You are summoned to meet with Luwazi Elsebo in her office as the introduction to your next Starfinder mission. You go in with a little excitement and a whole lot of nervous curiosity. It isn't as if the First Seeker often briefs outgoing teams herself, and in light of her announcement of a new Scoured Stars mission and all the rumors going around about the legwork the First Seeker has been doing to drum up support for that investigation, it isn't hard to imagine that your summons may have something to do with that. That supposition is strengthened by the presence of an elderly ysoki in Luwazi's office, a scholar named Royo who has been quite prevalent in the Scoured Stars rumors.
Once you had filed in and gotten pleasantries out of the way, Luwazi jumped right in.
"Greetings, Starfinders," Nominated First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo speaks from behind her cluttered office desk. The elderly ysoki eagerly paces behind the First Seeker, adjusting his glasses every few steps. Luwazi continues, "As I am sure you are aware, I recently announced that the Starfinder Society intends to continue its investigation into the Scoured Stars and the incident that occurred there. I have chosen you to pursue our first lead. Thanks to Royo here, we recently learned that the library world of Athaeum could contain valuable information related to the Scoured Stars—information that could prove key to disabling the shield guarding the system. Royo is our resident expert on Athaeum. I will let him explain the details."
Taking his cue, the ysoki steps forward, adjusts his glasses one final time, and continues the briefing, "Athaeum is one of the great wonders of the galaxy. It has no fixed location; rather, it disappears and reappears throughout the universe at seemingly random intervals. It’s not random, of course. You see, the planet actually has a powerful magical engine tha—"
"Royo," Luwazi chides the elderly ysoki, shaking him from his tangential explanation.
Royo nods before continuing, "Ah yes, sorry. Where was I? Oh, yes! A group called the Curators controls and maintains Athaeum, along with the world’s libraries that contain the rarest of knowledge. In fact, all knowledge on the planet is unique because the Curators actively ensure that every piece of information stored on their world is the last copy in existence. They have even gone so far as to destroy knowledge on other planets to ensure that this is the case."
"For long time we were unable to secure access to Athaeum’s libraries," continues Luwazi, "But recently, Iteration-177, a member of the Aspis Consortium sympathetic to the Starfinder Society, indicated that they have a relationship with the Curators. Through Iteration-177, we have secured passage for a small group to the library world. Your mission is to escort Royo to Athaeum and uncover whatever information you can on the Scoured Stars. Additionally, try to establish a good relationship with the Curators, who could prove to be useful allies in the days to come."
"Iteration-177 has offered use of an Aspis Consortium ship and crew - the Diligent Forerunner - which leaves tomorrow morning. That gives you the rest of the day to prepare yourselves. I can't stress enough that this is to be a diplomatic mission, not a 'grab and get'. Are we clear? Other than that, are there any questions you have before you go?"
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"Let us hope. Otherwise we will have to play dumb. Perhaps if we just don't write anything down," Azara says.
"Though it seems as though they are on a fool's quest. Knowledge is like life. The harder you try to snuff it out, the more likely it is to find some other way to thrive," he continues.
"It is good to see you again, Royo. I hope to do a better job of proving myself on this particular mission than I did the last time we met. Will we actually be seeing Iteration-177? I would enjoy interacting with him again," he continues.
"Is there any danger that we will be on Athaeum when it...teleports not randomly? Any advice on dealing with the Curators? Any other information we should look for while we're there?" he asks both Royo and the First Seeker.
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Crossing his upper pair of arms as he listens to the First Seeker and Royo present the mission briefing, Senesdar will idly tap out a soft rhythm on his chair with one of his other hands. Once the others have asked their questions, he voices one of his own. "What precisely are we being sent to look into? This mission isn't quite my forte, and as such any additional details or parameters for the mission would be very much appreciated."
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Leaning against the wall, arms crossed and trenchcoat hanging loosely about him, the smuggler speaks up with sudden interest. "Say what now? Magic engines? Will we be getting a good look at those? Bet I could adapt 'em to my ship..."
Matt also makes a point of the more practical, logistical concerns. "What happens if it jumps while we're aboard? And how much is this paying? Do you have anything you can give us upfront for, er, expenses?"
"I do not know if Iteration-177 will be able to spend time with you during this trip, at least not after we meet with him at the docks on the morrow. I do know that he was already headed to the Library with another group of guests, and was able to accommodate us as well, only because of the timing."
