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After a long voyage through the Drift, the bulk of the Starfinder fleet has arrived at the outer reaches of the Scoured Stars system. Several immense carriers form the core of the fleet and contain docked transport ships, fighter craft, and scout vessels. Each of the stored ships contains armor, weapons, provisions, and other equipment. There is an almost palpable feeling of tension and excitement as hundreds of Starfinders aboard the central carriers prepare themselves for the mission. Ahead, a shimmering veil of golden energy conceals the three stars known to be within.
Venture-Captain Naiaj, a no-nonsense bleachling gnome, approaches with a datapad in hand. “Do you have all your gear? Are you ready? Good. Now let’s help our fleet get ready for the final journey into the Scoured Stars. But first, tell me your names and what special training you have so we can assign an appropriate task for you to assist with.”
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A tall, frail looking winter born rhyphorian covered in a thick layer of white fur stands at attention in front of Naiaj. "I am prepared, ma'am!" she replies immediately.
She wears a long black coat with shoulders studded in bone spikes. On her right arm is an elaborate gauntlet that looks like a dragon skull, which has been etched with draconic sigils. She wears a blue bandana pulled down near to her eyes. There's a baton and a few vials hooked onto her belt, and a backpack worn over her shoulder.
"I am Ferradei Isendale! Former soldier of the Skyfire Legion. Novice Starfinder." Ferradei clasps her hands behind her back as she replies in a loud, firm voice. "I am trained in computer programming, engineering, piloting, survival in harsh environments, and the mystic arts. Capable technomancer with a specialty in ice magic. Disciplined and ready to be deployed as you see fit, ma'am!"
As she finishes listing her accomplishments, Ferradei's finger strokes the bone gauntlet on her right arm.
Ortannis... I miss the days you stood beside me...
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The tall, incredibly handsome lashunta nods in appreciation of her level of discipline as Ferradei introduces herself.
He starts with Naiaj, then steps around to each of the members of the small group to shake hands (or make another culturally appropriate introductory gesture) and introduces himself to each in turn.
"Jaqweh Navar, pleasure to meet you," or something to that effect accounting for culture, stance, and appearance. His uniform is impeccable, perfectly clean, and sharply creased. He carries a simple laser pistol on his hip, and a backpack rests on the floor where he stood.
When he's done meeting each member of the team, he turns back to Naia and gestures to the Stewards badge affixed just below his collarbone. "Ma'am, as you know, the Steward's Officer Academy provides an elementary level of training in a wide variety of skills in order to prepare us to someday serve as Captain of a Steward's ship or expedition." He pauses, favors her with a dazzling smile, and continues. "What is it that you would have us do?"
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Altorin barges in to the room during the questions from the Venture-Captain but hears enough to answer.
A Rhyphorian born during the transition has medium length beige fur and narrowed amber eyes. However most of his body is covered in heavy ringwear of bronze metal and solar-hued force fields. On his back is a spear engraved with sun motifs.
"I almost ended up here without gear but it looks like the sun currents were in my favor today...either that or the sun didn't want to shine on my furry arse! Hah, sorry I am a bit late! Specialties are keeping others on track, alive, and appreciative that our sun is still shining! Altorin Cyrido the Brilliant!" he says proudly with a bellowing voice nudging the other Ryphorian on the arm.
"Skyfire Legion? Tough stuff but I never had the stomach for charging a fee, ya know?" he says quietly while the other introductions take place.
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Ferradei resists the urge to cringe at the unprofessional behaviour displayed by her transitional kin.
Stroking the bone gauntlet behind her back she thinks, He boasts as much as you did, Ortannis...
When she gets nudged, Ferradei looks over at Altorin. "It was the highest honour. But that chapter of my life is over now. Such is the way of things."
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The Ysoki in the back seems to have waited in the shadows.
He steps forward with a calm stance rarely seen when Ysokis are observed.
"Hmmmm ... excuse my silence dear ladies and gentleman and respected Venture-Captain. I am Darqen Taabestuun and very pleased to make your acquaintance. I only recently joined the Starfinder Society and was assigned as a hacker and engineer to this mission."
Darqen pauses a moment to let the information sink in.
