Paraton looks at Nu-mar with rising fondness for the calm animal, and approaches the control room, opening their mind to the senses, tasting the air, seeking further understanding. Unfortunately, all that seems to appear before them is stale air and weirdness. Something shakes inside Paraton's robes, disquieted. They start walking up and down the ramp, their calm a bit shattered, breathing hard.

I'm sorry, people. I'm not well this morning, I guess. I can understand nothing here. I feel dumb.

OOC: Paraton rolled 7 using 1d6+2: 1 hour recovery roll
Paraton rolled 6 using 1d6+2.  10 hour recovery roll
Paraton rolled 3 using 1d20.  Discerning the reality of the control room.

Paraton: M16/16 (1), S14/14 (1), I15/15 (1).
This message was last edited by the player at 12:07, Fri 06 Dec 2019.

OOC: I'll spend one intellect w/ my edge of 2 to reduce the difficulty by one, and assuming Attilisk's assist also reduces by 2, I'm rolling against difficulty 1.

Might: 12/12 Speed: 10/10 Intellect: 18/19 E2

Rolled an 18.

Porgot examines the floating orbs, examining their relationship to each other, their height, distance, size, viscosity, when and how the circuitry patterns flare and what that does to the spiky metal ball outside.  With Attilisk providing his own insights and Paraton more lost in the unusual patterns and darkness of this room (very comforting to them), Porgot thinks he has the functions figured out.

The spheres are used by placing one's hand inside them and manipulating thin threads that are suspended within the spheres.  One seems to manipulate the field that holds the spiky ball aloft, another seems to make some noise from further up the ramp that you determine (with aid from Delfino, Cube, and Eleisai) opens and closes some doors up there.  A third seems to manipulate doors on the lower level (the one at the bottom of the ramp opens and closes, at least), another manipulates the light levels in the complex, though it seems that strongly illuminating one floor or zone dims the others.  One makes some noise increase and decrease deeper in the complex, beyond the lower rooms, so you think there is a machine or large door that is being activated or changed.  And finally the last seems to allow one to view other parts of the complex by showing pictures in the circuitry patterns on the walls.  This seems somewhat fitful, and you wonder if the system itself is damaged, or just the viewing screen.  You do see a room full of orange tiles and what looks like small blue hemispheres, another of a dozen roiling gears spinning around each other in space, and a third of more of the floating light-emitting insects in a cluster, glowing and fading in sequence.

"Ah, yes. The transfigured god touches all...." Porgot's voice is reverent as the system's nature clarifies itself to him, speaking mostly to himself, though he knows the transfigured god hears all. He is sure the clarity is granted by the transfigured god, who he now believes favors Attilisk as well as himself. His influence is ever growing. It is truly a miracle that he has united me with others who are worthy of his glow.

Porgot cycles through the viewer and testing the other controls to see if he can determine the source of the deeper sound, and finding nothing, turns to look back at the group. "The transfigured god revels in the connection of all things, a fact of the universe that he manifests in artificial systems inevitably. This place pulses with his presence. You can see the interconnection between all levels of this place, and its pull to bring us deeper." Porgot fiddles with the controls again, eliciting the deep sound and lifting his ear in rapture, "He calls us to the deeps. He has something to show us there. Something he requires our presence for." Porgot cycles the display again to show the group, "He holds his wonders in wait for us on the way, breadcrumbs to a greater treasure undoubtedly. I've never seen such divine power, even in the days of his descent and rebirth he rarely displays such wondrous displays of power." He stops on the visual of the spinning gears, "To see and touch such wonders..." He trails off, speaking to himself again, lost in the magnificent images.

Attilisk scratches his head as he works to figure out what all of this means and how the information might be useful.

"Maybe we should examine the room Paraton found at the end of that ductwork before we decide on a further course of action?  That deep rumbling we heard could be from there.  I still think it sounds like the room in that vision I drew, but I'd need to see it to be more sure."

He again tries to check the position of the brethren beastie and piece together the sounds, echoes, and vibrations into some useful insight.

Porgot? I want to know more about the transfigured god. In time. I'm still not sure what to do. I think we are dithering. Either we commit to follow the path downward, or we go explore the weightless room I went into last night. If there's one thing I have learned in my travels is that  indecision is the true death.

