[Gameday VIII - SFS] GM Mjolbeard's 1-34 Heart of the Foe (Inactive)

Game Master Mjolbeard89

Dot here

Skissshhh

The door to the conference room slides open with a hiss aboard First Seeker Jadnura's personal flagship, Perfect Silence. Inside the conference room, nominated First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo uploads a holographic map of a sparse region of the Vast. First Seeker Jadnura stares out a window at the opposite side of the room, his four arms folded behind his back as he gazes into the blackness of space surrounding Absalom Station.

“Thank you for joining us,” Luwazi says as she finishes positioning the map above the table. “We know there have been some hiccups in getting everyone on the same page now that the agents trapped in the Scoured Stars have returned. To keep any unnecessary schisms from forming, Jadnura and I decided to cooperate as joint First Seekers for the time being and focus on missions the entire Society can get behind. And nothing unites disparate factions like a common enemy.” She brings up a flickering holograph of an alien with numerous eyes covering an ovoid body atop six chitinous legs. “These aliens call themselves jinsuls, and you may have already met them. A fleet of their starships ambushed us once we returned to the Scoured Stars, and we were lucky to make it out alive. They’ve interfered with our missions more than once now, but we can’t mount effective counterattacks because no one knows a damn thing about them.”

Jadnura glares at the jinsul holograph. “The only common thread between their attacks is the Scoured Stars,” he grumbles. “The jinsuls used everything they had to drive us away from the Scoured Stars, and the other civilizations they’ve sought out in the Vast all seem to have some ancestral connection to the worlds within that system. Luckily, we still have two helpful artifacts; they’re known as Tears, which emerged from the Scoured Stars and sought out its former inhabitants. I probed the energies within the Tears again, and whatever force is powering them revealed coordinates to a new region in the Vast. Our scouts have confirmed jinsul starships occasionally visit one planet within the area. It’s not much, but we need to start somewhere.”

“We suspect the jinsuls inhabited this planet before relocating to the Scoured Stars,” Luwazi adds, “which means it may hold troves of information about their technology, leadership, culture, you name it. We’re planning to travel there, scan the planet from orbit, and send a few ground teams—including you—to conduct reconnaissance on sites of interest. With any luck we’ll get in, learn what we can, and get out before the jinsul commanders ever know we’re there. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask.”

Hef is a tall, four armed, grey skinned, black eyed Kasatha. Dressed very simply in what appears to be station maintenance gear crafted for zero g maneuvering with a heavy sledge clipped to his waist and a tactical spear slung across his back. Other than the spear, he appears more suited for manual labor than an exploration party.

His eyes glare at the screen when the Jinsul are mentioned, "Several of my friends died fighting those things and I will not let their deaths be forgotten. I took an oath to protect the Pact Worlds, I'm in 100% on this mission."

As the briefing ends he introduces himself to his allies, "Hef Sadir, Sarenrae guides my actions to root out evil and defend the weak."

He turns back to Luwazi and asks a few tactical questions. "What ships and equipment will be available to us? What sort of escape plan is in action for the teams heading to the ground?"

Leaping through the door Xochitl stops...mandibles dropping open at the sight of First Seeker Luwazi. 'She graces it with her presence!'

Giggling like a school girl, Xochitl scuttles silently to the corner of the room, listening intently to the brief. It jots down a few notes on its datapad.

Suddenly, all in the room hear a voice broadcast in their head 'Yes! First Seeker, uh...so from my understanding we have failed to make diplomatic connections with these strangers as well. If we were to encounter them on the planet, should we not try to make friends?'

Leaning forward, the arthropod continues 'It could all be a misunderstanding so far even. As you said we know almost nothing about these creatures. OH! And thank you so much for selecting me for this mission. Its just soooooo exciting to be involved in meeting and discovering new species of things!'

Glancing towards the others in the room, it blinks a couple times...as if just now noticing it's not alone. 'Hey there! I'm Xochitl T'zek but most creatures just call me 'Show'. It's a bit easier for them mouth bits to say. Pleasure to have you joining me on this here mission!'

'Sarenrae you say?! NEAT! I is guided by Hylax.'

