Quote from Wolfy911 >> 

(I just realized that the Stonespeaker Crystal gives advantage on Investigation. Rhayna is already proficient in Investigation, does Knowledge of the Ages helps in any way?? :-)

 (Knowledge of the Ages gives you a temporary proficiency in a skill or tool. So it could let you add your proficiency bonus to an INT check to actually operate a control panel that you might otherwise have no idea about. It will be one thing for Rhayna to intuit that something in an alien compound is a control panel, but entirely different to be able to actually know how to operate it. I'm picturing something like a wraith ship from Stargate Atlantis, or the alien ship from Prometheus.)

By the way... Kudos to all those who changed their character sheets to Underdark Mode. Looks great. Ironically, the only one that didn't is the Gloom Stalker...   :) 

(Did not intend to use MF as that abbreviation but you have to agree it fits too.

Sorry for "Surprise", you are right, I turned "surprise action" into "surprise round" (that seemed possible with all the mechanics), 39 damage it is)

Oh, and one more apology, dark mod can fit thematically, but it annoys me. The Gloom Stalker will stick to the light, as a true jedi)

Quote from ZorgAlmighty >>

Quote from Wolfy911 >> 

(I just realized that the Stonespeaker Crystal gives advantage on Investigation. Rhayna is already proficient in Investigation, does Knowledge of the Ages helps in any way?? :-)

 (Knowledge of the Ages gives you a temporary proficiency in a skill or tool. So it could let you add your proficiency bonus to an INT check to actually operate a control panel that you might otherwise have no idea about. It will be one thing for Rhayna to intuit that something in an alien compound is a control panel, but entirely different to be able to actually know how to operate it. I'm picturing something like a wraith ship from Stargate Atlantis, or the alien ship from Prometheus.)

By the way... Kudos to all those who changed their character sheets to Underdark Mode. Looks great. Ironically, the only one that didn't is the Gloom Stalker...   :)

(I like the analogy of the Prometheus space ship. Luckily for Dave, the holographic images of the aliens operating the controls, allowed him to figure out how to use it. My question is, am I allowed to roll with advantage due to the crystal? Also, bc Rhayna is already proficient with Investigation, does Knowledge of the Ages could help in any way? You know, perhaps the Goddess has some tricks up her sleeves?? :-)

Kirin Initiative: 15

Kirin just dodges for surprise round as previous stated.

Rhayna Initiative: 14

Initiative 16

The sudden onslaught completely catches the unsuspecting mind flayer off guard, and it barely has time to look up as it gets pummelled by a shining sword, two energy blasts and three tentacles. The horrid creature glares with evil eyes and seems about to retaliate, but the final tentacle is sufficient to knock it senseless, and it drops to the ground.

A brief and unpleasant search of the defeated illithid turns up no items of interest, other than its garb which consists of a long black tunic with plating over the upper torso. (Effectively, a breastplate armour, but distinctively mind-flayer-looking clothing as well)

Rhayna sees a small panel on each cylinder that seems designed to vary the conditions within. The misshapen kuo-toa within the last two cylinders are unconscious.

(Rhayna: Knowledge of Ages doesn't do anything for a skill or tool which you are already proficient.)

While the group examine the cylinders, Pax moves to the next corner and peeks around to see what's next. 

Pax peeks around the corner and sees just another corridor running directly up to another glowing humming barrier - the second entrance to the Elder Brain. However there is a small niche almost halfway down, with a five-foot-wide hole in the floor. The hole is clearly part of the construction of this place, and intended for passage from this level to a lower one, visible twenty feet down. However there is no staircase or pole or anything to aid ascent or descent.

"Leave them there - lost cause anyway." Sekkar nodded toward the cylinders with kuo-toa and returned to the gruesome but pleasant as well task of relieving the dead (sweet word when refers to a mind flayer!) monster of its possession. "Might get useful." The lizardman looked first at Pax in her make-shift armor, then at unarmored Derendil, who did not get a shot at mind flayer but did not really mind it, it seemed. Unlike the idea of wearing the armor of the thing - call it superstition, but quaggoth would not touch the thing, that belonged to that brain-suckers. 

Sekkar almost sniffed another barrier, searching for ways to open it up. Then he studied the transportation hole - the monsters were able to fly, they did not need stairs but it would not be a problem for normal creatures to use ropes. He left the initial recon to Pensive and returned to the panels to wait for smart people to open up the barrier.

