.
Azgadaan then swings and misses with a Chromatic Orb. The Creature deftly dodges once more.
Samaara then sneak attacks the Thrall. It staggers with the arrow, as its knee is swept out. It slips off of the edge. The thrall then dangles off the side of the platform by one hand.
With a sigh, Spinyl lives up to her stereotype. She pulls out her whip. She compliments Samaara and with a crack, the whip smacks into the Thrall’s hands. Forced to fall, It hisses as it plummets. It’s very dead as it’s over 100 feet down.
Yrel rolls her eyes with a joking smile: “Of course you have a whip.”
“It’s a racial trait.”
“Yrel, don’t be like that.” Samaara scolds. “That was good thinking. Good work everyone.”
Seeing Yrel sustained heavy damage, Remnii took some time to heal some of her wounds. Meanwhile, Sorak looked at the desk and some of the papers.. Everything is written in Draenic. There is also a journal. It’s an observatory for the area below. Below, though, there is a major lab.
Sarok doesn’t look out the window.
“Notes, more notes. Wait!” She picks up the journal, “This might be something.
Oh. Okay. Do you want me to just read this? There are names here, for one. The individual, that we just met, was a woman by the mane of Mastra. She was the Botany Assistant.
“By the Naaru’s light, we are safe. We have no way of knowing what happened beyond the Botanica, but we are certain that we are safe. We have an abundance of provisions here, and provided that pig Stekhen does not eat all of it, we should be able to last for years, until we can figure out the fate of the other satellites.
Jusding from the structural damage, I do not believe we will be able to ascend to the surface, but perhaps one of the other satellites is adjacent? I only hope it isn’t the Arcatraz - I can only imagine what would happen if some of those fiends escaped their prisons.”
They then share about the Arcatraz, another satellite after Tempest Keep. They note that Fiends and fiends can be found there. Everyone seems less than enthusiastic.
Yrel continues. “A strange growth has appeared from the passage in the atrium. We had sealed it, for fear of what we might find beyond, as we had not heard from any other survivors. It seems we were right. The ground has grown black and twisted, the trees withering and dying. Lucaam is concerned that it might not stop at the trees. I guess we’ll see.”
Yrel notes the writings gets more weak and messy. “he was right it burns light make it stop i cant stop watching i cant stop watching the song is too loud”
The Warband questions the “song” referenced in the journal. They connect the song to the Thrall they met. Azgadaan advises earplugs. Sarok says that there’s something that must give conclusive evidence. Samaara shares that she’s seen similar creatures, indigenous life, in hiding and aggressive. She looks at Sarok and says they were hiding for something-- they didn’t possess others readily.
There’s no figure at a neighboring desk, but Azgadaan finds another desk. There’s another broken window out there. He doesn’t look out.
Yrel receives the journal and begins to read the journal of Lucaam, head Botanist.
“I can’t help but think that things are going far too swimmingly. The others think the battle was lost. I frankly don’t care. I only wish to preserve what research we have down here, and make sure we can live to send it back to the rest of the Draenei. We are researchers, and I was first to tell these imbeciles that this entire mission was foolhardy.
You’d think they would have known better than to trust an Eredar Lord, relations aside. She is not the first of our former kin to betray her kindred, and she will not be the last.”
Yrel looks to Azgadaan. “This may have been your mother. That doesn’t make sense. You said that she stopped them from providing reinforcements?”
Azgadaan explains again that Erraa was blocking the portals. “From the way it sounds, they make her sound like a villain… to them.
Remnii looks up and, quiet for a moment, but she suggests “I am hesitant to say, exactly, but how often does one trust an eredar? If this is your mother, then what I am imagining is that she was not working alone. We do not have a name, but if I took myself back 100 years and told myself I would be in the company of an eredar as a student, I would not trust you nor believe a word. So that being said, prejudice runs deep.”
Yrel: ”We have lived our lives running.”
