RB 6-15: The Research Hub

Fri, 2/9/18
Party: Lyndi Fletcher (Aslene), Jane Irwin (Cael), Proud Flame (Aunne), Shiro (DragoN), Kromrak (Sielic) (returns from helping Bron fight AForms outside the habitat), Sylvena (Daewendriel), Isabelica (Basil) (10/18/20)

The team continues their assault on the Keyes Lab. Shiro repurposes some maintenance drones. The heroes burn through an outer barrier, then enter the main facility. They find evidence of extensive research by the Death Dragons, overrun by assembler creep and webbing. The team detects a patrol approaching and engages them. The heroes defeat yet more AForms, while Shiro hacks a leaper to gain access to the hive net. Max and Bron discover that the Plague Hive is rebuilding part of the habitat into a starship.

Onward

• The team readies to continue
• Bron and Kromrak have dealt with the AForms outside. Kromrak rejoins the party, while Bron continues to patrol

• Shiro casts Conjure Animals and places two lightning mephits in each drone, for a total of two drones
• Each drone has a mud scraper, field-modified to be a slashing weapon

• Lyndi hands Shiro some of the sticky napalm bombs. "You could load them up, so if they have to go, they go big. They also can be triggered remotely."
• Shiro nods and attaches them securely to the drones with extra-tough ShiroTape (trademarked)
• Max: AForms are inevitably rich in complex organic chemicals, which are inherently flammable.

In the Corridor

• Corridor is cold
• Shiro and Proud place breaching charges on the corridor back to the waystation
• A webbed checkpoint
• Jane blasts it with fire
• Sylvena makes the hive see the effect in many locations at once
• Proud and Kromrak take out the surviving crawlers

The Research Hub

• Major hive creep and webbing
• The illusion of the Feywild incursion is strong

• Evidence of some research on illithid magitec
• Different work groups studying different parts of the Edge, surrounding the Adintech Conspiracy
  • Including various major and minor factions capabilities
  • Evidence of research on Raptor Blue

• Death Dragons interested in Brotherhood of the Better Book as unknowing scouts for lore and intel like adintech
• Death Dragons not in control or working closely with the Circus Divergia
• Death Dragons worried about Silver Comets messing things up. Know that Uhoshi Nevro lead the Roving Guard to Quarenzend
• Circus used to spread manuals of adintech.
• Death Dragons would have kept adintech more confidential
• The apprentices of Mr. Smith were studying different applications of adintech. e.g., Caterina was studying mechadead and mechadead animals

• Jane observes an HK being assembled
• Jane talks with Ruby about the HK in progress as a target for absorption. Ruby caution that the attempt will alert the hive
• One Ruby will absorb the HK in assembly, the other Ruby will absorb a biomass blocking intel on Dolmodeen

• Patrol detected moving to the research hub

Fighting the Patrol

• Shiro gets eyes on with a drone, but the patrol detects the drone
• Belica takes out 4 AForms with Chain Lightning
• Lots of close combat with HKs
• HKs double-infect Jane, but Lyndi uses Lesser Restoration to halt the Change
• Max: Now that you're closer to the center of the hive, we're getting some strange readings. I'm coordinating with Bron. Stay tuned.
• Proud takes down 1 HK, and Belica gets the killing blow on another
• Shiro uses his eldritch cannon to absorb the disoriented leaper and hack into the hive net
• Ruby absorbs the remains of an HK

• Kromrak discovers that much of the main facility has been rebuilt, like a fortress
• Max has another explanation: Kromrak is viewing the exterior of a nearly-complete starship
• Apparently the Assembler Plague Hive is building their own escape vehicle