Now, since I'm still not sure... Let's think first. The weightless room will require we all accustom to moving inside it. If something attacks us, and knows how to float in there, we'd be sitting targets. Floating targets. You understand me. It was a very large chamber.

Paraton pauses, remembering.

I have something that can help me navigate those walls.
Something else to consider is the passage to that room: I felt distinctly that I was being judged, and found worthy. That means some of us might not.

Downwards... We don't know. But Porgot sounds really sure about this. I think certainty beats doubt. I vote for going deeper.

"Oh, oh! You likely know more than you realize already. The Transfigured God makes himself known to all living things, though he is often coy." Porgot raises a mischevious eyebrow. "I do not fear your room of floating judgment. I am worthy of any test, though it does not escape me that many judges are corrupt."

He raises his arms and does a slow 360 as he looks up at the ceiling of the room, "Behold this magnificence. My visions have brought me here, with you, we should not ignore the visions that have befallen Attilisk. All roads lead to the right city if you listen to the gods speak through the world around you. Fear not, Paraton, we shall not lose the surety of his direction for the pursuit of a detour. He would not have brought us all together if he did not mean for it to happen."

If you say so. Let's do this, then.

Paraton grips their quarterstaff with one hand, caresses Nu-mar with the other, and sighs.

Better settle our stomachs before crossing the passage.

Attilisk thinks that perhaps this was for monitoring, clearly, and perhaps the various functions were related to transfer of materials?  You're not certain what machines or devices might lie deeper in the complex, so this could be monitoring other rooms for experiments, security, manufacturing, or something specific to the ancients that could be beyond the current understanding.  The years have left some damage, though possibly it could be repaired to show other places in the complex.

"Before we head that direction, I'd like to try something.  If we repair this, we may be able to see more parts of this complex.  Forewarned is forearmed, if nothing else. If you have some skill with the numenera, I'd greatly appreciate some help."

Attilisk begins pulling out his tools and mulling how to approach the appartus before him.

As Attilisk attempts to repair the visualization modules in the walls, he misses one conduit that is teal instead of cerulean.  Contacting that gives him a visible shock  and makes the whole room flare.  When the glare goes down, the walls show a slightly different view of the room Paraton found.  The spirals on the walls seem to go up quite a height, and at the apex writhe two large worm-like figures, locked in a spiral helix, grappling... or paralyzed.

"Oof, oi!" Porgot shouts eith the spark and flare, startled by the discharge. "What is this place? The room of judgement?" He looks at Paraton, "What is this place? The room of judgement? It appears those worms were found wanting... or perhaps waiting to feast on those who are. I would be glad to have been found worthy in your shoes, and hope to be glad in my own shoes in due time."

Porgot walks up to the terminal next to Attilisk, "Is there more to be gained from this? I may be able to fashion a finger of the transfigured god to guide your hand."

"That's the image I saw in my head.  One of those is the original beastie.  The other is the one hatched from the Brethren pods.  Both of them need to be made ... less dangerous."  Attilisk shakes the pain and twitching out of his arm.  "Maybe the simplest way would be to convince the Brethren beastie to take on another form.  That seems to be what enraged the larger one in the first place."

Attilisk turns to Delfino, "If the brethren beastie comes into contact with another from, can it change into that?  Would we need some of the equipment from the pod room?"

Hey, do you mind if I try to help fixing this device?

The Seeker says, before plunging an unwary hand right into what looks like the control apparatus to them. Turns out the machine still had some magic smoke inside.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:58, Sat 14 Dec 2019.

"Generally the Brethren are Formless within the tanks, and once we take a Form, remain in it until we cease to be, or return to the home tank.  If we could lure it back into a tank, then yes, we could encourage Formlessness," Delfino says, looking thoughtful.  "It seemed very... angry, though."