Remnii: “You and your mother are outliers. Take Socrethar. So many are still in pursuit. It is either your mother had an accomplice, or she orchestrated all of this in advance. It does make her quite a hero, yes, but my people would not go as far as to trust. While Shatari may have taken the risk to trust an eredar, it would not be done lightly.”
Azgadaan asked whose word may have swayed the draenei’s opinion.
Yrel suggests it was either the commander of the Keep or the naaru, but there is no way to know. Ultimately, Azgadaan may not have gotten the entire story.
Samaara looks at Azgadaan. “What will you do if you learn that your mother was killed for no reason? What if she did not try to save these people? What if she was a double agent? What if she was just there to fall? What if she was set up? What would you do if you learned she was not everything that she seemed?”
Azgadaan: “I don’t know. I still need more time to formulate my decision if that were true.”
Samaara advised he continue to think on it, as he may need to confront it sooner rather than later. Remnii agrees.
Yrel continues reading the journal entries.
“This is strange. Clearly, the Botanica has crashed into something. Something bad. The plants below are starting to wilt. We need to go deeper into the crust of this place. It might be dangerous, but it won’t be more dangerous than staying here and letting whater is below claim us.
There is something to learn here, and if we don’t learn what that is, we will not live to realize ourj ignorance.
I’ll have to convince the others.”
The writing is in ink and sap.
“I HEAR THE SONG
I HEAR HIS NAME
BOTAAN.”
“Who is Botaan? Seems that whoever claimed Lucaan, and Mastra, likely claimed him as well.”
Sarok looks over the lab. It’s great for him. It’s technological and still retains power. It could synthesize a tonic or potion-- combining ingredients. Or, he could have a diagnostic printed out of a sample he has. There’s enough power to do three.
First, Sarok withdraws the seedpod. He enters the pod in the machine. Remnii comes to help. She relays, from the printout, that the seed is unknown-- filling in that it was from Draenor. The seed, itself, is alive. It exhibits a strange form of corruption and an abnormally high rate of corruption and growth. There’s a light psionic presence from the seed-- it’s trying to reach out to something else. (Remnii relays this with nerves in her voice).
It’s directly correlated to what’s happening in the lab.
Sarok then sees to stasising the pod. The capsule is virtually indestructible and will only be broken when REALLy trying.
He then gets a read out from the volatile plasma.
A readout is once again spit out. It’s effectively carbonized mana. It has two uses. Anyone that makes contact with it must make a DC 15 Con save. You take 2d10 arcane damage regardless, however, there are avoidable effects. There is a chance that someone’s temporal distance between a contactee and the Twisting Nether shorter. If that happens, it makes them volatile for 1 hour. Each spell costs one 1 additional mana, every spell is subject to the Mana Flare spell, and every spell is pushed including the positive and negative effects of doing so.
In theory, it could be used on a person or oneself.
Sorak then decides to concoct something. He takes a psychedelic plant, a toxic root, and the glow powder and combines them. After some sparking and mixing, a seal capsule is spit out. The powder itself glows with a bioluminescence, but it’s really strange. Sorak gets to name it. It took the virulence of the poison and combined it with the bioluminescence of the powder with the psychedelic flower. It’s almost like a sap or a goo.
Effectively what it does is it takes the psychedelic features and uses the poison to spread it through a system rapidly and affect their blood with a quick-acting but quick-dying poison. If someone fails a Con save, two things happen. First, they are confused (as the confusion spell). Second they are under the effects of the faerie fire spell. Those two abilities are independent. The glow is still in their system even if the confusion is overcome, however, it is a poison and immunities apply.
In theory, he could use it to coat weapons.
However, once it is exposed to the air, it dies quickly. After an hour it would likely be inert.
The party then takes time to heal and recover in the lab. Spinyl dances to help healing along. Eventually, Yrel prods the group to get moving. They come across a new glass floor.
This time, Azgadaan comes across the glass floor. As he steps on it, his weight causes the glass to crack underhoof. Reacting, Sarok reaches out with Lightning Lure. He’s able to grab Azgadaan and haul him back in by the waist. (He doesn’t add his wisdom modifier to it, surprisingly). Yrel asks if he’s okay.
