Iron Stars - satihos

Satihos stands in the rain of the night world of Acastus. It is second rise right now, the second of its three moons beginning to peak over the distant mountain range on the horizon. Its peaks glow orange softly with fresh lava flows. The large Utan is given wide berth on the pavement as people move past him, and around him. His neon fur is matted to his sides despite the large jacket and hat he now wears to help cover himself from some of the more unpleasant weather conditions on this world. Seeking to secure the Utan a place of respect in all cultures, Satihos has traveled to the Greystar Confederacy in the hopes that he could investigate, help solve local matters, and help the people here to have better lives. An especially wise individual, even by Utan standards, Satihos has decided investigation is where his talents lie, and the Confederation lacks for many things, but mysteries are not currently one of them.

23:15

An especially concerning one is the religious robots on Lambrianou. Although not a greystar member, their worship of something called the "trinary code" and erratic behavior has Greystar officials concerned. The robots have been almost disarmingly friendly, and the Confederation is looking for those willing to be emissaries to find out more of why these robots work the way they do.

The first thing that comes to mind for Satihos, was to see if he could get in touch with the local authorities of Acastus. He wasn't sure if they would be inclined to trust a stranger, but there probably wasn't any harm in asking anyway.

There is an administration office, brand new by a few months in the center of the city, and it seems your best place to go to try to get entrusted with some responsibility. The building is a large crescent moon structure made of white stone, and other local building materials. A bioluminescent garden, and water features make for a pleasant walk up, and remind you of the jungles of Terezinho where you are from, though without the coral or warm ocean winds

Satihos decided to head over to the administration office. If nothing else, he would probably be able to get some information about the planet. He would make a point of travelling at a leisurely pace; aware enough to know that the locals may be alarmed at the sight of a running Utan.

Heading into the administration office you move through several quick lines, before being greeted by a clerk in local garb. The grey uniforms and dress capes are both fashion and sharp looking. A small computer sits atop the desk for the agent here to use. "Hello there. How can I help you today?" they do their best not to stare at a new sentient being in their midst

Satihos was not really bothered by the clerk's behavior. He was already well aware of the fact that he stood out here, and not just a bit. Satihos responds "I'm looking for work. Is there anything that I could do for the Greystar Confederation?"

“Ah the confederation is looking for diplomats and explorers always. You must have the makings of both to be out here so far from home”

Satihos considered the clerks words for a moment. "I can understand how travel could be indicative of an aptitude for exploratory work, but I'm not quite sure about how it relates to diplomatic work." "Anyway, do you have a lead on any specific jobs?"

“We are looking for explorers for the area behind the l Gate currently. The scions of the storm are pleased with our exploring efforts and we would like to double down on them

19:24

“We have an Agent named Max Davenport working there now. I would be happy to put you two in touch”

Lacking any better leads, Satihos decides to go along with it. "Sure. I think I can help with something like that."

"His comm frequency. You'll be booked passage to Leda, the L-gate is in the jungle there. The locals will bring you"

22:55

"Once you're through, Max will be waiting for you on the other side, and that comm frequency should work"

Satihos pokes around on his Compad to ensure that he had the frequency loaded. He would then comply with the next set of directives that he would be provided; unless he found something obviously suspicious about them.

(nope, just trying to get you into your first quesT)

(I am currently assuming that I should wait for another update from you. Please let me know if you expected additional input from me)

(I think you just need to say your heading off. The clerk's pointed you my way and I can explain the situation to your character once you arrive.)

(I was under the impression that He would then comply with the next set of directives would establish that already)

(I don't think Neko understood that was what what you meant. It might have been better to have said something like that you get the details of your flight and head to the spaceport.)

(I just didnt get back to the thread

04:09

( i was setting up the group mission as you've probably seen, and had to fix a rulebook issue brought to my attention)

04:10

(Its two days of downtime traveling from Acastus to Leda where the gate is, there is a handout near the top of roll20 for what can be done in downtime if you wanted to work on anything. Once we sort that, ill describe arriving)

(If I understand this correctly, I would be able to attribute 2 days worth of progress towards training a skill to level zero. Would I be able to train the know skill in this scenario by talking with other people on board the ship and/or reading stuff on my compad?)

(Yep! So we're at 2/90 toward Know)

The trip to Leda is smooth sailing through spike space, and the shuttle deposits you at the only settlement on Leda. 45,000 people live here, msot of them naturalists, scientists, jungle rangers, and workers all trying to keep the planet's reputation as a living genetic databank of the entire several sector region intact. Plants and animals from all across the sectors live in the carefully maintained jungle, where most are not even allowed to travel without special permit. Automated firewatch and climate control towers keep sentinel, rising out of the dense triple layer canopy. A group of elders, one of whom has a necklace made of chunky wooden beads approaches as the shuttle comes down, and the others seem to be deferring to him

Satihos checks his Compad again now that he is at his destination, and awaits further instruction.

“Welcome to Leda!” The elder calls out to you. “Thank you for coming. We were briefed on your trip ahead of time”

23:00

“Sounds like you’re reinforcing the expedition on the other side of the gate”

Satihos approaches the elder and responds. "That's right. I presume you can give me directions?"

