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[Radio Controlled]

"I maintain that this is a dangerous idea, but if everyone is willing to try it, I'll play along for now. Clate, could you please make sure you are ready to use your rock powers to shove the monster back in its tomb should things go awry?

By the way, will anyone be manning the big gun on the crawler by any chance? Best not leave that to me, I'm not very trained with it."

Ok, so since Clate was allowed to make black flame golems, can I have a shot at my plan for the crystal crossbow bolts then? Or at least have enough excuse to test the concept? (not right now of course).

Either way, stick near to the crawler for now, but make sure I have some silent night in my hand to be ready to respond quickly. 

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.

[Parisbre56]

"If the bomb doesn't destroy the warrior, then I don't think that gun will do much. If we start running away, I'll make sure to shoot it in the hopes of slowing it down. But right now I'd rather focus on being ready to save my friends."

[piecewise]

"I maintain that this is a dangerous idea, but if everyone is willing to try it, I'll play along for now. Clate, could you please make sure you are ready to use your rock powers to shove the monster back in its tomb should things go awry?

By the way, will anyone be manning the big gun on the crawler by any chance? Best not leave that to me, I'm not very trained with it."

Ok, so since Clate was allowed to make black flame golems, can I have a shot at my plan for the crystal crossbow bolts then? Or at least have enough excuse to test the concept? (not right now of course).

Either way, stick near to the crawler for now, but make sure I have some silent night in my hand to be ready to respond quickly. 

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.

(sure, no guarantee they'll work but sure)

Approach the cist and wait for the door to be opened.

Spoiler: Alex Wells (click to show/hide)

Name: Alex Wells
Description: A middle aged man standing 5'7" feet tall. He has short brown hair and an unkempt beard.
Goal: Exploring the depths and collecting its wealth.
Status: Fine.
Stats:
Str: 12
Dex: 11
Spe: 12
End: 12
Awa: 12
Cun: 13
Kno: 12
Ner: 12
Skills:
Explosives 2
Mechanical 1
Survival 1
Caving 1
Chemical 2
Geology 1
Persuasion 2
Armorsmith 1
Inventory:
Weapons:
Bladed Shovel (Cut 3)
Black Flame (Cut 3)
Rifle (Pierce 2) 3/10
4 TNT (explosive 4)


Armor and Clothes:
Silk shirt
Gas mask

Tools:
Dynamo Lantern
Field Lighter
Grappling Hook

Tinkering:
2 lenses
Crystal Golem (flat disc and hooks)
Crystal box of golem limbs
A severed leg
17 structural junk
19 mechanical junk
20 electrical junk
20 chemical junk

Valuables:
533 Fathoms
5 ancient human books
34 additional ancient human books.
Cognition Magazine volumes 475+
20 copied ancient dictionary pages
Peculiar Rose

Agreements:
Moon blade and 500 fathoms held as collateral by the Ethral Archive in Anvil until they're presented a being from the surface.

((Banelord, remember to post your sheet with your action.  I think it was last posted here.))

Tell Gus to accompany Rhea, and assist her in keeping the dumb civvies away and out of trouble.  They both have proper adventurer getups, hopefully they'll look serious enough to dissuade people from ignoring them...

As for Nyw, stand near the crawler, just far enough ahead to see the cist.  Watch carefully as Ashul and Alex approach.  Both murakumos drawn, ready for combat.  With any luck, his presence here is unnecessary, but our luck isn't great.

Spoiler: The Unpronounceable Undead (click to show/hide)

Name: Nyw'geuq Otin Sunam; calls himself "The Lords' Child"
Description:

((TWO murakumo!  FINALLY, hahahaha!))
Goal: Inscrutable, which is code for "Talks like this.".

