Sapphire:Sessions:20190323

Chalker, Intrinsius, Ahn-Lee, Chun, Branamin, and Lugar prepare to descend via teleport platform. Alastor is taking breakfast to Portis. At the harbor, Shawna writes a message to Chalker and sends runners to the commanders.

A merchant ship that had departed was pursued and has been brought back.

Chalker pushes Lugar to go first along with Ahn-Lee and Intrinsius. The teleporter activates. They are now in the exact center of a large (50' across) low-ceilinged (8') room lit with wizard globes. Around the walls are unusual "workstations" featuring crystal "windows" and desks topped with runes. Intrinsius sees magic in the windows and the desks. Half of the chairs are sized for halflings. Ahn-Lee comments, "Branamin's gonna get distracted here."

Lugar has become violently ill. Ahn-Lee pats his shoulder, saying "You need more fiber."

A trapdoor opens in the floor and an odd creature pops out. It looks like a cross between a rat and a raccoon. It scurries toward the mess Lugar has left on the floor. Ahn-Lee throws a knife at the creature; it rolls over and stops moving. Words appear on one of the "windows".

Ahn-Lee writes in his journey book: Come on, hope you got a strong stomach.

Another of the rat-raccoons pops out and runs across the floor. Ahn-Lee retrieves his knife and offers Intrinsius a shot at it. Intrinsius instead walks over to a desk. The creature begins lapping up Lugar's mess.

Chalker, Chun, and Branamin appear in the room. Branamin's a little pale; the other two are fine.

Ahn-Lee, indicating the words on the "window": "Chalker, can you read it?" Chalker remarks that the language has elements of the common language of a previous age. He translates: 6 unknowns entered. Malfunction in cleaning golem. Second golem dispatched. Waiting further instructions. The runes on the desk relate to communication and dispatch. Chalker is reminded of a more primitive version of the Virtual Keep. The runes, Intrinsius finds, are marked on raised buttons.

Branamin, examining a dark 12" circle on the floor, says it's an auxiliary control for the teleporter. Chalker: "Branamin, no. Don't mess with that. We should do what we came to do. I'm in charge and we're in deep trouble now."

Chalker looks through a door which leads to a stairwell landing with another door to its right. He thinks he sees something child-sized hurrying downstairs. Ahn-Lee opens the door easily. The stairwell has been cleaned recently. Intrinsius says the other door is magical. Far below, a door slams. Chalker says "Follow me" and starts descending. Ahn-Lee decides to parkour his way down the center of the stairwell. Intrinsius starts to ask Branamin for Feather Fall but changes his mind. Branamin levitates himself down, following Ahn-Lee. Lugar takes one step, faceplants, and knocks himself out.

The bottom level is the seventh. There are three doors, one of them made of blue steel with decorative etchings. Ahn-Lee: "Took your time, huh?" Chalker: "I did't want to make you feel bad." Above the steel door is a sign, Staging and Experimental Level. Chalker: "That's where we need to go."

Alastor looks over his notes and research. He thinks he's gotten everything he could from Portis. He's sure Portis hasn't lied. Mays is in the middle of the country, probably near the "stronghold." A runner arrives; Alastor looks through the latest batch of potions (four healing, one Janus (cure-all)), then sends the runner back out to search the prison for truth potions.

Alastor takes breakfast to Atlex, who glares at him suspiciously and says "I'm not hungry." Alastor: "If I wanted to feed you a potion, I'd pour it down your throat. This is breakfast."

Chalker peers through the steel door but can only see 1' beyond it. Intrinsius points out that there is magic on the door. Chalker: "I think they've been waiting for me. This was built to stop prying eyes, like mine." Motioning everyone to get behind cover, he uses his TK to pick the lock and push the door open. Something grabs at his TK 'hand' but Chalker lets it slide off. Ahn-Lee casually imbibes a Magic Resistance potion and readies a sleep bomb.

