1.6 - Under the Dome

You wander the halls and explore the rooms along the way. Through the windows, you see you are getting further into the valley and the domes are getting closer. Your stroll has kicked up no dust on the floors and no tracks. As a matter of fact, they are unusually clean. Even the pile that fell earlier seemed to disperse and clean up on its own.

The rooms you find seem to be living quarters, some personal and others leaned to communal living (barracks). This place is deserted, a ghost of what it once was and appears to have its own haunts too. A few rooms were closed and the doors sealed. Darazen and Vult worked to open the doors or bring power to the other side. In those cases the damage was clear, though sometimes not.

One room in particular gave Darazen fits. He was able to get the lights on, but before he got that far, it was clear this room contained a lot of Numenera. Vult was able to translate the tag over the room, reading something like "Central Control". Inside was a large room with several tables with control panels.

He and Darazen worked for an hour trying to open the door. The door would not budge. Darazen was sure the air was okay on the other side and the weight controls were nominal, but every time he tried to unlock the control, a voice in some unknown language would speak. Vult was finally able to get the voice to change into another language and eventually into common. "Security Protocol 1 in place. All access into the Central Command or the Computer Control Room is restricted by voice entry only".

During that time, the sound of the large emitters could be heard and from the windows a few large rocks were blaster from the sky. Lights flashed and screens changed, seemingly painting a large green X on the rock before the emitter destroyed it.

After several attempts and even with having found Numenera with voices recorded to reference or mimic, the voice refused entry and eventually reported that too many attempts had locked it out.

The party decided to continue to the domes. The hall leading into the dome was warmer and there seemed to be a bit of moisture in the air. The corridor end in a T. Turning left, you see a door which looks like it leads into the dome. Turning right, you see a simlar dome. Both are about 20 feet from you. The party turns left and walks about 20 feet and you immediately are stopped by a clear door. The walls here are clear too and you can see the extent of the dome. It is much larger than you expected.

The dome is made up of clear, hex-shaped glass walls held in place by metal supports. Vult opens his books are starts sketching and Darazen quickly starts counting. "If this thing is symmetrical (the same all around), this dome could hold the town of Jryek or Thriest." The glass, though clear, shows no light coming from inside.

Darazen finds the panel for the door. "Weight and air look okay... but the panel says the lights are on the night cycle. I'd say with the light of the moon, we could see in there, but I don't see a moon here."

Vult looks up from his book. "Well, I think we are on the moon and that there", pointing at the blue and white marble, "is home." Turning back to his book, he starts drawing again.

Darazen says to wait here and he scurries off to the other dome door and panel. After a few minutes, he comes back. "The other dome is lit and has air and trees."

Which way would you like to go?

While Darazen and Vult are messing with security, Khoren will search the room for Numenera stuff. When Darazen mentions the lit dome, Khoren will clap his hands and nod. He looks up at the blasting defense emitter and hunches reflexively.

He then retrieves the artifact and checks the distance.

Ooc: can we have a roll call on who's actively still playing?

I am...

OOC: Still here.

Darazen leads the party to the door leading to the lit dome. Lit, it looks even larger than the dark one (tho Vult assures everyone it is the same size). Darazen steps to the side panel, "Ready?"

Khoren and Yui take up defensive postures and nod as Darazen opens the door. A rush of humid air and the sounds of wild birds and insects floods the hall. Utazo steps in, taking the lead.

As Utazo passes the threshold of the dome, a thin curtain of light emanates from the frame as Utazo passes. It does not seem to affect her and she steps past and to one side and the curtain disappears.

Yui steps forward and the curtain appears again, before she gets into the door. A few spots of the curtain seem brighter for a moment then settle down and blend in with the rest.

OOC: Just noticed my perception roll, haha. Khoren is lost in his thoughts. Literally.

As you step through the door, a light tingle ripples over your skin. You feel no adverse affects, just something you did not expect.

Darazen steps in and aside and starts a scan. In the area, he finds the door (panel: level 7), a shield over the door (level 5) which appears to let people in, but keeps the critters inside from getting out, and a small cypher (level 3) embedded into one of the nearby trees. When finished, the door to the hall closes.

The air in here is more like earth and less like that sterile environment you just came from. There are trees and brush, grass and plants and insects buzz around. In the near distance, you hear animals chittering and moving about. You can see the wall, the edge of the dome and as you look up, you see birds flying. As one nears the edge, the dome itself seems to come alive with a small blue glow and the bird turns to avoid it.

Everyone sees Khoren, armed and ready to fight, his sword draw and facing a tree.

The area you are in may have once had a path, but it is long overgrown.
(Perception check: everyone)

Yui leans over on one side, Vult on the other and almost in unison and harmony respond, "The moon is white and looks like a rock, except for the green stripe which appears once every 28 days."

Seeing Khoren draw his blade, Utazó stops poking at the threshold and slowly moves in behind him, her own sword drawn and ready to go.

As Darazen walks a tree, his hand up and searching, the rest of you look about. Khoren steps toward break in the trees. A path once, this area is heavily overgrown with weeds and brush. Several of the weeds are flowering and the sweet aroma they emit is enticing.

Utazó falls in behind, looking up into the trees. A fleeting glimpse of fur moves from one tree branch to the next and vanishes behind the leaves. Still staring up, she sees another and another peaking from behind clumps of leaves in the branches. As they look down, one starts to hoot and holler, followed by another and another until a chorus of hoots envelopes you from the tree tops.

As this is going on, Darazen finds a piece of Numenera embedded in the tree. It seems the tree has grown around part of it. Pulling out a small book and examining it closer, it appears that it produces water, clean water. The break in the tree seems to be funneling in the water into it and the tree seems to be taking it all in.

The hoots and hollers are getting louder and the animals making the noise seem to be gathering courage. They are peering out more and more, jumping from tree to tree, and making a general ruckus. In all, it looks to be about a dozen or so.

They look like small children, furry with long tails and when they holler, you see they have teeth.