Sarok quotes the caution from before and it was a lack of insight that he didn’t check the glass. Azgadaan forgot and his lesson continues.
Reaching a new door, there’s a “SHHHH” sound. It’s another gas balloon.
He hands the key to Sarok, telling him to seal the door behind him. Sarok shuts the door behind him. Locked with the balloon, Azgadaan suddenly finds it hard to fit his greatsword in with it (crit fail). The balloon tries to bit the Eredar, but no dice. (crit fail). They tangle in close quarters to no avail.
Azgadaan then thrusts his sword into the balloon, but it doesn’t die instantly. (It’s seeping gas) He quickens a Chromatic Orb to finish it off. It’s very dead after it’s hit by lightning.
Azgadaan hacks and coughs, spores filling his lungs. He knocks on the door, Sarok doesn’t let him out immediately. Yrel tells him to open the door.
The party gathers again, Yrel then heals Azgadaan and cures his poison damage. They discuss the mouth physics of the gas balloons and why balloons shouldn’t have mouths.
The Warband reaches another door. Sarok hands the card back and everyone steps back around. There’s no gas spore on this side. However, something catches the Warband’s eye. There’s a tall tree, blackened and withered. There’s a male Draenei impaled on it.
He doesn’t seem to have vines on him. He’s decidedly a skeleton. Sarok checks it out, and he finds a small device, a smaller version of Azgadaan’s cube. Using Gust once more, Sarok brings it close. It’s a recording device, a small one.
Beyond the door, there’s another lab. The Warband notices that a dry heat has set in.
Sarok doesn’t know how to work the device, but it suddenly activates speaks. The Hologram, Derras, coughs.
“This is completely ridiculous. We need to go up, not down. The head *cough* botanist is out of his mind. Whatever that corruption is is getting us sick, and unless we make for the *cough cough cough* surface, *cough* we’re all going to die like Mastra, screaming and ranting like deranged *cough cough cough* madmen.
I’ve half the mind to go and speak with him right-”
Door opens in the recording.
“Lucaam! What are you doing?”
Muffled other voice: “I Hear. I Hear.”
“Lucaam, what are you- Hurk! Aughh!”
A number of vines shoot out of the homogram, on screen, death throws begin. The recording stops suddenly.
Azgadaan asks everyone to back up. Samaara launches an arrow at the three on his request. The tree immediately retracts, dropping the body. The whole tree retreats downwards into a hole it was sitting in.
Samaara takes a few steps forward, she looks down the hole. The arboretum is visible below. Nothing happens through the porthole.
The group surmises that whatever is inside is deeper in. No one is happy about what’s going on. The group progresses into a new lab. There’s two cacti. They’re thick and bright orange. The flowers that are sprouted from it shimmer like fire.
As they step in, closer to the cactus, things continue to get warmer. On a desk between the cacti, there’s more notes and vials. There’s sap, thick and red, all over the place. It’s eeked out of the vials. Samaara says that the chamber is environmentally affected. There’s a heat generator near by.
Azgadaan hands Sarok the letter opener he took earlier
Azgadaan turns his weapon into a spear and taps the cactus with the butt of it. The flower shimmers and shoots out a root. It attempts to grab the spear. The spear then vanishes.
Both cacti creatures begin to stir. Activity explodes out of nowhere!
Samaara takes a shot at the cactus. It splits the arrow in half.
One of the creatures sllloowwwlly makes its way out of the pot and it moves towards Sorak. One of its tendrils flips out and it misses. Its vines clap together as they try to reach the Orc.
Yrel wonders why everything needs to kill them. She charges against it. However, the cactus seems to simply bounce with the blow. She strikes again, but this time Light courses through her weapon as she smites it.
Sorak runs at the one of the cacti with a hunting blade, however, a vine switches around and grabs at his leg. Fortunately he is able to hack through the vine.