The room is small, about 12' x 14'. It is lit with wizard globes and hung with gauze drapes. Ahead is a double door; to the right is a closed door. To the left in a recess stands what looks like a twisted, yellow-skinned elf wearing "sickly green" leathers. Chalker asks if the floor is magical, but neither Intrinsius nor Branamin can tell. Chalker addresses the "elf": "Can we come in?" "Yes!" "Are you talking?" "Yes, I am talking!" (However, the figure's lips have not moved.) "What is your name? Do you mean us harm?" "I mean many things, yes." Chalker repeats, "What is your name or designation? Do you mean us harm?" This time there is no answer. Chalker: "We're coming in now."

Ahn-Lee steps inside, Tiny Crossbow at the ready. Intrinsius builds a Fireball. The "elf" twitches and Intrinsius (barely) hears a door open. Chalker sees the wall to the right change color, then start to move. The air is growing opaque.

E1 ("elf") leaps at Ahn-Lee, clawed gauntlets appearing on its extended hands. Ahn-Lee fires and the bear-poisoned bolt strike E1, slowing it. Through another door enters a halfling (H1), 3.5' tall with sickly yellow skin and green armor, pointing a small crossbow. Intrinsius throws his 6d Fireball and smiles as it strikes H1. Chalker and Chun step in. Chalker feels his skin tingle and his insides twist. He grabs the bolt from H1 and stabs E1 with it. Both E1 and H1 fall down.

Ahn-Lee retrieves H1's small pistol-like crossbow. Chalker calls out, "Hey, are you still here?" "No, I'm there now." "Does it hurt?" No reply. Intrinsius: "Which of your 'old friends' is this?" Chalker: "We're coming through. Are you okay?" "I've been better." Chalker: "Would you accept an apology?" "I would accept your honorable removal from this plane of existence."

Chalker tells Chun to break open the double door. Chun fails. Intrinsius declares "I got this" but he fails also and blushes beet-red. Ahn-Lee: "Have you tried the handle?" He turns the knob and shoves the door open, then glances disapprovingly at Chun and Intrinsius. Other than a rat-raccoon huddled in a corner, there are no active threats in the room. There are racks of wizard or priest robes made of shiny material. A sign reads Laboratory Experimental Complex. There are storage areas, alcoves, and cabinets, all empty. Doors to the left and right each lead to a long corridor lined with doors and archways.

Ahn-Lee exclaims, "This is going to take forever! Guy we're talking to, come on out!" No answer. Chalker: "Okay, we'll run down the halls, trying to get something to come out." They split into two groups and run past alchemy labs, magic workshops, and so on, but nothing jumps out at them. The corridor ends at another corridor and they all meet back up.

The last door, hardwood with metal bands, had once had a sign on it which has been removed. Ahn-Lee starts to reach toward it, and Intrinsius warns, "It's magical." Chalker peers through it into a lab with a "control console" similar to those on the first level. Chalker feels a touch of vertigo, and he can't see the far wall. The lock resists Chalker's TK. Chalker asks Ahn-Lee, "Want to give it a try?" "Not particularly." Branamin's spell also fails to unlock the door. Intrinsius motions for the others to get back, then throws a Fireball which sets the door afire. "Try now," he says. Chalker uses his TK to push the flaming door open, then says to Intrinsius, "After you." Intrinsius replies, "Give me six seconds [to build another 6d Fireball]."

Addressing Atlex, Alastor asks, "I've been civil to you, yes?" "Yes, civil." "Then I ask you for a boon -- do you know of any treasure, gold storage, loot?" "I know of several in the palace." "The palace has already been searched. How about in the country?" "Satterwaite is dead, and his heirs are not politically active, so he doesn't need his cache -- and I know where it is." "What else do you know?" "Some of the reserved gold used by military commanders might still be there." "That doesn't quite fund my ambitions. You would agree that my mercantile activities have been a plus to your economy. War will make the economy worse. I want to make it better, but I need a bankroll." "What are you proposing?" "The problem has been slavery, and now the slave trade is going away." Alastor senses Atlex's resolve eroding as the latter says, "What do you want from me?" "I want people's lives to be better, sooner rather than later. For that I would use the caches of the former kingdom." "You have hunter-killer teams out for Mays." "I don't do any such thing. We're not trying to take over." "The commanders will withdraw and call upon the barons to activate the militia. You should show a force so they know they can't take back the city. Then you'd have to talk to the advisors, Mays, or the exile." "Again, I'm looking to minimize bloodshed." "Some will fight to the death, tooth and nail." "Would they fight you?" "Yes. Even if you were to release me, their mages would probe my mind."

