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"I'd prefer to try and avoid any close encounters with more of the bushes today if that is okay with you!" she laughs.
Bidding farewell to your hosts, Klarima leads the you through the badlands toward the shining metropolis in the distance. The journey takes only a few hours.
Elytrio’s sun is beginning to set as they approach the edge of a visible force field half a mile outside of the city. Klarima retrieves a clunky and ancient-looking datapad from her pack and presses a few buttons on it. There is a brief pause when nothing happens and, a little frustrated, she touches the same sequence of buttons on the device. This time, a circular portion of the force field opens like a door. Klarima steps through and gestures for you to follow. When all of you have passed through, Klarima presses another button on her datapad and the force field closes again. By the time you get to Arkeost its lights have come on.
This strange metropolis sparkles like a jewel in the gloom of dusk. In stark contrast to the desolation surrounding it, the city is a bustling center of activity, with dozens of winged insectoid aliens going about their business, flitting from one high doorway to another. The streets below seem almost like an afterthought, used only occasionally by small automated machines. Several overgrown flower beds and shaggy trees fill the spaces between the roads and hug the sides of the tall buildings. Though the structures still look sturdy, obvious patches of rust and other disrepair indicate that they haven’t been very well taken care of.
Most of the ghibrani citizens stop what they are doing and stare at the group as they walk with Klarima. In short order, a contingent of ghibranis wearing formal armor and carrying weapons that look like taclashes flutters down to confront the group.
seem very comfortable with their armaments
After a few moments spent conferring with the guards Klarima turns to you and says, “Good news! You are going to be allowed to speak to the Most Elevated!”
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Zeta is super happy about seeing all this, and is busy filming for its V-Log - This'll SELL!.
The android takes in the strange sight of this advanced city on a deserted planet, inside its bubble... and yet the super advanced place looks a bit empty and decrepit.
"Greetings, officers!", Pangea says to the armed Aliens.
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Fascinating. It's almost like there's two different worlds in this city. Silveras wonders in amazement. As the guards approach, he sheathes his weapons and bows his head in greetings. "Hello officers."
After Klarima finishes talking to the guards, Silveras responds with, "We could learn much from each other, I think."
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With their newly acquired honor guard, Klarima leads you to the tallest, fanciest building in the center of the city. The guards flit their wings and fly toward an opening in the structure 40 feet off the ground. Klarima appears to be about to do the same, when she suddenly realizes that you probably don’t have the ability to fly. Using her datapad, she summons forth a table-sized hovering drone for each of you. These drones are clearly meant to only haul cargo and have no real safety measures for carrying living creatures!
As Pangea steps onto her means of conveyance, its hoverjets momentarily give out and it nearly crashes to the ground, but it powers back on just in time. In the end, though, the robots slowly but surely raise you up to the height of the entranceway, where you step inside.
The guards continue to usher you forward, leading you to a large central chamber with vaulted ceilings. A large table occupies one end of the room, behind which sit five membrane ghibranis dressed in elaborate robes. They stand, bow to you, and beckon you to approach.
Klarima introduces the Most Elevated council and says
"If you wish, the council can bestow the blessings of our language to those who don’t have it yet."
Everyone is offered a chair.
"We are keen to learn more about you all!" says their leader, and with a look to Silveras adds "and are happy to exchange information.."
A gentle tone rings throughout the room. Klarima visibly perks up. “Dinner!” she explains. “It feels like ages since I’ve had a proper meal.” The guards, who had been standing at attention near the door to this room, pull chairs up to the table and a handful of hovering drones enter from previously hidden hatches in the walls. The drones place ceramic plates and utensils in front of each person; the utensil each person receives is a flat piece of metal with a slight indent at one end—almost like a spoon. Each person is then given a serving of a thick, light tan liquid in which floats irregular chunks of protein. The food has a smoky, cheesy odor. As the ghibranis begin scooping up their meals, Klarima explains this is a traditional dinner of “kahlgee,” a word that doesn’t really translate into Common.
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"Thank you," Hesperrio says, pointing to his neck. "I would appreciate the ability to communicate with you more clearly."
He waits to sit when Klarima sit. He partakes of the kahlgee.
"The Pact Worlds are a collection of many worlds with the ability to travel between them. Many, many species share our home. I am lashunta. My people develop into one of two phenotypes. I am the korasha--worker--type," Hesperrio offers about himself.
"What about your people? How long ago did the husks split from the membranes?"
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"So do all your people look like you?" queries one elder of Hesperrio.
The Gahlgee looks pretty unappetizing, but klarima looks delighted when Hesperrio tries it. She gestures to the rest of you "The good is a gift from us, one should always accept a gift!"
Fortitude save DC 12 to avoid throwing it up or spitting it out
You can pretend to eat with a bluff check, refuse, or eat the disgusting looking stuff (fortitude save)
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Having accepted the gift of being able to speak the language, Zeta tries the kahlgee--
--while explaining that it is a Zeta model, an android, made by PANGEA, he shares the information on its makers.
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"I wanna talk too, language please!" Klitch requests while tugging on Klarima's arm.
He takes a huge sniff of the food. What is this stuff? I'll try it, but oooooh boy. He takes the sort of spoon and puts a huge glob if it in his mouth. There is enough of the goop to balloon his cheeks.
Jumping in on the question directed towards Hesperrio, once he has answered. "I am a ysoki, every one of them looks like me in that we are little, and have tails, and have eyes, and have ears, and have teeth, and have soft cuddly fur, and have..." he goes on for a couple of minutes of the very basic similarities he shares with his race, touching each feature as they are announced. "But are otherwise completely different!" he concludes.
"This city looks fancy, tell me more!" he asks the leader.