"It is difficult to say what information we will find. All knowledge on Athaeum is unique, and much of it is stored on mediums other than books. All we know is that one of the vaults on the planet is dedicated to the Scoured Stars. What is inside the vault, we cannot say. We do know that the Curators are not likely to let you leave with written copies of the materials, so I hope that between the six of us, our memories will suffice. ”
"As to your final question, I do not believe the Athaeum will depart with outsiders on board. My studies have shown that it has an inverse-Prothaen response function to outside stimuli that...well, that's not important. We should be fine."
The next day, Royo met you at the assigned docking bay and you went in together to find Iteration-177 waiting with a smile on his face.
"Welcome to the Diligent Forerunner! I am glad you were able to make it before we departed. What a coincidence that we have two such amazing groups traveling with us today. Please, come with me and I'll get you set up in your quarters. The Forerunner is set up to have several parties of your size, as well as significant cargo capacity. You can get lost on this thing. Well, I've never actually seen it happen, but the stories are there, you know."
Your host led you to the suite of cabins, which were small and spartan, but clean and together. He informed you that the ship's captain estimates the drift travel time to Athaeum will be roughly 6 days, and bids you to enjoy your time aboard, but to please not bother the other passengers.
That night, Iteration-177 meets you in the dining hall. A long dining table, low to the ground, fills the center of the room. Dozens of colorful pillows surround the table, and two roughly human-sized individuals, each wearing black armor, sit cross-legged at the far end of the table. In the center of the table sits a strange technological device made of silver metal and curved glass.
"Hello Starfinders, so good to have you here. My other guests here are Paralictor Kelria and Maralictor Loomarch of the Hellknight Order of the Pyre. They and a small contingent also have business on Athaeum. Please feel free to introduce yourselves and get to know each other. fate has brought all of you together at this moment, and I am happy to have been its helping hand in this matter."
As you look, Kelria slid back her visor to reveal the face of a female vesk, with dark-green scales accented by orange markings in fiery patterns. Loomarch does not raise his visor, but nods respectfully towards you. If you look closely, it appears that fiery markings twist behind that visor as well.
“Everyone, please have a seat around the table. Our ship will be entering the Drift shortly,” Iteration-177 announces in a calm voice. “To keep us amused on our trip, I have made arrangements for a very special dinner. As a connoisseur of unusual sensations and experiences, I recently purchased a device from a deep-space trader. It is a pencibiter, which you see on the table before you. This most unique machine can transmute thoughts and psychic energy into food for consumption. I ask that each of you contribute one thought or memory to our feast for this evening, and in this way, we will get to know one another a little better.”
He handed the pencibiter to the Kelria, and the vesk took it dubiously. Placing the node to her forehead, she concentrated and a pulse of brown and gray light burst from the device. With a pop a foot-wide spongy wafer appeared on the table. Iteration-177 broke off a chunk and tasted it, smiling widely.
"That is very interesting Kelria. Thank you for sharing. Please, everyone take a taste before we decide who wants to go next."
The spongy wafer tastes of wood and smoke and ash. Sort of like a large mushroom that was left on the grill for a bit too long. The underlying flavor was pleasant, though.
Within a second or two, you had a sudden memory, like a flashback to an event several years ago. A memory of an event that never actually happened. Not to you anyways.
You found yourself thinking back on the time when you traveled the Pact worlds looking fr meaning in the philosophy of Sangpotshi, then the events leading up to your renouncing Sangpotshi and taking up with the Order of the Pyre. You can almost feel the heat of the flames from the entry ritual, as well the feeling of triumph as you passed the initiation.
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Sensing this is an important diplomatic moment for Iteration-177, Matt tastes a piece of the wafer and waits respectfully for Yith-Naarin to use the device, also sampling the consumable produced by her memories.
Once she is done, Matt winks knowingly to his companions, flashes a grin to Iteration-177, and -- through his natural mental discipline as a telepathic Lashunta -- suppresses the more sordid elements of the memory he evokes as he touches the device to his forehead.
After the pulse of light subsides, a goblet appears on the table. Then another, and another. Soon, enough goblets are on the table for everyone to have a drink. Within, a bubbling, roiling liquid resides, or so you guess, as it is difficult to see beneath what looks like a miniature thunderstorm -- complete with tiny lightning bursts -- which hangs in suspension near the brim of the drinking vessel. Soon, a small fog rolls out from the goblets onto the table, as if someone turned on a party smoke machine, or had a bunch of dry ice lying around.
