CHAPTER 12d: Across Motter's Realm

[GrapeApe]

Podo

Sivestri, Urlando, do you recognize the dress of those humans, are they the Knights? There doesn't appear to be anything we can't handle but we should definitely bring everyone forward if we mean to enter this place.

Seeing the blue goo, Podo recalls the tasty moss that he and Denslow gathered outside of the last tower and he reaches into a pouch to pop one of the pellets, "I wonder if that goo would taste as good as these pellets, maybe Motter is just a food manufacturer."
He chews the pellet and then looks at the bodies again... "...What are they doing with everything they capture? Could these pellets and that goo be..." Briefly considering spitting out the pellet, Podo then realizes that it is the cycle of life and fungi outlast and eat everything that dies.

[Anton_E_Gregor]

"We've never been outside of the suit, we would be too vulnerable" Anton laments...

"Those flies didn't bust that container open or kill those robed guys, I'm guessing... Something else is in here..."

Anton readies his trusty hammer and keeps looking for other signs of life around the room.

[doppelganger]

Urlando

Urlando responds to Podo's question.

Sivestri, Urlando, do you recognize the dress of those humans, are they the Knights? There doesn't appear to be anything we can't handle but we should definitely bring everyone forward if we mean to enter this place.

"These bodies are like the metal-masked dudes in robes we saw in the tower we were in before. They were in black robes with silver masks, I remember. They were all busy running around operating this.. facility.. whatever you call this thing." One head scans around the vastness of this chamber.

"These robes and masks might be useful to get in another fortress like this one. Maybe we can grab some."
OOC: Are any of the robes and masks lying about close by?

The other head pipes in. "Maybe we can walk around in here and learn something about this place. These flies look too occupied to bother with us."

"I'm not pressing any buttons this time," adds Urlando's first head.

[greyarea]

Denslow moves tentatively into the room at Urlando's mentioning that the flies look preoccupied. It smells like pre-compost in here, he says, inhaling deeply. Not as fine as manure but still good.

Last time we went contra-clockwise. I suggest we go clockwise this time.

[greyarea]

Max hustles to move deeper into the structure and join his companions.

[shaidar]

Silvestri nods "Let us explore, but no sudden movements or load noises, we don't want to disturb the flies, or anything else that might be here. I shall stay at the front and keep these googles activated as they give me good sight in the dark."

[shaidar]

Saiph

With talk of exploration the diminutive humanoid says nothing but sticks with Podo, keeping watchful.

[GrapeApe]

Podo

Podo shakes his head in agreement and moves to follow Denslow and Silvestri to the east.
I will keep an eye out for any goo that isn't close to any flies to see if I can dip a finger in it and find out what it might be.

[Norjax]

Gam’A Zone, Motter’s Realm 261D/81 (Afternoon)

Urlando recognizes the discarded clothing and masks used by the beings who served as custodians in the first tower explored. The clothing is next to the giant flies feasting on their remains.

Anton opines that something besides the flies must have broken open the cylinder and killed the humanoids. He remains alert.

The broken cylinder with blue goo spillage piques Podo’s curiosity. Is it the same stuff discovered
as pellets? More investigation is required.

Silvestri scans and observes the vast structure with his goggles. The cylinders on the central tower that glowed blue in the previous structure show various levels of heat emission from warm to cold and void of heat. No lighting or energy is visible and the golden spires are cold.



Two warm spots are evident deep inside the unlit areas of the tower.



OOC: Reminder that the goggles work for 10 minutes before powering off.

OOC: Next update is Sunday.

Action Details:

Characters:

Monsters:

Actions?

Hit Points [Luck Point Recovery - 360D]:

Denslow – 42/42 [10/16]
Silvestri – 60/60 [11/14]
Kurot – 50/50 [8/15]
Max – 28/28 [4/15] Glowburned AGL 2, STA 3
Anton – 43/43 [8/11]
Saiph – 25/25 [5/11]
Podo – 63/63 [12/14]
Urlando – 75/75 [11/17] Glowburned AGL 2, STA 2

[shaidar]

Silvestri

Intregued by the central he takes a few steps forward before stopping.