Spinyl casts faerie fire, but both the cacti seem unaffected by it. She fires some words at Sorak. “Plants are your favorite things, right?”
Remnii casts a surge of holy fire at one of the cacti and it seems to screech as the fire takes hold.
Azgadaan hurls two chromatic orbs, one at each, and one goes wide. The other connects with a surge of fire, but the plant doesn’t seem to be super affected by fire - particularly for a plant.
One of the cacti wraps a vine around Azgadaan’s leg. It squeezes, and the burning sap coats his leg. It yanks him closer. Samaara is also wrapped in a vine and dragged closer.
Sorak strikes again, but once again he misses and quickly slices a vine in two before it can wrap around him. Meanwhile, Samaara releases a shriek of pain as she is dragged along. She brings her arms around and fires off a few arrows that drive deep into the cactus, and grits her teeth in pain.
However, the other cactus then lashes out and grapples both Yrel and Sorak.
Remnii channels the Light and heals several of her party members so that they are better able to fend off the cacti. She then uses ‘’flash of light’’ on Yrel.
Azgadaan feels as if his blood is on fire (his maximum hit points are reduced by 2) as the tendrils seem to boil him alive. However, he manages to get an ‘’enlarge’’ off on Yrel, and she is suddenly the same size as the cactid.
Spinyl once again casts ‘’faerie fire’’, but one of them is able to dodge out of the way.
Samaara is squeezed hard by one of the Cacti. Azgadaan keeps his focus on Yrel’s big form. Speaking of Yrel, she swings and fucking misses the first time. Angry, she smites the cactus. As the smite connects, the creature shrieks. It shudders and it blasts a rain of needles out. As the needles shoot out, Samara and Yrel and the only who take damage.
The needles dig into Samaara, hard. She’s not moving. Remnii rushes to her side and starts to try and do CPR. “Come on, Samaara!”
Remnii feels her heartbeat return after a series of breaths and compressions.
Remnii: “Oh, thank the Light. She’s breathing!”
Remnii then moves and does her best to body-block the broken.
Azgadaan stabs at the cactid that is holding him, and succeeds in cutting deep into it’s fleshy, plant body.
Spinyl then Bardic-Inspirations Remnii. Spinyl slams the remaining Cacti with an attack, but it remains standing.
The other cacti squeeze Azgadaan and changes focus to Remnii. Azgadaan fades from consciousness and Remnii becomes grappled as the vines sink into her.
With Azgadaan unconscious, Yrel becomes small. She uses the size change to slam into the cactus. She kills one and then bounces immediately to the other cactid. She screams and slams into the second one grappling Remnii. Light envelops it and she slams her hammer into the cactid.
Spinyl decides it’s Lash of Pain time. She stabs through the tendrils, and Remnii drops onto the floor. She then inspires Yrel, too.
Sarok is freed from the dead grasp. He casts INFLICT WOUNDS. The creature sputters and shrieks, releasing a flurry needles.
Remnii body-blocks Samaara. Azgadaan fails a death saving throw. Remnii’s body then drops to the ground. Sarok is barely standing.
The Cactid STILL ALIVE attacks Yrel and Sarok. Sarok foresees damage and warns her. Yrel slams down upon the cactus. It dies, shrieking.
Post combat, Yrel runs to seek Remnii. Sarok reluctantly goes to Azgadaan. Spinyl secures the room, checking for extra threats. She takes the key off of Azgadaan and she goes to seal the party in. The room is a tight fit, but luckily there’s another room that Spinyl finds.
Yrel pumps a FUCKTON of heals into Remnii. Remnii pops up. Remnii nods thanks to Yrel, and then immediately goes to see to Samaara. Yrel helps to bring her back.
As they move into the next room, Remnii uses ‘’prayer of healing’’ to start to mend some of the more severe wounds. She also tends to any wounds that remained.
It’s a quiet rest that night. Azgadaan watches first, followed by Spinyl, and then Sorak. Remnii sleeps near Samaara.