Stats:
Str: 15 
Dex: 9
Spe:11
End:14
Awa:14
Cun: 10
Kno: 8
Ner: 13

Skills: (One unspent skillpoint)
Guard Rifle: +3
Unarmed: +1
Defense Skill: +3 (Full Plate)
Vehicle Skill: +1
Caving: +1
Navigation: +1
Murakumo: +2 (+1/3)


Inventory:
Full Plate Armor [Protective 4]
Ornamental Mask of the Child

Extremely crude harness, holding all Nyw's weapons:
Crystal Murakumo [Cut 6, Pierce 3]
----Enchanted to remove fragility.
Crystal Murakumo [Cut 6, Pierce 3]
----Enchanted to remove fragility.
Giant Guardian Hatchet [Chop 4, ]
Three knives [Cut 2, Pierce 2]
Tungsten Toothpick [Pierce 5] (10/10)
Slave Trap
Nine smoke bombs
Five flashbangs
Tunnel Clearer shotgun [5/5 shotshells] [shotgun 3] [Pierce 3] (5 spare shotshells) (3 spare slugs) (-2 on to-hit rolls)
Guard rifle [Pierce 2] (10/10) (210 spare rounds)
Pistol [Pierce 1] (?/?)

300' of silk rope
2x Silent Night
2x Black Flame
2x Cave Spider Venom
30x Path markers
10x Injectible tranquilizer.

77 fathoms.

Followers:
Gus (Young human with minimal training.  Healthy.)
--Equipped with a small iron melee weapon [Cut 3, Pierce 3] and a Black Flame [Cutting 3]
--Equipped with a low caliber ethral rifle.  [Pierce 2] (10/10), 50 spare bullets
--Armored with a mail shirt [Protect 3], and has two smoke bombs.
Baxter (Young human with minimal training.  Healthy.)
--Equipped with a small iron melee weapon [Cut 3, Pierce 3] and a Black Flame [Cutting 3]
--Equipped with a low caliber ethral rifle.  [Pierce 2] (10/10), 50 spare bullets
--Armored with a mail shirt [Protect 3], and has two smoke bombs.

Bore NPC "recruits":
--Five moths
--One lizard dude
--Two humans

"Thanks Rhea. We'll let you know how it goes through our radios. If anything happens, contact us and I'll have the crawler back here as fast as I can."

Take the crawler a bit further down the tunnel, maybe just before the door becomes visible, so that we can easily reach it and use it to run away quickly, should it come to that.

"Alex, AsHul, I'll have Crystal Friend on standby close to you. The moment things get dangerous, I want you to get on it. I'll order it to take you back to the Crawler as fast as it can."

Have Crystal Friend on standby close to Alex and AsHul. The idea being that if things go south I'll order it to come back so that they can ride it back to the crawler.

Set up the telegrabber somewhere near the crawler, aiming at the Cist door. Transfer the Scope and Bipod from the Ethral Rifle to it, if it would help. If things turn really badly I might be able to grab Alex's head before running and then have AsHul revive him. Again. The stasis enchantment should help keep his head "fresh".

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

Maybe I could go out and watch them, Someone needs to be there to make sure they don’t go farther in.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 Name:Rhea Alcove
Description: A female human with blonde hear. She holds a Hooked Cleaver in her right hand and wears a Mail Shirt for protection. She wears a denim shirt and denim jeans, along with tennis shoes.
Goal: To explore and learn as much as she can

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

Skills:
Weapon Skill(Cleaver): 1
Diving: 1
Unarmed: 1
Persuasion: 1
Defense Skill(Mail Armor): 1
Survival: 1
Biological: 1
Caving: 1
Navigation: 1
Animal Handling: 1
Geology: 1

Inventory:
130 Fathoms
Free Clothing
Worm Blood x1
Organic/Bio Junk x6
Hooked Cleaver
Mail Shirt
Relic Fragment
Crystal Egg Creature
Grappling Hook

Exit the crawler and watch the people following us to make sure they don’t continue to follow the crawler

"I'm gonna follow along, just in case something goes horribly wrong and I need to spray bullets.

Follow from a distance.

"Perhaps Friend Clate wold be willing to erect a small barrier to dissuade their return. Ah,, but make sure we can safely traverse the barrier the opposite direction, should that be necessary.

Friend Alex. Are you committed to your goal of conversing with the monster?"

Exit the crawler and approach the Cist, carrying the neodymium collar. Leave teh bomb in the crawler. Don't want the Ancient to be forewarned. DO NOT open the Cist yet, but take up position to do so.

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

Rhea and Gus stay back as lookouts, making sure no nosy or inquisitive pilgrim decides to buck the social contract and run in to see whats happening.

