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[Parisbre56]

"Clate, this place has a mind, of sorts. I don't know if it's the mind of this place or the mind of the saint or some fragment of the mind of the black flame. Whatever it is, it does remind me of the way you describe the Crystal Overmind. A thing living in stone, controlling it. Given that that mind has control of everything around us, I don't think it would be prudent to fight against it. However, should the warrior take over Alex's body and try to escape, we must have some way to defend ourselves from its attacks, so that it only attacks the warrior. Do you think you could somehow interface with that mind? Maybe convince it to spare us? Or maybe blind it to the area around the crawler? Maybe if you work together with AsHul and his ability to influence that mind?"

I remember it being mentioned that if that thing tries to escape, the living stone would attack it and we'd be likely to get caught in the crossfire. Furthermore, I remember the Golden Pin allowing me to momentarily connect with the living stone surrounding me and catch a glimpse of the mind inhabiting it. Finally, I remember that the mind is concentrated near the Golden Circuits. Is my assumption that there aren't many Golden Circuits here correct? If so, could the lack of Golden Circuits render the presence of that mind weak enough to give me a chance to usurp control of the surrounding stone and momentarily protect myself should the "inflamed" stone start attacking the warrior? Or is the mind too strong for that to have a chance of working? Or would I need to find an exposed Golden Circuit to connect? I'm assuming the response of the tunnel to the warrior is like an involuntary reflex, so it would be like trying to keep the stone from sneezing.

Also, assuming this isn't some test and what the saint said about "only a human being able to kill the creation of humans" is true, could I venture a guess as to why this place can only trap the warrior but can't kill it? If we need to damage the warrior using both mundane and sphere-based attacks to kill it, then is it reasonable to assume that this place lacks the capacity to perform one of those two kinds of attack? Furthermore, given that it has demonstrated the ability to perform physical attacks, would it be reasonable to assume it's unable to perform sphere-based attacks? If yes, then why would that be? Could it be that this place is afraid the warrior could usurp whatever dive it makes, same as it consumed the explosion elemental? Or could it be that this place lacks something essential for diving, e.g. a relic? Or could it be that you need to be a creature to dive or at least dive comfortably?

Spoiler: "Kara" the Corven (click to show/hide)

Name: "Kara" is what most humans call her, though the closest pronunciation would be  Kr'ra-Kax
Race: Corven (advantage for climb, disadvantage for falls)
Appearance: She is a crow-like Corven with matte-black feathers. A bit short. Constantly moves her head around, examining her surroundings. Moves her tail up and down whenever she's excited.
Age: Adult, but just barely
Goal: Wants to find artifacts and experiences that she can use to make an (under)world-famous museum. Wants to prove herself to her mother and piss off her brother with her success (both financially and socially).

Status
Sacrificed left arm to reverse time (eaten by giant Shluck-like thing). Bandaged.

Stats
Str:11
Dex:13 
Spe:13 
End: 10
Awa:12
Cun:11 
Kno:12
Ner:12

Skills
Rifle: 1
Medical: 1
Translate: 2
Acrobatics: 1
Caving: 1
Machine Control: 1
Stealth: 1
Geology: 1
Archeology: 2
Navigation: 1

Inventory
Heavy Crystal Mirror Armour Shroud
Golden pin (in forearm)
Crystal Friend (with riding harness + Obedience Rod)
Radio
780 fathoms (1% royalty for flame)
Telegrabber with Stasis Box (Rifle, 100 meters max grab range)
3 Stasis Boxes (diving enhanced containment container) for the Telegrabber
Ethral Rifle (scope+bipod) (rifle 3, pierce 3) 6/7
Ethral Rifle magazine 7/7
Ethral Rifle magazine 6/7
Crystal Weapon
Black Flame Crystal Golem
Field Lighter (Fire 2)
Shiny interconnected colorful gems
Grappling Hook + Ethral Silk rope 200 ft
1 Doctor's Bag
1 Dynamo Lantern (Light 3)
1 Knife (Cut/Pierce 2)
2 Slave Traps
Simple Clothes (with hood)
Cot
Book (Adventures of Pilgrim)
Deck of Cards

Kara's Diary

In Storage
15 chemical junk
22 mechanical junk
Crystal Tablets (diary about All-Eater and Great Destroyer, inventory, obedience rod instructions, construct assembly instructions)
Church Documents (document ownership and events, and recommend favorable treatment)
Metal Card with the address of the Gilded Crow (corven Gangsters of Goldshore)
Mechanical Arm (not installed)
Bomb collar (unlocked)
All bomb collar remotes
A large number of shiny gold-like messenger path rocks
Notes on insect saddle construction
Ancient Bird-people idols
Ancient Mole-jewels depicting unknown beast

[Radio Controlled]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

"Well, I just came up with it, it wasn't planned! I was expecting the warrior to attack us the moment the door opened so I was focused on rescuing Alex and AsHul. When it started talking instead I started thinking and went with the first thing that I thought was a good plan. I... didn't really consider the possibility that someone would think I was actually going to do that. I've got better things to do with my life than waste it fighting in some holy war."

