The Feinting GOATs arrived at the sterile, hyper-advanced utopia of Blacklore Valley. Realizing that their usual heavily-armed, monstrous aesthetic would trigger every security protocol in the Elven city, the party drew on their past sci-fi experiences in Murka to blend in. With Elyndra's expert disguise skills, they posed as "Bunker Bums"; grimy survivalists whose ancestors had lived in the outskirts since the "Beetle Glow" wars two centuries prior. Korloth convincingly cosplayed as a hulking "junkster" droid, Lenti shrank down to fit inside a cloaked Dodd's pocket, Echo threw on a heavy cowl, and the rest of the undead menagerie was safely tucked into extradimensional storage. Properly disguised, they successfully pumped a local information droid for the location of the three cipher keys needed to access the Aegis Elevator.
The first key belonged to the Archivist, Lord Vaelin. Adrian boldly took the lead on the con, intending to weave a masterful web of deception. Instead, his sheer inexperience at lying and subterfuge was painfully, hilariously obvious. However, the immortal, bored elf found Adrian's fumbling attempts so highly amusing that he simply deduced the party's entire plan himself. Chuckling at their sheer audacity, Vaelin willingly handed over his cipher key and even offered them some parting advice.
The second key was held by Chief Engineer Lady Sylis in a highly secure laboratory. Elyndra took point, flawlessly stealing the security pass (and the literal face) of a lab employee heading home early. She marched into the pristine facility with Adrian in tow as a "volunteer test subject" and Korloth lumbering behind as a heavy-lifting droid assistant. Using a masterful blend of bluffing and immicker skills, Elyndra convinced the paranoid engineer to let her "borrow" the cipher key for 24 hours to run field tests on a new weapon system.
The final key was held by General Kaelen at the proving grounds. He demanded a spectacle: the party could have the key if they defeated an equal number of his elite grunts in a massive arena before hundreds of "cheering" Elven spectators. The fight was a grueling tactical challenge. The grunts employed superior futuristic tech and brilliant squad tactics, specifically targeting the GOATs' own tech items to disable them. The turning point came when Korloth used his magic to warp the metal of the enemy's healing staff, crippling their sustain. Echo capitalized on the ensuing panic, unleashing a devastating banshee wail that terrified the Elven commander so thoroughly he fled the arena entirely, securing the party's victory.
With all three ciphers in hand, the party boarded the massive mag-lev Aegis Elevator, plunging miles deep into the crust of Mysterra. At the absolute bottom of the shaft, guarding the massive iron doors to the Diopsid (beetle-men) territory, stood a towering Aegis Siege-Walker mech backed by a squad of six Suppressor Droids. The epic, climatic showdown lasted exactly one heartbeat. Before the mech could even spin up its rotary cannons, Elyndra pointed a finger and cast Disintegrate. The Elven pilot critically failed his save, turning to a pile of ash inside the cockpit. Without a pilot, the mech instantly powered down, and the slaved droids deactivated in unison.
Elyndra casually stepped over the powered-down metal giants and picked the lock on the great iron door. But before they could step into the cool, oppressive dark of the Phaerlin, Enik stopped dead in his tracks. The usually arrogant Sleestak looked terrified. He stopped the party to confess a dark, ancient secret: his people had betrayed the Diopsids centuries ago out of jealousy, helping the Neogi hunt them in the dark. In brutal retaliation, the inhabitants of the deep didn't just kill the Sleestaks; they smashed their skulls.
Enik revealed the true tragedy of his race: a Sleestak's lifetime of knowledge crystallizes in their skull upon death, to be instantly absorbed by the next generation. By smashing the skulls, the Phaerlin broke the chain of knowledge, reducing the Mysterran Sleestaks to amnesiac savages. Refusing to insult the Diopsids with his presence, Enik offered his own neck to the party. He told them to behead him, or let the Diopsids kill him for symbolic vengeance, if it would buy them safe passage. His only condition was a desperate, heavy plea: they must protect his skull at all costs, so the library of his mind could be returned to Alluria as the seed for his people's future. The session ended with the heavy weight of Enik's life resting in the party's hands.
Note: The following writings are from the character's perspective and are often private to the character. They are not considered "in-game" knowledge to the other characters, and any in-character reference to this information would be considered meta-gaming.