“Transport through the jungle in a car has been arranged for you. It has a ghost driver system. All you need to do is get in”

Satihos wasn't entirely sure if a ghost driver was some kind of an AI, or some kind of actual magic ghost. Though what it would do in practical terms was made rather clear. Barring any unusual circumstances, Satihos would then proceed to thank the elder and get in the car that was mentioned.

THe trip through the jungle is quick, a matter of hours which is nothing compared to the days aboard a spacecraft. A stone gateway in the middle of a growing temporary camp around it stands out as the vehicle rounds a corner into a jungle clearing, and seems to be making course to go directly through it, as pulsing energy is contained in its arching form. THe sky goes from a pleasant jungle daytime to a storm wracked near black, the only lights being artificial ones from the lighthouse and small settlement nearby. Standing out front near a vehicle that looks like a submarine, you see your contact Max Davenport

Satihos moved to slowly approach Max Davenport, then speaks when he gets close enough to be heard without having to shout. "Satihos reporting for duty. I've been instructed to receive my next orders from you."

Max is momentarily stunned seeing the neon fur of an utan for the first time, but he quickly recovers and offers a handshake. "Nice to meet you Satihos. I'm Max. We're just getting ready for an expedition to explore some of the islands to the west. We'll take the sub to an abandoned spaceport where there's a shuttle we're fixing up, and then once it's flying we'll use that to get to the other islands." (edited)

Out over the ocean a large spear of lighting hits the waves, and steam rises from the spot as the lighthouse beam passes over it on its endless revolutions

Satihos takes note of the fact that it isn't even raining. He looks up to the sky and takes note of how cloudy the sky is. If there were no clouds, then that was probably an indication that the lightning strike was not a natural phenomenon.

"Yeah, they get some pretty intense storms here. But we're bringing along an elementalist to provide protection, they have some impressive abilities."

The submarine's horn blasts once, signaling the crew is aboard, the spare parts are loaded, and all that remains is to cross the ocean to begin repairs on the shuttle waiting on the other side

Feeling just confident enough that Max knew what we was doing, Satihos heads towards the submarine. Provided that it was large enough to accommodate him, Satihos would get on board.

Max boards the sub for the trip to the island. "So Satihos, tell me about yourself."

"Well, not too long ago I had undergone a process called 'uplifting'. I'm still a bit foggy on the specifics.. Might have got some of this information wrong... But its basically a process that changes how an animals brain works to bring it in line with well... People like you folk. The process was overseen by an organization called the United Nation of Worlds. I doubt that any of the stuff I did prior to that would be of much interest to you." "Ah. You were probably more referring to what I can offer the expedition in terms of skills. I have some capability in Electrokinesis, which mostly means that I can power technology and light certain materials on fire. Might save you a few Type A Power Cells. I'm also pretty adept when it comes to stealth; at least when its dark out anyway. This isn't exactly my species native environment so don't count on that one during the day. And lastly well, I'm a pretty big guy so I should be able to pull my weight in a fight." "Is there anything else you want to know?"

"No, I can't think of anything. I heard something about the uplift a while back, but I don't recall the details. I never paid much attention to the galaxy before I was recruited by Greystar, and since then I've been a bit swamped trying to catch up. Well, since I'm asking about you it's only fair I share a bit about myself. Before I became an agent I was something of a private investigator. I've always been good at noticing little details, and talking with people, making connections."

While the conversation is ongoing, the sub pilots slide the control sticks into forward gear, and the vehicle begins rolling toward the waves. Blue lights inside turn on, and the spare parts rattle in their crates and cargo nets behind you

Satihos takes a moment to look at the other people on board the sub, who have been very quiet so far.

The other crew members are focusing on their jobs, but consist of a pilot, an elementalist keeping you safe from the lightning, and an engineer who will help repair the shuttle and provide direction to the rest of you on how to help. Right now she's in the co-pilot seat.

Satihos figured that the others seemed to be busy at the moment. "How long have you been working with this crew?"

"This is only my second trip. We were investigating the island we're headed for as a shakedown cruise, and we found a few folks who survived the scream so we evacuated them back to Windwall. It took the sub a few trips and I didn't go along because my seat was needed for the refugees."

There is a splash and heavy forward impact as the submarine makes its way into the waves, and the hull quiets down immensely as the raindrops stop hitting it, now that the sub is deep under the waves. The elementalist is in a trance of some kind, working to keep the lighting and worst of the undersea currents away from your vessel.

It seemed like there was nothing for Satihos to do now except wait.

The undersea trip is a few hours long before submarine emerges on the other side of the small ocean. A path up the cliff face was previously mapped by the other expedition , and the crew looks to Max for his orders on how he wants to handle things once the drive to the top is complete

"we've already explored this area so we should be able to drive up to the shuttle, still keep your eyes open near the port in case we missed something. Also there's wild dogs in the area so be careful outside."

Satihos allows Max to take point, and pays attention to his surroundings in an attempt to identify any potential predators before they notice him and the group.

The pack of dogs that has taken residence in the main hangar is currently out prowling and sniffing near the shuttle pad. The wind is in your favor and from 200m out they haven’t noticed the group or the submarine/truck yet

Satihos considers how large the dogs are, and how many there are.

They are the size that is normal for dogs to be , but not mastiffs based on their appearance. You can see 7

"So do we try to scare them off or should we thin out the pack? So long as they don't notice us I can probably take one down from here." (I'm a yama king so my execution attacks alway hit.)