"I would suggest to consider our relevant skills especially during space battle. I am a good shooter and pilot. This mission could get us killed and weaken the status of the current Starfinder missions. What do you know about our tasks and the more mysterious actions with respect to this mission dear Venture-Captain?" Darqen asks.
First Seeker Elsebo Luwazi clears her throat and makes an announcement to all of the gathered Starfinders as they slowly trickle in. “Starfinders, we stand at the precipice of momentous history, and I want to thank you all for making it possible for us to be here today. The Starfinder Society has spent the last year recovering from the Scoured Stars incident, our greatest defeat in recent history. We are finally ready to return to the Scoured Stars, find out what happened to our missing colleagues and friends, and rescue any survivors we can find. Report to your stations and lend your assistance to our fleet by performing the final preparatory tasks. More instructions will come shortly.”
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"Good morning Venture Captain Naiaj, my name is Regalion. My skills are mainly scaring and deceiving others, as well as being decent with a sword." He taps the longsword that is attached to his hip. "I tend to be much more beneficial on the ground than in a ship, but I will do what I can in the need arises."
Looking around the group Regalion's eye stop on Ferradel. "It's nice to see a familiar face. How have you been since our last mission together?"
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Naiaj listens to each of you intently, but is cut off by Elsebo before she can respond. "Uh, never mind all that! It's time! Gather into one or two groups and go help with preparations! "
Venture-Captain Naiaj, Venture-Captain Arvin, and the faction leaders Fitch, Historia-7, Radaszam “The Dealmaker”, and Zigvigix can be seen gathering groups around the ship, assigning tasks to help with the preparations.
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Another Ysoki arrives a little late to the briefing, this one much older and wearing a robe. His fur a little greying, he wears a faintly glowing eyepiece on one of his eyes.
"Forgive me for my tardiness everyone. I"m Prof. Lenik Fleest!" His whiskers twitch a little as he seems quite proud of his title. "Professor of the Physical Sciences, but most people just call me 'The Prof!'"
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As Venture-Captain Naiaj explains the assignments, Jaqweh nods thoughtfully and looks around at the various members of the team mentally cataloging whom could contribute best to each task. It's a skill of leadership that comes naturally to him, and one that often served him well during small-team exercises at the Academy. Upon hearing the task in support of Venture Captain Arvin, Jaqweh smiles to himself.
"I completed an assignment for Venture Captain Arvin just a few days ago. I'd like to check in with him and assist him first, if no one minds. After that, I'd gladly aid one of you with one of the more technical challenges if you like."
He shakes hands with VC Naiaj as he departs towards the bridge, and thanks her for taking the time to brief them.
Arriving at the bridge, he takes a brief moment of VC Arvin's time to get situated. He then starts working his way among the crew, offering positive reinforcement of their expertise, heart-felt encouragement toward overcoming an obstacle, or empathy for the hard work they're doing, as needed. He's clearly the kind of natural and positive leader that people actually like, not the one they resent or dismiss as arrogant or inept.
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Prof and Ferradai head off to the science lab, with the engineering bay next on their list.
Jaqweh is in the bridge giving an inspirational speech, though he appears to be giving it to a janitor. He looks like he needs some help.
The other three stand around for a moment, deliberating on where to go.
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Altorin follows behind Jaqweh but sees him struggling a bit. No speaker himself he turns to what always gets him in a good mood...or broke.
"Jaqweh, you are one nice guy and I am sure they appreciate it because I know I do but let's get them really pumped up! Y'all gather around and let's take some bets on who saves the most Starfinder Agents! It's likely going to be me but we can still toss down some credits, hah!"
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1. First Darqen goes to Historia-7 to help with diagnostics on the Bridge.
* * *
2. Then Darqen tries to support Venture Captain Naiaj with the engine check in the hangar bay.
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3. After that it is time for equipment check with Radaszam in the Cargo Bay.
* * *
4. Lastly, Darqen moves to Zigvigix in the Missile Tube Cleanup to support with physical action.
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Jaqweh is intently focused on providing some excellent motivation to this particular crewmember. He's on a roll, building steam toward a truly inspirational moment, when the sounds of whoops and hollers come from behind him and break his stride. His distraction allows the crewmember time to sidle away before Jaqweh even notices.
