Session One Hundred and Ninety-Two Summary (Graveyard of Empires: After the Fall)

Session 192, August 14 2024

Introduction

We continue at 4:30PM on the 30th of Anurilden (00.000.08.00 on the Apocalypse Clock) with the party inside Hdrasta's secret vault after overcoming a force of powerful DVLs and barely avoiding a confrontation with Asmodeus. Now the group is trapped in this room and must figure out how to use the ancient techno-magical machinery to find an escape and/or a means to defeat the devils. Do the machines in this chamber work? Can they be used to defeat the DVL invasion? Should the party just open the door and let Asmodeus inside? Find out next time; or not.

Larry's Summary

Sub Menus were missed from last session added to fill it out.

• • The Terminal says:**

• Waiting for Input
• Current Destination: Prime Dimension (0001)
• Change Destination? Y/N

* Elemental Access: Air (0011), Fire (0012), Water (0013), Earth (0014) * Substrate Access: DVL Core (0021), Aether Weave Inner (0022), Aether Weave Outer (0023) * Secondary Dimension Alternatives: Enter Alternative Simulation Number

• Load New Destination Coordinates

* Insert media into Drive F.

• Initiate Power

Thorfus looks to verify if there are charges showing on rocket launcher and laser rifle and power armor is still moving.

Glompus sees no sign of anyone being there, unless for a very long time.

There is a noise from the North alcove.

A figure emerges that was tucked in between the machines.

It is a bipedal form perhaps like an old man.

Has a terminal for a head and a smiley face of pixels.

It stops and looks and the face animates and appears to be speaking and there is no sound.

It moves like it tries to clear its throat and still no sound, so shrugs.

Thorfus asks "Can understand me?" It shrugs.

Velkin speaks in Ancient Common and asks "Can you understand this?" It shrugs.

Velkin asks Vikram for help.

Thorfus looks to see if it is like any other kinds of automatons. Only vaguely.

Thorfus tries to detect automatons, and there are none.

Thorfus says, "The Matriarchs sent us."

It turns to face whoever moves.

There is a spot where it came from with an indentation where it can stand.

In the small alcove, the place where it was standing doesn't match the rest of the floor. That little bit of the floor is a darker grey, but otherwise unremarkable.

Thorfus asks, "Where are the makers?" The mouth moves for a bit, then gets the frown, then a smile.

Druul gets pen and paper from Velkin's bag and writes a smiley face, then it holds it up to it's smiley face.

Druul, writes, "Write your name on this paper." It holds the pen like a toddler and does start writing.

It writes: "Advanced Systems (EUS) Assistant B43" It is in Ancient Common.

Velkin asks Peronelle to be the scribe.

Peronelle writes: "Is there a book to tell us how this stuff works?"

It writes back "NO"

"Is there a way to help you speak."

BROKEN, NEED VOICE UNIT

HAVE ONE?

VElkin asks if it can understand our spoken questions?

ACCENT ODD YES

What is your function here?

HELPER

?

How many destinations can the terminal be set to?

?

Hands stuff back to Peronelle goes to terminal and starts hunting and pecking at keyboard.

It says under new destination, "Insert media into Drive F."

It points to a drawer.

They are maybe an inch in height and 3 inches across.

It clicks on more buttons and clicks Y on change destination and says:

• Elemental Access
• Substrate Access
• Secondary Dimension Alternatives

Velkin asks if there are other physically connected chambers.

No

YES

DOOR

WITH POWER

It hunts and pecks on Initiate Power menu item.

• • This message comes up:**

Low Power Warning! Insert DVL/Transpatial Containment Unit into Port G (Instantiated) or F (Media Bound)

Is there a storage of containment units?

NO

Druul pushes the bottom one and a tray door flips down and there is an opening with nothing in it.

It points to F on screen and thing he opened. It shuffles around behind the desk. Points at G and something in the back.

Where are DVL containment units.

YOU HAVE

And points at each of us, and last of all Vikram.

Druul shows the whip and it says NO.

We have power and can plug into this.

Druul shows one of the batteries from laser rifle and asks if a containment unit, it says yes.

Behind the unit is same kind of opening with a button.

We ask how power does it take from a battery. Or how many batteries are needed.

Its face goes back to angry/thinking face.

3,000

Approximately.