"Perhaps, sister Kara, this day may serve as a lesson for all of us on the power and security of proper preparation and teamwork. For the future, maybe we could see to work out a series of phrases or cues that secretly signal our intentions or plans so that we may communicate with each other without tipping our hand to an adversary, whether it be a merchant we try to haggle down, an official we attempt to persuade, or a foe we seek to destroy."

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

"In fact," he turns to Nyw, who has been silent up till now, and asks, "honorable ancestor, what do you make out of all of this? Your kind is righteous and carries the wisdom of age, so please, if it behooves you, share with us your thoughts."

Nyw is still staring at the closed barrier when his name is called, murakumos ready.  The entire time, he has made no indication that he has paid any attention to the conversation, or even heard his name.  He does eventually speak, after the shouting has died down and quiet has returned.  His calm voice comes as something of a surprise, as he still does not move a single muscle, and it's not even clear he's responding to Adam's question.  "Alex is now our enemy.  He has chosen his own goals above cooperation, and his direct statements imply that he believes those goals to potentially be counter to ours.  I do not believe him evil; the church is violent and dogmatic, its representatives often..." he pauses, a hint of mirth entering his voice "...rather rash, and prone to misunderstanding... but he has proven himself far more foolish than any such representative present.  I side with those who have been fully open about their motivations and goals over he who hides and lies."

He pauses again, but speaks up a few seconds later, seemingly as an afterthought.  "Kara is not our enemy.  Binding herself to the being's purpose is a cruel idea, but kind as well.  If that purpose is harmful, I can kill her myself.  I cannot kill that being.  Her plan is intended to sacrifice herself in trade for our safety.  Something which we are yet to ensure."

Adam considered these words for a moment. While the insinuation of faulty or impetuous judgement on his part did sting coming from the venerable, ancient being, he swallowed his pride and resolved to meditate on them in due time. But, had there been any lingering doubts about the bird's allegiance, they had now been erased fully.
"Thank you for your insight on the matter, venerable undead."

AsHul grumbles for a moment, apparently to himself, or perhaps to some invisible entity flitting about near his head lump.
"I suppose, Brother Adam. As long as she understands that errors here were not mine. At least, not mine alone.

As for Alex, I will pen the door only once we have resolved to gain the complete truth from him by compulsion, and contain or destroy the Warrior. I can wait on destruction: the Saint who commissioned me is longsuffering."

"Thank you, brother, for taking my counsel in this matter even if you didn't before. I concur that we should all agree on a plan of action before we move on with anything. In fact, I would even say we should come up with a detailed plan and think of necessary contingencies to avoid further misunderstandings.

Hmm. What about this:" Adam cleared his throat and spoke a bit louder so everyone could hear him, and continued. "Brother Ashul opens the door and we have sister Kara grab Alex' head with her contraption. Immediately after that, we set off the bomb in an attempt to destroy the warrior.
Should the bomb fail or the warrior not be clearly identifiable, we will reseal the door and return home. Brother Clate, your gift of stone movement would be most helpful in shoving that thing back in there. Should Alex not be visible or reachable after we open the door, we still explode the bomb, for then his fate is forfeit either way.

Whatever happens, the destruction or containment of the warrior is our primary objective, above the rescue of that man.

Now, if we pull off the rescue, then Kara will give the head of Alex to Nyw for safekeeping and he will keep guard over it. I believe him to be the most suited and neutral person for this by dint of the incorruptible nature of the honorable undead.

Once on the bore, I and whoever is willing to help will construct a new body for Alex, and we will use our diving magics to restore him to life. Immediately he will be put in locked confinement, and with the use of diving if he deems it necessary Ashul will interrogate him to determine his true allegiance. Anyone who wishes can sit in on this and listen in.

If we deem him still loyal to our crew and his mind and goals not terminally poisoned by the ancient warrior, then he will be set free and allowed to remain on our crew if he so choses. If not, then... we will do what must be done, whatever that entails. The people to finally vote on his fate will be brother Ashul as representative of the Cthonic faith, sister Kara as the non-faithful spokesbird, and brother Nyw to arbitrate the proceedings. Keeping this group small ensures we will actually reach a conclusion in a reasonable timeframe.

We will only move forth once everyone present here has sworn a holy oath to abide by the plan, with their full conscience. No secrets or lies.