He turns to see what all the noise is about. Not at all angry at being interrupted (though perhaps a tiny bit miffed at having the conclusion of his rousing speech cut off), he sees Altorin starting up a betting pool on a positive and hopeful topic - saving Starfinder agents. That's ... inspired!
"20 credits on Altorin Cyrido and his team!" he calls out as he steps over to the group gathered around his new friend.
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The Prof teams up with Ferradei to first assist Fitch in the Science Lab and then VC Naiaj in the Hanger Bay.
Upon approaching his fellow Ysoki, Fitch, The Prof eagerly moves in to help. "Oh, I say young man, what are you working on here? Most interesting indeed! I don't mean to presume, but let me see, are you sure that you shouldn't put that specimen in this jar instead? Oh, dear...a most fascinating reaction, wouldn't you think? Is that what I think it is...and by that I mean I have no idea what it is but I think it looks like something very important!"
He then follows Ferradei to the Hanger Bay and examines the engines with interest.
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Regalion first heads over to VC Arvin. Seeing the betting pool he gets a little idea to try and put a little coin in his pocket. He looks around for the weakest looking group of adventurers and proclaimed in a voice that is probably to loud for the area they're in He then uses his limited telepathy to tell Altorin "10 credits on us."
He then heads for the Bridge to talk to Historia-7. He isn't the greatest with computers, but he decided to take a look.
Then it's off to the Missle Bay to do a quick cleaning.
Lastly he heads to the Cargo Bay to look over the equipment.
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Altorin and Jaqweh head to the bridge with Regalion right behind! Venture-Captain Arvin briefs you in the access corridor just outside the bridge. “Many Starfinders, especially newer recruits, fear what might await us in the Scoured Stars. Talk to your colleagues and see if you can lift their spirits. You have my permission to be creative— pep talks, jokes, or playing some music through the comm system are each valid options.” The three choose a slightlier seedy method of encouraging the troops but it works nonetheless!
The professor and Ferradai head to the engineering bay to start. Venture-Captain Naiaj takes you to the hangar bay. “All right, let’s get to work. See all these ships here? Work with the chief engineer to check the engines of these transports, fighters, and scout ships, and help her make any necessary adjustments.”
Darqen heads off on his own to the science labs, ready to help. Historia-7, leader of the Dataphiles, shows you the carrier ship’s science station on the bridge. “Thank you for your assistance. Once we jump into the Scoured Stars, we will need to scan the system to locate any survivors from the previous expedition. Please check connections and run tests on the ship’s computers to ensure the sensors, comms, and other critical systems are running without glitches.”
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Darqen's work resulted in Historia-7 sharing a priority code that allows you to divert CPU power from a carrier to your starship, granting the group...
Historia-7 (Diagnostics on the Bridge) closed.
Altorin, Jaqweh and Regalion improve morale and earn more aid from their allies.
Venture-Captain Arvin (Morale Boost just outside of the Bridge) closed.
The professor and Ferradai... go to Fitch in the science lab. Her nose and whiskers twitching, Fitch, leader of the Wayfinders, reads something on a large screen in the
science lab while her children operate other consoles and devices. “Hey, can you help me with something? What we have here is a database built from references to creatures in travelers’ logs and fragments of communication signals that were sent from the Scoured Stars before the force field appeared. Sift through the info and take notes on what kind of threats we might face.”
Fitch then pats one of her nearby children on the shoulder. “See this red guy here, Kirkath? Your notes should be: This is a balor demon, if you see one… RUN!”
Going through the information gives the two a good idea of what type of monsters they might face: misshapen abominations, carnivorous plants, dead things, megafauna, robots, terrible extraplanar beings, and worse.
Fitch (Threat Analysis in the Science Lab) closed.
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Having taken in some good bets and had even more fun Altorin heads to Radaszam check out their equipment but ends up in the missile tube area.
"Ah well! Guess I can help these guys outs. Here let me give you a boost up there." he says trying to show off his strength and avoid the dirtiest of work....
..and it apparently shows!
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After likely being thrown out of the area he heads to where he original destination to check out the gear. Often too fancy to work in less-than-savory conditions.
