20130419
MEMO FOR DOTS
FROM: JVONBON
SUBJECT: Hunt for Black Skeleton
The science and exploration team has been hard at work in the hell dimension that was recently openned to us. We encountered a number of the the floating emblazend entities from the underwater ruins in this dimension as well as the skeletal archers that seem to populate our little freakshow of an island. In addition we have discovered a few new creatures.
The native population seems to be comprised of a huminoid with pig like features. They appear to be in the process of decomposing. They're seem friendly enough though any attempts at communication has failed. They also seem to have a herd mentality. If you provoke one "pigman" then any within view will come to it's aid. Often with detrimental consiquences. We lost Jones on our first trip in.
Then there's the giant flying squid-like creatures. These creatures are straight from a nightmare. They coo and caw like a baby. That's how they lured me in. They seemed almost "cute" when I saw them. That was a mistake I'll never make again. Their expression turned ugly and they belched fireball in my direction that exploded on impact. Our archers took a few of them down. The science team tells me their tears appear to have healing properties. We could use them to replace some of the medicines we lost in the crash.
Finally, there were a different variety of skeletal creatures. They are jet black and seemed to be composed of a coal like substance. They carry poison coated weapons. The medics say the poison can be remedied if they get to the individual in time. They others... they just seem to wither away and die. The few of these skeletons that we have been able to eliminate turn to dust instantly. Only, leaving behind a chunk of the coal like substance which we have found to be a suitable fuel in the furnaces.
Faesyn and Rake have reported that on rare occasion one of these skeletal creatures dies with it's skull intact. These skulls seem to tingle with the same magical energy found in the tables that tech have been using to imbue our weapons with extra power. Yet, when I came into contact with one it wasn't simply goosebumps that I felt. But rather a pulling, like the air is being sucked out of my lungs. It's almost as if it was calling to my soul and I had to fight escape it's grasp. The science team has stated the "magical" field increases in strength when more than one skull is in proximity to each other. They have stated that it is their intent to experiment with increasing the field further. I have a bad feeling about this. We should be prepared with a full security/medical detail during these experiments. If harnessing this field can grant us the power to guide Naomi's drop it's worth the risk. But I would like failsafes in place.
The eggheads wanted me to attach their request for black skeleton skulls. I've looked it over and the exploration team can support this.
Jvonbon
Attachment 1: Black Skeleton Encounter Patterns[DOUBLEPOST=1366381152][/DOUBLEPOST]ATTACHEMENT 1:
Black Skeleton Encounter Patterns
The science team is running some experiments to harness the mystical power of certain resources on this planet. We have discovered that the black skeleton skulls are particularly strong in this energy. There will be compensation for any skulls brought to us intact once we have returned home. Analysis of the pattern of encounters has revealed areas to look for in order to set up ambushes.
First and foremost, these creatures tend to stay in cover until its area is clear of any expeditionary members. We have found that the will reveal themselves once all team members have retreated to a distance of approximately 24 meters. We have also found they avoid the light and any manmade structural material such as the cobblestone or brick slabs our engineers use as pavers. Also, though they seem to be immune from the effects of fire and lava, they will avoid it if a more favorable option is available to them. Now as our motion trackers only have a range of about 72 meters (4-5 sector chunks in all directions) we cannot give detailed information beyond that point.
We teamed with one of the tactical officers and came up with a strategy for hunting these creatures. Find two of the 4-way intersections on that red brick fortress structure that are in close proximity to each other (roughly 10 meters apart from the center of the intersections). Using any strong material available extend out both intersection to create two 10x10 platforms joined together (creating a 20x10 platform). For every red brick surface outside that “killzone”, as the tactical officer called it, place down a slab and mark an observation point outside the 24 meter perimeter. This will funnel the creatures into the killzone where our security and exploration teams can mop them up. It is important that we pave over all areas within the range motion trackers. Again, that means all red brick surfaces in a 9x9 sector chunk centered on the killzone and observation area need to be covered by slabs.
