Sturm’s Log Session 2: 10/5/2014

Rescue Plan?

• There was debate among the team as to whether rescuing Jonathan was part of our mission. William posited that rescuing Jonathan could likely lead them to the rest of the legion. Jane, Uther and Mena stated a belief that Jonathan was likely either not actually there, or had been compromised. Sturm proposed that part of reconaissance is going to where the enemy is and seeing what is there.
• Mena asserted that their goal was not to kill the enemy, but rather to release the Legionaires from the control of the pure Eidolon that inhabited them, as they did with the red Cyber-Naki. She used her Wayfinding to identify a perfect piece of Eidolon that the freed fragments would be attracted to. She detected one to the southeast, which was the direction that the fragments had headed after they were separated from their hosts.
• William noted that the Cyber-naki knew their position and suggested leaving and reconnoitering the nightclub, and if that does not pan out, then consider the suicidal rescue mission. The nightclub was about 12 miles from the temple.
• Mena examined the mech suits and found no external influences. Cyra then circumvented the suits’ security so that Uther, Assieh and Sturm could operate them. The suits possessed Immense Vitality, Engine Speed, Tireless Stamina, Combat Mastery, Double Damage, Resistant to Firearms, Psychic Neutral, and a AI named Jarvis.
• Sturm instructed Javis to locate other members of the Legion. His suit’s designation is “150 of 2 of 10 of 4 of 4”. The other suits were 3 and 4, with Jonathan’s suit as 1. The other suit identified was far off the map as “150 of 1 of 1 of 10” with a location of “Noh Armory.”
• Uther checked his suits log to find that it had been down the Promenade Street from a clock tower from a religious park and the Temple of Shining Mercy, past the zoo, through the opera house, past the nuclear power plant, to the Noh Armory. It spent some time at the opera house.
• They deactivated the transponders on Uther and Assieh’s suits, using Sturm’s as a potential beacon for the Legion forces.

The Nightclub

• They departed for the nightclub. Along the way, the suits were contacting seeking a recognition code. When they failed to respond correctly, communication to and tracking of the other Legionaire were disabled.
• They came upon a giant sheet of reflective glass. Mena determined that it was a perfect mirror of Eidolon with flecks of Umbra in it. She turned a small section transparent and could see through to the water underneath it.
• She saw a huge kaiju type creature in the water with very little Eidolon within it. It seemed that all the missing Umbra might be contained within it.
  They continued past an overturned water truck that was empty. As they reached the entrance to the nightclub, Cyra detected something psychically strong approaching. Sturm noted evidence of jets, indicating the area as a path for Cyber-Naki patrols.
• Down the steps was a door narrow enough for a single human to pass through. William descended the steps to the door and found it locked. Jane unlocked it and they entered to a chamber of black light and leopard print carpet that continued around a corner. There was a tubular fish tank running the perimeter of the room, but there was no sign of any fish.
• They get out of the mech suits and hide them in a delapidated building and then all descend the steps and close the door.
• They proceeded around the corner to that area where the cover charge was collected. There was a humidor followed by a well stocked wine refrigerator. Continuing along, the glowing carpet and fish tank continued. They came upon a white felt billiard table and several virtual computer terminals. There was also a bar made of glass that was stocked. Beyond the glass wine refrigerator was a wall behind which was black water. There was also another stairway that Mena perceived as the direction of the pure Eidolon.
• At the base of the stairs, there were gaps of sunlight indicating the outside.
• The other, dark room contained a series of floating couches and another virtual terminal arranged as if for a theater. Mena’s monkey jumped onto one of the couches and immediately laid down and relaexed. Mena called her back, and she was completely relaxed, but snapped out of it immediately.
• Jane examined the wine freezer, which was full of sake and beer. Mena examined some bottles. There was a wide range of vintages. She selected an expensive bottle and shared it with the team.
• Cyra hacked into the computer, but there was no connectivity to the outside, only with the computers with the computers in the nightclub. He hacked the local system and left the message “Superman’s favorite meal is Beef Bourganoin with Tomato Sauce” and the address of Sturm’s suit. This was the recognition code they had not known previously.
• Sturm determined that the patrol would probably only pass by twice a day. That was the standard procedure for a devastated, demilitarized, abandoned zone in the path of more significant areas. He estimated that the patrol would not be back for about 12 hours.
• William determined that the hive was about 12 miles north of the current location, and that the Noh Armory was approximately 70 miles to the south. The point of pure Eidolon was to the southeast.
• Sturm explored the perimeter outside the nightclub as the patrol would not return for several hours.
• Jane noticed the Umbra kaiju smack the glass with its tail, causing a crack and water started spraying in. Mena hardened the glass, but that seemed to attract the creature. The creature’s tail smashed through the glass and struck Mena, who flew across the room onto the biliard table.
• Cyra attempted to teleport Jonathan to the nightclub, but there was some kind of barrier around the Hydrosteel Building preventing it. Through her connection to Jonathan, she was informed that he was terrified but glad that someone not affiliated with Soto-Sama was attempting to rescue him. He associated himself with Emir the Mech Mage, his commander, one of Soto-Sama’s lieutenants. He just wanted to get home to his family. He seemed to blame Soto-Sama for his problems. Emir was last seen in the opera house. Then Cyra was hit by a wall of water.
• Sturm heard the explosion and identified Mena’s two point landing on teh billiard table. He ran back to the door. Jane checked on Mena. William created a stronger wall where the window had been. Uther activated his armor.
• Assieh opened the door of the nightclub as Sturm arrived. He noted the water flowing out.
• Mena noted that there was a severe nerve toxin that attacked her when she was hit by the tail, but her heightened endurance protected her from it. She was able to determine that the creature had been altered by Umbra from a native creature infused with local beliefs in a Water Dragon spirt to create the creature.
• As the others left the nightclub, Sturm retrieved Cyra and brought her out. As they regrouped outside, the creature’s jaws burst through the mirrored surface. Uther molded the door so that the water would not escape.