"Lots of powered weapons? Where are the analog ones? Those laser rifles and doshkos aren't going to get along on a possible swamp planetoid." he then shows them further ways to improvise weapons to start fires with optical scopes or the battery packs.
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Jaqweh watches Altorin head of to the missile tubes, but opts not to join him. The thought of climbing around in the tubes and getting his uniform dirty is enough to make him shudder. Being a decent pilot, he proceeds to the hangar bay to seek out VC Naiaj.
When he arrives he notes that Darqen seems to have a complete handle on things. Though it looks like he missed one thing there....
which Jaqweh helpfully points out in a positive and pleasant way.
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Farradei, Prof and Darqen head to the Hanger Bay - with Jaqweh coming up behind them. Venture-Captain Naiaj takes the group to the hangar bay. “All right, let’s get to work. See all these ships here? Work with the chief engineer to check the engines of these transports, fighters, and scout ships, and help her make any necessary adjustments.” The first three calibrate some knobs, allowing the dials to be more precise. Jaqweh comes up with some oil near the end, happy to help.
The Venture Captain watches over your work with a smile. "Nicely done! I'm going to sneak a little something special into your starship later." The gnome gives you a sneaky wink, full of good will.
Venture Captain Naiaj (Engine Check in the Hangar Bay) is closed.
Radaszam sits and twiddles his thumbs in the Cargo Bay.
Regalion and Altorin meet with Zigvigix, leader of the Exo-Guardians, in the missile bay. “Hey! Thanks for showing up! I’ve got a special mission just for you! See those missile tubes? I need them checked to make sure that there’s nothing obstructing missiles from being launched, so could you climb or crawl in and have a look? I’m pretty sure it’s safe and we won’t accidentally fire you into space!”
The two start climbing around in the missile tubes. After a few minutes of looking around in the dark, a red light starts pulsing. A few flashes later, an alarm starts to sound and you hear Zigvigix's voice in your ear. "Uh... get out now. Please." A quick scramble out and the leader just looks disappointed. "It appears you hit some sort of manual trigger. Please. Please, just don't go back in there."
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Altorin, Prof, Regalion and Darqen converge on the Cargo Bay. Radaszam, leader of the Acquisitives, waits for the group in the cargo bay. “As you’ve probably surmised, things might get hairy once we’re in the Scoured Stars. Ain’t no glamour in this task, but it’s important — check these weapons, armor, medical supplies, and survival gear, and replace any faulty gear so we all might just make it back home alive.”
The group of four spreads throughout the room, working together to develop a system of organization which is efficient. After about an hour of hard work, Farradei's head pops out of a crate. "Hey guys! Where were you?"
After a brief look of confusion at the Ryphorian, Radaszam thanks all of you. "Let me know if you need a little help out there. I may be able to send a care package for you." He gives you a wink and walks away.
Radaszam (Equipment Check in the Cargo Bay) is closed.
Zigvigix twiddles his thumbs, happy those two knuckleheads are gone.
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Jaqweh wanders down to the missile tubes. Upon hearing that it requires him to climb about inside the tubes, he takes time to change out of his pristine uniform. From his backpack, he pulls out a set of freshly cleaned and nicely folded casual stationwear for the task.
He doesn't seem to make much if any progress on his first attempt. But having learned the ins and outs of the system, and what to avoid, he gives it another go....
and seems to have figured it out just as his teammates arrive.
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Ferradei greets her Faction Leader with a nod and then helps clean out the missile tubes.
...Poorly.
Thankfully Jaqweh and Darqen seem to be doing such a good job that when she accidentally makes the warning lights flash she climbs out and resolves to simply hand the others cloths and cleaning supplies when they ask for it.
Suddenly, every screen aboard the Starfinder fleet switches to show nominated First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo standing next to a golden obelisk about two feet in height. Behind her, a large observatory window showcases the Godshield, a shimmering force field surrounding the Scoured Stars system. Luwazi Elsebo slowly lifts her eyes from the artifact and addresses the Society.
“Starfinders, this is the Tear, an ancient artifact some of our most skilled agents recovered during a recent mission. The Tear is our key back to the Scoured Stars—our key to liberating those who were lost a year ago. We are ready, so let’s not waste any more time.”
