*Splash!*
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A plain looking android, whose plates look quite timeworn, enters the room fiddling with a few credsticks.
"Hello everyone, my name is Seven-o-one, pleased to make your acquaintance. -He looks at Dart, only a second too long for it to become an awkward stare- My! Don't I know you from somewhere...
YES! You crashed into me a few months back, and almost ran me over. Something about being late for a private ferry to Akiton? How did that turn out?
I digress, I'm joining this expedition because I fear I may have gotten rusty, after all the time behind a desk, teaching newcomers the basics of being a full-fledged Starfinder. Why is everyone else here?"
You’ve received a message from Wayfinder faction leader Fitch that you’re needed on a mission of the utmost importance. The meeting room is well-furnished and stocked with refreshments, but there’s no sign of Fitch yet.
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"I hope Fitch doesn't mind that I used the Lorespire's address to have some wares delivered. Maybe I can add a few items after the briefing...
"So, have any of you been to the field lately? Other than some quick visits to the planets here and there to spread the good name of the Society, my day job, I'm mostly stuck on the station."
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You hear the approach before you actually see their arrival - a pair of footfalls and chatter in the hallway outside the meeting room.
"Hurry up, Yang, or we'll be late. Even if I wasn't your PhD advisor I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you that 'on-time' means being early, and showing up exactly on-time means that you're late! Remember the '15 minute rule' from that freshman lab section you taught last semester? Yes, that's exactly what I'm getting at, so come along will you?"
Arriving in the meeting area shortly thereafter is a very casually dressed android with a rather laid back air about them, bearing no visible armaments to speak of (except perhaps a backpack nearly bursting at the seams with a suit of armor and field gear that could probably be used to bludgeon somebody to death), holding a travel canteen of hot, freshly brewed, coffee-scented synthetic oil in one hand and a data pad in the other. A small ruby-red LED is housed in the android's forehead - right where one might expect to find the metaphysical "third eye" of mystic lore. Following closely behind the android is a harried-looking but sharply dressed graduate student in her late twenties.
Nodding upon their arrival, the android puts the data pad away. "Ah, hello there! You can call me Al...2o3 - Planetary Geologist and Starfinder Mechanic, at your service."
After a very brief pause, "Oh, and this is Yang Xiao, my teaching assistant. She asked to come along on a field mission here or there, and she can be a rather persuasive speaker...and so here we are."
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Dart turns to 701. "Ah my good friend. Yes I am still sorry about that. Plachant!" A ysoki in a jerkin and large hat appears. "Plachant, go over to Poshkettle's stand before she closes and get some of that Akiton Red, about 100 grams as an apology gift" Turning back to 701, "It went well! The Drinkless God prevailed and we saved a town. Please accept the tea as a apology and thank you for your consideration."
After several seconds of silence following the last arrival entering the meeting room, a large holoscreen descends from the ceiling of the northern wall. Fitch’s small, albino ysoki face appears in clear resolution. She whispers quietly to the assembled group.
“I have a very important mission for you. You should be aware that the Master of Stars, the best ship in the Starfinder Society’s fleet, is undergoing extensive renovations. Well, we’ve hit a bit of a roadblock. We need some clophirium to complete the next repair, but supplies have been quite scarce in the Pact Worlds for the last forty years. Luckily, we searched our archives and found a planet in the Vast with substantial reserves: Arniselle.”
Fitch’s transmitted image picks up a datapad but accidentally knocks a screwdriver off the desk while doing so. She flinches as the tool clatters to the ground, then continues whispering in an even lower tone. “NO! I’m sorry about that. They’re finally all asleep, you see. Now, back to the mission. We established a lodge on Arniselle about a century ago. It was abandoned when the First Seeker at the time decided to refocus Society resources closer to the Pact Worlds and abandoned several outposts in the Vast. Unfortunately, our scans show that Arniselle has undergone substantial seismic activity during the intervening years, and now the whole lodge is underwater. We assigned a special team to go investigate; they’re all kalos, call themselves the Manta Corps. Maybe you’ve met them. Anyway, a ship dropped them off, but the Manta Corps never reported back for their pickup.”