Ra is a tall, tan blond human man with a bright yellow mote of energy floating near his head. Dressed in yellow and red armor, he is clearly a man who has either not heard the phrase "tone it down", or he's completely ignored it.

Hearing Hef introduce himself, he holds a clenched fist out to the Kasatha, probably for a first bump. "Serenrae represent! I'm from the Burning Archipelago, and I'm totally stoked to meet more of the faithful!"

Turning to the First Seeker"First Seeker, I'm am very excited to go on this journey. I am always interested in seeking out new worlds so I can learn all I can about their suns and the effects of the evolution of their supported species. Are there any clues you have already assembled for the type of natural habitats we may encounter?

Hef wastes no time replying with a very traditional fist bump, as all Sarenrae followers obviously use.

In storms a slender shirren woman, whose default mode of movement seems to be somersaulting and backflipping - whatever the most creative way of getting from point A to point B could possibly be. "A recon mission is right up my alley," she winks, tossing her shirren-eye rifle from hand to hand like a toy water gun. "Pleasure to meet you. Call me S9. If scouting is the job, I'm your girl. Hey -" she cringes as Xochitl starts communicating telepathically. She closes her eyes and does the same. "Oh, I can do that too. Our minds don't come with firewalls either, so feel free to jump and drop your thoughts in whenever you feel like it." S9 laughs. "Just kidding. Good to meet you, Show."

Gameplay didn't get flagged with new posts for me! Glad I checked manually.

A bubbly human girl skips on into the meeting room on S9's heels, datapad in hand and long (long) turquoise pigtails trailing behind her. She hops to the side as the shirren starts backflipping and somersaulting, before giving her a round of boisterous applause. Her giggle is a less telepathic echo of Show's. "Wow! This looks like a zetta high energy group!" She winks at Luwazi "Luwazi, I hope you're ready for us!"

She hops past the others and settles in a plush seat, arraying her voluminous deep blue skirts around herself. As she does, about half the petal-shaped pink ribbons bedecking her attire move to rearrange themselves - revealing their holographic nature in the process. All in all, her outfit looks tremendously impractical for adventuring.

She beams at her new team "Nice to meet everyone! I'm Lynn, Starfinder and idol, all in one. Looks like we'll be working together to help take down those super awful Jinsuls this time!" She gives Luwazi and Jadnura a cheeky glance.

"And Ra's right, do we know anything about what this planet is like? Anything that's healthy for those Jinsuls probably isn't healthy for us."

Before the meeting, the lashunta known as Poppilo Moraeme strides into the room like he belongs there. (Which he does of course since he's a Starfinder, but he would have done the same in any other place even if he didn't belong. So you get the idea.) The symbol of Besmara the Pirate Queen hangs openly down his front, and he makes no attempt to hide it. Nonetheless, he still obediently sits down and listens to the briefing although he spends much of his time studying the other occupants, occasionally raising his eyebrows.

perception, take 10: 10 + 12 = 22
culture, take 10: 10 + 5 = 15

"Huh, two bugs, an ape, a four-arm and a bot. Should be interesting...," he mutters under his breath, but loud enough that anyone would have heard him. He particularly rolls his eyes at the antics of the Sarenrites without attempt to hide it

But almost immediately though, he puts on the brightest most charming smile ever pulled off by a lashunta, and introduces himself, "Poppilo Moraeme, at your service. Favored priest of Besmara, Queen of the Endless Seas. Spiritual guide to the privateers of the Station, and an occasional one me-self. If anyone should die, allow me to guide your soul to its journey beyond." He says the last with a smirk.

”So, sneaking in and pillaging whatever we can find? What more could one ask?” His grin drops slightly as he continues, ”The four-arm has it right though. We can trust in your extraction team?”

The First Seekers exchange a confident, satisfied glance as their team assembles and introduces themselves. It appears they approve of their choices in agents for this mission.

Luwazi is the first to begin answering questions, starting with Hef's question about an escape plan. “We’ll oversee the mission from this ship, which has a few gunboats among its shuttles that we can use to cover you if things go unexpectedly. If you lose contact with us, just keep following your primary objectives; we’ll fix communications from orbit and adjust the plan as needed. Don't worry, we're working together on this one to make sure there's not a repeat of the Scoured Stars.