Everyone else walks that long tunnel of diseased flesh, most on foot as the crawler trundles along beside them. Eventually Kara parks the crawler and gets out, leaving it just a little ways from the door into the cist itself. Everyone stacks up near that massive tomb door, with Ashul in the center, the flame gifted to him by the saint clearly visible now. Nyw unslings both swords and stands with his arms held wide and one blade in each hand. Kara stays back, pointing her makeshift telegrabber at the door while Adam squeezes a vial of silent night nervously in one hand.  Alex hangs somewhere in the center of the group, rifle  resting on his shoulder, creeping regret for trading his moonblade as collateral growing in the back of his mind.

[Ozarck]

AsHul looks around at the group, then back at Alex.
"You have one chance, Alex. Make it quick. I will not endanger the rest of the team to satisfy your curiosity.

The rest of you: you do realize that proximity to what is about to happen could be fatal to you, even, perhaps especially, if my modifications to the device work as intended?"

Wear neodymium collar. Open the Cist.

If the Ancient Warrior is at the door, close the Cist and bring the bomb to the door.
If the Warrior is in the center of the room, wait for Alex to approach it and communicate. If the Warrior kills Alex or makes to approach the door, seal the Cist and bring the bomb forward.
If the Warrior is not seen, close the Cist and bring the bomb forward, then open the Cist and cart the bomb into the center (or let the crystal cart do it, and stay at the door.)

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

[Naturegirl1999]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name:Rhea Alcove
Description: A female human with blonde hear. She holds a Hooked Cleaver in her right hand and wears a Mail Shirt for protection. She wears a denim shirt and denim jeans, along with tennis shoes.
Goal: To explore and learn as much as she can

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

Skills:
Weapon Skill(Cleaver): 1
Diving: 1
Unarmed: 1
Persuasion: 1
Defense Skill(Mail Armor): 1
Survival: 1
Biological: 1
Caving: 1
Navigation: 1
Animal Handling: 1
Geology: 1

Inventory:
130 Fathoms
Free Clothing
Worm Blood x1
Organic/Bio Junk x6
Hooked Cleaver
Mail Shirt
Relic Fragment
Crystal Egg Creature
Grappling Hook

Continue making sure the people stay where they are, while doing so, attempt conversing with them via small talk to hopefully distract from following
((I am really bad at small talk IRL, hopefully Rhea’s better at it, the idea is to get them talking/thinking of things other than the crawler))

[Hotfire90]

"There's no need to be worried about anyone being endangered. There won't be any danger to anyone as long as the door is closed behind me, it can't escape on its own anyway and it should have no reason to attack me either."

Get inside the cist before AsHul can close the door. Tell the warrior that I'm here to discuss the fate of the ancient humans, amongst other things.

Spoiler: Alex Wells (click to show/hide)

Name: Alex Wells
Description: A middle aged man standing 5'7" feet tall. He has short brown hair and an unkempt beard.
Goal: Exploring the depths and collecting its wealth.
Status: Fine.
Stats:
Str: 12
Dex: 11
Spe: 12
End: 12
Awa: 12
Cun: 13
Kno: 12
Ner: 12
Skills:
Explosives 2
Mechanical 1
Survival 1
Caving 1
Chemical 2
Geology 1
Persuasion 2
Armorsmith 1
Inventory:
Weapons:
Bladed Shovel (Cut 3)
Black Flame (Cut 3)
Rifle (Pierce 2) 3/10
4 TNT (explosive 4)


Armor and Clothes:
Silk shirt
Gas mask

Tools:
Dynamo Lantern
Field Lighter
Grappling Hook

Tinkering:
2 lenses
Crystal Golem (flat disc and hooks)
Crystal box of golem limbs
A severed leg
17 structural junk
19 mechanical junk
20 electrical junk
20 chemical junk

Valuables:
533 Fathoms
5 ancient human books
34 additional ancient human books.
Cognition Magazine volumes 475+
20 copied ancient dictionary pages
Peculiar Rose

Agreements:
Moon blade and 500 fathoms held as collateral by the Ethral Archive in Anvil until they're presented a being from the surface.

[Pancaek]

Stick to the back of the group, near the flanks so I'm not right in front of the door. Have my golems spread out a bit, with chonky ramiel close to me. Be sure to be safe distance from the bomb, just in case.
Observe whatever fuckery happens once my teammates mess with that door.

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. 3 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

[Radio Controlled]

Go back with the crawler a bit to get to a safe distance from the bomb.