Does this idea seem agreeable to all involved? Any questions or alterations anyone would like to see?"
He looked in Ashul's direction first after saying this, since any sort of plan that did not carry his consent would be dead on arrival, before looking at the rest of the group.

[Ozarck]

AsHul, visibly calmer after Nyw's words, straightens as Adam lays out his plan, a look of steel in his eyes.

"This plan is acceptable to me. I will commit to it fully, by this, my word, and any oath you each deem necessary."

[syvarris]

"The plan is agreeable."

[Pancaek]

We will only move forth once everyone present here has sworn a holy oath to abide by the plan, with their full conscience. No secrets or lies.

Yes, this plan works for me. I, uh, swear it in the name of the Overmind?

Try a stonesense sonar ping to while we're still planning, see if I can glean what's happening inside of there.
Also just tentatively try to get a feel of the "living stone" here. I know it's not the same as the crystal overmind, but maybe we can understand eachother kinda?

Spoiler: Clate (click to show/hide)

Name: Clate
Race: Shluck
Description: To bring back the crystal race
 
Stats
Str:  12
Dex:  9
Spe:  10
End:  13
Awa:  12
Cun:  9
Kno:  14
Ner:  15

Skills
Natural +3 Caving
Natural +3 Geology
Natural Mute
Natural No clothing
Natural Stonesenses
Natural Stoneshaping

Unarmed: +2
Weapon skill: Stone Blade +2
Stealth: +1
Archeology: +2
Weaponsmith: +2
Navigation: +1
Armorsmith: +1
Chemical: +1
Crystal Biology: +1

Inventory
Bladed Shovel - handle coated with Pseudomagnetic mortar
Knife (cut2, pierce2)
TNT x5
Dynamo lantern
Field lighter
Path markers x10
"Muggy"(skull mug scrimshawed with "can we fix it?" on the side, "No, it's fucked." on the bottom. Has trigger on the inside of the spine-handle that, when squeezed, caused the mandible to open and close)
100ft silk rope
6 Octahedrons - supposedly replicate materials
1 container of Pseudomagnetic mortar
labradorite/Obedience rod (on loan to Kara)
Silver ethral pendant: small silver pendant in the shape of a compound eye wreathed in white fire
Ethral archive promissory note




743 (500 donated to team fund last turn) Fathoms


Crystal Babies
1. Big Chonk Ramiel, about the size of a car.
2. Pryamid with stumpy limbs
3. Crystal snake. hiss. 18 inches long.
4. snake golem. Its larger than the original by several times and rougher, sort of like a squirming line of uncut gemstones, each the size of a human fist.
5. Crystal Praying Mantis (Can fire lazer, Cut 4 Claws)
6. 2 small golems with black flames mounted on their heads. Suicide bots.

Warehouse/bore storage:
Bomb Collar
Slate box
Spool of thermoreactive wire.
Acoustic guitar (Metal + guardbone, totally mundane.)
Rifle (pierce2, 6/10 magazine)
Small Knife from crystal barrel
Small bowl from crystal barrel
roll of very thin and flexible stone
small cube of the extremely dense material
sharp pyramid shaped wedge thing
3 structural junk
30 chemical junk
1 gold ingot

[piecewise]

((Dang, missed the turn.))
Use wizard eyes to inspect the bomb carefully. Does it look to be a real, functional bomb of sufficient strength? Describe what I see so more technical peeps can weigh in as well.

((rp to be edited in later))

Spoiler: Adam Blavatsky Darvaza (click to show/hide)

Name: Adam Blavatsky Darvaza
Description: A young man of slightly pale complexion and eternal 9 o’clock shadow, he was raised in a small village. While the village priest and passing mystics droned with endless sermons of the Church and their teachings, what had always captivated young Adam’s attention more were the stories of his Granny.
Old stories of the world as it once was, before people were forced to flee to the caves and crannies of this damp hell. Of warm days where pleasant green plants tickled your feet as you walked through them and a cool breeze blew through your hair. Where food was plentiful, nature was benign and endless vistas reached as far as they eye could see.
Adam was nominally a card-carrying member of the church, though he mostly did it for the connections and perks that brought. They were powerful and had ancient lore, all things he would need to fulfill his true heart’s desire: to return to the surface, vanquish the madness that tainted their homeland and reconquer paradise.
After his encounter with a Word of God, the edges of his vision are flickering with black flame and his skin is extremely pale with what appear to be black veins instead of the normal blue ones. It also forced him to reevaluate his views on the cthonic church and god.
Goal: Plunge the secrets of the depths below to find an answer to the horrors above.
Stats
Str: 11
Dex: 11
Spe: 13
End: 12
Awa: 12
Cun: 11
Kno: 10
Ner: 14 
Skills
Diving: +3
Stealth: +2
Occult: +1
Flammenvision!
Inventory