Satihos responds. "You're the leader of the expedition. I'm feeling pretty confident that I can give them a good scare if you want to go that route." Satihos takes a quick look around to see if there is anything that looks like it could be fashioned into a makeshift torch.

Max turns to the engineer. "How much work do you think we'll have to do on the outside? If it's all indoor work we can probably let them be, but we need too spend significant time working on the hull we should probably kill one or two to put the fear of man into them."

04:18

(@ Satihos we should have a few flares in the sub)

(The flares would stay lit. It is raining so the torch would just be a stick by time it got there) “I’ll need to inspect the heat shielding along the outside and the engines if you’re planning on flying it even in atmosphere. It’s going to be a good amount of time in the rain just for that , before doing the inside work”

"Better safe than sorry, we'll try to take them out. Satihos, can you attack from here or do we need to get closer?"

Satihos informs Max that "We would need to get closer"

Max readies his laser pistol, tempest, and stun baton. "Then I guess we should leave the sub here and sneak up until you're in range." (I can loan you my tempest if you need a ranged weapon.)

If Max Davenport is sure about this course of action, Satihos will comply, and attempt to get a bit closer to the dogs without being noticed and readies his Spear.

Seeing the spear Max hands over his tempest. "If we move forward 50 meters this should be in extreme range. But if you don't have experience with guns maybe it's not worth the chance of being spotted. What do you think?" (so I've run the numbers, and if you don't have anything to help with shoot it'll be what ever Neko makes us roll to get close for a 16.67% percent chance to hit another dog. 41.67% if your allowed to burst fire for an execution attack. The tempest is a laser smg so it's +1 to hit 1d8 damage 50/150 range 20 ammo and can burst fire. unfortunately it takes two power cells so your power won't work on it.)

(Executions are skill checks not attack rolls, so it would be a shoot/dex. And are not subject to the burst fire bonus. And I am pretty sure that the Conduit ability would be able to power the Tempest. The wording reads that it powers one device that needs Type A cells. Not powers one Type A cell) (edited)

(Yeah, burst fire seemed questionable on a precision attack. I read it as something that uses up to one cell, but I'm not going to argue with a mod, especially when it makes things easier.)

(will double check and get back to you unless neko chimes in before)

)conduit can power it. Executions attacks are skill checks.

22:09

(Burst fire doesn’t apply to skill checks since you’re not making a to hit roll)

Satihos considers the situation a bit more, and checks the terrain. He is pretty sure that a quadruped like a dog would struggle with vertical movement; while Utan like Satihos is very good at climbing. Satihos looks around for a big enough tree that can support his weight, or other difficult vertical terrain... "Before we proceed... Do you have any reason to believe that these animals are capable of climbing, or using ranged attacks? If not, then perhaps I should just climb up on something and fire from there until they get the message?"

"It looks like they're just feral dogs so that plan should work. But we should take the first shot together, I'm a much better shot when I have time to prepare and the target doesn't know I'm there." Max will follow Satihos to his firing position.

there is a large and thick trunked tree that sways gently in the storms winds, but a Utan has no trouble maintaining their balance in it. It's within range of the Tempest, (within your extreme range) and from here you've still got an angle on most of the pack

Satihos readies the Tempest, then waits for Max to do whatever he is planning to do. Satihos will open fire on the dogs if Max takes a shot at them.

Max claims the biggest meanest looking dog as his target, then braces against the tree trunk and takes aim for an execution attack with his laser pistol. When Satihos is ready he gives a countdown and opens fire. (I'm a yama king so I believe I auto-hit.)

(You’re right) one of the dogs falls, shot through center mass and toppling on its side soundlessly

Satihos takes aim with Max's Tempest, attempting to aim at one of the dogs around the center of the pack.

(It’s a regular shoot/dex check for satihos’ execution attack, and then if the dogs don’t scatter we can see what happens)

(I think this would be a 2d6 roll, -1 for skill and +1 for dex. Let me know if this is wrong. My roll on the D20 thing was a 6.)

23:20

(It should have been -1+1 not -0+0, but the result would not be changed)

(math is right though, you did that part just fine) Satihos fires, but the unfamiliar firearm bucks wildly sending the shots short. The noise does seem to scatter the pack for now, though one is left behind dead

"Hopefully that will keep them away, but we should probably post a watch when we're working outside just in case. Ready to keep going?"

"Yes. Lets proceed." Remarks Satihos.

The pair return to the sub, and continue toward the shuttle.

The shuttle is where you left it, as it cannot fly yet. The technical crew begins unloading parts and scanners along with tools to begin the work. “We didn’t open the door last time, did we Agent Davenport. I think if I remember right you skipped that and went to check out the hangars”

"No, we found the access card so we were able to get in easily. It was the control tower that gave me some trouble, but I came back to it and got in on my second try. The only building we haven't cleared is the one with the dogs."

"Right, and not much use there. Alright, give me some time. We'll get this shuttle sorted out. Pack's been driven off for now, might be a good time to check that last building"

"All right, give me a com call if there's anything I can help with. Would you like join me Satihos?" After receiving an answer Max sets out for the last storage building.