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.

[syvarris]

Yeah, I got nothing to do really.  Stay in sight of the cist, just in case, but stay as far back as possible.

Spoiler: The Unpronounceable Undead (click to show/hide)

Name: Nyw'geuq Otin Sunam; calls himself "The Lords' Child"
Description:

((TWO murakumo!  FINALLY, hahahaha!))
Goal: Inscrutable, which is code for "Talks like this.".

Stats:
Str: 15 
Dex: 9
Spe:11
End:14
Awa:14
Cun: 10
Kno: 8
Ner: 13

Skills: (One unspent skillpoint)
Guard Rifle: +3
Unarmed: +1
Defense Skill: +3 (Full Plate)
Vehicle Skill: +1
Caving: +1
Navigation: +1
Murakumo: +2 (+1/3)


Inventory:
Full Plate Armor [Protective 4]
Ornamental Mask of the Child

Extremely crude harness, holding all Nyw's weapons:
Crystal Murakumo [Cut 6, Pierce 3]
----Enchanted to remove fragility.
Crystal Murakumo [Cut 6, Pierce 3]
----Enchanted to remove fragility.
Giant Guardian Hatchet [Chop 4, ]
Three knives [Cut 2, Pierce 2]
Tungsten Toothpick [Pierce 5] (10/10)
Slave Trap
Nine smoke bombs
Five flashbangs
Tunnel Clearer shotgun [5/5 shotshells] [shotgun 3] [Pierce 3] (5 spare shotshells) (3 spare slugs) (-2 on to-hit rolls)
Guard rifle [Pierce 2] (10/10) (210 spare rounds)
Pistol [Pierce 1] (?/?)

300' of silk rope
2x Silent Night
2x Black Flame
2x Cave Spider Venom
30x Path markers
10x Injectible tranquilizer.

77 fathoms.

Followers:
Gus (Young human with minimal training.  Healthy.)
--Equipped with a small iron melee weapon [Cut 3, Pierce 3] and a Black Flame [Cutting 3]
--Equipped with a low caliber ethral rifle.  [Pierce 2] (10/10), 50 spare bullets
--Armored with a mail shirt [Protect 3], and has two smoke bombs.
Baxter (Young human with minimal training.  Healthy.)
--Equipped with a small iron melee weapon [Cut 3, Pierce 3] and a Black Flame [Cutting 3]
--Equipped with a low caliber ethral rifle.  [Pierce 2] (10/10), 50 spare bullets
--Armored with a mail shirt [Protect 3], and has two smoke bombs.

Bore NPC "recruits":
--Five moths
--One lizard dude
--Two humans

[piecewise]

"There's no need to be worried about anyone being endangered. There won't be any danger to anyone as long as the door is closed behind me, it can't escape on its own anyway and it should have no reason to attack me either."

Get inside the cist before AsHul can close the door. Tell the warrior that I'm here to discuss the fate of the ancient humans, amongst other things.

Spoiler: Alex Wells (click to show/hide)

Name: Alex Wells
Description: A middle aged man standing 5'7" feet tall. He has short brown hair and an unkempt beard.
Goal: Exploring the depths and collecting its wealth.
Status: Fine.
Stats:
Str: 12
Dex: 11
Spe: 12
End: 12
Awa: 12
Cun: 13
Kno: 12
Ner: 12
Skills:
Explosives 2
Mechanical 1
Survival 1
Caving 1
Chemical 2
Geology 1
Persuasion 2
Armorsmith 1
Inventory:
Weapons:
Bladed Shovel (Cut 3)
Black Flame (Cut 3)
Rifle (Pierce 2) 3/10
4 TNT (explosive 4)


Armor and Clothes:
Silk shirt
Gas mask

Tools:
Dynamo Lantern
Field Lighter
Grappling Hook

Tinkering:
2 lenses
Crystal Golem (flat disc and hooks)
Crystal box of golem limbs
A severed leg
17 structural junk
19 mechanical junk
20 electrical junk
20 chemical junk

Valuables:
533 Fathoms
5 ancient human books
34 additional ancient human books.
Cognition Magazine volumes 475+
20 copied ancient dictionary pages
Peculiar Rose

Agreements:
Moon blade and 500 fathoms held as collateral by the Ethral Archive in Anvil until they're presented a being from the surface.