Soldier's chestplate
Clothing: simple priest robes, currently worn long to hide the black veins
Rubber Suit

1 ethral rifle [7 rounds]  (pierce 3)
5x black flame
2x smoke bomb
1 flashbang

3 Silent Night
4 worm blood

1 minor artifact
1 beaker artifact (found in crystal ruins) => in locker
1 crystal construct

Transport mission papers
1 black book copy
1 black book
1 book "Artifacts of Faith"
1 empyrean city map
1 field lighter
1 radio
portal knives design
445 fathoms
4 unspent skillpoints
copy of cult papers
cult holy book
scribbled notes with faces of cult conspirators
lenses of telescope that can look through solid matter
slabs with the history of the crystal people
mysterious cult chest

- 1 x portal knife, not yet enchanted
- 1 x large collapsible doorway (large enough to allow crawler to move through)
- 2 x sacrifices for +3

1 x portal knife, enchanted
1 x Custom collapsible doorway, enchanted (Warning: portal's end point isn't very well anchored to the physical object. There's some drift involved (4,5 meter), so you will come out in the general area, but maybe not spot on.) Currently deployed on the bore, there is padding on the floor to prevent damage from drift.

Its difficult for you to see, as the bomb is so tightly wrapped in magic as to be, to you, nothing but a bunch of slices and chunks hovering in nothing. However, from what you can see, it looks like a complete and quite powerful explosive weapon.

"Clate, this place has a mind, of sorts. I don't know if it's the mind of this place or the mind of the saint or some fragment of the mind of the black flame. Whatever it is, it does remind me of the way you describe the Crystal Overmind. A thing living in stone, controlling it. Given that that mind has control of everything around us, I don't think it would be prudent to fight against it. However, should the warrior take over Alex's body and try to escape, we must have some way to defend ourselves from its attacks, so that it only attacks the warrior. Do you think you could somehow interface with that mind? Maybe convince it to spare us? Or maybe blind it to the area around the crawler? Maybe if you work together with AsHul and his ability to influence that mind?"

I remember it being mentioned that if that thing tries to escape, the living stone would attack it and we'd be likely to get caught in the crossfire. Furthermore, I remember the Golden Pin allowing me to momentarily connect with the living stone surrounding me and catch a glimpse of the mind inhabiting it. Finally, I remember that the mind is concentrated near the Golden Circuits. Is my assumption that there aren't many Golden Circuits here correct? If so, could the lack of Golden Circuits render the presence of that mind weak enough to give me a chance to usurp control of the surrounding stone and momentarily protect myself should the "inflamed" stone start attacking the warrior? Or is the mind too strong for that to have a chance of working? Or would I need to find an exposed Golden Circuit to connect? I'm assuming the response of the tunnel to the warrior is like an involuntary reflex, so it would be like trying to keep the stone from sneezing.

Also, assuming this isn't some test and what the saint said about "only a human being able to kill the creation of humans" is true, could I venture a guess as to why this place can only trap the warrior but can't kill it? If we need to damage the warrior using both mundane and sphere-based attacks to kill it, then is it reasonable to assume that this place lacks the capacity to perform one of those two kinds of attack? Furthermore, given that it has demonstrated the ability to perform physical attacks, would it be reasonable to assume it's unable to perform sphere-based attacks? If yes, then why would that be? Could it be that this place is afraid the warrior could usurp whatever dive it makes, same as it consumed the explosion elemental? Or could it be that this place lacks something essential for diving, e.g. a relic? Or could it be that you need to be a creature to dive or at least dive comfortably?

Spoiler: "Kara" the Corven (click to show/hide)

Name: "Kara" is what most humans call her, though the closest pronunciation would be  Kr'ra-Kax
Race: Corven (advantage for climb, disadvantage for falls)
Appearance: She is a crow-like Corven with matte-black feathers. A bit short. Constantly moves her head around, examining her surroundings. Moves her tail up and down whenever she's excited.
Age: Adult, but just barely
Goal: Wants to find artifacts and experiences that she can use to make an (under)world-famous museum. Wants to prove herself to her mother and piss off her brother with her success (both financially and socially).

Status
Sacrificed left arm to reverse time (eaten by giant Shluck-like thing). Bandaged.