Satihos responds. "If that's what you think should be done." Satihos also comments "I get the feeling that you are rather new to being in a leadership position. Its okay to give some orders in situations like this."

The dogs have not returned by time you get there, and the door is already something you know can be opened without needing to pick locks or break anything. Lockers against the walls cover most of the interior spaces along with a pair of heavy duty workbenches

" I am used to working alone. But it's also that the message telling me you were coming gave me the impression Greystar wanted you as an agent." (edited)

Satihos shrugs.

"We tend to treat each other as equals, so feel free to take initiative or disagree with me. We're partners on this mission. So partner, how about we each take a workbench and then search the lockers?" If Satihos doesn't object Max will begin searching the left workbench.

Satihos approaches one of the workplaces and tries to get an idea of how much effort it would require to move. It it seems like he could lift it without extreme effort, Satihos will respond with "Where should I take it to?"

"Ah, sorry I meant we each search one of the benches before we move on to the lockers."

"Ah." Satihos searches the workbench.

Max finds the scattered contents of a post tech toolkit here. This planet would have been on the frontier before being cut off behind the storms separating the region known as the L-Gate region from the rest of known space. They would not have had the advanced psitech tools of sol and the core worlds. Satihos likewise brushes aside a few tools to find a compartment in his bench. There’s a small metal box inside that looks like whoever owned this before welded together from scrap

Satihos looks at the box to see if it has an obvious means of opening it. If not, he would lightly shake it to hear if it contained anything inside of it. He was not yet inclined to try forcing the box though, and would turn his attention to the lockers if the box wanted to stay closed.

Max makes note of the tools to bring back to the shuttle and then starts checking the lockers.

The lockers are intact since the dogs kept the curious away. Five units of spare parts are cobbled together between them, enough to help turn the shuttle from flying wreck to something solid you can use

Max takes a look to see if there was anything else to find in the building. And if there was nothing else he'd start gathering up the tools and parts to bring them to the shuttle. (Was there any update about Satihos' box?) (edited)

(In the event that the GM posts an update and it seems like my action was missed, what should I do? Do I mention it after 24 hours?)

(normally you could politely ask about your action/reiterate your action. But neko is going to be gone until tomorrow night so it will be best to wait until then to do so.) (edited)

(I summed up both actions as far as searching the lockers. The box will need to be forced open somehow

14:14

(We had a holiday and then I’m hunting so my schedule has been slower than normal

Satihos takes the box, and asks Max "Should we carry this stuff back?"

"We might as well, it'll probably be useful."

Returning to the shuttle your spare parts and some directed work by the engineer have the vessel in flying shape by what passes for nightfall on this always dark and stormy world. The shuttle is far more spacious inside than the submarine is , and being out of the driving rain with a thicker hull around you has you all feeling warmer and better spirited already

Satihos awaits further orders, presumably to board the shuttle.

You’re asked to board. Max has the rough coordinates of the next island over , where the ruins of a former psionic academy exist now. It’s not thought that there would be any survivors there

03:11

But they may have left useful objects behind

After everyone has loaded up and had a chance to rest Max asks the pilot to set a course for the island.

(i've got a map for this, just labeling it now)

01:42

Approaching the academy ruins through the storm, a map of the facility as it was begins populating on the stored records aboard the ship. The engineer has done his work well, and aside from a few quality of life issues that will need to be addressed upon return to Windwall, the vehicle is warm, safe, dry, and more importantly, flightworthy. From above, the weather has not been kind to the place. Shingles are missing from virtually every roof surface and across the northern side of the campus a few sections of roof are gently caving in due to the relentless wind and rain.

"Can you find us a place to set down?"

Not being the Piloting type, Satihos awaits the landing.

The courtyard seems like the most open place that will take the size of the shuttle so far, and on a second circle it doesnt seem like there are any external defenses

"Alright, it looks like the courtyard is the best bet. Set us down there."

The shuttle sets down, rain plinking and sheeting off its fins and landing skirt, and the pilot begins getting the engines turned over into standby mode. The options for getting in seem to be either circling around left to get to the entryway, or trying to breach a hole in one of the walls closer to your landing zone

"What do you think? Do we try the entrance or do we look for a window to break?"

Satihos responds. "I recommend we try the door. Breaking a window would alert any creatures within of our presence."

"Sounds good to me." Max starts towards the entrance.

The doors leading inside have been bashed several times by storm thrown debris, and you don't have a problem making your way inside. To the south a large portico opens to an enclosed and still running maintained garden. Artificial sunlight bulbs make the place seem bright and cheerful despite the storm raging outside. A few native songbirds flutter between the handful of thick trees.

15:04

Another door leads to a large assembly and dining hall to the east

"From the old map it looks like we can explore everything in a circuit. So clockwise or counter-clockwise? Or would you rather split up?"

Satihos responds. "If there's no urgency to this search, then I wouldn't recommend splitting up. I'd recommend an inspection of the garden first. If there's hostile wildlife here it would most likely reside here and I'd rather it not sneak up on us."

"That's a good plan. And I'm a bit surprised that the garden is in such good shape. Maybe we'll find something interesting." Max carefully makes his way into the garden.

There are fruit trees growing here, and none of the wildlife you can see looks to be much bigger than coming up to your knee. There are marks that vegetation is being fed on mostly, along with some scrapings on trees.

