[Taocow PBEM] Book 3 - Chapter II

[Aaron Clausen]

> > > [Alex]
> > > Using telepathy to the group, Alex will tell the others, /When I was
> > > with the CS, I was told about such people. They are called 'Sunaj' and
> > > they have been seen in the Pecos's Empire and surrounding areas. They
> > > are suppose to be really hard to kill./
> > > [/Alex]

> > > [Ted]
> > > ~But they CAN be killed, if necessary~, the lizard man confirmed
> > > telepathically. ~What about that egg-thing?~
> > > [/Ted]

> > [Carlos]
> > ~And most importantly,~ Carlos replies, ~whose ugly mug did that insect
> > hand belong to?  It's clear whoever it was came from the sub, and is taking
> > that egg thing back there, and that's no good at all.  I say we've got to
> > find a way to alert the sub.  Do you think using the radio is safe?~
> > [/Carlos]

> [Raven]
> Raven half-closes her eyes and triedsto speak in her mind and to direct
> it towards the telepathic link. Apparently it had been much easier than
> she had thought it would be.
>
> To the others she thinks, 'I'm not sure the radio is going to work or
> reach the sub from here. Maybe we should go back to the sub and
> intercept this egg. Another thing: they failed to notice us and seemed
> to have failed to notice our rift activity. If we want to continue, I
> could use a spell to conceal our movements. It is best if one is still,
> but at least it is better than nothing.'
> [/Raven]

> [Lyle]
> Lyle finds a hidey hole under the grates and remains quiet. He watches
> and listens as the meeting takes place. He gasps inaudibly when he
> realizes what the guy in the get up is.
>
> "Alex is right, that's a Sunaj. They play for keeps, cunning and
> brutal, we got our hands full with just him. I am glad I was wrong,
> otherwise we'd all be dead now."
>
> "Anyone get a really good look at the insect guy? Cause if that is who
> I think that is, we are screwed and I will personally kill him myself.
> It would also explain how the sub was compromised so quickly."
>
> "If we do make contact with the sub, make sure you speak to the
> captain only."
> [/Lyle]

> [Ted]
> ~I could send the message. My range is only about a hundred and fifty
> feet, but if the captain is nearby, she--and only she--would receive it~,
> the lizard man said.
> [/Ted]

> [Owen]
> "Whether we are able to contact the sub or not, we need to get moving
> before we are discovered.  If we can free the sub quickly, we will be
> able to deal with whatever that egg thing is and the traitor on the sub."
> [/Owen]

> [Koba]
> ~I am happy we stayed hidden now. Those assassins are brutal. We
> should avoid him if we can. All we need to do now is find out how they
> are keeping our sub here and the gat back to there to warn the others.
> We need to sneak into the dome and look for the anchor. Can the grates
> get us to the dome undetected? We should get there as quietly as
> possible.~
> [/Koba]

> [Alex]
> "Not the first time we have snuck through tunnels," she responds.
> [/Alex]

> [Ted]
> "And probably not the last. Which way first?"
> [/Ted]

> [Raven]
> "That settles it then..." Raven says. She begins casting her spells on
> each of the party members. When the spell is cast on the first one,
> that party member takes on the coloration of his background and is very
> hard to distinguish details and that person's outline... unless they
> move, that is. The same effect was seen eventually by all party
> members. Then, Raven finishes on herself with the same spell.
> [/Raven]

> [Lyle]
> "Alex did you notice anything odd when you were in the sick bay with
> Osiris?"
> [/Lyle]

[Alex]
Alex replies that she didn't.
[/Alex]

[Raven]
Raven casts Armor of Ithan four times, using the PPE Ted gives to her.
The four recipients are Owen, Talas, Ted and Carlos.  Raven keeps the
remaining 6 PPE for herself.
[/Raven]

OOC: The order of who goes, from front to rear is as follows; Owen,
Talas, Ted, Carlos, Lyle, Koba, Alex and Raven.

[GM]
Raven, now having almost fully expended both her and Ted's psychic
energy reserves, falls in behind the others.  They must move slowly
to escape detection, but as the guards seem little concerned on what
goes on beneath their feet, they don't even notice the small amount
of movement that the Chameleon spell cannot hide.

It takes some doing to avoid the hole that Carlos had fallen into, slowing
them down but after a minute or so, everyone is moving down the passage.
It takes almost ten minutes to move to the end of the passage, during which
they have plenty of time to observe their surroundings.

This place is old.  The salt water has corroded the metal, in some places
so badly that it has revealed what must be the megadamage hull and
bulkheads, which, while showing some signs of deterioration, are not
nearly so bad, and probably explain why this structure has survived so
long.

It doesn't take an archaeologist to recognize the pre-Rifts origins of
the underwater base.  It must be hundreds of years old.  Here and
there are readable logos featuring the word "NOAA", and one locked
storage compartment with the eagle crest of the American Empire.
There are no signs of battle, all the damage being due to age and a
lack of maintenance.  The facility must have been simply abandoned
at some point, and repairs only having taken place very recently.

Above, there's little activity.  The Sunaj Assassin does not reappear,
and only once does a fishman guard walk above.  As the company
approaches the end, the sounds get louder.  Distant voices can be
heard, as well as an almost steady hum.  There's a foul stench in
the air, which Carlos, Ted, Talas and Lyle recognize as being very
similar to the gaseous smell in the engine room of the sub.

While the end of the passage is not yet in sight, about eight
minutes into their journey they begin to see a bright bluish glow
that looks similar to that of the mystic energy of a ley line, though
they didn't see any evidence of one above.  Those sensitive to
magical forces can tell, however, that this is the nearby source
of mystic energy.

And then the passage ends.  Ahead is a large steel hatch.
Below, they can dimly make, under the water, another steel hatch.
To the right and left are what look like electrical panels, heavily
eroded, with a new cable simply bypassing them, leading from
under the water and through a hole cut in the bulk head.  An old
sign, barely readable, has an arrow pointing down reading
"Reactor 3 & 4 Maintenance Hatch, Radiation Suits Only Beyond
This Point", and pointing up "Habitation Dome #2 Environmental
Controls - Authorized Environmental Personnel Only".  Below is a
map [OOC: attached] which gives what appears to be a rough
diagram of the facility.

Now faced with a number of choices, the company hears very
different footsteps than the squishy sounds of the fishmen
walking back across the passage above.  Distantly, the voice
of the Sunaj Assassin can be heard "They are here, somewhere."
Then there is an angry stomp.  "Fools!  Under the floor!  Get
more guards in here.  They're under your damned feet!"
[/GM]

-- 
Aaron Clausen
mightymartianca at gmail.com
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