Stats
Str:11
Dex:13 
Spe:13 
End: 10
Awa:12
Cun:11 
Kno:12
Ner:12

Skills
Rifle: 1
Medical: 1
Translate: 2
Acrobatics: 1
Caving: 1
Machine Control: 1
Stealth: 1
Geology: 1
Archeology: 2
Navigation: 1

Inventory
Heavy Crystal Mirror Armour Shroud
Golden pin (in forearm)
Crystal Friend (with riding harness + Obedience Rod)
Radio
780 fathoms (1% royalty for flame)
Telegrabber with Stasis Box (Rifle, 100 meters max grab range)
3 Stasis Boxes (diving enhanced containment container) for the Telegrabber
Ethral Rifle (scope+bipod) (rifle 3, pierce 3) 6/7
Ethral Rifle magazine 7/7
Ethral Rifle magazine 6/7
Crystal Weapon
Black Flame Crystal Golem
Field Lighter (Fire 2)
Shiny interconnected colorful gems
Grappling Hook + Ethral Silk rope 200 ft
1 Doctor's Bag
1 Dynamo Lantern (Light 3)
1 Knife (Cut/Pierce 2)
2 Slave Traps
Simple Clothes (with hood)
Cot
Book (Adventures of Pilgrim)
Deck of Cards

Kara's Diary

In Storage
15 chemical junk
22 mechanical junk
Crystal Tablets (diary about All-Eater and Great Destroyer, inventory, obedience rod instructions, construct assembly instructions)
Church Documents (document ownership and events, and recommend favorable treatment)
Metal Card with the address of the Gilded Crow (corven Gangsters of Goldshore)
Mechanical Arm (not installed)
Bomb collar (unlocked)
All bomb collar remotes
A large number of shiny gold-like messenger path rocks
Notes on insect saddle construction
Ancient Bird-people idols
Ancient Mole-jewels depicting unknown beast

It is possible you might be able to control the "flesh" temporarily using the golden pin. To what degree and for how long...you are unsure. Even highly diluted, the will of that mind you touched was vast. It is likely that you could only do it for as long as it wasn't directly "looking" at you.

[6] You think that perhaps, assuming you're not being straight lied to, it has something to do with the nature of that being's make up. It said, effectively, that it was a condensation of the faith and dreams of the former humans. Perhaps those things can only be countered by other humans?

We will only move forth once everyone present here has sworn a holy oath to abide by the plan, with their full conscience. No secrets or lies.

Yes, this plan works for me. I, uh, swear it in the name of the Overmind?

Try a stonesense sonar ping to while we're still planning, see if I can glean what's happening inside of there.
Also just tentatively try to get a feel of the "living stone" here. I know it's not the same as the crystal overmind, but maybe we can understand eachother kinda?

Spoiler: Clate (click to show/hide)

Name: Clate
Race: Shluck
Description: To bring back the crystal race
 
Stats
Str:  12
Dex:  9
Spe:  10
End:  13
Awa:  12
Cun:  9
Kno:  14
Ner:  15

Skills
Natural +3 Caving
Natural +3 Geology
Natural Mute
Natural No clothing
Natural Stonesenses
Natural Stoneshaping

Unarmed: +2
Weapon skill: Stone Blade +2
Stealth: +1
Archeology: +2
Weaponsmith: +2
Navigation: +1
Armorsmith: +1
Chemical: +1
Crystal Biology: +1

Inventory
Bladed Shovel - handle coated with Pseudomagnetic mortar
Knife (cut2, pierce2)
TNT x5
Dynamo lantern
Field lighter
Path markers x10
"Muggy"(skull mug scrimshawed with "can we fix it?" on the side, "No, it's fucked." on the bottom. Has trigger on the inside of the spine-handle that, when squeezed, caused the mandible to open and close)
100ft silk rope
6 Octahedrons - supposedly replicate materials
1 container of Pseudomagnetic mortar
labradorite/Obedience rod (on loan to Kara)
Silver ethral pendant: small silver pendant in the shape of a compound eye wreathed in white fire
Ethral archive promissory note




743 (500 donated to team fund last turn) Fathoms


Crystal Babies
1. Big Chonk Ramiel, about the size of a car.
2. Pryamid with stumpy limbs
3. Crystal snake. hiss. 18 inches long.
4. snake golem. Its larger than the original by several times and rougher, sort of like a squirming line of uncut gemstones, each the size of a human fist.
5. Crystal Praying Mantis (Can fire lazer, Cut 4 Claws)
6. 2 small golems with black flames mounted on their heads. Suicide bots.