Letter to Master Kagemitsu at Tengai-no-mori Monastery by Caylen Redden
Dear Master,
We are now well on our way to finding our final titan, the Great Mother. Of course this quest brought us to a place we were warned against visiting – the Blacklore Valley, and a city full of technologically-advanced elves. Knowing that the Blacklore elves are not welcoming to outsiders, we disguised ourselves as well as we could. Elyn used her shapeshifting ability, and the other humanoid GOATs disguised themselves to reasonably pass as elves. Korloth and the umber hulks were disguised as large automatons, Lenti shrunk to be carried by a cloaked Dodd, and the best I could do was cover up and try to stay out of sight. Fortunately, the elves we encountered out and about seemed focused on their own tasks and displayed neither hostility nor curiosity.
We began our search for information by approaching an automaton that appeared to be in place specifically for this purpose. We observed several elves approaching it to ask questions and decided to try it for ourselves. Registration was required for access, so Elyn assumed the identity of a passerby and took the lead. We soon learned that the only sanctioned way to go underground is something called the Aegis Elevator, and accessing it requires three cipher keys from community leaders: Head Archivist Lord Vaelin, Chief Engineer Lady Sylis, and military leader General Kaelen. We also learned that the entrance to the Aegis Elevator is in the middle of General Kealen’s military base, and that the high level of security is due to ongoing hostilities with a subterranean insectoid race the Blacklore elves call “beetle glows.” This immediately caught my attention, because the beetle glows must be the lost cousins I read about in Lance Dowelloft’s library, the Diopsids, who survived the Neogi culling by settling in the Phaerlin, Mysterra’s Underdark. Although this information was incredibly exciting, it also increased my sense of urgency. Knowing that the locals would likely react especially unfavorably to the presence of an insectoid in their city, I hoped to avoid attracting attention and be gone as soon as possible.
While a few of the GOATs dawdled, attempting to find ways of acquiring local currency or goods, I searched futilely for an alternative means of getting underground. I expected that there must be a sewer system, at least, but the Blacklore infrastructure, designed to support their advanced technology, is unrecognizable. Checking with the information automaton confirmed there is no traditional sewer system; instead waste is simply disintegrated. There are occasional attempts by the “beetle glows” to burrow to the surface, but all such tunnels are subsequently collapsed, and we determined that finding and excavating any of these would not be feasible. It seemed we had no choice but to gain access to the Aegis Elevator. Sneaking into it through a military base was not an option, so we would have to acquire the cipher keys.
Adrian took the initiative to investigate the archives and ended up having a direct conversation with Lord Vaelin. As it turned out, the head archivist was willing to turn over his key simply because he found the idea amusing. The surprising ease of acquiring the first key gave us increased confidence, and we quickly moved on to the next. To gain audience with Lady Sylis, Elyn stole the key card and identity of a worker exiting the research facility and made her way inside with Adrian (posing as a volunteer test subject) and Korloth (posing as an automaton assistant) in tow. Together, they convinced Lady Sylis to allow them access to the Aegis Elevator in exchange for field testing a new weapon in the Phaerlin.
With permission and key cards from two leaders secured, plus a specific assignment that could be reasonably presented as the purpose for our underground excursion, we hoped that negotiating with General Kaelen would be little more than a formality. Unfortunately, the general was not so easily convinced. He required proof that we were equipped to handle any dangers we may encounter below, so he offered a challenge: if we could defeat an equal number of his elite soldiers, he would allow us to use the Aegis Elevator. We met our opponents in an arena, surrounded by an audience of largely emotionless elven spectators. The Blacklore soldiers were an impressive fighting force, armed with advanced technology and tactics, but the Feinting GOATs met them with an equally effective combination of magic and might. The turning point came when Korloth melted their healer’s staff and Echo unleashed a terrifying shriek that caused their commander to flee the field. After that, we simply needed to deal enough damage to overcome their armor and technological protection. Once again, we proved ourselves in battle, and General Kaelen, true to his word, granted us the use of his cipher key for twenty-four hours.
Although we are eager to complete our mission, we have decided to use eight of those hours to rest and recuperate, since we don’t know what dangers lie ahead. The general has allowed us the use of some sleeping quarters, and I’m taking a moment to pen what may be my last letter written in Mysterra. Once this is done, I’m sure I will be restless and impatient waiting for the soft skins to finish their sleep; perhaps I can pass the time discussing plans with Lenti. I hope I am able to negotiate with the Diopsids. They may be wary at first, since enslaved Thri-kreen and umber hulks were used against them in the Neogi culling, and communication may be difficult if they resist psionic contact, but I hope I can successfully make a connection. The Diopsids are exactly what we need to fight the Neogi and free the rest of our people, if only we can find a way to bring them back to Alluria. I may know more by tomorrow’s end.
Until then,
Cut-Cut