Paraton feels like something had grabbed its form and rearranged several vital organs for a few moments.    But apparently the touch of Paraton's energies against the circuits has done something.  The picture clears and stabilizes, showing a large series of rotating circles, like an orrery, made of several different colors of metals inscribed with circuit-like runes.  None of the "orbits" seem to be connected to the main body of the machine, but instead move freely and without friction.  A haze of light surrounds them, brightening and dimming in a slow heartbeat.  Apparently that particular control is for that quadrant of the facility.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:57, Tue 17 Dec 2019.

"It may not be possible to lure the brethren beastie back to the tank room.  Moving a tank would be even harder, unless someone has a means of levitating one.  Perhaps we can find some way of opening up a dimensional gate.  If one leaves, the other would be less angry, right?"

Attilisk wanders around the room as he speaks, checking to see if there's any stone left unturned before the group heads off again.

I'm sorry, but... Why are you chasing this beast again? And... What did you manage to do to it?

Just trying to see what I'm... what we're up against. Perhaps we could try to understand what they want, and help them if it doesn't mean "eating people".

Paraton tries to sound chipper, but it comes out a bit grating. To calm their nerves, they start doing light calisthenics around the room, and their second nature at some point takes over: they are trying to find a solution to this dilemma.

"It sounds as though the brethren beastie does not deserve the anger that courses through him, that it is an unfortunate side effect of a form he has assumed. In either case, to visit the room of trials, finding a way to deal with them will be paramount if to risk proximity to them is to risk consumption!"

Porgot looks at Attilisk frankly, "This place teleports things, this is true, but I've seen no rhyme or reason as to why or where it does it. All I know is that I was in a room shaped like an egg and then POOF, I was waking up in a room with you three. If we do not have a key to opening these portals, then we must steel ourselves against danger and follow the visions you have been given!"

"When one of the creatures attacked a group of us, while it was partially phased through a wall, we were able to damage it somewhat, but that wasn't easy, nor effective in the long run.  We are chasing them because we are trying to prevent them from attacking the village on the surface, something the original creature has done once already.  We're trying to save human lives."

Attilisk examines the room carefully, and finds some loose panels.  Inside one of them is a pair of slushy spheres that are slightly slick to the touch.  You have to maneuver them out of a tangle of tiny wires and rods, but are able to extract them after maybe twenty minutes' work.  After a bit of examination, he finds they are useful for communication. 



Paraton's exertions bring them to one set of controls.  Seen from the front of the room, they look like all the others.  Seen from the side, the same.  But seen at a slight angle, the glow within this particular set of them lines up with certain symbols on the walls, and makes the meaning something... entirely different.  Or rather, a modification of what you have already seen.  There are additional functions relating to spacial transfer that now become clear to you that can happen in the large room with the spiral, the room you saw while floating!

Holding the pair of spheres up a moment, he says, "These might help if we need to use the controls here, but have someone keeping track of another room at the same time."

Attilisk notes with interest Paraton's odd "dance" around the room and the interest he finally takes in one set of controls.  "Find something?"

Paraton stops their ballet around the odd panels and contraptions, and even through all their robing, looks elated. It's probably something about the shoulders, they perk up. Probably.

Yes. Yes, I've found something. We can trap those creatures from here. They'd be imprisoned in that room. It's... Well, it's not easy, but I guess it's easier than fighting them to the death.

It's hard to see. I do have to wonder why or even if the makers of this thing intended this behavior. Come, I will show you.

The seeker then proceeds to show Attilisk the precise position in which everything makes new sense.

"This is wonderful news!" Porgot hears that the village above can be protected without violence or serious risk, and sighs to himself in relief. He puzzles over the 'brethren' that the others keep mentioning, but takes solace in the fact that their nature will be revealed if and when the transfigured god has arranged for it to.

"And these... what marvels. to coordinate from afar Perhaps we can safely explore this room of your visions without risking all our hides in the same go! A tether system." Porgot puts his finger to his temple and thinis for any flaw in his plan. " We should put it to the test." he resolves

Delfino looks very curious as Paraton locates the controls.  "Fascinating!  I wonder if other places have controls that can only be seen from one place.  Maybe that is one reason the teleporting phenomena are active in this facility?"

Attilisk will accept whatever instruction and perspective that Paraton has to offer.

"I do like the idea of exploring that room before we done anything permanent with it.  I want to understand what we're dealing with."