"As for the diplomatic approach," she says, turning to Show, "We don't know a great deal about the jinsul or their civilization, except that they’re hell-bent on bringing the other Scoured Stars species back to their ancestral homeland, and they’re more than willing to use violence whenever something gets in their way. Biologically we know they have 360-degree vision and insect-like chitin plating.

"Aside from that, we know little, which this mission aims to rectify."

Jadnura finally chimes in to comment on the questions about the planet to which the expedition is heading, “Preliminary scans indicate the planet is barely habitable; its atmosphere is breathable but polluted, and its surface is mostly barren. The climate is prone to harsh winters, and there’s a constant danger of lightning storms, so prepare for difficult overland travel. As for enemies, there’s no telling what lives on the surface, so bring plenty of ammo and whatever you need to get around unnoticed in case they outnumber you. S9, I take it you'll be able to help out your fellow team members in that regard?

"In either case, most signs of life are clustered in a few discrete sites, so we’ll be searching those first.”

Finally, the kasatha directs his attention to Poppilo, "Sneaking in is one part of your mission, yes, and I'm sure there will be enemies or interesting sites for you to get your plunder. You're main treasure for this mission, though, will be information. Specifically, clues that may reveal the jinsuls’ motives and capabilities: who commands them, what they want, where they came from, what their society is like, anything that might give us an edge in future encounters. Learn what you can about their leadership and social hierarchies, so we know how to incapacitate their military command when we cross blades with them again.”

Feel free to ask if you have any further questions. Otherwise, go ahead and slot your boons. This scenario doesn't have any specific boons called out, but both First Seekers will be overseeing this mission, so don't forget to slot those Second Seekers (Luwazi Elsebo) or (Jadnura) boons if you have them!

Hef's LL arm twitches a bit and rubs an old scar on his leg as the talk shifts to enemies. "Got it, sneak, get intel and do what we have to do. Are we authorized to bring back captives or... anyone who may be wishing to switch sides?" He puts a single finger up, "Last Question, how many days of travel do we have?"

__________________________________________________________________

Hef has the spell Life Bubble. If feasible he would cast it twice the day before they arrive. That casting would grant up to six players the spell for three days. This would provide the entire group two full days of its use once they arrive and he would still have his full complement of spells.

Ra slots the following boons:
Faction: Exoguardians
Social: Savior of the Stars
Ally: Dream Whispers
Personal: Scoured Stars Survivor
He'll also be wearing cold environmental clothing just in case.

Lynn taps a finger against her chin. "Lightning storms, gross air, icy cold, maybe crazy creatures, and of course, hundreds of Jinsuls!" She swishes to one side and gives a cheeky grin. "Sounds like it'll be fun! And maybe just a teensy bit tough. But I believe in us!"

"So, where are you going to drop us down? And where will you get us again once we're ready to leave? Do we know anything specific from our scans about about the site we're going to?" She hums to herself. "Mmmm, I wonder if there's a way to disguise ourselves as Jinsuls?"

Lynn thinks back to her past encounters with the jinsuls to see if she can remember any of their traits beyond what the First Seeker mentioned.
Life Science: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

That life bubble plan sounds good to me Hef. I'm trying to think of what else we could bring to prep. Electricity or cold resist seems prudent but is very expensive. Any survival gear we're missing?

Life Science: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23
Xenoseeker bonus if applies

'FUN! We gets to find out new stuff about a mostly unknown species!!!!' echoes in your heads. 'My kind of a trip'

Glancing towards Hef, its mandibles cock themselves into an awkward smile. 'Never experienced that before. If you would like to do it, I volunteer to accept. It's soooo much fun making ones own decisions. I can't even imagine going back to the hive now.'

'I will need a moment to prepare before we go down. I'm not the sneakiest creature, but the stars can align to help me sometimes.'

If we are skipping to the landing, Xochitl would meditate prior to landing for Side Real Influence to add 1d6 to Stealth checks

“... As for enemies, there’s no telling what lives on the surface, so bring plenty of ammo and whatever you need to get around unnoticed in case they outnumber you. S9, I take it you'll be able to help out your fellow team members in that regard?"