"It looks like it's just herbivores so far, but we should still be careful." He continues forward, looking out for anything unusual or valuable.

the plants here need a lot of light to grow, since they're healthy. Their byproducts such as fruit or sap are things that likely havent been seen in Windwall in years- as the city is always in the midst of the dark and storms (edited)

Satihos looks around for any signs of biological dangers in the area, particularly the marks on the trees. Just because something was herbivorous did not mean it couldn't be deadly.

You’re reminded of ruts that lopes on Terezinho would notch into coral or on trees to mark their scent for later mating and attraction purposes , but nothing here seems deadly

05:02

People once lived and worked here doing sensitive research, keeping deadly animals inside unrestrained seems like it would have compromised that

Not knowing which plants are valuable, Max tries to determine if the equipment could be moved or if any farming would need to be done here. Once the garden has been searched he'll move on to classroom one.

It seems like its all been worked into the facility, but the picked fruit might be worth something back at the city- and the seeds from them could hopefully be cultivated into something new

"They'll want some of this in Windwall, but carrying fruit around while exploring is just going to bruise it. We should come back here after we're finished."

Original message was deleted or could not be loaded.

Pinned a message.

20:52

A door to the rear of Classroom One , or back the way you came to the entry way are the only ways out of the garden. There is no light coming from under the door looking into the classroom.

Satihos takes a look at the Classroom, using his Compad to produce a minimal amount of light. Provided that there are no obvious threats inside, Satihos will look for a light fixture in the room. If there is one, he would see if he could comfortably reach it and power it with his Conduit ability.

Max follows and if Satihos is unable to find a light he'll turn on his pair of glow bugs and pass one over.

The compad light reveals a set of several neat rows of desks, and a teachers desk with dozens of books stacked neatly on the desk top and a small set of baskets stacked on it. They’ve handled the time well since they’ve been kept dry and away from any pest animals

"You're the psychic so I expect you'll have a better idea of what we should take with us." Max starts looking for more mundane items or things he should bring to Satihos' attention.

Satihos takes a moment to look at the titles of the books. If he does not know the language, he will mention that he can't tell what is and is not sure if it is of value. If the books are legible, Satihos will look at a few random pages. If the contents of the books appears easy to understand, Satihos will mention that the contents of the book seem elementary to the point where they wouldn't be of much value to Greystar. If they do not seem so simple, Satihos will only be able to say that the might be of some worth. If they cover the field of Electrokinesis, Satihos will mention that its of some degree of personal interest but may or may not be worth much. And if anything seems wrong with the books in a manner which Satihos would not be able to tell immediately, he will cease reading any of them and suggest that they should explore somewhere else. (edited)

The books seem to be worth taking. The collapse of organized psionic knowledge after The Scream means no scrap of lore, no matter how basic, is worth throwing away. Greystar benefits from a strong partnership with the Psychic Academy, but the day may come when relations shift- and they might be forced to rely on their own stockpiles of psychic knowledge. THe books will need to be kept dry once you leave, but otherwise seem to be important

Satihos comments. "It may be prudent to leave the books where they are for now, and move them when after the rain comes to a stop. I'd be inclined to move on to the next room."

The hallway to the north leads to most of the rest of the academy. Classroom two is nextdoor and the door there is closed too

"I'm not sure it ever stops, but we can keep our eyes open for something waterproof to carry them in." Max opens the door to classroom two.

Satihos follows Max to the second classroom. (edited)

The second classroom looks to have been a practical space of some kind where the desk tops have lab equipment on them. Most of the glass is cloudy and dirty now but there is a chemical experimentation setup meant to be led by an instructor and followed by students. What they were trying to make isn’t evident but the equipment itself would be valuable finds to bring back

Max makes a note to pick up the equipment before leaving, then starts looking for anything that isn't obvious. If he doesn't find anything then he'll try the door to the teachers quarters.

The desk seems to be very light- meant to be easily moved, and there is a slight seam in the floor under where the instructors desk is normally perched

Max clears off the desk, then moves it aside and tries to open what he assumes is a trapdoor.

There’s a door here set into the floor. The metal latch is flush but can be pulled up easily to let you down- which you’re able to do easily. Underneath you see a large chamber made from flagstones where hundreds of chemical drums are being stored. Most of them are a bright red, and the material data cards are on top showing them as stored materials for experiments here. Most of the chemicals seem related to medical technology or use in various medicines

"Satihos I think we may have just hit the jackpot." Max climes down and starts checking barrels. Getting a list of what's there, and making sure there aren't any leaks or other dangerous situations.

Satihos takes a look at the trap door. Satihos was a pretty big guy, and it wasn't immediately clear if it could accommodate him. If it wasn't, Satihos would warn Max that 'I'm not going to be able to help you much down there. Not unless we find a bigger entrance'.

(its a tight squeeze but you could)

Satihos looks around the basement area for any signs of hostile entities. Satihos had a bad feeling about this place.

Yourself, and Maxwell seem to be the only people who have been down here since the Academy was abandoned. This storage room does not lead anywhere else, and you have not seen signs of anything but the weather causing damage to the building

If the barrels are light enough to move without equipment Max will start lifting them up to the main floor. Otherwise he'll make note of what's needed and move on.

