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If needed you can contact me on Discord at Roc#1401.
Each of you get a message on your comm units:
I need you to meet me aboard the Gentle Gesture in two Absalom's days time. It will be in orbit above Aballon. Come equipped for a mission.
-Luwazi Elsebo
First Seeker
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Why do they always try to run their power conduits at 150% of capacity? Benoit Battlestar continued to examine the drone circuit board on the monitor of his workstation while manipulating the robotic arms of his soldering unit as he began to repair the damage done by the drone's careless owner.
Still, if these owners started to pay attention to the instructions on the warranties their drones came with I wouldn't be making any money. Speaking of money, Benoit's drone repair business had been doing better and better lately. As drones were being tasked with more and more of the work to be done on Absalom Station; the need to fix them had grown exponentially. Consequently, there was no one better on the station at fixing some of the most sophisticated tech than Benoit. Business was good; it was almost lucrative enough for him to start to think about not having to take anymore risky missions with the Starfinder society.
That's what Benoit was thinking when a jarring ring from his comm unit almost caused him to wreck the circuit board he had been working on. Benoit looked at his comm unit with annoyance before picking it up. Another mission, I barely survived the last one? No, no way I'm not doing it. I'm done, find someone younger and dumber this time. She'll probably have me working with a bunch of idiots again. Still, it says we are to meet in orbit above Aballon. I haven't been home in quite some time. It would be nice to get back there and get paid to do it. I just made those upgrades to TEC-9 too. It would be a good chance to try them out. What's one more mission? They better pay me more than the last time and this time I ain't working with no elves!
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Doc Kemple had been busy Doccing, or more precisely documenting everything she'd done before lunch at the Starfinder hospital located at the Lorespire complex. It always felt more like busywork than anything productive, but it had to be done. It also meant she wasn't particularly opposed to any sort of distraction from the task at hand, so when her comm unit buzzed she didn't hesitate to pause her work and check the message.
She twisted the device around as if expecting to find something more on the other side, then sighed. "I always like it better when we can just meet here. Oh well, hope they arranged some transport." She wiggled herself down from her desk chair and headed for the door after gathering up her things. She'd have to let the others know she'd be gone... for some sort of time, but it would be fine as everyone was used to people disappearing on assignments for days or months. Then a stop home to gear up, a quick message her to friend that she'd be gone and would miss bar night, then off to the docks.
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"Luwazi, what is going on now!?"
In his effort to see as many worlds as possible, Dyukela signs on with freelance adventurers. While capable in combat, he prefers to act as the ship’s medic, patching up broken allies or blessing them on their journey into the Great Beyond. The cheerful manner in which he talks about death
often disturbs those under his care, yet anyone who spends much time with the shirren quickly learns that his evenkeeled, fatalistic approach to life and death makes him an excellent healer.
A ship awaits you all on Absalom Station. The Reliable is a small little transport ship whos pilot is a grumpy Vesk named Thresker. After you all arrive he undocks and sets off toward Aballon.
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Doc is quite used to grumpy Vesk. Half of her missions see her riding around on the shoulders of one and giving him advice when she was fairly certain he was the one who was suppose to be teaching her a thing or two. Oh well, Thresker's attitude didn't stop her from dropping into the copilot's seat where she pulled out a small datapad.
She seemed quite content to read to herself or rummage through her gear and supplies unless approached. This didn't stop her from eyeing up Dyukela, Jazz, or Benoit now and again just to try and get the measure of the rest of her team.
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A grizzled human steps out of the lav with a loud flushing noise, his hands dripping from a washing session abandoned before drying off. He looks out at the others assembled onboard the small starship. "Another day, another credit, right?" He cracks a half-hearted smile as he strolls to an empty chair and slumps into it. "Hopefully less mutation-inducing radiation this time around. Guess that's the Society's reward for competence, eh? Ever-more-dangerous joyrides?"
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Benoit approaches Doc and says, "Hey Doc, maybe you can help me out. My joints ache, I can't see as well as I used to, my back hurts when I walk, and my nose hairs are turning white. In your professional opinion am I getting to old to go on harebrained missions like this one?" He stares at Doc completely serious.
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She would look up from her reading and pull down her glasses to look at him more fully. Glasses she didn't really need. They were just to help with the image so people would listen to her more, but that she took care not to scratch all the same.
