The Prestige

The heroes rest for a full night - all have full vitality and wound points.

Talib is busy with maintenance on the Wrenvenge.  

Sharn's tusker caught a small canyon hare in the night and seems content.

Dr. Thana calibrates all her scanners and equipment in anticipation of finding more mutated tuskbeasts to study, hopefully the Progenitor.

The heroes start the morning back at the fork in the canyon, the sight of their ambush.  To the NW is the fork that Thana says leads to the Tuskbeast den she discovered several months ago.  The path was carved by a long dried-up river running through the canyon.  Dew has collected into puddles in the cool morning shade.



Marching order?

Any other actions in the morning before you begin the final chapter?

I assume that there are rather basic recording devices available? (maybe on the ship?) anyway, during the night, Daxx will record all of the info about the Sith that he learned and then have it transmitted in the event of his demise. He'll give it to Thana with those instructions.

whit10 wrote:I assume that there are rather basic recording devices available? (maybe on the ship?)  anyway, during the night, Daxx will record all of the info about the Sith that he learned and then have it transmitted in the event of his demise.  He'll give it to Thana with those instructions.

Yeah, the main device is a holocrom, like the one Ionus just gave you with the invitation from Zhu-jinn the Hutt.

Think Leia's message for Obi Wan in ANH. It is a holo image of the person talking. Thana takes Daxx's holo, "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

Rakhu wants to scout the path from the air.  "We should try to map the area for other forks.  We may be able to draw them off," shaking his jug of bantha piss. "Too bad we cant add some visual stimulus..."

"We could dress Dax as a bantha" chuckles Tson in a rare moment of levity.

"hmm, I think you should take point." Daxx says with a smile.

Rakhu will talk to talib:
"You did shoot at us... No hard feelings?"

Sharn is thankful to be alive. Many dreams of smoke and ash haunted him while he was near death. With revived gusto, the wookie begins calling the captured ship "Thana's Grace," in honor of their attractive scientist companion.

Sharn is also ready to lead the tuskbeast to it's lair. He feeds the beast some jerky and speaks calmly to it.

Robyo wrote:Sharn is thankful to be alive. Many dreams of smoke and ash haunted him while he was near death. With revived gusto, the wookie begins calling the captured ship "Thana's Grace," in honor of their attractive scientist companion.

Sharn is also ready to lead the tuskbeast to it's lair. He feeds the beast some jerky and speaks calmly to it.

Like the name and maybe the plan:
Roll of 9+10=19 on wildlife. Is there much precedent for a befriended predator "introducing" humanoids harmlessly to its family in their lair?

navyik wrote:Rakhu wants to scout the path from the air.

In the gunship?

navyik wrote:Rakhu will talk to talib:
"You did shoot at us... No hard feelings?"

The Duros is clearly happier with a hydrospanner and wrench in his hands than a blaster.  "Sorry about that, I told Tarro I was no fighter.  Mando's have the best tech in the galaxy, I just signed on to learn the technology.  Did I actually hit anything??"

navyik wrote:

Robyo wrote:Sharn is thankful to be alive. Many dreams of smoke and ash haunted him while he was near death. With revived gusto, the wookie begins calling the captured ship "Thana's Grace," in honor of their attractive scientist companion.

Sharn is also ready to lead the tuskbeast to it's lair. He feeds the beast some jerky and speaks calmly to it.

Like the name and maybe the plan:
Roll of 9+10=19 on wildlife.  Is there much precedent for a befriended predator "introducing" humanoids harmlessly to its family in their lair?

The Tuskbeast purrs at Sharn's affection.

Rakhu thinks it should work.... at least until they encounter the Alpha male.

"It was probably the other guy... You're not a prisoner anymore. Stay or move on as you like, as long as you dont leave unfinished projects."

navyik wrote:"It was probably the other guy... You're not a prisoner anymore.  Stay or move on as you like,  as long as you dont leave unfinished projects."

Talib kept watch while the party rested and like one of Santa's elves finished removing the Stealth generator and Force Field from Tarro's armor overnight.  He slumps sleepily to his bunk as the heroes get ready to leave.


So, what's the plan now?