The smuggler smiles broadly, reaches for a goblet, and sips some, a mixture of equal parts trepidation and cocky bravado on his lips as the liquid(?) slides down his throat. He suddenly shudders and scrunches his face up as if he just tasted the sourest citrus fruit imaginable, or as if someone just pinched every great nerve running along his spine. As fleeting as the sensation was, his face returns to normal, he opens his eyes, and flashes that grin again as he slams the goblet down. "Now THAT'S a good Mamma' Jamma' Bone Slamma'!" he proclaims to the group.
In that moment, you glimpse yourself -- and not yourself -- in a smoky cantina, seated at a private booth. "What do you mean, you've never heard of the Sunrise Maiden?" you find yourself saying incredulously yet calmly, with an edge of a sales pitch coming. "The ship that made the Tabori Run in less than 18 parsecs?" You stare at the blank faces of the three potential passengers. "I can outrun Azlanti blockades. Not the small freighters, mind you. I'm talkin' the big cruisers now."
The decidedly one-sided conversation carries on for a bit and you find yourself hurtling through the Drift toward a colony named Nakondis, and then toward Azlanti space. Turns out you weren't kidding after all...
Almost as soon as you feel the jolt, it passes in an instant, as does the memory.
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Gletch tries the various samples offered. She then, in her turn, takes her turn with the pencibiter. "Fascinating," she says softly, as she touches it to her forehead.
The resulting simple wafer is offered, for those who wish to try it. The wafer is etched with fractal designs.
The wafer is surprisingly cool and refreshing to the taste, with a spark of cinnamon as you bite into it.
The memory that is revealed is of a young Gletch, serenely exploring the infosphere in a cloistered library-like building. She is working with some sort of elaborate, 3-dimensional puzzle. There is a shriek of joy as the multi-colored facets of the puzzle click into place. The object spins, then one of the faces unfolds like a doorway. The screen in front of Gletch seems to widen, opening up and tilting forward. Gletch disappears into the screen.
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Yith takes the device and touches it to her forehead as well. A soft purple light flashes.
A large roasted bird of some type appears on the table.
"Ah, a Wathnit, a delicious game fowl native to Vesk 7!"
The vision is of an obviously younger Yith, barely taller than the human she is talking to, standing in an open area in the middle of some kind of stone structure. A symbol of Desna is inscribed in the stones of the courtyard. The human is speaking "You must be the most calm Vesk I have ever met. How do you do it. Is it devotion to Desna?" Yith looks as if she is about to answer when another voice is heard saying "The novices are here again!"
Yith smiles and says. "Come. Help me with the group of Skittermanders that just walked in for a few hours and you will see how patience is learned!" She walks out with a big smile on her face. The human male actually looks a bit terrified...
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Azara partakes of each of the different dishes as they are presented, sitting up a little straighter after sampling Kelria's, shuddering then smiling after Matt Dravis', cocking his head to the side curiously at Gletch's and chuckling a bit after eating Yith's.
He takes the penciber next, rifling through his memories for one of joy or pride. He settles on one and smiles, but the mind is not always obedient to it's owner and he frowns a moment before it touches his head.
What appears is a gray sludge filled with unidentifiable globs.
"Don't eat that!" he exclaims his eyes wide and a flush about his cheeks.
They offer him the same sludge out of a machine and he forces a smile and takes a taste to be polite.
A moment later, it and many of the other contents of his stomach come erupting out of him and he feels embarrassment even stronger than at this moment.
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After sampling everyone's offerings Yith looks at Azara. Shrugs and says "Ok then..."
She sits back, ignores the sludge but still looks at Azara curiously.
About 15 seconds later she says "I think you are messing with us" and takes a gulp of the stuff.
She then puts her hand to her mouth, makes a gagging noise and gives Azara a stern look and shakes her head.
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Senesdar will politely sample each dish that is produced from the pencibiter, carefully tucking his portions up under the green scarf covering his face. He even tastes the one that comes from Azara's memories, even having watched Yith-Naarin consume some.
When the device is finally passed on to him, Senesdar thinks back through his life before settling on a memory. Touching the device to his forehead, he concentrates for a moment. After a moment, small triangular loaves of what look to be a type of red bread begin slowly appearing in front of everyone seated around the table.
After a few seconds, your perspective shifts. Now you stand in the floor of an arena, red sand shifting under your feet. As you look around at the handful of bodies laying around you, many of which you felled yourself, you feel a sense of satisfaction spreading through you. Today is the first time that you are the final one standing, no longer beaten senseless and forced to be dragged by others to the medical hall. While you certainly feel sympathy for those around you - after all, you were one of them only a couple days ago - you also know that you are now only a few wins from freedom.