Luwazi Elsebo speaks a few words in an alien language and the artifact start humming softly. She then traces her finger along the artifact’s surface, and a set of glowing runes appear around the obelisk. The golden field surrounding the Scoured Stars starts twisting upon itself, and massive gashes appear as the force field starts tearing itself apart. As the final shreds of the shimmering field evaporate, Elsebo speaks: “It is time. Good luck, Starfinders. Fleet—activate Drift engines! Go!”
One by one, the ships of the fleet pierce the veil between the Material Plane and others, splashing through space like it was water, and then vanish into the swirling depths of the Drift.
*****
Whisked away through the Drift, the Starfinder Society fleet spreads across the three solar systems that form the Scoured Stars. The ships begin scanning the planets, asteroids, and other objects orbiting the three distinct stars. The fleet’s long-range sensors soon start picking up communication signals, energy signatures, and signs of life. After a quick analysis, the Society has identified a few locations where information on the lost Starfinders is most likely to be found. After nearly a year of waiting, the search for survivors can begin!
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Zigvigix claps their hands with joy as you manage to free the tubes of debris which could have led to a malfunction. They pat each of you on the back and you hear their signature voice in your mind. "There will be a big red button in your starship. Hit it when you need a little extra boom." They snicker and walk off.
Just as they do so, the First Seeker begins to speak!
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Alarms and scanners begin to go off all at once as they try to keep up with all of the information. The Starfinder Society’s fleet has identified five locations where clues about the whereabouts of surviving Starfinders are most likely to be found.
While in the Scoured Stars system, the Tear resonates with the Drift engines of the Starfinder vessels in unexpected ways; as the massive ships spread out across the trinary system, they create a network that allows individual ships’ Drift engines to make short jumps in a matter of hours.
The Scoured Stars consists of three star systems, Agillae, Bastiar, and Callion, which revolve around a common barycenter. There are one or two missions available in each system as detailed below.
- Agillae: Agillae is an orange dwarf star with five planets, all of which are terrestrial planets in the star’s habitable zone. Recon and evacuation missions 1 and 2 take place in the Agillae system.
- Bastiar: The largest, brightest, and most massive of the three stars, Bastiar is a yellow dwarf star with eight planets—five terrestrial planets, a gas giant with more than three dozen moons, and two ice giants. Recon and evacuation missions 3 and 4 take place in the Bastiar system.
- Callion: The smallest of the three stars, Callion is a red dwarf star with two small, tidally locked planets whose orbits are synchronized so that they are always on the opposite sides of the star. Recon and evacuation mission 5 takes place in the Callion system.
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”I would also propose Bastiar as I am specialised in recon and evacuation!“ Darqen says with a stern look.
”I have to admit that I would never have believed that we could return to this star system! I am also a little afraid because we do not know which dangers await us! I hope that you have all done our praying because here we need more support than just technology and our own power!“ he says and watches the stars.
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Jaqweh ponders the possible assignments and weighs them against the skill sets of the team. Seems like we've got a very technical and skillful group more suited to these investigations. Going toe-to-claw with dinosaurs might not end well.
But the more he considers the chance of meeting and talking with actual dinosaurs, the more excited he gets.
"I wouldn't mind meeting these dinosaurs. I've never talked to one before, and where else might I get the chance?"
At the surprised looks of his colleagues at anyone wanting to talk to dinosaurs, he points to his throat and explains a little bit self-consciously. "I got a wildwise implant done recently. It allows me to speak with animals. It can help in investigations. You might be surprised at what the animals see and know."
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Fitch nods a quick greeting as she approaches on the floor of landing bay deck. “We’re getting emergency transmissions on a Starfinder frequency from Agillae-2, a habitable planet nearby. Your mission is to investigate the signal and bring back anything that might help us find survivors. The source of the signal appears to be right in the middle of a large swath of treacherous wetland that’s covered in thick vegetation, so finding a suitable spot to land on may be a challenge. Also, our bio scans indicate an incredible amount of biodiversity, so be careful out there!”
As Fitch predicts, there are few spots where you can land the starship without getting branches and vines in the engines. Thankfully, a few enormous rock monoliths jut out from the steamy swamp and jungle terrain. The largest of them is only 2 miles from the destination. Just another mile closer to the destination is a smaller rock.