Warehouse/bore storage:
Bomb Collar
Slate box
Spool of thermoreactive wire.
Acoustic guitar (Metal + guardbone, totally mundane.)
Rifle (pierce2, 6/10 magazine)
Small Knife from crystal barrel
Small bowl from crystal barrel
roll of very thin and flexible stone
small cube of the extremely dense material
sharp pyramid shaped wedge thing
3 structural junk
30 chemical junk
1 gold ingot

You cannot see within the cist but you can...feel this fleshy stone. It gives you what you can best describe as mental nausea. You have no organs to sicken any longer but you still feel ill. The horrible sinking feeling of jamming your tentacle into a dark hole and feeling something sharp clamp down...or touching something rotting. You can't get any real communication out of it, can't seem to ask it to do anything. Just "feel" it. And greatly dislike that feeling.

[Ozarck]

"I have said my piece. I will return to the Cist and prepare for action, but will not act until given the word. Whatever our Path presents us beyond this Waypoint, I will do my best for the benefit of us all, as long as our journeys continue together. Honored Nyw, I regret that we will not have time to get the answer to your question, though the value of our Enemy's opinion is unknown. Perhaps specially because of that."

Approach the Cist and wait for everyone to get into position.

Spoiler: Not so much a character, but a mistake (click to show/hide)

Name: AsHul
Description:Former human. Awful, ugly, indifferent.
Goal:To find God
 
Stats
Str:10  Dex:10  Spe:10  End:12  Awa:13  Cun:13  Kno:12  Ner:16

Skills (+1 skillpoint from levelup)
3 Diving
2 Animal Handling
1 Survival
3 Weapon skill: Guitar

Inventory
Relic Fragment
Black Book (Genuine)
Black Book (copy, strata 1,2,4)
2 Silent Night
4 Worm Blood
100 ft of rope
1 knife (cut/pierce 2)
2 Occult Junks (1 a skull currently holding Lighter Water)
some kind of lightning tree from the plane of elemental forces
Song Book (Treasure, Vomit, Dissociate, Shred) (Shape Steel: very hard to play. untitled song that makes people feel well but fall asleep and have a seizure)
neodymium collar (enchanted to be explosion, plasma, and mindbreak resistant.)
1 Bone-fretted haunted electric guitar
1 mundane acoustic guitar with wave patterns in abalone and turquoise
1 Crystalline Clate Guitar
140  Fathoms

[Parisbre56]

"I don't think..." Kara started quietly. Reconsidering hey approach, she spoke up, trying to sound more resolute.
"I disagree. This is a bad plan. "

"For one, this plan requires us to stay close to the explosion. AsHul may be protected from the explosion but the rest of us are not. We'd need some sort of protective barrier. There crawler or one of Clate's rock barriers could protect us from the blast and debris but not completely. And even then they wouldn't shield us from the diving effect. It would be far better to seal the bomb inside the chamber along with the warrior, since that would give us the best protection. Preferably it should be sealed moments before it activates, so that the warrior won't be able to mess with it."

"Second, should the explosion not kill the warrior (for example, because we are trying to kill something that absorbed an explosion elemental with an explosion), it might end up releasing it. This place has a mind of its own. I've felt it. It's a reasonable assumption that this is the mind with which AsHul communicates in order to control this stone. I've also noticed that stone removed from this place turns to a grey dust, possibly because it needs the presence of that mind to maintain its coherence. Should that explosion damage the mind of the Messenger Path in this area, it might end up turning it into that grey dust."

"Third, I find it completely unacceptable to treat Alex this way. Saying he's an enemy, putting him on trial, simply for wanting to learn. Not even trying to talk to him or get him out of there alive. I could easily get Crystal Friend in there to get him without risking any of your lives, like in my original plan. Not only do I think this is a horrible and unfair way to treat someone, it also sets a bad precedent for everyone else. I like having choice and personal property and freedom. But if we go down this road, then does it mean I no longer have the freedom to keep any info I find on the Korax for myself? Does it mean Clate has the right to imprison and kill any of us who he thinks might endanger the revival of his race? Do I have to be afraid?"

"And..."
Kara lowered her head and spoke more quietly, feeling vulnerable expressing her feelings and her weaknesses so blatantly. But she had to, or else this place would become the same as back home.
"And... I've never killed anyone. I always told myself I would find the strength to do so if and when the time came, when it was necessary. I'm not sure I can find the strength in me to make my first kill be that of a friend. Even if it is the best chance I have of saving his life. A slim chance, at that. Should I miss, or worse, should my aim be slightly off..."
Kara shuddered, disgusted by the thought of half of Alex's head in a box.
"It was different when shooting him was a last resort to protect him from an enemy. A last resort, amongst other, better options. I'm sorry, but I can't see it the same way now. Because that would mean seeing you as the enemy. And I refuse to believe that."

Kara shrugged.
"If my words won't convince you to stop, then there's nothing I can do to prevent you from going through with this. You can do as you agree. But I won't swear to help you with it."