The meal lasted long into the ship's night, as each of you tasted memories and discussed them in turn. Perhaps surprisingly to some of you, the hellknights were good conversationalists, and if they were reticent to talk about their business on Athaeum, they were happy to chat about almost everything else.
Those of you who sample Loomarch’s memory see a kasathan hellknight performing a ritual, only for the spell to fail. The kasatha withers into flame and disappears. At the same time, a demonic fire spirit forms in the air and then flies into the empty Hellknight armor, animating it with life. Thrilled with his existence among the Hellknights, Loomarch is happy to describe his summoning and discuss his hellish past. The taste of the pudding-like creation is both savory and sweet, and the demon fire spirit inhabiting the armor across from you is only too happy to relate its tale.
Royo's memory has a dry and earthy taste. Instead of a momentous memory, the ysoki contributed his favorite feeling in the world: the contented thrill of reading ancient books. Anyone who eats his memory receive a vision of sitting in a cozy library, surrounded by the smell of old paper and stacks of enormous books. While the taste is slightly off-putting, the memory’s vision and artificial smell are calming.
The only member of the party not to participate is the host himself. Iteration-177 begged off this particular activity, saying that he was there to taste and enjoy, not to provide a memory of his own. He seemed to enjoy memories both sweet and sorrowful, and asked many questions about them, prying details from each of the guests.
As the dinner came to a close, Iteration-177 stood and thanked you all for your participation is this very unusual request. He pressed a button on the table and from in front of each of you arose a small wooden box from a recessed compartment in the table. Inside each was a small gift, given by Iteration-177 in thanks.
Loot:
Assigned traits for your memories (may have some later game effect):
A few days later, the Diligent Forerunner drops out of the Drift, and through the viewports you can see an empty expanse of space, into which a planet suddenly appears, crackling with arcs of ivory energy. You board a spacious shuttle, which departs for the planet as soon as both your group, and the hellknights with their retinue are on board. As you approach the planet, you can see that most of the surface is spotted with vine-covered stone domes and towers, creating the impression that the shuttle is landing in some ancient and long-forgotten city. An effect that must be deliberate, given the advances in modern automation. Many of the city's structures incorporate massive gears and time-keeping devices.
A nearby cracked stone pavilion is visible from outside the shuttle windows, nestled between towering skyscrapers. A stone door slides open in one of the nearby vine-covered towers, and three clouds of glowing, crystalline dust emerge. These clouds float and form into a series of formulae and mathematical symbols in midair before suddenly coalescing into the image of three elven humanoids that patiently wait for the shuttle to land.
These are axiomites, outsiders composed of pure mathematical law. They must be the Curators Royo spoke of.
One of the trio spoke, its voice buzzing in your minds as if from a digitized voice, only there was no sound, just the words.
{Greetings, esteemed guests from the Starfinder Society. I am Albryan, and I am tasked with guiding you to the Towers of Recondite Lore, where the information you requested resides. Before I do so, I would like to remind of the rules of research on Athaeum. All the information stored on Athaeum is unique. Visitors are welcome to read from our manuscripts, but copying or recording them in any way is forbidden. Should you choose to reproduce any acquired knowledge after leaving Athaeum, know that you do so at your own risk. We Curators will actively punish such transgressions. Know that there is no corner of the cosmos safe from us.}
{Additionally, violence against the Curators or other visitors is strictly prohibited. Finally, visitors to the libraries will be charged a substantial research fee. Fortuitously for you, during our recent shift to this corner of the universe, Athaeum passed through a dangerous energy field that has greatly damaged our systems. We are correcting the problems, but our resources are spread thin. We have flagged two issues in the specific tower you are traveling to. If you can deal with these problems, we are prepared to greatly reduce our usual fee.}
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Matt coughs and elbows Gletch lightly in the ribs as he speaks up. "Of course! No job is too big, no fee is too big..."
He smiles broadly and guilelessly. "Maybe we should take a look at your engines, too. Just to make sure everything is at peak efficiency."
gets added, unless I choose to re-roll the Bluff as part of Convincing Liar
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Despite his embarrassment each time someone tastes his contribution to the party, Azara enjoys himself. He is most fascinated by Loomarch's memory.
"Fed himself to the flame to give birth to a new life," he says about the Kasatha.
He's a bit suspicious when Iteration-177 does not eat, though is a bit soothed by the gifts given because it means the android did participate in a way.