Suddenly, a loud shriek erupts from the holoscreen, followed by quick pitter-patter footsteps. Fitch drops the whisper and turns away from the screen. “Hey, you’re all supposed to be asleep for another hour! Back in the beds before I duct tape you in and leave you to find a way out!”
Fitch turns back to face the screen. “Anyway, the current First Seeker agrees with me about the importance of this mission and has authorized me to mount a second expedition. We must finish repairing the Master of Stars, and to do that we need Arniselle’s clophirium. This could be dangerous, so I’ve selected you, some of our most experienced agents. Go to Arniselle and investigate the submerged lodge. See what it will take to re-establish our presence there. And try to find out what happened to the Manta Corps. Best case scenario, they’re just down there working, but it’s not like them not to report in.
“I’m sending you information on the planet now. Oh, and remember! There could easily be intelligent life on this world. The lodge wasn’t staffed long enough to really explore the oceans. If you meet any new species, be diplomatic! It’s not only our mission as Wayfinders, but locals might help us with getting that clophirium as quickly as possible. Any questions?”
Kalos often redesign weaponry to function much better underwater. You actually know where on Absalom Station they purchase their underwater weapons (Starfinder Alien Archive 69.) While such weapons generally cost 10% more than a regular version of the weapon, you can purchase such weapons at the base weapon’s normal price—many kalo manufacturers on Absalom Station are on good terms with the Manta Corps and want to help however they can.
Both lightweight and thermally stable, clophirium featured prominently in many early Drift engine designs, but natural sources were limited, and Pact World planets with clophirium deposits quickly exhausted their supplies. Alternate Drift engine designs that do not require the mineral have become more popular in the last 40 years.
It would be possible to update the Drift engine of the Master of Stars with a more modern design, but the entire engine structure would have to be rebuilt, taking years. Finding additional clophirium supplies is the fastest way to get the Master of Stars up and running again, even if the Society must identify a new mine to do so. The substance is incredibly difficult to find, so any charts or maps identifying existing veins of clophirium would be invaluable to the repair operations.
Player Handout #1: Underwater Combat
Land-based creatures usually have considerable difficulty when fighting in water, as it affects attack rolls, damage, and movement. The following adjustments apply whenever a character is swimming, walking in chest-deep water, or walking along the bottom of a body of water. For more information, see page 405 of the Starfinder Core Rulebook.
ATTACKS FROM LAND
Characters swimming or floating in water that is at least chest deep and characters who are fully immersed have cover against attacks made from the surface.
ATTACKS UNDERWATER
Most attacks made underwater take a –2 penalty and deal half damage. Attacks that deal fire damage do only one-quarter damage. Attacks that deal electricity damage take a –4 penalty rather than a –2 penalty. Melee attacks that deal piercing damage deal full damage. Thrown weapons are ineffective underwater, even when launched from land.
SPELLCASTING UNDERWATER
A creature that is attempting Constitution checks to hold its breath can’t concentrate enough to cast spells. Some spells might work differently underwater, subject to the GM’s discretion.
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Dart turns to his companion..."Plachant! What do we know of Manta Corp?"
The ysoki responds. "Well, sir you did meet them briefly when you went to investigate the Kastatha ship, Struggle's Scholar"
Dart smiles, "Ah yes, those charming fish people. I still owe Suulhu a duel when we meet"
Plachant continues, "Correct sir! I shall put it down in the diary when we meet her. But also..." The ysoki goes on to reveal all the Culture info. "Sir, I do suggest a quick purchase of alteranate weapons as your holy light will not function as well underwater, if the need arrises. I do recall a shop that the Deepspeaker mentioned a good source here on the station."