[Ozarck]

"Kara. Once a plan of combat has been put into motion is the worst time to question it. Before, in the planning stages, or after, when we look back and learn from our Footsteps in the dust. If you wish, we can withdraw and make a plan suited to your weak heart. But I doubt Alex will survive the delay. He's got no supplies, even if the Warrior leaves him unharmed.

Alex has kept his secrets fine up until now. He had no right to usurp this quest to further them. He put us all at risk for the sake of his secrets. Should I live in fear of his actions? No more than you should have to live in fear of mine. He made his choice against our counsel and now he is experiencing the consequences of surprising his allies on the battlefield. I cannot change that.

Unless you want me to Dive deeper into Udyne than I ever have before. Do you want me to unmake his decision?"

[Parisbre56]

"You're the one that changed the plan and caused this mess in the first place. If there's anyone's decisions that need undoing it's yours. If you just wanted to hear what Alex has to say for himself than you could had done so after we had killed the warrior, without endangering Alex's life. And you may still be able to do so, if only you were willing to consider the possibility of talking to him first, before rushing to action."

[Ozarck]

"Believe what you will, and act as you see fit. Far be it for one such as I to demand otherwise."

[Parisbre56]

"Oh, what? You won't kill me, just to be on the safe side? Your mercy truly knows no bounds." Kara said sarcastically before walking away.

[Pancaek]

"Does it mean Clate has the right to imprison and kill any of us who he thinks might endanger the revival of his race? Do I have to be afraid?"

Clate and his golems stop moving at all for just a moment upon hearing this, but quickly regain their composure.

[Radio Controlled]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

"I don't think..." Kara started quietly. Reconsidering hey approach, she spoke up, trying to sound more resolute.
"I disagree. This is a bad plan. "

"For one, this plan requires us to stay close to the explosion. AsHul may be protected from the explosion but the rest of us are not. We'd need some sort of protective barrier. There crawler or one of Clate's rock barriers could protect us from the blast and debris but not completely. And even then they wouldn't shield us from the diving effect. It would be far better to seal the bomb inside the chamber along with the warrior, since that would give us the best protection. Preferably it should be sealed moments before it activates, so that the warrior won't be able to mess with it."

"Second, should the explosion not kill the warrior (for example, because we are trying to kill something that absorbed an explosion elemental with an explosion), it might end up releasing it. This place has a mind of its own. I've felt it. It's a reasonable assumption that this is the mind with which AsHul communicates in order to control this stone. I've also noticed that stone removed from this place turns to a grey dust, possibly because it needs the presence of that mind to maintain its coherence. Should that explosion damage the mind of the Messenger Path in this area, it might end up turning it into that grey dust."

"Third, I find it completely unacceptable to treat Alex this way. Saying he's an enemy, putting him on trial, simply for wanting to learn. Not even trying to talk to him or get him out of there alive. I could easily get Crystal Friend in there to get him without risking any of your lives, like in my original plan. Not only do I think this is a horrible and unfair way to treat someone, it also sets a bad precedent for everyone else. I like having choice and personal property and freedom. But if we go down this road, then does it mean I no longer have the freedom to keep any info I find on the Korax for myself? Does it mean Clate has the right to imprison and kill any of us who he thinks might endanger the revival of his race? Do I have to be afraid?"

"And..."
Kara lowered her head and spoke more quietly, feeling vulnerable expressing her feelings and her weaknesses so blatantly. But she had to, or else this place would become the same as back home.
"And... I've never killed anyone. I always told myself I would find the strength to do so if and when the time came, when it was necessary. I'm not sure I can find the strength in me to make my first kill be that of a friend. Even if it is the best chance I have of saving his life. A slim chance, at that. Should I miss, or worse, should my aim be slightly off..."
Kara shuddered, disgusted by the thought of half of Alex's head in a box.
"It was different when shooting him was a last resort to protect him from an enemy. A last resort, amongst other, better options. I'm sorry, but I can't see it the same way now. Because that would mean seeing you as the enemy. And I refuse to believe that."

Kara shrugged.
"If my words won't convince you to stop, then there's nothing I can do to prevent you from going through with this. You can do as you agree. But I won't swear to help you with it."

These are some valid points and I thank you for your frankness. If you fear that we won’t be sufficiently shielded from the bomb’s effects, then perhaps we could place the bomb inside a stone box of some sorts and have brother Clate stonepush it away from us into the chamber, or at least near to the warrior. Perhaps we should also prepare additional defenses. This does also raise the question as to how this bomb was meant to be activated, something I am unsure of. Brother Ashul, do you know more on this front?

As for the explosion potentially damaging the walls here, I do not know enough about such things to make an informed decision, though it seems somewhat unlikely to me at first glance. And even if it damages the path, as long as the containment room itself remains intact we can reseal it. Still, if you deem this a probable outcome, then personally I think we shouldn’t even open that door until we have constructed another method or device to do the deed.