The barrels can be moved by hand, but you’ll be getting a tiring workout moving them all up to the classroom floor for later extraction

After moving a couple barrels and noticing how tiring the job will be Max decides to leave it until after the building has been cleared. He instead goes to check the door to the teacher's room. (I'm assuming we've thoroughly search this area.)

Satihos goes along with Max.

(This classroom area yes) (edited)

19:50

Three rooms, each with their doors closed mark where resident professors once lived. The rooms are about the same size as far as you can tell from the floor plan and looking outside them, simple spaces meant for private dining and resting

Keeping with the counter clockwise search pattern Max tries the door to room three.

The door opens to reveal a Spartan looking bedroom with a handful of personal items left behind. A chest for storage is clasped shut and rests at the foot of the now threadbare bed

Satihos comments. "It may be prudent to move things over to the shuttle as we find them. If there's something dangerous lurking in this place, that will make it more dangerous to retrieve them later."

"Alright, we can start moving stuff once we're done with this room." Max tries to open the chest. (How easy does the chest look to move? Might as it be useful for carrying things to the shuttle?)

(Its shut right now, so we dont know if its empty, but the two of you could easily move it)

(Thanks) Max continues trying to open the chest. "Maybe we can use this to keep the books dry while we bring them to the shuttle."

A set of secure underclothes, a stun baton, and a large book wrapped in a silver chain occupy the travel chest once you unclasp ot

Without touching it Max examines the book for any identifying details he can see. "I think you should take a look at this, I just found a rather strange book. There's also some armour you might find useful."

Satihos takes a look at the Strange Book. If the armor in question appears to have been designed for someone much smaller than the Utan, Satihos will hold it up to his chest for a moment and just give Max a incredulous look.

(Yeah it’s for a person, but you could always get it modified later)

"Ahh, yes. Well I'm sure we can find a tailor when we get back to Windwall. And there's the stun baton if you want a non-lethal option."

The power cell in it is dead but can easily be replaced with a new type a to get it working again

Satihos takes a look at the Stun Baton, and checks to see if he can make use of it via the Conduit ability.

It seems that your innate psionic charge is enough, and the head crackles to life in your hands

Satihos comments. "Yeah, I think I can find a use for this one." (I'm not clear on how to record this on the Roll 20 thing) Satihos then turns his attention back to the book with the silver chain.

(What part are you confused about)

(The part where you didn't mention the stats for it)

(It's from the core book so roll20 has the stats already. if you're in edit mode there's a drop down box at the top of the weapons section. select the stun baton and click add.)

(Yes. It’s in the core book, and also there’s a drop down on your character sheet. Not a homebrew thing )

03:17

(Not trying to trick you or anything. Sorry if it came off that way)

(Alright, got the Stun Baton thing figured out)

Satihos picks up the chest, with the intention of using it to transport the books to the shuttle as previously suggested by Max.

Max takes the other end of the chest and helps Satihos load the books into the shuttle.

The book is bound and the lock keeping the chain closed looks complex- not something that can easily be opened with field work. A TL4 workshop, or equivalent would be best.

"With a lock like this, I expect whatever is in that book is either very valuable or dangerous."

After reaching the shuttle with the books Max will take a look for any equipment on board that could help with moving the barrels and other loot.

There is a moving dolly on board, there is also a small floater ruck that the crew will let you use.

18:53

Floater Ruck This small platform can be reconfigured with sliding cloth panels and a polyceramic support frame to be up to a maximum of 2.5 meters in length and one meter in width. A single Type A energy cell allows it to float silently up to two meters above the ground for 24 hours. It can support up to 250 kilos of cargo while floating along at the maximum speed of a running human. Floater rucks are usually “tethered” to one member of a squad, automatically following them at a distance of some meters, though they can be programmed for remote operation with any standard military compad. The rucks have a maximum range of 300 meters from their controller. These rucks are prized by fireteams for their ability to carry heavy burdens of ammunition and supplies, but they’re also extremely easy to spot when they’re floating a meter and a half off the ground. Recon groups avoid using them for reasons of stealth, but some squads will carry a deactivated, compacted ruck just in case a critically-wounded comrade needs to be extracted over rough terrain. They can also serve as makeshift watercraft or swamp boats, floating over calm waters while carrying one soldier at a time. Floater rucks have an effective Armor Class of 11, and 8 points of damage are sufficient to render them inoperable. (edited)

18:56

(this is from starvation cheap as well, if you needed to check anything later)

Satihos took a look at the Floater Ruck and its specifications. It occurred to him that he wasn't quite sure exactly how much he weighed. He knew that most humans would weigh considerably less than 250 kilograms, but he was quite a bit bigger than the average human. He silently wondered if it would seem unprofessional to see if the device could support him.

(A regular irl ape is between 136-227kg. You could ride it for at least the trip back inside the building , but not with cargo aboard I’d say)

Max grabs the dolly and sets the floater ruck to follow. "I suggest we clear the assembly hall on the way in. It'll probably be easier to go through there than to haul stuff through the garden."

Satihos agrees to go along with Max to the assembly hall.

The assembly hall is being used as a large dining room and a few of the serving bots are still online in here, grimly passing out place settings, and cleaning them up at spaces on tables where no student has occupied them for a long time. Three continue this sad duty, while another four have slumped over, or crashed into the tables as onboard power has failed.