"Wildlife is not my department."

just a reminder, Thana has been to the den and can guide the party. I need marching order and to know if you are still considering the fly-over in the gunship or trying to scent-mark other trails with Bantha piss or any other plans you have mentioned

"Thana, does this path have side trails forking off near the den? We can scout from the air, but that could tip our hand."

navyik wrote:"Thana, does this path have side trails forking off near the den?  We can scout from the air, but that could tip our hand."

"Yes, there are lots of side trails throughout the canyon. The core river bed lead almost directly to the tuskbeast den. I didn't explore too deeply, it may lead to some kind of underground cistern."

"Ok. Speak up when you think we are close. I think we can lure them away to get a Look at the den without a fight."

"I can take point... Unless someone else really wants to. Lets get the ship hidden first."

Thought I posted this earlier...must have been distracted by my joy over the Pack losing!


"We've got this gunship...perhaps we could draw the beasts out in the open, then neutralize them from the air? No reason to get in a wrestling match with apex predators if we can avoid it."

"We don't want to kill them, t'son."

"There is far too much at stake here to be worried about killing animals..animals that we would do well to closely examine in autopsy at that. This is a military mission for the Republic, and has been from the start, we don't have the time to play petting zoo."

MAS wrote:"There is far too much at stake here to be worried about killing animals..animals that we would do well to closely examine in autopsy at that. This is a military mission for the Republic, and has been from the start, we don't have the time to play petting zoo."

Quietly, so thana doesn't hear, "our mission is to make the sciencey people happy. I dont think we should massacre the animals they're studying. plus, i've got a Funny feeling we're going to Need to do this quietly."

navyik wrote:

MAS wrote:"There is far too much at stake here to be worried about killing animals..animals that we would do well to closely examine in autopsy at that. This is a military mission for the Republic, and has been from the start, we don't have the time to play petting zoo."

Quietly, so thana doesn't hear, "our mission is to make the sciencey people happy.  I dont think we should massacre the animals they're studying.  plus, i've got a Funny feeling we're going to Need to do this quietly."

good stuff, guys!

remember, the main tuskbeast that Dr. Helian wants brought back to him (dead or alive) is the progenitor of the crystal-mutated tuskbeasts. the regular tusbeasts aren't as big of a deal, but the crystal-mutated ones are the ones that have been more aggressive and exhibiting the force powers. If there is a progenitor, Helian wants that one to study and probably give to the Kaminoains to clone. If there is simply something external causing the mutations, then there wouldn't necessarily be 1 progenitor spawning the rest.

does that help clarify?

"Ive said my part. You may have noticed that every time someone on this mission tries to fight in close they end up wounded and near death. Continuing this trend is going to get someone killed."

If the party insists on its current course of action, Tson will pull rear security.

some of us need to get in close to do anything

Ok, in an effort to keep things moving here, let me sum up the options I have heard and maybe you all can decide:

1) Go Sarah Palin style and have a wolf hunt from the 'choppa

2) Go Deerhunter style and squirt bantha piss in other canyons and try to lure them away

3) Go Jane Goodall style and hope that Sharn's pet can get you into the den

someone else pick, I have no idea and am far too busy right now (and distracted)

I'm down for option #3.

Sharn tries to recall from his own studies what are the stronger and weaker senses of the tuskbeasts?
Knowledge (Biology) check:
10+8= 18

He will also consult with Thana about this.

Basically, he wants to know a way the heroes can somehow mask their scent or appearance, so the other beasts don't notice them as much while in the den. I gather, it's dark in their lair? If we're covered in mud (or something... maybe TB piss?) that might dampen our scent or hide our heat signature, etc.

I think a combo of 2 and 3 could work

Robyo wrote:I'm down for option #3.

Sharn tries to recall from his own studies what are the stronger and weaker senses of the tuskbeasts?
Knowledge (Biology) check:
10+8= 18

He will also consult with Thana about this.

Basically, he wants to know a way the heroes can somehow mask their scent or appearance, so the other beasts don't notice them as much while in the den. I gather, it's dark in their lair? If we're covered in mud (or something... maybe TB piss?) that might dampen our scent or hide our heat signature, etc.