LOW

FADING

ESTIMATED SHUTDOWN IN 30 MINUTES.

Are we in the current destination or destination we go to.

SELECTED

Under Elemental Access:

Elemental Access: Air (0011), Fire (0012), Water (0013), Earth (0014)

Substrate Access: DVL Core (0021), Aether Weave Inner (0022), Aether Weave Outer (0023)

Secondary Dimension Alternatives: Enter Alternative Simulation Number

Thorfus asks what dimension is on the other side of this door?

15

Is that an alternative simulation number?

YES

What happens to dimension 15 if we go to the Prime Dimension?

NOTHING, IT PERSISTS.

TIME ISSUES POSSIBLE

RELATIVISTICALLY

We elect to go to Prime Dimension.

How to all of us go to the Prime Plane?

He points at low power warning and the two drawers.

I SHUTDOWN IN 20 MINUTES

Can you send all of us to the prime plane?

YES

POWER NEEDED

OR EQUIVALENT

LARGER INSTANTIATED; DVL

It shuffles around and it trying to get behind Glompus.

Points at power armor battery, laser rifle battery, and Vikram.

Can we do this without Vikram.

It thinks.

Velkin asks Vikram to get out a spider.

Velkin asks if we can use the spider for power.

VERY LITTLE POWER

ROUNDING ERROR

I COME PRELOADED WITH A VERY CHEERFUL AND CLEVER PERSONALITY

Velkin asks if the Winter Elf spear can be used.

NO

BARELY ENOUGH IF USE ALL RESOURCES

We pull out all the batteries. Glompus and Thorfus leave their power armor behind.

We watch as it puts all the small batteries clicks a button and hands them back to us.

We put the empty batteries back in the power armor.

It looks confused.

MORE BATTERIES? HOW MANY?

CALCULATION MAY CHANGE

Change for the better?

PERHAPS

Will it stop you from shutting down.

NOT MISSION CRITICAL

What's your mission?

HELP

STILL NOT CLEAR IF SUFFICIENT POWER

FOR DOOR

How much more power is needed? ONLY NEED FOUR SMALL OR ONE LARGE BATTERY IN ADDITION TO DVL; OTHERS SUPERFLUOUS

Can we do it without Vikram?

INSUFFICIENT IN TOTAL (54 Batteries)

We pull out TikTok to be judged.

TEN SMALL OR TWO LARGE PLUS MINOR DVL

OR JUST BOTH DVLS

(EXCESS WOULD KEEP ME FUNCTIONING)

How long would a small battery keep you functioning?

TEN CYCLES

How many cycles since we entered the room?

.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001

What happens to a DVL if they are used?

UNINSTANTIATED

Can they be Re-instantiated?

?

There is a really big DVL on the other side of the can we use it before it hurts us?

HURT?

DVLS SERVE

MALFUNCTION?

?

NEED MOD DVL

ADVANCED SYSTEMS MOD (EUS) (ASMODEUS)

Will this book help? (Nanocarbon book.)

??

Can the Mod DVL be re-programmed on the Prime Plane?

YES

Can you provide instructions on how to do that?

NO

Can we find the method on the Prime Plane?

YES

Vikram says, I prefer not to get in the box.

Maybe I'd reappear in the City of Brass, but this isn't the usual way things happen, so I can't be sure.

Are we DVLs?

NO

What are we?

It goes to angry/thinking face again.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCES (LIMITED)

How do we appear in the prime plane?

VERY GOOD QUESTION

LOCAL MOD DECISION

Is there a mod of the prime plane

YES/NO/CONDITIONAL

Can we become mods?

YES?

Hand the machine the clock.

Kauri turns away.

Clock goes in the box and takes out the clock which is now blank.

Goes back to the terminal.

We give up ten small batteries, split among us.

Machine loads batteries and gives us the empties.

Goes to Initiate Power this time no message, there is a humming noise from the wall and the pool has a subtle glow and gets brighter and brighter and the whole room is lit up basically like a spotlight like a mirrored ceiling above it.

The machine gestures towards the light.

Thorfus says, "I'll go first to make sure the way is clear."

Instead of sinking, Thorfus floats up into mirrored ceiling and is gone.

The rest go in two trips of 4: Prix, Glompus, Peronelle, Druul.

Then Vikram, Velkin, Kauri, Lambertus.

. . . .