The Temple of Shining Mercy

• The team recovered their suits and departed for the opera house, which was 40 miles away toward the Noh Armory. In between was a religious park called the Temple of Shining Mercy with a zen garden, there was a waterway to a body of water known as the Sea of Stars, and a covered hedge maze.
• They did a quick recon of the religious park. Jane familarized herself with the doors for possible use as a Door from elsewhere. They noticed that the building has been in the process of being sliver-plated, but was unfinished. Within the park was a near perfect pile of sand with a representation of Eidolon on it. Then they noted a Cyber-Naki Ninja approaching.
• William and Mena noted that the pile of sand was a recent addition and they were totally focused on it.
• Uther shot at it, but the ninja avoided it and it hit a tree. Sturm shot at it, and hit it dead center. The shot reflected off its highly polished armor and hit the tree, causing some limbs to fall among the team. The ninja immediately closed the distance and pierced Uther with one of its swords.
• Jane alerted William to the ninja’s presence. She noted that there were Umbra tracings in its swords. William noted that the ninja had points of Eidolon around it creating a sensory field of some kind, and was a more powerful Eidolon master than himself.
• Cyra cast Stun on the ninja. It was not stunned, but it was pushed back. The ninja was stronger than her, but not by much. William Glitched it and it was momentarily distracted. Assieh attempted to seize its joints and succeeded in making it fall over. Mena convinced the pure Eidolon to flee.
• Seeing the light fly off, Sturm shut down his chainsword. The ninja then recovered and sliced William, who fell to the ground paralyzed. Sturm then attacked and sliced into the ninja’s head. Uther attempted to disarm the ninja, but was instead thrown off by the ninja.
• Cyra mind-touched the ninja but found no Eidolon within. Jane threw the fallen tree at the ninja. It hit the ninja and it flew into the temple stairs with large chips and splinters of wood all over. William Surged the ninja and one of its swords exploded. Assieh destabilized reality and there was a immense explosion that damaged the temple destroyed the stairs. Mena could see the ninja’s tracery crawling toward them through the smoke. She turned the ninja into a perfect stone statue appropriate for a zen garden.
• Mena identified that the ninja had been the monk who had tended the zen garden that was turned into a Cyber-Ninja programmed to protect against the Cyber-Naki, but in their absence, it went after the strongest Eidolon source: William. She then repaired the temple to its pre-battle condition.
• When William attempted to heal himself, the wound would not allow the Eidolon to heal it. Cyra determined that there was a cantrip to prevent Eidolon from healing the wound and dispelled it after some effort.