AsHul looks around at the group, then back at Alex.
"You have one chance, Alex. Make it quick. I will not endanger the rest of the team to satisfy your curiosity.

The rest of you: you do realize that proximity to what is about to happen could be fatal to you, even, perhaps especially, if my modifications to the device work as intended?"

Wear neodymium collar. Open the Cist.

If the Ancient Warrior is at the door, close the Cist and bring the bomb to the door.
If the Warrior is in the center of the room, wait for Alex to approach it and communicate. If the Warrior kills Alex or makes to approach the door, seal the Cist and bring the bomb forward.
If the Warrior is not seen, close the Cist and bring the bomb forward, then open the Cist and cart the bomb into the center (or let the crystal cart do it, and stay at the door.)

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

As the rest of the team stays back and ready Ashul and Alex move forward. Ashul, very carefully, places a hand on the doorway to the cist.  It opens as it did before, the membranous door split by the hovering blade gifted to Ashul by the saint.  Deflating flesh peels away and reveals the room beyond. Unlike before, when it was a sterile white, this time the room seems to be a great open expanse. It is something out of storybooks and history for those that see it; a paradise long forgotten but still yearned for. The surface world.  The sky is brilliant blue, a flowing field of emerald green with great twisted trees and scattered monolithic stones. Its the ideal, the halcyon image of all nature before the fall. Animals walk here as well, moving silently through the scene. A bird alights on the hand of the man standing at the center of this vision and he gazes at it with sad longing. He is nondescript, so average and "normal" as to be completely uninteresting. He could be an amalgam of every man in the world, averaged out into a gestalt avatar.

Again you have come, Honored Remnants. the man says, his eyes still on the bird, And again I see you seek my end. This pains me greatly. But you have had time to reflect; at least one among you comes to me with questions.

He closes his hand over the bird and with a sucking flash of light the scene vanishes and all that is left is the sterile white room and the enormous mechanical being, cloaked in what appears to be a flowing river of images is video depicting humans and the world above. A stream of consciousness, made real.

Though your hostility disappoints me, and I have no intention to abandon my crusade, I offer you this olive branch. Make no violence, or preludes of violence, he looks meaningfully at the bomb, And I shall offer you none in kind.

He gestures to Alex and then to those behind him.

I will answer any question with truth, so far as my knowledge permits. It is my only wish that I can show you the error of your ways and place you again on the rightous path of your progenitors.  I extend this even to you, He gestures to Kara and the other non-humans, Though unknown to my builders we are united by our common tyrant, and you by a common ignorance to your slavery. I welcome you as well.

[Hotfire90]

"Thank you for welcoming us despite our hostile intentions. I have learned much about the world of the ancient humans since our last encounter. I'm now mostly fluent in the language of the ancient humans and while my studies have led to some answers, they've raised far more questions.

While I have many questions about you and your mission, I first need to know what happened when the comet arrived at Earth. I already know about some of the properties of the comet, which is why I think it would be better if we continued our discussion in private."

Compare its answers with what I already know, also try to make this discussion private by talking to the warrior in the language of the ancient humans.

Spoiler: Alex Wells (click to show/hide)

Name: Alex Wells
Description: A middle aged man standing 5'7" feet tall. He has short brown hair and an unkempt beard.
Goal: Exploring the depths and collecting its wealth.
Status: Fine.
Stats:
Str: 12
Dex: 11
Spe: 12
End: 12
Awa: 12
Cun: 13
Kno: 12
Ner: 12
Skills:
Explosives 2
Mechanical 1
Survival 1
Caving 1
Chemical 2
Geology 1
Persuasion 2
Armorsmith 1
Inventory:
Weapons:
Bladed Shovel (Cut 3)
Black Flame (Cut 3)
Rifle (Pierce 2) 3/10
4 TNT (explosive 4)


Armor and Clothes:
Silk shirt
Gas mask

Tools:
Dynamo Lantern
Field Lighter
Grappling Hook

Tinkering:
2 lenses
Crystal Golem (flat disc and hooks)
Crystal box of golem limbs
A severed leg
17 structural junk
19 mechanical junk
20 electrical junk
20 chemical junk

Valuables:
533 Fathoms
5 ancient human books
34 additional ancient human books.
Cognition Magazine volumes 475+
20 copied ancient dictionary pages
Peculiar Rose

Agreements:
Moon blade and 500 fathoms held as collateral by the Ethral Archive in Anvil until they're presented a being from the surface.