Dart nods. "Maybe get a better version of Kayden Kalin holy symbol would be in order"
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Omen-Seeker nods as she listens to Fitch. "Indeed, rebuilding the Master of Star's drift engine to use another element would take years of work. This is the quickest, simplest solution."
She ponders her non-lethal pulsecaster. "I suppose this little fellow will be next to useless, too. Pity. But I never kill if I can avoid it. So much is lost when life is taken. "
Fitch adds a bit more on the subject of the Manta Corps. “There are four of them. The leader, Deepspeaker Alluguoth is a spiritual type. He doesn’t say much, but when he does, I’d advise listening. Then there’s Mantarider Ushuul; he’s a lot more talkative and loves to show off his gun. You might have seen Mantarider Suulhu-Huur around the sparring rooms. She’s a fighter and uses some kind of fancy cryopike. Lastly, there’s Wavetreader Vhoosh. She’s even quieter than Alluguoth, but that’s probably a good thing. She can be a little bit unnerving. She always wants to know about how many people you’ve killed. They’re good agents, all of them.”
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Al 2O3's knowledge of culture cannot hope to compete with Dart's, nor in this case likely Omen-Seeker's either, but the android's eyes close all the same to commune with its AI, Ruby, attempting to recall knowledge...
Al will share what they are able to remember, while also directing Ruby to send schematics of the Hutchket rifle they received as a gift from the Ghibrani Husks along with the appropriate amount of credits ahead to the supplier. In addition, Al transmits enough credits to have the weapon enhanced with a "merciful" weapon fusion.
Musing aloud, Al remarks quietly, "Wavetreader Vhoosh and I actually once held an oddly philosophical...if short...conversation in recent memory. She was curious as to my experiences having never taken a life, nor finding any evidence that any past iterations of my hardware had taken part in such an event either. I do hope she and the rest of Manta Corps are alright."
Turning to Omen-Seeker, Al smiles a bit hearing the ysoki's words. "Depending on how long the trip is, and if we have access to a workshop en route, we could always try to craft you a merciful weapon fusion for your primary armament, perhaps?"
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A tall, thin Lashunta quietly walks into the room, paying close attention to its arm-mounted HUD.
With a satisfied nod, it looks up.
"Greetings. This one has been assigned (at the last minute) to provide technical support on this mission. I have some skills with both biological and technological systems. Hopefully, that will prove useful."
”Oh, I’m not looking for you to set up a mining operation! Just check out the lodge and see what kind of shape it’s in.”
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"Drat,checking out an underwater mining operation now my fur could end up being wet..and it will be impossible to get it to look like my usual silky smooth self. How will I be able to be diplomatic if someone sees me like that"
A brown furred Ysoki mentions with a smirk on his face as he's tinkering with what can only be some sort of explosive device.
'Just in case that wasn't clear to anyone..I ain't much of a diplomatic type, so someone else better do the talking if we do meet someone."
Hearing about the supplier of special underwater weapons Rocket places an order for an Artillery laser, azimuth which he will loving pet after receiving it.
And a tactical doshko..just in case.
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"Other than the Manta Corps, are other sentient beings expected in.. Arniselle?"
Industrial Backpack - 25 cr.
Serum of Healing, mk 1 x2 - 100 cr.
Sniper rounds x50 - 150 cr.
Trailblazer fusion - 360 cr.
Shirren-eye Sifle, tactical - 755 cr.
Carbon Skin, graphite - 1220 cr.
Synaptic Accelerator, mk 1 (Dex) - 1400 cr.
Efficient Bandolier - 2000 cr.
Targeting Computer - 2250 cr.
Trampling Boots (AA) -2500 cr.
High Density datajack -2600 cr.
Knife, tactical - 6000 cr.
Total Spent - 19,363 cr.
"We really don't know. The original Starfinders didn't stay there long. The Society pulled out of there quick and left a lot of equipment behind. Staff were on Absalom Station when the orders came through, and they couldn’t even get dispensation to return for personal effects.”
"Sure, if there's anything of interest. Since the Lodge was abandoned a hundred years ago, none of the original owners are likely still around."