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Darqen, with a little help, smoothly guides the ship onto the smaller rock, avoiding some sharp pieces which suddenly jut out of the fog! Looking backwards, you can see that you avoided a long walk through some plains and over a deep ravine, which would have been a struggle to cross.
You check your environmental seals and leave the ship towards your destination. Crossing through a still swamp, alien parasites come out to meet you! Many kinds of flying and crawling creatures attack the you on your way to the destination.
Exiting the swamp, the pests finally let up. Unfortunately, you must cross a large area of murky green water with no obvious way around. Although fairly shallow, the water represents a tiring obstacle to cross.
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As Ferradei activates her armour's environmental seals she curls up her lip in distaste at the wet heat of this planet. "Ugh. Such conditions are sure to bring plenty of vermin and parasites. Cover your exposed flesh as best as you can."
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At the sight of the murky green water, Ferradei frowns. "I do not desire to swim in such filth. I will build a raft for the crossing."
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Altorin cheers on Darqen while he pilots them in closer not bothering to grab on to something.
"No need! You got this...or we are gonna need more than just bracing ourselves...and you pulled it off. Time to check out these dinosaurs!" he bellows with laughter as he quickly gets his gear on and steps outside with the others.
"You are right about that Ferradei! If your suit can't cover it we can find some mud or local plant to make a paste for you." he says helping anyone that needs a little extra attention.
His face turns when they find the murky water obstacle. Most things don't bother the burly man but water...especially this kind of water apparently does.
"Here let me help you gather the right materials to create that raft of yours! I want it to be water tight...really really water tight." he adds listening to her plans on building the raft.
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Jaqweh begins to rue his wish to visit the Planet of the Space Dinos as the parasites begin to gnaw on the exposed parts of his flesh. He graciously thanks Altorin for his assistance. "Where did you learn these outdoors skills? Seems an odd fit for you, good sir."
At the lakeside he eagerly assists Ferradei with construction of the raft. He's got nothing against swimming, but in that water - no thanks!
But he keeps tying the knots wrong, and they seem to untie themselves as soon as he turns away.
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Regalion keeps silent upon the decent to try and allow Darqen to concentrate on his job at hand.
Regalion gets eaten alive by the parasites.
Regalion is actually a decent swimmer, but one look at that murky primordial ooze in front of him and he decides a boat would probably be the better option.
Unfortunately Regalion ends up getting tangled in the tape and has some how trapped his arms to his sides.
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Ferradei and Altorin manage to avoid the worst of the parasites, recognizing them early and turning on environmental protections. Jaqweh and Regalion ignore their advice, not wanting their suits to get stuffy.
With some help from the group, Ferradei manages to build a raft. The group floats serenely over the water, avoiding the need to swim.
Getting past the water, you travel through a valley where you encounter herds of herbivorous megafauna of three types, each with their own territories. To the left are heavily armored quadrupeds, the size of small elephants. The center is filled with humanoid-sized feathered bipeds with long claws. The right flank hosts massive dinosaurs with long necks.
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Darqen tries to overcome the obstacle although he know he is not as skilled as the others in survival so he relies on his skills as a medic this time.
Seeing these incredible dinosaurs in front of them is very scary so Darqen tries to see where they should go to to have the least resistance.
"Look team, there I some signs! I believe that ..."
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Darqen also pays attention to his surroundings and avoids the sickening bites.
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Darqen sees past the first glance and realizes that the large quadropeds are well armored and slow. They fear nothing and their slow movements will be easy to avoid.
Finally, you close on the beacon! The steaming, fetid swamp is alive with the sounds of giant insects, the shrieks of flying reptiles, and chittering of other swamp creatures. Your datapads tell you that you are getting closer to the source of the signal that Fitch described.
You find tracks! There are two sets of carnivorous dinosaur tracks heading through the area. It appears there is a nest up ahead! A brief glance through the woods shows that the dinosaurs look like feathered bipedal snakes with rattling frills and two small forelimbs. You can each attempt Stealth checks to approach unnoticed; those who succeed can act in a surprise round.