"Well, there is also the option of talking our way out of things, isn't it? Of course, with some clouding of the mind..." Poppilo grins pointedly.

"Sneaking in is one part of your mission, yes, and I'm sure there will be enemies or interesting sites for you to get your plunder. You're main treasure for this mission, though, will be information... "

Well, that is YOUR main treasure. Of course, the once-pirate (?) knows enough of the Society to voice that out loud. He smiles again to himself, wondering why its members like to deceive themselves of the real purpose of the Society, but hey, he can play along, too.

"Nope, no further questions from me. None at all."

"Sneaking? Like this?" S9 backflips onto the table, grinning at Hef. "Just kidding, but I'll have you know I've refined my movement enough that I stealthily jump around, honestly. When you work in maintenance," she throws up air quotes, "you find your body having to twist and bend and contort into all sorts of... compromising positions." She waggles her mandibles emphatically. "You, er, get used to it. Anyway, let's do this."

"Hmmmm... I don't have any other questions either." She turns to the rest of the team, balling her hands into loose fists in front of her. "Aaaaallright! Let's do it!"

She hops over to S9 and gives her a high five.

I also activate Sidereal Influence for Ra, for Intimidate

"We'll have several days of travel in the Drift to get to our destination," Jadnura explains to the group,"[/b] Jadnura assures the group. "As for our drop and pick-up sites, Lynn, that has yet to be determined. The scans our scouts provided are very general at this point, basically only enough to tell us the location of the planet and some limited information about its weather patterns, so we'll be doing more thorough scans once we reach the planet to identify sites of interest, as well as where we'll plan to send you in and get you out."

Lynn and Show both know, based on the appearance of the jinsul depicted in the holograph, that it would be rather difficult, as they are a completely different creature type. Still, there are such things as magic and holoprojectors to help with those sorts of things.

"Right, if everyone is all briefed in," Luwazi says, pumping a fist confidently, "Let's make sure we're all geared up, then hit the Drift!"

You've got one last chance to make any purchases you'd like before departure. Then...

You rejoin the First Seekers back about the Perfect Silence, where you spend 23 days traveling through the Drift. During the trip, Luwazi invites Show to assist her in reviewing diplomatic documentation pertaining to upcoming negotiations with the Kreiholm Freehold, set to take place in only a few months. Meanwhile, Jadnura spends the voyage sparring with the ship's holographic training programs and meditating.

You definitely have time for Sidereal Influence and Life Bubble here

Once the Perfect Silence and its escorts emerge from the Drift, the ship performs a scanning sweep of the system. After long-range sensors find no jinsul starships in the area, Luwazi Elsebo directs the crew members to maneuver the ship into orbit and begin scanning the surface. Jadnura soon identifies a prominent site of interest: a warm spot in the frozen wasteland, which appears to be ruins of a city. Jadnura prepares personnel shuttles for your crew and two other Starfinder teams, with orders to land around the city and investigate from different angles. The fourth team remains with Luwazi aboard the main ship to oversee operations and communicate with the teams on the ground.

Your descent through the atmosphere goes smoothly until you pass through the cloud line, at which point electricity starts to flash around your shuttle, and all comm units begin to transmit nothing but sputtering static. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning strikes the shuttle, causing key systems to fail and forcing you to crash land on the surface!

You can tell that a crash from this elevation is bound to hurt. To help mitigate the harm, each PC can attempt a single skill check or aid another action during the crash.
A Piloting check would help reduce the severity of the impact, while a Medicine check could help safely secure passengers.
Alternatively, the curious among you could attempt a Computers check to extract data from the doomed starship systems or a Physical Science check to evaluate the bizarre storm and determine whether the lightning had unnatural qualities.

Ra will attempt a Piloting check.

Piloting: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

"What? What kind of pilot are you? No, do that instead! Ah!"

piloting, aid: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

Hef flips a few switches from the co-pilot position and attempts to get the thrusters back in line to smooth our their landing, "Easy there, calm nerves will help us get this bird down."