Azara is as fascinated by the abrupt appearance and the Athaeum and it's Curators as anyone else.
"Light and dust become thought and logic become flesh and blood," he says, with a tone that seems like he is working on verses for his poetry as much as commenting on the current situation.
"Helping people is what the Starfinder Society does, Albryan. Let us know what needs to be done and we will put our talents to it."
{We thank you for your kind offers of assistance. First, our lore warden constructs in the Tower of the Oma have been infected by malicious data and are malfunctioning. Long ago, a group of doomsday cultist hackers created a prophetic virus, believing that once enough machines were infected, a new age would dawn throughout the universe. We eventually isolated the virus and brought it here for safekeeping. The recent damage to our systems, however, allowed part of the code to transmit to nearby devices, which happened to be a group of passing security machines. The machines are now roaming the halls of the tower, infected with delusions of grandeur. If you destroy these machines and recover a copy of the virus, we can return it to storage safely.
Second, a special ksarik specimen named Vindurth has escaped from its cage in the tower. We captured an ancestor of Vindurth some years ago on the planet Castrovel because the hide of the beast was covered with indecipherable runes. Since then we have bred several generations from the beast, of which Vindurth is the most recent. Each has produced a new series of runes for us to record. Although relatively tame, Vindurth become dangerous if allowed to wander free. If possible, find a way to bring the ksarik back to its cage.}
The Curator named Albryan looked discerningly at Matt for a few seconds, then replied. {I am afraid that your mind would not be able to comprehend the mechanics that move our planet through the cosmos. Most mortal minds cannot do so without shattering. For your sake, then, we will decline your generous offer.}
While Dravis scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, Yith-Naarin and Gletch were busy discussing what they knew about ksariks. The plant creatures were widely known for their ability to siphon off bits of genetic code and psychic resonance from their victims, temporarily changing themselves to be more like their target. These changes sometimes manifest more permanently, and thus no ksarik is exactly like any other. As plant-based creatures, they have all of the immunitites of plants, and also have a reinforced life force, giving them ultra fast healing. Attacks from the ksarik are also sometimes used as a spawning mechanism, implanting spores in the victim that burrow out later as full ksarik seedlings, often tot he death of the unwilling host.
With those rolls you know just about everything. All special abilities below.
-plant immunities
-fast healing 2
-ranged attacks (acid and spores)
-tentacle attacks (ingested adaptation)
Ingested Adaptation (Su) Whenever a ksarik deals damage to a living creature with its tentacles, it siphons off a portion of the target’s genetic code and psychic resonance, temporarily reshaping its own physiology and psychology to match its victim’s. This grants the ksarik one of the following abilities (provided the target has it) for 1 minute: blindsense (up to 60 feet), blindsight (up to 60 feet), darkvision (up to 60 feet), damage reduction (up to 5/—), resistance to one type of energy damage (up to 20 points), burrow (up to 40 feet), fly (up to 40 feet, with maximum average maneuverability), swim (up to 40 feet), or water breathing. Alternatively, the ksarik can gain the ability to understand (but not speak) up to three languages that the target knows, gain the target’s weapon proficiencies (its tentacles can operate two-handed weapons in this state), or change the damage dealt by its acid spit ability to any one energy type dealt by one of the target’s supernatural attacks. A ksarik can maintain only one adaptation at a time, and gaining a new adaptation ends the previous one.
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"If we are unable to guide Vindurth back to his containment facility, should we dispatch it or is it more important to keep it alive than to restrict its wanderings?" Azara asks.
He turns to Gletch and Yith-Naarin. "Will it be able to understand us? Can we talk to it or is it incapable of communication?"
He remembers a recent encounter with what he thought were mindless beasts that he and his fellow Starfinders ended up killing. Only afterwards did he learn that the creatures could understand speech though not speak in turn.
{Please do not kill Vindurth. Not only is he a source of important long-term research, he is like a pet to us. If you cannot deal with him by yourselves, then leave him for us to find another solution.}
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Yith ponders for a second.
"Well, if it samples our genetioc code, which will hurt, and IF it decides to use that gentic information to understand our language there might be a chance to talk to it. I would say that chance is slim but we could try. Otherwise subduing it the hard way or trapping it are the only options I can think of."
She then glances back at the rest of the party and winks. Turning back to Azara, "Actually, I have another idea. Let's get that device we used the first night on the ship, get Azara to produce another intersting memory in food form and while the Ksarik is stunned and retching we can easily capture it!"
Yith then smiles at Azara, laughs and gives him a playful smack on the shoulder.