[Ozarck]

"I would rather your conversation be accessible to all of us, Friend Alex. I have made great concessions to allow you this opportunity to learn. Let the merit or fault in the Warrior's tale be judged by each of us. Why keep secrets from us now?"

Carefully follow the conversation. But more importantly, keep a close watch on the Warrior and his stream of conscience imagery and such. Ensure that it does not leak out from the Cist. Close the door at the first sign of threat.

Insist that the Ancient speak in our language, since he seems willing answer all questions of all present.

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

[Hotfire90]

Alex turns around to face AsHul. "There are two reasons. The first is that I still reserve complete control over all information regarding the ancient humans. The second is a practical one, if he can communicate with me in the language of the ancient humans, then that will prove to me that he's telling the truth.

I won't keep the contents of my discussion with him secret for long, as I will share everything I've learned once I'm done with my questions."

[syvarris]

Nyw lowers his weapons slightly, and steps closer.  "If you wish to retain control over all information gained, you believe it may be of worth to hide some.  Else there is no motivation to reserve the ability.  No matter; do what you will, Alex, but beware of consequences for your actions.  Guardian!"

Step closer, holding weapons lower to show that it's not meant to be aggressive.  Ask the guardian this:

"Do you believe me to be human as well?  What am I, in your view?"

Spoiler: The Unpronounceable Undead (click to show/hide)

Name: Nyw'geuq Otin Sunam; calls himself "The Lords' Child"
Description:

((TWO murakumo!  FINALLY, hahahaha!))
Goal: Inscrutable, which is code for "Talks like this.".

Stats:
Str: 15 
Dex: 9
Spe:11
End:14
Awa:14
Cun: 10
Kno: 8
Ner: 13

Skills: (One unspent skillpoint)
Guard Rifle: +3
Unarmed: +1
Defense Skill: +3 (Full Plate)
Vehicle Skill: +1
Caving: +1
Navigation: +1
Murakumo: +2 (+1/3)


Inventory:
Full Plate Armor [Protective 4]
Ornamental Mask of the Child

Extremely crude harness, holding all Nyw's weapons:
Crystal Murakumo [Cut 6, Pierce 3]
----Enchanted to remove fragility.
Crystal Murakumo [Cut 6, Pierce 3]
----Enchanted to remove fragility.
Giant Guardian Hatchet [Chop 4, ]
Three knives [Cut 2, Pierce 2]
Tungsten Toothpick [Pierce 5] (10/10)
Slave Trap
Nine smoke bombs
Five flashbangs
Tunnel Clearer shotgun [5/5 shotshells] [shotgun 3] [Pierce 3] (5 spare shotshells) (3 spare slugs) (-2 on to-hit rolls)
Guard rifle [Pierce 2] (10/10) (210 spare rounds)
Pistol [Pierce 1] (?/?)

300' of silk rope
2x Silent Night
2x Black Flame
2x Cave Spider Venom
30x Path markers
10x Injectible tranquilizer.

77 fathoms.

Followers:
Gus (Young human with minimal training.  Healthy.)
--Equipped with a small iron melee weapon [Cut 3, Pierce 3] and a Black Flame [Cutting 3]
--Equipped with a low caliber ethral rifle.  [Pierce 2] (10/10), 50 spare bullets
--Armored with a mail shirt [Protect 3], and has two smoke bombs.
Baxter (Young human with minimal training.  Healthy.)
--Equipped with a small iron melee weapon [Cut 3, Pierce 3] and a Black Flame [Cutting 3]
--Equipped with a low caliber ethral rifle.  [Pierce 2] (10/10), 50 spare bullets
--Armored with a mail shirt [Protect 3], and has two smoke bombs.

Bore NPC "recruits":
--Five moths
--One lizard dude
--Two humans

[Pancaek]

Clate scoots a bit closer in the hopes that the being can read his words, while staying close to his teammates

Excuse me, the only living crystal person here. Do you happen to know the Crystal Overmind or the Crystal Race? I am attempting to revive my race, but the gaps in my knowledge of our past are vast.

Ask guardian question.

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. 3 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