14:07

they are bipedal and sturdy legged, with a boxy torso- a head set into the chest, and dispenser arms.

Max approaches one of the bots. "Hello, I was hoping you could assist me."

The bot stiffens to face you, waiting to hear your prompts or questions

(oops, I just noticed that they don't have normal arms. There goes my plan of getting them to help carry things.)

03:27

"Could you tell me the most recent class schedule?"

"What year of classssssss ar ar ar ar you, student?" it asks, several hiccups in its voice projector

"I'm not a student. I'm here to check out the school."

"I will provide you an example first year schedule" it beeps

21:02

6am Guided meditation under Metapsionic department. 
8am Breakfast 
9am Metapsionics Theory 
11am Galactic History 
12pm Lunch
1pm Introduction to SANIS/Weaving or Introduction to specialized Psionic Study
5pm Studies in classrooms end
6pm Dinner
7pm- 6am Free time for Students to study and rest

Satihos whispers to Max. "We might be able to get some useful information out of this machine if we can impersonate someone who had security clearance. Be on the lookout for any names that seem important."

"Thank you. I'll continue my tour now." Max walks away from the bot before speaking to Satihos. "That's a good idea. ... Although we may need more than a name. If we can find a dna sample of someone I may be able to disguise myself as them. (@ Neko my mask walker ability says I need a dna sample to impersonate someone, but do I also need to know what they look like?)

(It just says you need a DNA sample, so I'd assume your body would handle the shape once you've got that, even if you haven't seen them before)

15:51

(the room you're standing in was heavily trafficked and used for eating. Odds are good)

Max looks for the head table and starts searching for lost hairs and other dna sources.

Some of the silverware is dirty from what you can tell, the bots overlooking it, or missing it in their endless setting and re-setting of a table no one will come back to eat at for a long time yet

Max takes a dirty fork from the table and tries to take on its user's form.

Satihos watches Max with interest.

Skin bubbles, though not painfully, and over the course of a handful of seconds a far different Max is standing before you. A buff, rugged looking student now replaces the Greystar operative, and the clothing currently being worn it tight to move around in, for the moment. the robot stiffens as it recognizes someone registered as a student

(So that's one strain. I assume the one I had from my last expedition has recovered. Also the focus says I can change the appearance of my gear as well.(If I've had an hour to attune to it, which I assume I've done off screen.) So does that just take a few seconds extra, or since I didn't know what I was changing to was I unable to adjust it to fit:?) Max walks back to Satihos. "So what do you think we should ask?"

(just was making some details, i guess if we're going to dive that deep into them it could have all been done off screen)

(I'm ok either way. I just figured I probably remembered the focus a bit better because I have it.)

Satihos comments. "Maybe go over the school rules. Might give us some ideas on what to watch out for. Getting information about the faculty's behavior might also be of some use."

Max nods and heads over to the bot. "Robot, My friend and I are having a small disagreement about the school rules. Could you please give us a refresher?"

"The entire list of rules is exhaustive. Treat others the way you'd like to be treated. Do your work for yourself- and maintain academic honesty- and keep your hands to yourself. You will succeed here if you can follow these rules"

"Thanks. Can you tell me what the teachers have been up to? I've got a test coming up and I don't want to do anything to annoy them."

"they have been prepaing lesson plans for the next unit, you will probably not find them outside of class"

Satihos comments. "Interesting. That implies that the faculty consists of machines..."

02:53

... "And that they are still at work."

"I suspect they're as organic as we are, and the bots are just out of date. Did you have any more questions, or shall we continue?"

"Go ahead."

The pair continue on to collect the loot they've found so far and take it to the shuttle.

There’s no trouble as you do so. The barrels have most of the free space taken up by now, which will help things back at Windwall

With the loading finished Max heads over to the remaining teachers rooms to pick up the search where they'd left off.

There are two teacher rooms remaining. They are laid out the same with a bed, nightstand, dresser and storage trunk.

Satihos takes a look at the storage trunks to see if anything of worth remains today.

While Satihos works on the chests Max examines the nightstands and dressers, looking for teacher dna as well as anything else of value.

(notice/wis, each of you)

(8)

(I think I rolled correctly, but I'm not 100% sure. The result was 11, but double check to see if I did it right)

(It’s right) In the third of three teachers rooms, Satihos notices a seam in the carpet. It’s almost imperceptible but something seems to be under it like a hatch or compartment in the floor

Satihos goes to check underneath the carpet, and makes a mental note to keep an eye out for similar things in this place going forward.

There is a hatch here with a handle on it to allow it to be pulled open.

Satihos mentions that he "Found something", then opens the hatch.

There is a slight pop as the handle is engaged and a wide set of stairs - wide enough for any of you to fit through , lead into an undercroft. A second but smaller and possibly entirely secret floor of the academy may be down here. This initial landing room is compact with a simple metal panel door leading into the rooms behind. There is a cloak hung on the wall, to keep dust and obvious signs of dirt off the clothing of professors who might have used this space

"That is quite the find. Good work." Max climbs down and tries to open the door.

The door opens, revealing a stamped stone floor, and a very cold set of four rooms resembling honeycombs. Meditation cells, it seems like.