You are on the right track here, you guys are so close.....

Thana thinks that they hunt more by smell than sight, but she isn't sure how the crystal-mutations might affect their senses.

Lets start with 2 and move on to 3 if we need to.

We could open the piss jug and see how he reacts.

"Isnt there a cloaking device on the gunship? Could we use that?"

We could aproach cloaked and land on the canyon rim, keeping the ship close if we need it. The proceed with option 2. From the rim i can pour a pee trail that leads a few hundred meters into the canyon.

navyik wrote:We could aproach cloaked and land on the canyon rim, keeping the ship close if we need it.  The proceed with option 2.  From the rim i can pour a pee trail that leads a few hundred meters into the canyon.

a good plan, but you are really over-thinking the obvious

Chris wrote:

but she isn't sure how the crystal-mutations might affect their senses.

 

navyik wrote:We could open the piss jug and see how he reacts.

Will try this.
Handle Animal check:
2+14=16

Robyo wrote:

navyik wrote:We could open the piss jug and see how he reacts.

Will try this.
Handle Animal check:
2+14=16

Who is opening the bantha piss - sharn or rakhu?

Rakhu will let sharn do it... The animal seems to like him.

navyik wrote:Rakhu will let sharn do it... The animal seems to like him.

Sharn's crystal-mutated tuskbeast sniffs the air, when the bantha piss is open, but seems largely disinterested.  

Thana comments, "Fascinating.  I would have thought that would have elicited a stronger predator-prey response."  She notices that Sharn is still carrying a crystal he picked up during the tuskbeast fight.  "Try giving the bait to Rakhu."  she says with a impish glint in her eye.

Sharn gives it to Rakhu, if he is willing to try it.

"Be ready to take it right back."

Robyo wrote:Sharn gives it to Rakhu, if he is willing to try it.

Sharn returns the bantha piss sack to Rakhu. At first the Tusker remains disinterested. Sharn slowly begins moving away from Rakhu. Once Sharn is about 4m away (no longer adjacent), the Tusker's nostrils flare and he zeroes in on Rakhu like a fat man who just spotted the all-you-can-eat buffet.

Rakhu's years of hunting experience tell him he is about to become breakfast  

Sharn takes a quick step back towards Rakhu (I assume, lol) and once a crystal is within range of Rakhu, the beast again loses interest.

"How far back is it to where we found these?"

navyik wrote:"How far back is it to where we found these?"

The crystals can be found throughout the canyon, growing from the rocks like lichen and pushing out of the sand.  They are scattered closest to the desert\entrance and have been more frequent the deeper into the canyon you have gone.  They seem to be most prevalent heading down the fork towards the den.




these are the same crystals that the Sith artifacts were made out of that the Nikto were trading off world and the same ones that the Spine Dragon had growing off it in the deep desert (that gave everyone a boost of force power)

Rakhu breaks a few off the rocks and tosses one to t'son.  "C'mon T."  He will still bring the jug of piss. And retrieve his charges except the ones framing the entrance to the descending path, which he will reshape to blow the walls down if need be.

"Thana's Grace"  (which Thana seems to like) lands on the canyon rim above where she points out the den.  The heroes make their way carefully down the rocks to the canyon floor.  There are bits of fur and bones scattered about and the area reeks of death and decay.  A pair of crystalize tuskers come out of the den to great the party, but do not react in a threatening way.

Sharn's pet rubs horns with one of the sentries.

A dark cave opening beckons the brave heroes.....

"Keep your heads on a swivel, they might not all ignore us..." Rotary is in hand. 2x1x2 behind the tusker. Sharn and rakhu, thanna in the middle, then daxx and t'son (if he's coming).

So far, so good... hopefully the crystals will keep us from being lunch!

Irwin is there too, floating slowly, adjacent to Sharn. The wookie activates his stealth and force shields.

Sharn stealth check:
19+9=28

Irwin stealth:
4+13=17

Rakhu stealth 20(waste)+9=29

Stealth -

Result of the throw of dice "1d20 +4" :

20 + 4 = 24


NINJA SMOKE BOMB-POOF!