Now, I understand that you are apprehensive on using your teleport box, and if you so wish we could try and do something to increase your chances of a good retrieval. Perhaps a small enchantment that ensures your aim is true? But methods like using your crystal construct to retrieve him would be much too slow I think, and give the warrior too much opportunity to mess with us. Whatever we do, I think we should do it quickly before it gets the chance to power up again like it did last time. For all we know, now that it knows we are here it might be coiled and ready to make its escape the second we open that door.

Finally, we are not doing any of this simply because he 'wanted to learn', if that was the case we would have stuck to the plan to immediately detonate the bomb. All of this is because he decided to spring that surprise on us after the door had already opened and we were faced with a fait accompli. There was plenty of opportunity for him beforehand to warn all of us of his intentions and his reasons for wanting to talk with the thing privately. And even if it were the case that his intentions were honest, then the same thing I told you earlier holds true: one doen’t drop surprises like that into a tense situation like this and expect everyone involved to calmly start assessing the implications. I can also tell you this won't set much of a precedent as far as I can see, cause if you ever do the same when learning of Corax secrets, things would be vastly different, for they would not be likely to lead to utter ruination. But that great and terrible machine in there is, by its own words, looking for a repeat of the events that caused the world to burn.

Now, I truly do believe we should not continue if everyone involved in the plan is not on the same page, because working at cross-purposes is too dangerous. However, what the abomination said is also true, we don’t know how long that man could stay alive in there even if the warrior doesn’t harm him. Probably for at least a day or two, so if we need to make some additional preparations we can do so. Either way, we’ll have to reach a compromise of some sorts, cause if not negotiations end here and he perishes eventually anyway.

[Radio Controlled]

Based on what Adam knows, does it seem likely that the bomb we have could significantly damage the messenger path or the containment chamber, either due to the explosive or the diving effect?

Secondly, what detonation options does this bomb have from what Adam can see (without touching the bomb!)? (in case Ozarck doesn't remember)

Spoiler: Adam Blavatsky Darvaza (click to show/hide)

Name: Adam Blavatsky Darvaza
Description: A young man of slightly pale complexion and eternal 9 o’clock shadow, he was raised in a small village. While the village priest and passing mystics droned with endless sermons of the Church and their teachings, what had always captivated young Adam’s attention more were the stories of his Granny.
Old stories of the world as it once was, before people were forced to flee to the caves and crannies of this damp hell. Of warm days where pleasant green plants tickled your feet as you walked through them and a cool breeze blew through your hair. Where food was plentiful, nature was benign and endless vistas reached as far as they eye could see.
Adam was nominally a card-carrying member of the church, though he mostly did it for the connections and perks that brought. They were powerful and had ancient lore, all things he would need to fulfill his true heart’s desire: to return to the surface, vanquish the madness that tainted their homeland and reconquer paradise.
After his encounter with a Word of God, the edges of his vision are flickering with black flame and his skin is extremely pale with what appear to be black veins instead of the normal blue ones. It also forced him to reevaluate his views on the cthonic church and god.
Goal: Plunge the secrets of the depths below to find an answer to the horrors above.
Stats
Str: 11
Dex: 11
Spe: 13
End: 12
Awa: 12
Cun: 11
Kno: 10
Ner: 14 
Skills
Diving: +3
Stealth: +2
Occult: +1
Flammenvision!
Inventory

Soldier's chestplate
Clothing: simple priest robes, currently worn long to hide the black veins
Rubber Suit

1 ethral rifle [7 rounds]  (pierce 3)
5x black flame
2x smoke bomb
1 flashbang

3 Silent Night
4 worm blood

1 minor artifact
1 beaker artifact (found in crystal ruins) => in locker
1 crystal construct

Transport mission papers
1 black book copy
1 black book
1 book "Artifacts of Faith"
1 empyrean city map
1 field lighter
1 radio
portal knives design
445 fathoms
4 unspent skillpoints
copy of cult papers
cult holy book
scribbled notes with faces of cult conspirators
lenses of telescope that can look through solid matter
slabs with the history of the crystal people
mysterious cult chest

- 1 x portal knife, not yet enchanted
- 1 x large collapsible doorway (large enough to allow crawler to move through)
- 2 x sacrifices for +3

1 x portal knife, enchanted
1 x Custom collapsible doorway, enchanted (Warning: portal's end point isn't very well anchored to the physical object. There's some drift involved (4,5 meter), so you will come out in the general area, but maybe not spot on.) Currently deployed on the bore, there is padding on the floor to prevent damage from drift.