Atlex continues, "Maybe I could convince some within the city to join with you. If the city guard could be convinced, I could be seen to have command of them. You could put your people in guard uniforms and we could make rounds within the city, to maintain the peace, distribute food, keep a lid on the city. I'm sure I can pull this off." Alastor: "You need to talk to Lady Shawna."

Alastor brings parchment and ink, and Atlex makes a list of cache locations. Alastor: "Who do I talk to to make sure the economy doesn't collapse without slaves?" "I recommend merchant Quin Hinks." Atlex "swears parole on Gauder" and Alastor unbinds him.

Alastor asks Portis, "Was Quin Hinks ever in the slave trade?" "Never. He has quite a few connections and has built up a lot of goodwill." "Is he a 'good' person, knowing that you're not?" "Yes," Portis grates through clenched teeth. "Could he be controlled monetarily?" Portis shrugs, "He is a merchant."

Indicating the flaming door, Ahn-Lee remarks to Intrinsius, "Not bad." Intrinsius: "Sorry about the smoke." Chalker sends Ahn-Lee and Chun through first. This is a large lab with a 15' ceiling, meeting rooms off to the sides, and notably a round, 1' high, 30" diameter oak platform in the center of the stone floor (which they can somehow tell had been used within the hour). Chalker addresses the one glowing crystal "window", "Is there an experiment running?" "Yes." "Name of experiment?" "K/34#234." "How long has it been running?" "Three hours, ten minutes, twenty-three seconds." "Who started the experiment?" "Individual X-Alpha."

Branamin and Intrinsius examine the top of the platform, finding intricate designs that constantly rearrange themselves, in colors of black, blue, and flashes of green. Branamin puts out his hand to touch the platform, and Intrinsius suggests dropping something on it instead. Branamin takes a copper piece and flips it onto the platform. There's a puff of smoke.

Alastor writes in his journey book: Atlex has come to a temporary understanding. Shawna needs to make it stick. Chalker: Alastor, Shawna has other duties; say that you've spoken to the commander (me) and go with your best instinct. Go through with your plan and take the money. Alastor: That's not a possibility. He has to agree with Shawna or else no go. Chalker: There's no Shawna to agree with. What's your plan? Alastor: My plan is to raid the treasury while y'all are dicking about. By the way, I get an extra 20% cut. Chalker: Hell no. Get the treasury. Ahn-Lee: We're busy. Figure it out, Alastor!

Chalker asks Ahn-Lee, "How long have we been here? The same length of time as the experiment?" Ahn-Lee shrugs. Chalker asks the air, "Are we the subjects of the experiment?" "No." "Who are?" "X-Alpha, X-Beta." "Where are they?" "Indeterminate." "How can you have an 'experiment' where the subjects are 'indeterminate'?" "Unknown." "What is the conclusion of the experiment?" "Successful deployment, link, and displacement." "Is there a link fifty miles to the south?" "No." "Closest link?" "Indeterminate, the experiment is still running."

Ahn-Lee and Intrinsius hear scuffing sounds (like shoes on stone) and smell something from the conference room behind Ahn-Lee. Ahn-Lee turns toward the sound and glimpses a halfling-sized distortion (H1) about 10' away from him moving slowly toward a wall. Ahn-Lee quickly aims his crossbow and fires, striking H1. Another halfling (H2) suddenly leaps at Intrinsius, who reflexively hurls his Fireball. H2 screams; Branamin panics and rushes out of the room, and Chun freezes in shock. H1 says a single word in an unknown language (which the white amulets translate as "Damn"), faces Ahn-Lee, pulls the crossbow bolt out of his midsection and throws it; it seems to be drawn to H2.