The Sea of Stars

• The left the temple area and went to edge of the Sea of Stars. Jane was intrigued by its properties. Mena used Eidolon to create a perfect specimen jar for Jane to take a sample with her. This attracted the kaiju (Phoros). It burst from below the surface. Jane abandoned the specimen dish and the kaiju consumed it.
• They determined that standing by the water will probably prevent Cyber-Naki attacks because Phoros would attack them.
• Mena hypothesized that if the pure Eidolon were removed, the concentrated Umbra in Phoros would dissipate.

The Hedge Maze

• They continued around the edge of the Sea of Stars and arrived at the entrance to the hedge maze.
• Sturm and Assieh go straight through the hedge maze in the mech suits followed by Mena and Cyra.
• Uther, William and Jane went around the hedge maze. They came upon a mechanized guardian. Uther sent an image to Sturm, who engaged a direct path to the foe.
• The guardian turned to intercept Sturm. Uther shot it with a plasma rifle, but the guardian had some kind Eidolon field. The guardian fired three missles at Sturm. Sturm deflected two of them, but the third exploded prematurely in his face. The air before him turned to liquid and he threw his sword to avoid it being hit, and then his mech suit and part of the hedge turned to liquid. Mena sent her monkey to retrieve Sturm’s sword. She found the knife and retrieved it, but noted that there was another being in the maze that had found the knife by left it there. However, she noticed something with it watching.
• Cyra Mind-Linked with the guardian to distract it. Jane created a way from the door to the transparent acrylic building next to the hedge maze to the flooded nightclub. A stream of water shot through the doorway, hit the guardian from behind, and slammed the guardian into Sturm, carrying them into Assieh, Mena and Cyra through the path he had cut into the hedge maze. Cyra was able to leap onto the top of the hedge maze. Mena was able to step aside and avoid the wave. Sturm and Assieh were swept back to where he had diverged from the path. The guardian was buried in mud and bits of hedge, with Sturm standing on top of it. Jane then closed and unbridged the door.
• William moved to where he could see what was happening. Assieh attempted to destablize the guardian, but it had a defense that hurt her. Mena convinced the pure Eidolon to depart and the light flew off to the south. Sturm ripped off the guardian’s head and pulled out the innards. He retrieved his weapon from the monkey.
• Mena repaired the guardian. It was security for the clothing store. It did not have the ability to sense anyone else in the region. Cyra detected an area of where something was attempting to conceal itself from detection.

Jason Vagabond

• They skirted the Hedge Maze and came upon the Opera House. Uther gave his mech suit to Sturm. Its AI was called CID.
• Before entering, they attempted to contact the concealed being. A rat with a cybernetic implant emerged from the hedge maze and said it was following them because they had interesting toys. It called itself Jason Vagabond.
• William asked if it knew where Soto-Sama was and it replied “not now.” Cyra recognized the name Jason Vagabond.
• Mena asked who’s side it was on. It said it was helping Soto-Sama, but that she may not know that it was. She asked it would deliver a message. It said that it might if the message was interesting. She said that Baudemagus was trying to contact Soto-Sama. William added that they had a way out. It did not seem to believe him.
• Mena asked if it would stop following them. It said that it would not because they were so entertaining.
• Jane asked if it knew a way into the Hive. It said there was an entrance to the subbasement that needed to be cleared first. It refused to be more helpful because it was amused by the team’s activities.
• Uther asked what was in the Opera House. It replied that the 10th Centuria was billeted there, at least until Soto-Sama came to root them out. It said that the 10th Centuria just wanted to go home. It did not know what Soto-Sama was fighting for, or what the Cyber-Naki’s motivations were.
• Mena created some cheese and the rat ate it. She asked if it liked it, and the rat squeaked back. Then it left
• They debated how to proceed with the 10th Centuria. Mena proposed offering them the opportunity to escape. William countered that they might not believe us. Jane stated that they needed to learn the reason behind the mutiny. Did the 10th Centuria rebelled because they were trapped here, or was there some other reason?

The Team:

• Oberleutnant Sturm von Krieg the warrior (Joab)
• William Edwalton the scientist (Greg)
• Jane Edwalton the explorer (Jenna)
• Mena the traveler (Stephanie)
• Uther the gatherer (Dave)
• Cyra the sorceress (Mike)
• Assieh the demi-goddess (Miranda)