Piloting Aid Ra-Ra-Ra: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

(Before leaving, Lynn will purchase a set of Reconfigurable clothing that contains: Environments (Hot), Environmental (Cold), Environmental (Radiation), Environmental (Zero G), and Party Clothing. The total cost is 145 credits. She'll also buy 2 Tier 1 antitoxins (300 credits) and a Radiation Buffer armor upgrade (200 credits). All in total 645 credits.)

@Mjolbeard: Could we bail from the ship just before its about to crash? Lynn could cast 1st Level Flight to get 4 out of 6 party members down to the ground safely.

Piloting: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Only skill of those that can be done untrained so...

'No, no. We are still falling.' explains Xochitl. 'You need to pull up and restart the engines. That's how you fly.'

@Lynn - That's a really interesting plan. Let's see what the dice say...

Did the lightning fry the locking mechanisms for all exterior doors (Evens=yes, Odds=No): 1d20 ⇒ 18

Lynn rushes over and slams the button that should cycle the airlock. Her command is greeted by a heart-breaking buzz and a flash of red light on the instrument panel as the message 'Airlock Malfunction' appears on the screen.

Without an immediate escape plan, Lynn straps herself into the station nearest the computer banks and does what she can to analyze the storm. At least she would go down knowing what hit her ship!

Just before impact, the lights aboard the ship all seem to come on at once, and the ship's computers come back on line just in time to blare out a warning message.

Warning: Impact imminent!

CRASH!: 4d8 ⇒ (6, 6, 6, 7) = 25

Everyone takes 25 bludgeoning damage

Hef's head slams into the instrument panel and he almost blacks out. With a constant ringing he also feels a trickle of blood dripping down from his temple. Sitting up in the darkness he takes a breath of magical air and looks around, "Is everyone okay?"

Somehow, the group's efforts to pilot the plummeting shuttle managed to soften the crash, if only just barely. After skidding to a halt in a snow bank along the side of a large hill, everyone regains their senses and gets themselves out of their seats. The ship's emergency countermeasures helped keep anyone from suffering major injuries, but none of you feel great.

Eventually, you manage to get out of the ship and discover that you remain several miles out from the ruined city Jadnura sent them to explore. With the storm scrambling long-distance communications and the wrecked shuttle rapidly vanishing beneath a snow drift, you will need to make your way on foot towards the location of interest.

If someone would like to take the lead on navigating toward the city, that person should give me four Survival checks, please.

As you get your bearings and determine your destination, the snow falling around you reminds you all of the frigid temperatures and rapidly falling snow.

As no one is severely injured, Hef takes a short bit to rest before packing up his gear, slipping on a coat and heading out.

"My spell should keep you warm enough, but I'd wear a coat anyway. We don't know how much cooler it will get. Let's try to find shelter that isn't buried under a snowdrift. Plus maybe we can get out of this storm and get our comms working."

10 m rest w/ 1 RP spent to restore SP. Cold Weather Gear put on. Life Bubble still up.

He sets off and tries to help keep them on course.

Survival Aid: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10
Survival Aid: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14
Survival Aid: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15
Survival Aid: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12

'Well that smarts!'

Shaking it's head to clear the stars, Xochitl looks around a moment. Turning to head the wrong way, it stops and shakes it's head again.

'You is wise Hef. I shall take a moment to breathe as well...anyone know which way we should go?'

1 RP spent to gain SP while resting

Survival Aid: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12
Survival Aid: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13
Survival Aid: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Survival Aid: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19
Survival Aid: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Lynn springs to her feet in the smoke of the crashing, coughing as she waves away the haze. "Augh... I'm... I'm here. Let's not do that again." While she stumbles to the edge of the wreck, she begins humming to herself. With a tap at her collar the dress she was wearing turns into a set of surprisingly fashionable cold weather gear. Her hum takes effect as a token spell that cleans the cuts and scrapes and sets her hair back to rights.

She takes a seat, resting with the rest of the group. "Lets really really not do that again! Something super weird was up with that storm. I'm guessing our jinsul pals have something to do with it. It looked like that last lightning strike was special-made to wreck our cute shuttle." She blows out her cheeks "Mean."