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Azara grins awkwardly and self-consciously at Yith-Naarin's good-natured teasing. "I'm sure that if I tried to think of something interesting this time I'd end up producing Itza Donuts from Absalom station, instead."
He shrugs. "It might be worth it to try to speak to the Ksarik even if it will hurt a bit. But we should likely take care of the rogue machines first. Maybe something else will occur to us along the way."
The Curators led you to a shuttle that was mounted on magical rails, explaining all the while that the shuttle system was developed specifically to make travel between the various buildings more efficient.
{This shuttle has been programmed to take you directly to the Towers of Recondite Lore, where you will be able to accomplish your tasks as well as find the information you seek. Go to the Tower of the Oma, there you will find the Vault on the Scoured Stars for the knowledge you seek.}
As you boarded, and the shuttle began to move, you notice that Iteration-177 and the Hellknight group each board shuttles of their own on the other side of the plaza. Iteration-177 seems to be on cordial terms with their Curator emissary. Kelria is gesturing angrily and berating her emissary while flanked by a contingent of her soldiers led by Loomarch.
The shuttle whisked you away across the surface of the planet. You saw those same ivy-covered stone buildings that you saw on your descent, only this time from much closer up. The scale was amazing, and even the clockwork devices were dozens of feet across. After about 15 minutes, the shuttle slows to a stop in front of a cluster of nearly two dozen towers. Hundreds of bridges connect the towers at various heights. Glowing runes cap each tower's entryway, with each rune representing the magical beast associated with the tower.
The rune describing the Tower of the Oma was above the entrance to the eighth tower you checked, a 40-story structure made from glossy black stone. It's surface was lines with beautifully carved frescoes, and eight bridges led to the tower from other structures, the lowest at about three levels above ground, and the highest near the top. The entrance tot eh building was composed of four great arches. A strange, dark-red creeping ivy fills the lower floor of the tower and climbs it sides to nearly half the tower's height.
The vine is Atienus Ivy, a protein-rich plant native to Castrovel that the locals use as livestock feed.
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Gletch smiles and points at the ivy. "This is Atienus Ivy. It, like the ksarik, is native to Castrovel. It is a nutritious plant used to feed livestock. Perhaps the creature will like it." She snaps off a bundle of stalks and leaves. Once the sample of the plant is fully collected, she glances around. "Anyone particularly good with animals? I'm more of a theoretician, not so great with the practical work of befriending animals." She offers it to whoever feels they would best use it.
"Well, time to look for the elevator." She looks in through the arches. If the area is dark, she casts dancing lights to flutter around the area and illuminate things. If there is an elevator, then she'd head for that. If not, then looking for stairs.
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As they are departing Yith looks at Azara again and smiles. This time genuinely.
"Itza donuts? On the return trp you MUST conjure those, there is no way the memory associated could be bad!"
She takes a few more steps towards the transport and mutters "Now I want doniuts..."
After enjoying the ride and looking at the imposing structure Yith nods to Gletch. "Perhaps this will be useful with the Ksarik Good find! Now, as for this small tower... The curator said they were machines. Anyone technical have a way to check the building or data net, if there is one, for any rogue elements? Otherwise we go looking the hard way."
The Tower of the Oma apparently did not have a lift of any sort. There was, however, a staircase running up through the center of the tower, all the way up to the 40th floor.
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"It's a date. Well...not a date date...not that I wouldn't want to...anyway, I will definitely take you to Itza Donuts when we get back to the station," Azara says to Yith.
"Bubbles of civilization and knowledge floating in a sea of wilderness. Yet, which one is real and which is artificial?" he says as they ride the rail out to the correct towers.
He looks up at the massive towers surrounding them and is hardly any more reassured when it was determined that there was only one.
When Gletch points out what the vines are, he plucks an extra stem an tucks it into his pocket thoughtfully.
"Surely even the natives of this world need some sort of index? Don't all knowledge repositories have a catalog? Let's look for that," he says, searching for a terminal or card catalog of some sort.
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Gingerly rubbing a piece of the ivy between his fingers, Matt wrinkles his nose and wipes his fingers against his jacket. "Well, if the critters like this stuff, we might as well turn some into some kind of lure, maybe a spray that can spread the scent around a bit." He looks at the more scholarly of the group. "And by 'we', I really mean 'you.'" He grins roguishly, not intending to pass off work, but with more of the playful joking tinge to indicate sincerity.
Once they complete that, he turns toward the staircase and starts up. "Guess we go up."