Chalker addresses H1, "Why aren't you dead? Are you Alpha?" H1: "I am designated X-Alpha." Chalker: "What is the experiment?" H2 stands up. H1: "What do you want? Who are you?" Chalker: "I'm the commander. He (indicating Ahn-Lee) is my executioner, and he (indicating Intrinsius) is executioner #2. (Pointing at Branamin) That's my mage. That (Chun) is some guy and that (Lugar) is the new guy. What is your purpose?" H1: "I told them they shouldn't leave, but something is happening in Colvin that drew their attention. Do you value your mage? He would taste nice." Chalker: "Are you bargaining?" H1: "Yes. We will let the experiment conclude, evacuate the stronghold, and return your mage unharmed -- except for a small taste which was unavoidable." Chalker, sternly: "Tell me what the experiment was, or I will go to Colvin, destroy your black ships, then come to your dimension and continue the experiment on you."

H2 doubles in size, holding a fireball in his hand (which he drew from the flames around him). Chalker hooks the forgotten crossbow bolt and pushes it into H2's body. H1 also doubles in side and also holds a fireball. Ahn-Lee fast-draws a knife and throws it at H1, who tries to grab it out of the air. Intrinsius throws his fireball at the center of the platform; there sounds a high-pitched whine, fire spreads over the pattern, and both halflings shrink back down to size.

Ahn-Lee, charging at H1, fumbles his fast-draw and flings his knife away (missing Chalker). Chalker pushes the bolt in further; H2's blood is "mostly" red. H1 steps in front of Ahn-Lee and locks eyes with him. H2 puts his hand on Ahn-Lee's waist. Then H2 screams "Oh no!" and charges toward the platform. Intrinsius runs down H2 and judo-throws him away from the platform.

Ahn-Lee, though his eyes are still locked on H1's, manages to regain some control of himself; he fast-draws a knife and slices at H1's hand (H1 pulls his hand out of the way), then fast-draws another knife and stabs H1 in the vitals. H1 is not protected by either armor or spells; he breaks eye contact and staggers back. Ahn-Lee chuckles. H2 gets to his feet, fire spreading over his body. Chalker moves between H2 and the platform, then pulls out the bolt. Chun comes out of his stun. Intrinsius forms a fireball and warns, "Don't come back this way."

Within a few seconds, H1 and H2 collapse and the fire goes out. Chalker: "Is the experiment over yet?" "Externally terminated." "So the complex is ours?" "You are the only living sentients occupying it." "How many 'living sentients' are there?" "Six." "Can we use the platform to go to Colvin?" "Theoretically." Chalker asks a few more questions about the Colvin endpoint, including "Default location?" (a series of numbers) "Physical location?" (approximately 100' above sea level, which Chalker calculates would be 80' above the city in mid-air) Chalker sets a new default location, Alastor's warehouse.

Chalker learns from the voice that "the mage" is between levels 4 and 5, and "the new guy" is still on level 1. Chalker sends Ahn-Lee and Chun to retrieve Branamin, who is unconscious and bleeding from his nose. Once the mage is revived, Ahn-Lee tells him, "Hey, great job in the fight, Branamin?" Chun takes Branamin back to the bottom level as Ahn-Lee continues on up. On the first level Ahn-Lee finds Lugar unconscious with one hand on the circle. He slaps him twice and Lugar cries out, "That hurt! What happened?" Ahn-Lee: "You can hang out here and wait for a creepy demon, or you can come with us."

Chalker asks, "Will you remember me for next time?" "Please touch the crystal." Chalker does so; there are sparks and loud popping sounds, and the crystal goes black. "Switching operations to backup crystal." Chalker: "You tried something else, didn't you." "There was a malfunction." Chalker touches the crystal again. "Process complete. Designation: Chalker Jackson."

The group stands on the platform and Chalker commands, "Transport to default location."