"Hmm, why would they want to hide this?" Max starts searching for why these rooms were hidden. If there were more secret passages, doors that lock from the outside, or other things people might question.

"I presume to reduce the odds of interruption or for... Confidentiality." Satihos takes a look at one of the meditation cells to see if he can determine the room's purpose.

The room is a calm space with a sandy floor, which seems ripe for medication. There are niches carved in the walls for candles or incense burners. You find evidence of both in use here in the past. Beyond the meditation cells there is a thick metal hatch that is marked storage.

Max walks over and tries to open the storage hatch.

It remains firmly in place

Satihos comments. "We can come back to this later. There's plenty of other places to look."

"Alright. That'll also give us a chance to see if there's any tools that could help on the shuttle." The pair return to the surface and continue their search. (The prep room is next I think.)

(@ Satihos I thought I should maybe remind you that your welcome to participate in the Greystar meeting. A new months meeting is just starting so now would be an easy time to join in.)

The prep room serves the dining hall and assembly hall. The knives, ovens, and other cooking tools all seem well maintained and have been stored properly. There is no evidence of anything hidden or secret in here but the kitchen is fully stocked with tools and cutlery

07:20

Meals serving hundreds at peak enrollment times came out of this room three times a day

Not expecting to find anything Max gives the kitchen and it's supply closet a once over before moving on to the tower.

17:06

(had time to update the known map of Ocrina so far)

(I don't really know what to post at this point, and am beginning to lose interest in this)

(I'm sorry to hear that. Is there something we can do to make things more interesting? If you're not into exploring ruins I expect we can head back and you can move on to something else, or I could leave if you want to handle this on your own.)

(Yeah I don’t mind moving into another mission or we can do something else

06:40

(We started this primarily to meet up with max but we can separate or close this expedition up for now and head back into the wider universe )

(The biggest issue is that most turns consist of nothing interesting happening, and no obvious progress being made) (edited)

(Finding a hidden chamber under an innocuous looking academy ruin that contains possible mal tech or dark artifacts isn’t interesting? Not to mention finding a robot that has pre scream academy teaching schedules stored on it , that doesn’t exist back on the other side of the gate) (edited)

17:25

(Im struggling to grasp why those two things in themselves aren’t interesting or progress? , especially since I’ve asked you directly a couple times how to write what you’ll be interested in and was given non committal answers. The issue is def something I’ve been concerned about and trying to work through with you because I want you to have fun ) (edited)

17:26

(If thst doesn’t meet your threshold for interest then I don’t know if this is the game for you. I’m not forcing you out but I’m beside myself on how to write a mission you’re interested in if the bar for me is set that incredibly high)

(I don't think the writing is the problem, though its worth mentioning that I wouldn't know how the things you described just now are much different from the norm in this universe.) (The way I perceived things is: 'Go to next area, search the area, repeat' for several weeks in real time. I suspect I might be missing something, though with the objective of the mission being exploration a better course of action did not come to mind for me.)

(My take away from this is maybe exploration missions aren’t things you’re interested in doing then- which returns us to the perennial question of, what are we looking for instead. If it’s combat or diplomacy or one of the other main pillars of rpgs there’s plenty of that too and we can be doing it within a few posts of you telling me which of those things is a good replacement. As much as I’d like to see the year 2668, I haven’t been there. I don’t really know how things will look. I can only write within my own personal frame of reference which is grounded in this same modern world we are all living in. I’m sure you are going to see lots of familiar things. )

22:05

(I’m not really sure how you’d expect that to be handled. I'm willing to redo what we need to, or change focus to whatever you think is a better use of that time, but we keep falling short of me getting something to actually work with, and are arriving at other unrelated things you dont like instead ) (edited)

(At this point, I am pretty sure that exploration isn't optimal for me as well. Combat would probably be a safe bet. One of the key things at this point is that I would need a clear goal to work towards in order to perform optimally in a situation.)

(And the probably monotonous formula of encounter after encounter on essentially narrative rails isn’t going to replace the issue we are having now?) (edited)

(I wouldn't recommend deliberately doing something that you would describe as a 'monotonous formula'.)

22:28

(I get the feeling that you are upset with me. Is that the case?)

(Not upset at all, I’m just trying to figure out all sides of this so we do act 2 of satigos I. A way that is more enjoyable for you)

(My personal recommendation would be smaller scale missions of different types to get a better feel for what does and does not work.)

I feel like I’ve done my due diligence when it comes to figuring out how to do this better , and I think “figure it out” followed by more vague criticisms of other things you don’t like is a very poor way of expecting to move forward. This is compounded by the fact that so far zero actual solutions were more concrete than "DM will have to figure it out" even after being directly asked several times now. After all this, I still don't know how to accomplish even a little bit of what you want. It’s been a struggle from the beginning between requiring roll20, not wanting to use the rulebook and us not using avare for dice rolls. Things being off to that bad a start and then minimal levels of input when asked how to do it better has me decided that taking random shots in the dark is not a good use of the time I can devote to this game, so this feels like a logical place to just decide to go our separate rpg ways.

(You seem extremely upset with me, and after looking over your post for a good 20 minutes thinking I can't find a reason to disagree with your assessment. Is there anything that I should do in order to make my departure go smoothly, or should I just kind of... Disconnect from the discord and never bother you again?)