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Hesperrio and Pangea have not difficulty keeping the disgusting food down, much to the delight of the membranes. Klitch also tries the exotic dish.
"We are lucky, the city provides everything we need.." starts one of the elders to Klitch, when unfortunately...
Suddenly the lights go out.
The lights snap back on a moment later. The ghibranis don't seem too worried about the power loss, "The mainframe acts up occasionally, but it always self-corrects after a few seconds."
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Poor little Klitch can't manage to choke down the food. Having held it too long in his overfull mouth, he has the disgusting sensation of having to vomit but his mouth already full of what might as well be some. He disgorges it back into the bowl and pales.
"I...I'm sorry. I'm not very good with this stuff... Can I clean instead?" he asks meekly. Ashamed, he looks down into his lap and twiddles his thumbs for a while.
________
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The elders look worriedly at Klitch, but apart from him appear pleased with how the team takes the food.
As the meal progresses, the elders confer and then offer you a present. It is a small handgun.
"Oh don't worry about cleaning up. Mainframe provides us drones for that."
Several small floating drones come from a service hatch. Two descend on the mess made by Klitch. One careers into the table, rights itself and then returns to its hatch while the other completes the tidyup.
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"We have always lived here, since before the war" explains the elder.
"Mainframe? Nobody operates that, it operates the city..." continues the elder.
"Mainframe is the heart of the city, constructed by our ancestors to provide continuous power and to house the many drones that cater to our needs. We are not allowed to go where it is housed though, so nobody has seen it. Visiting Mainframe is Taboo for us."
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The elders look to each other and go into a huddle for a moment.
"While we are not permitted to visit Mainframe.. there is no prohibition against an outsider doing so.."
They provide directions to Mainframe. Klarima informs you that "While
you were eating, I requested some drones convert a few ground-level warehouses into sleep quarters for the You. Would you like me to take you there before you visit Maintframe?[/b]"
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You stop off at the warehouse for an evenings rest. Much appreciated after the fraught starship battle and the close encounter with the mutated lizard-thing.
In the morning you head off in the direction shown, and then suddenly the roads are empty - it looks like the membranes really do avoid this area..
Empty that is of membranes. There are a lot of drones and other hovering robots in the area though. None seem to pay you any attention though.
A large doorway leads into the structure and a ramp descends a bit into an open garage like space . Many are powered down, while others are being repaired by fellow drones, leaving you to walk through patches of eerie silence, followed by stretches of frantic activity.
You descend on curving ramps farther and farther below ground. As you continue, you spot several signs in Ghibrani that read “Taboo Area,” “Keep Out,” and other warnings with similarly grave images to accentuate the point. Eventually, you reach a
hallway that branches off from the garages.
The hallway opens into a rectangular room of white plastic, a stark contrast to the smoky, grease-stained garages that led up to this place. Fans whir quietly overhead. Track lighting along the floor illuminates much of the chamber. Several white coveralls hang on the wall behind a bench to the north. A door leads to the east.
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Silveras looks down at the food and is slightly taken aback. He puts a spoonful in his mouth and while the Ghibrani aren't looking at him, he quickly spits the food out into a napkin.
"I agree," Silveras chimes in. "Don't want to wrong such hospitable hosts." He takes a coverall off the wall and changes into it. Moving to stand beside the door, he begins to wait for the rest to follow suit.
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Likely to be a little long and narrow for Klitch, he puts on the coveralls as best as he can. With sleeves and pant legs dangling and the fabric stretching around his torso, he moves to the door as well. "Oh, Oh, Oh! Can I open the door? It really is the little things in life that are the big things."
________
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Klitch squeals loudly in pain as the electricity courses through him. He lays on the ground breathing heavily for a moment before getting back up. "It was an accident, I promise!"
Once the group has recovered from his reckless door touching, Klitch tries to redeem himself by disengaging the locking mechanism. "It'll go better this time, watch!"
________
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Looking at the door Klitch thinks it will recharge in a minute or so...
But you can easily get through it in that time (if you choose to).
Looking through...
Four pillars, each covered in glowing circuitry, break up the floor of this chamber. Though slightly out of date by modern Pact Worlds standards, the four power generators in between the pillars nevertheless hum with energy. The room is illuminated from below, and doors lead east and west.
Two robots patrol the room.
"Leave at once.." says the first is a robotic voice.
"Or be removed." intones the second.
The robots look a bit like the locals, but are obviously robots.
are a combination of husk and membrane physiology—thick shells
but with winglike appendages.
Status
Scarlet
Kitch 7 damage
Silveras 15 damage (7 if ref DC 12)
Hesperrio 15 damage (7 if ref DC 12)
Pangea
Kimp
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"GAHHH!" Silveras cries out from the electricity coursing through his body. He drops to the floor and twitches a bit before quickly rising back up."Jeez! Warn a guy before you try to fry him!"
Silveras follows through the door quickly before it has a chance to zap him again. He winces a bit as he passes through the threshold, attempting to prepare himself for a possible shock.
"You're right," he says examining the robots from a distance. "Looks like it's a combination of both types of Ghibrani that we've seen." Silveras unsheathes his tactical dueling sword and it's pleasant hum gets a little louder, unimpeded by the sheathe.
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Pangea will call out and use inspiring words - "It is only electricity, electricity is life!" - to boost and have the person regain stamina.
If it works, Pangea will heal 9 SP.
And, it will target:
• Hesperrio if he fails his save (since he has less total life)
• Silveras if Hesperrio made his save (since Silveras will be the most 'wounded')
Seeing these robots, Pangea wonders if this is what the aliens looked like a long time ago?
The android moves up, and designates the robot with the circuits: "The weak point is its joints"