You spend days traveling through the drift, onboard the Peregrination into Night, a large Society freighter. Zhast (a female shirren) is the ship’s captain and a jovial host during your time onboard. She offers daily (and delicious) meals in her private quarters, which she painstakingly prepares herself.
"701, Al2O3, I'd love to hear what you think! I'm trying to find flavors that are universally appealing, and androids must experience taste so differently!
After three days of travel, you come across an organic arkship lazily floating in the Drift. The biomechanical ship openly broadcasts its affiliation with the Xenowardens (Starfinder Core Rulebook 481), along with free informational download packets on recent ecological events.
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Al 2O3 proves to be quite interested in sampling everything offered, and if allowed will also bring their grad student for these meals (who eats everything ravenously as if she cannot properly budget for food in her normal on-campus routine).
"That is indeed a noble goal you set for yourself, Captain Zhast! Even among androids, we each experience taste slightly differently. As a geologist, for example, I make use of AI interfaces to interlace my hardware's taste receptors with some of the processing algorithms of an electron microscope! No android's body would be capable of housing the full processing power - much less the sensor suite - of one of those devices, so even though my students joke that I "literally" dine upon the periodic table of elements, I can merely discern the presence and concentration of different minerals in foods!"
"The crustacean-based dish you have prepared for us this evening is a perfect example! Iron, found in most meat-dishes, accented by calcium absorbed from the shell are the obvious central feature, and of course sodium by-product from the seasoning. Beneath that, however, is a subtle-yet-rich layer of selenium! Being that selenium is a semiconductor, it allows me to experience very minor, but very pleasant, electrical sensations as I consume it, akin to what Yang Xiao here tells me "fizzy cola" feels like on one's tongue."
If not stopped, the geology professor will continue in this and similar veins until the meal has ended, the food has gotten cold, everyone has gone to bed, or the ship's destination arrived-at...whichever comes last.
~~~~~
Seeing as how Al 2O3 has been hoping to not only learn more about, but even make inroads into possibly joining the Xenowardens, they will absolutely download the informational packet...after their AI, Ruby, gives it a very thorough security scan to ensure that it is:
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Dart happily partakes in the food offered, but will pass on any alcohol, "Food allows us to sit and take about our efforts in righting injustice and rejoice our guidance of Kadin Kaylin. But as the holy one said, Put down the glass and take up the sword. Our call to not muddle our minds with toxins and so we may see clearly in fighting tyranny and injustice. "
During the meals, Plachant takes notes on what Dart enjoys and occasionally will sneak off to ask the captain for the specific recipes.
At first Dart has no interest in the Xenowardens, but Plachant, who is much more the intellectual, suggests that they too may require the aid of the Drinkless God to Right the Wrongs. With that Dart jumps at a chance to download the information. Though after a cursory glane pays no heed.
During the voyage, Dart spends the "mornings" preforming an odd stylized kata that will tell you has been passed down directly from Kadin Kaylin to his disciples long ago before the Gap. It is a combination of fancy footwork, dancing, jump on top of things, and pantomime drinking while waving his dueling sword around.
Al 2O3 scans the download and finds no sign of virus or malware. However, hidden among various reports on the plant growth rates of various worlds, the most interesting piece of information in the packet is a report on plans to “cruelly place the last known feathered renkrodas into captivity in small Castrovelian wildlife preserves.” Beyond the information packet, the arkship doesn’t engage in further conversation, and is quick to move on so it can continue its distribution to other traveling starships.
Captain Zhast releases you in a small submersible vessel once the Peregrination into Night achieves orbit over Arniselle. With this unarmed submersible, you can reach the lodge’s coordinates only a short distance away. The orbiting starship is set to retrieve you from the insertion location in 2 days, which should give you plenty of time to complete your mission. There’s no land masses above the waterline on this part of the planet any longer, so there is nowhere for the freighter to land. The submerged Starfinder lodge is simple to find, about a quarter mile under the surface.