As Rhayna enters the room, she eyes what looks like a small panel on each cylinder. She studies each one of them, starting with the empty ones on the north, and working her way towards the south ones. She tries to discern the differences, and perhaps if she is able to operate the panels. She finishes her studies at the fifth one, the one that the mind flayer was studying. She is so engrossed on her findings that she doesn't even notice the corpse under her while trying operate the fifth pod.

Investigation: 28

(Can I get the social for the dead mind flayer?? LOL)

"A curiosity for sure but nothing really add or subtract from my theory....," Kirin trails off as he starts pinballing between looks over the machine along Rhayna before turning to the corpse and checking for any signs of magical enchantments on the corpse 

Investigation of corpse I guess (arcane is same) 21

Kirin checks the mind flayer corpse for any telltale signs of demonic influence - the red Abyssal glow behind the eyes, familiar sigils branded or tattooed or otherwise marked on the skin, residual ichor, etc - but finds none.

Rhayna meanwhile examines the control panels. Well of course preservation in stasis would require quantitative control of temperature and humidity, low and high respectively for a kuo-toa - that must be these two dials. State of consciousness could be managed by sympathetic modulation of brain wave frequency and amplitude - that must be... those knobs there. Within a few moments Rhayna is sure she could operate the controls sufficient to revive either of the kuo-toa.

Pax walks back over to the mind flayer body as the others examine the controls.  She pulls out her dagger, falling to a knee next to the Illithid body. She jams her blade up under its jaw...or at least where a jaw should be, and up into its brain....or at least, where its brain should be.  She then wipes the dagger off on its armored robe and sheathes it while standing.

She glances at the others, "Just making sure." 

She stands up and takes a glance at the controls, "These look like they control the cylinders...not the power for those doorways. There's a hole going down, around the corner. Guess we're goin that way. Pensive want to take a quick look first?" 

She slowly moves down the hallway until she's next to the alcove, and peers down the hole, but otherwise, stands back and waits for the others to experiment with the tubes...or follow.  She  just stands there, an eye on the pit in case anything might come floating up it.

 "Yes indeed!!" Rhayna replies to Pax's observation. "Perhaps we can get answers from one of these specimens?" The Cleric looks at the party for permission to revive one of the kuo-toa. Preferably the one on the 5th pod.

Sekkar shrugs to the idea of reviving another mindless puppet, walks closer to the pods and activates Dawnbringer.

Pax shrugs, "Sure".  Then she goes back to focus'ing on guarding the hole.

Kaylyn, do her part, starts looking at the doors and examining the runes by the doors.  She may even go back to the first rooms to look at the runes by the doors back there.  She's trying to determine any sort of pattern to figure out how to open them.

18 +4 investigation or +10 Arcana

Pensive flies over to the hole in the floor and with a glance at Pax slowly makes his way down and peaks into the next floor.

Perception 20

Rhayna fiddles with the knobs of the fifth pod as Sekkar looks on cautiously. The humming from the cylinder changes frequency slightly and the huge eyelids of the mutated kuo-toa with the elongated head begin to flicker and open. The enormous eyes begin to glance around and the creature starts to gasp as if in a panic. The eyes move from Rhayna to Sekkar and there is a look of recognition. S-Sekkar? it whispers... and in a flash Sekkar in turn recognises the kuo-toa: it is Naagar, the once strong warrior leading the group of kuo-toa that helped Sekkar slay his first mind flayer, but now mutated almost beyond recognition. Naagar locks eyes with Sekkar and with an earnest plea whispers: Kill meee....

Kaylyn examines the runes on the pods and recognises some from the closed doors from back in the common room. Slipping quietly back along the corridor, she experiments with some of them that seem to be arranged in a grid. By chance, she seems to happen upon the correct combination for one of the doors, and it slides upward to reveal a small empty chamber. It seems each of these three small cells is meant for holding a captive thrall, and each is locked by a unique combination. Kaylyn assumes the three dead kuo-toa on the floor would be the ones kept here, and considers attempting to open the other cells to check, but it interrupted when Pensive meets some difficulties...

Pax guards the hole as Pensive slips quietly down to the lower level.

Kaylyn only:

"Easy there friend. We will try to help you, but we also could use some help here." Rhayna tries to determine if there is anything that she can do to help the poor mutated creature.

Medicine: 12