"Do we need more light sources? I don't want to over use the goggles and use up the power source. There are some interesting looking heat sources in that column. I think it's a good bet there are artifacts to be found inside that will be worth a pretty penny."

[GrapeApe]

Podo
Being of very tall height, Podo lifts the torch high so it can illuminate the upper walls to see if there may be any threats.

The flies seem oblivious to our presence right now, I think we should get the jump on them and surprise them. Remove the possibility of any threat, an explosive fruit would be great but how much noise does it make? Would that alert anything else that might be hiding within?

Torch in one hand, herdivoc whip in the other, Podo is going to try to quietly and carefully move closer to the two flies to the north attempting to get within around 10' of them before he leaps into an attack whipping one of them.

If the rest of the party approves of that plan, otherwise he will remain on guard and listen to other plans.

[greyarea]

Denslow gets out one of his glow sticks and breaks the fluid inside to release the trapped light. He also heads northward, but closer to the tower than the flies.

[Zhym]

Kurot follows along with the others, keeping an eye out but not initiating any hostilities (if he can avoid it).

[doppelganger]

Urlando
The rat-man is unethusiastic about the surprise attack plan.
I don't know.. there are five of those flies.. maybe if we stay quiet we can avoid a fight..
He creeps toward the flies with Podo and attempts to ascertain how quickly the flies are consuming the corpses, trying to gauge how much longer the flies might be occupied.
If he can get close enough, he will grab a black robe and face mask off the floor.

[Norjax]

Is Podo going to attack the flies?

[Anton_E_Gregor]

Anton's voice reaches into Podo's mind telepathically "Wait, Podo! It's hard enough to swat a regular fly!"

[GrapeApe]

Is Podo going to attack the flies?

No, Podo won't attack without a plan and everyone ready to surprise attack at the same time, he was only expressing how we currently have the advantage if it does come to combat. I will attempt to get a finger full of goo if any is at least 15' away from any flies. If I can grab some I will give it a study, see if reacts or absorbs with my fungal finger in anyway.

[Norjax]

Gam’A Zone, Motter’s Realm 261D/81 (Afternoon)

Urlando and Anton caution Podo about initiating hostilities with the flies, not knowing if more are about.

With light and whip, Podo advances north towards the broken cylinder and flies feeding on goo. On approach, the flies flutter their wings and take off. Urlando watches as the pests rise and disappear into the dark, relieved that they seem to lack aggression. He successfully recovers a black robe and face mask without causing a reaction from the group of flies.

Podo’s interest in the goo instantly fades when he sees what the flies were feeding on. In the puddle of goo, partially covered with it, is a mutilated human-shaped corpse with its hands and feet missing. The head is still covered with skin, but featureless from insect digestion. It appears that the body was contained in the transparent cylinder and is now spilled out along with the blue substance.

Denslow activates a glow stick and advances parallel to Podo, but closer to the tower. He scans the entire volume of his light envelope for any movement or undiscovered features on the central column.

Considering Podo’s discovery, Silvestri realized what the cylinders on the central column contain and why they generate intermittent heat emissions of various degrees.

Kurot follows the group, looking back at the three occupied flies.



OOC: Next update is Tuesday.

Action Details:

Characters:

Monsters:

Actions?

Hit Points [Luck Point Recovery - 360D]:

Denslow – 42/42 [10/16]
Silvestri – 60/60 [11/14]
Kurot – 50/50 [8/15]
Max – 28/28 [4/15] Glowburned AGL 2, STA 3
Anton – 43/43 [8/11]
Saiph – 25/25 [5/11]
Podo – 63/63 [12/14]
Urlando – 75/75 [11/17] Glowburned AGL 2, STA 2

[greyarea]

Denslow says, Let’s circumnavigate before we explore the side rooms.

He continues that way

[greyarea]

Max recalls that he was attacked while exploring the consoles on the center tower. So he heads to the center tower and checks it out to see if there is any life in the machine.