Sealing environmental seals, have Life bubble up, but you can never be too careful.

While the group rests, she explains what she managed to learn about the storm on the way down. >>> we get a +1 bonus to all Survival checks and EAC against additional lightning strikes on the planet’s surface.<<<
If she has enough time, she also hums a pulsing melody that makes her skin glow just slightly.
Casting Mending on self: 1d4 ⇒ 2
----
Lynn has no sense for navigation, so she leaves that task to her experienced teammates.

"WOW, I really need some refresher piloting lessons" Ra says as he attempts to leap to his feat post-crash, only to fall flat on his face. "I'm gonna take a quick rest here," he states, muffled by the cold metal deck.

Spends 1 resolve to heal to full

After resting and observing the outside weather through the front viewscreen of the shuttle, he dons his cold-weather environmental gear, and offers to help with the navigating.

Survival Aid: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
Survival Aid: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
Survival Aid: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Survival Aid: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Despite her best efforts, S9 can't backflip and twist her way enough to avoid the sudden crash of the ship. She's thrown across the room, her waxy skin near-impaled by some of the equipment.

"Yeah.. I'm still in one piece.. I think.." S9 is slow to get up, and she joins the others in resting for a while.

Yup, spend 1 RP to gain SP

"Been a while since I've seen a snowy planet like this! Let's check it out!"
Survival Aid: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
Survival Aid: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
Survival Aid: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Survival Aid: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

I guess Poppilo is our primary survivalist then? Everyone else just jumped hard into aiding.

Poppilo smashes his head hard on the seat in front of him. "See! I said that's not the way to pilot!"

(Also spend 1RP to restore 1SP, but still took 1HP damage.)

"I hope that crash didn't attrack any unwanted attention. Hmm, I think we should go this way."

(Looks like Poppilo has the best survival? Lynn, you can do survival untrained.)
Survival: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15
Survival: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24
Survival: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14
Survival: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

Nice teamwork on those Survival checks!

Between your cold weather gear and the Life Bubble spells Hef laid upon the party, you all manage to get out into the cold air of this foreign world without too much trouble. As you travel, though, Lynn notices that some of the snow seems to be collecting on the visor of her environmental protections, obscuring her vision somewhat. It's just as she is wiping the snow away that a crack of thunder cuts through the otherwise peaceful scene and strikes Hef!

Hef takes 11 points of Electricity damage!

Despite the dangers of the storm and the unfamiliar terrain, your teamwork in orienteering toward your destination pays off, and you feel that you are making good time.

As you travel toward your destination and avoid the overland hazards, you find yourselves passing through the occasional settlement that appears to have once been population centers for the jinsul, though you do not see any of the creatures at this time. You have the opportunity now to learn more about the jinsuls and these aliens’ adopted homeworld, even as you work to get back to your main objective.

While you travel, you can learn more about this planet and about the jinsul by making Culture, Engineering/Physical Science, or Mysticism skill checks to investigate your surroundings. Each of you may attempt each of the three types of check once per hour, or you may assist each other with the aid another action.

HOUR 1
Make up to one roll for each skill check or aid attempt: Culture, Engineering/Physical Science, and Mysticism
All players may act!

Engineering: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
As S9 passes through strange, alien settlements and weird tech, she scans her surroundings carefully, her mandibles twitching as she 'breathes' in the information. She looks closely at a strange purple obelisk covered in ten foot spikes. "Whoa, look at the that thing! I wonder what it could be?"

Mysticism (t): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

"WOAH! That was a near miss, singed me there. I'll need my rest tonight for sure."

He trudges on and when Galaxy points out the obelisk he nods, "Yes, that is our mission. My apologies, I was more concerned about survival, but we can still collect information." He moves over to investigate some of the ruins.

So each person can make all three skill checks once per hour? Or each person can choose one of the skill checks to make once per hour?
Culture: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25

Lynn cringes when Hef gets blasted by lightning. "Oh jeez, whatever's controlling that lightning knows we made it out of the ship! Hope you're doing OK Hef, 'cos there's going to be more of those." After patting the kasatha on the back, she turns her attention to the ruins around the group.