As you approach, the Arniselle lodge appears to be intact. The structure’s northern edge is pushed into a cluster of rocks and boulders, with obvious signs of other past impact. It is immediately apparent that someone currently inhabits this building. Broken parts of the exterior are haphazardly repaired, exterior lights are active, and the front door is decorated with a strange broken chain.
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Al 2O3 consults the information after thanking the Xenowardens for their contributions to ecological stability.
Finding nothing of particular note, they store this information away for future consumption.
Approaching the Arniselle lodge, Al will equip themselves in armor, their only visible weapon being the new underwater rifle they had commissioned prior to leaving Absalom Station. Yang Xiao is there as well, of course, but in a more sociable environmental suit and with no armaments at all.
Al makes note of the chain to their companions. "This display is analogous with how many cultures might display deific symbols indicative of a house of worship. My memory banks, however, do not find any religions in the Pact Worlds or the Veskarium that match this particular device."
When the team is ready to move in, Al 2O3 will remain near the middle-to-back of the group, rifle drawn with its stock hooked in a single-point harness at the shoulder.
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Dart studies the Symbol.
"This used to be someone's holy place. But many gods were lost, however I hope this one will be found again. Plachant! Take notes for study!" The ysoki valet shrugs and sighs. Dutifully taking copious notes, but knowing full well that his employer will never look at them.
Dart takes point and moves to the door seeing that most of his companions prefer long arms or other ranged combat. He summons his mote of red and gold light that forms what seems to be a tankard in his hand. In the opposite hand he holds his underwater dueling sword. His two other arms are free to manipulate and open the door.
Once Rocket checks the door, Dart opens it.
"For Glory and Justice!"
The airlock is unlocked and easy to use. The water drains out, and the airlock opens into a large room filled with air. A large curtain divides this room, and faint lines on the ground indicates that several walls were likely removed to make this space more open. A five-foot-high stage and eight rows of benches fill the northern half of the room, while the southern half has several large tables. An airlock on the eastern wall acts as a front door, and airlocks on the northern and southern walls lead to other areas. Steel doors lead to the north and south, and one is covered in yellow caution tape reading, in Common, DO NOT ENTER.
Two creatures await on the other side. One creature is a vibrant teal and the other a similarly bright magenta. Both are large creatures with an imposing presence, each with a stout body that ends in a single wide flipper. They have articulated side flippers with a surprising level of fine motion, brightly colored whiskers, gills, and four long tusks, two on each side. The tusks are lightly carved with decorative patterns. They both wear white robes that drape to the ground, and the magenta creature speaks in slightly accented but otherwise perfect Common.
“Hello, and welcome! I am Hinevera, and this is Teltham of the morlamaw people. Welcome to our home. You must be more Starfinders, I presume? The last group left rather quickly, so we assumed another group would arrive soon. Greetings!”
“They were quite funny, weren’t they? With their… wings? Is that what they’re called? The other Starfinders visited for a little while, and we offered to let them inventory and take back all the Starfinder-marked property. We certainly have no need of your weapons and armor; it’s hard for us to use them!” Hinevera waves one of her flippers to demonstrate. “They left quickly though; I don’t think they were keen on inventorying.”
“The Lost Chain? Oh no, we worship the Weeping Knight, and we know through him that we can only find meaning through enduring many trials. Losing our old home was painful, but that was but one early trial and now we can worship freely.”
"Oh, we don't really make inventions here! We just repurpose things. Have to be practical after all! No, they didn't mention where they were going; I assumed they went back home."
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"The Weeping Knight, sound like he would be a good companion to the Drinkless God. I would also think taking an inventory of the situation would be in order. Plachant! Get the ledger!."
He turns back to Hinevera. "Though our society would still most likely want to keep some presence here, we value cultural exchange and there are other resources that may be of value that we can trade. If you are claiming this as a holy sanctuary, then we can look elsewhere. Do you know of another place we could establish? "