"Hmmmm~ Are these really Jinsul cities? They look kinda... normal?"

Sorry, I know that's a bit unclear, but it's the former. So, for example, any PC could make one Culture check, one Engineering/Physical Science check (choose one of those two skills), AND one Mysticism check each hour of travel. Over time, if you continue to succeed at the various checks, you'll obtain additional information. You'll learn such as the following:

As you travel through a small settlement, S9 spots what appears to be an obelisk in what once was the town square. Lynn studies it for a short time and recognizes that the limited ornamentation is religious in nature, indicating jinsuls viewed their hostile new homeland, called Rax, as a sacred trial to endure for forsaking Kadrical, the patron god of the Scoured Stars, in exchange for their own freedom.

Meanwhile, Hef notices cairn-like monuments and tombs honoring jinsul warriors, which seem to indicate that for thousands of years, the jinsuls viewed survival and conquest as evidence of divine favor. Each victory represented Kadrical’s acknowledgement of the jinsul’s superiority (or his becoming obsolete as a deity, depending on more secular interpretations).

While the others comment on the cultural and religious significance of the obelisk, something else catches S9's eye. Inoperative, derelict vehicles that were once used in everyday life stand by the side of the road. The patchwork technology, made with low-quality steel and bits of jinsul chitin and utilizing low-yield but common combustibles as fuel sources, suggests the jinsuls occupied a region of the Vast that was particularly inhospitable and devoid of resources.

S9, Hef, and Lynn may still attempt the other two types of checks available if they want, or may aid another using the same skills. Everyone else may still make all the skill rolls mentioned.

HOUR 1 Cont'd
Make up to one roll for each skill check or aid attempt: Culture, Engineering/Physical Science, and Mysticism
All players may act!

Oh! Also, everyone make me a Perception check, please!

Physical Science: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
Ra pays close attention to the design of the nearby structures and attempts to observe how they were used by the Jinsuls.

Mysticism Aid: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Culture Aid: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13
Ra attempts to point out to Hef and Lynn some interesting features of what he believes may be the structures used for worship by the Jinsuls.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15
culture, aid: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
mysticism: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 18
Not trained in engineering or physical science.

"Huh!" Poppilo looks about, but apparently is still jarred by the landing.

Culture (t) Aid: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

None of the other options other than his earlier Mysticism check are trained.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (18) + 11 = 29

Culture, Aid: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16
Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11
Not trained in Mysticism

S9 looks sidelong at the ruins. "Those vehicles.. Seems they were built like that because they had no other choice. Look at those chitin panels. Oldschool tech. Next, we're gonna see horses and wagons or something."

Flashback

As you traveled across the wasteland toward the settlement you are now exploring, several of you remained focused on the need to survive. Out of all of you, though, Hef's attention to this drive directed him to look skyward. Just before he was struck by the lightning, the kasatha saw a small shimmering orb form from the snow in the air above the party. The orb seemed to sweep over the party, then Hef got a strange feeling as if the orb was looking straight back at him. That's when the lightning hit.

Hef, based on your knowledge of Mystic arts, you cold tell that this orb was a scrying sensor. It would seem you are being watched...

Gonna give Lynn some time to get in her additional checks if she wants to make them, then move us on.

Lynn definitely wants to make more checks, this is stuff she's pretty OK at!

Lynn watches her surroundings with interest, datapad out to take quick pics (and also the occasional selfie with a scenic ruin in the background). She focuses on the odd structures filling the ruins and the mystical implications of how they're arranged.

Engineering: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28
Mysticism: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (11) + 0 = 11

Culture: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

Gleefully looking to and fro, Xo takes in all the sights it can process with a quick yip as Hef gets hit by the electricity.

'We're doing great!'

Hef stretches his back and lower-right arm, which tingles a bit and reacts slowly. Maybe that was more than a glancing blow that I first thought, but still I don't think we can delay outside much. Shelter is the only way to get protection from the strikes.

He thinks back to the Shirren, "Yes, though I have a suspicion we are being watched AND targeted with the lightning. We should continue to seek shelter."