Her nose twitched once or twice. "Truthfully, those are the classic symptoms of harabregan. Or being hare-brained yourself. I'm sorry, but I think you might be the perfect fit for the mission. Your best bet is to just be grumpy about it and complain the whole time. Squeaky wheel and all that." She grinned... just a little.
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Spanner is in the hangars performing maintenance on the Starfinder's starships when the message from the First Seeker comes through. Even though his Mutlitool tells him what it says, he stops to read it. Then looking to his sharktopus pet, "Looks like the First Seeker needs us, Squib. There's work to do."
The android mechanic shows up to the awaiting ship in full corpse of engineers gear, which, thanks to moderns technomancy, seemed far less than you'd expect. "Anyone have any idea of the problem we're to fix?", he asks of the other Starfinders.
You arrive aboard the Gentle Gesture and are immediately lead through several hallways into a conference room.
First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo stands across a carved obsidian conference table next to a white-and-brown-furred ysoki. The ysoki wears a fine
black suit with matching black vest and tie.
“Thank you for meeting with us, Starfinders. Let me introduce you to our guest, a priest of Lao Shu Po who believe he can help us with our current public relations problems. His name is Biter.” Luwazi Elsebo sits down while attempting to stifle the hint of an amused smile.
The well-dressed ysoki shoots a sidelong glance at Luwazi, “Hello! Yes, I am Biter, acolyte of Grandmother Rat. My sect is aware of the horrible, yet oddly efficient, attacks on the character of your Society and the negative spin you’ve been getting in the press across the Pact Worlds. I’m sure you’ve figured out that these attacks can be traced back to a single ysoki named Datch. I come offering a tool to help you solve your problem with her. My master, a very resourceful fellow, would like to offer this tool to you—”
“In exchange for?” Luwazi’s smile fades.
Biter laughs. “Your friendship, of course. Grandmother Rat is all about resourcefulness and making the most of things. Our sect is no friend of Datch, and she seems to be no friend of yours, so why wouldn’t we help you? We just need to make sure that we’re giving this tool to capable friends who will know what to do with it. That’s why my master would like you all to undergo a few trials to prove you’re ready for what we have to offer. I’ll guide you on a short journey to my master’s starship in the Shadow Plane, where he will test your abilities. I will act as your guide along the way, answering questions and observing your progress. This should be simple, considering the reputations of Starfinder agents.”
After an uncomfortable pause, Luwazi adds. “Whatever they’re planning to put you through, it’s likely dangerous. I won’t lie: the Society could use a weapon to fight against Datch. Every good deed we do is twisted to look like a selfish act. Every historical find gets shrouded in allegations of damage to cultures or planets. Right now, we can’t even defend ourselves against physical attacks without being painted as an aggressive paramilitary force. We need something to fight back with. I won’t force you to go.” Luwazi pauses for a moment to compose herself. “Lao Shu Po and her followers have an infamous reputation as assassins, spies, and thieves. What you’re being asked to do is likely quite dangerous, and I’m offering you this choice only because you’re some of my best agents. If you decide to go, Biter can bring you to his master’s ship through a planar gateway we recently secured on Aballon, in the Gullet Ice Well. He’s also promised transportation back to Starfinder headquarters on Absalom Station. Do you have any questions before accepting or denying this mission?”
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"Wait a second here, you want us to go sight unseen to the shadow plane, to meet up with this random ysoki's "master" who he hasn't even told you his name yet, with no guarantee of safety and a "promise" of safe passage home. Just to get a so called "tool" for us to use in our future confrontations with Datch and all he wants in return is friendship. Oh yeah, this sounds like a great idea for a mission. Didn't we just vote for a new First Seeker?"
"You are correct Benoit. That is why I'm giving you the option to go."
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Doc Kemple arched her brow slightly at the description of Lao Shu Po worshipers the First Seeker gave, but didn't offer a comment on it. Instead, she glanced at the others. "He seems a bit surly, it might be clouding his memory a little, or he complained about being old. It could be memory loss."
Then she'd turn her attention to back to Biter. "Though my dwarf friend -does- have a good point buried in there. You told us you have a master, and that he's on the shadow plane. But you didn't give us his name, or the name of exactly where we're going. Would you kindly do that now?"
Biter nods to Doc, “Grandmother Rat teaches us that ‘Death is always on the horizon; we should scurry, claw, and bite to keep ahead of it.’ That is to say, you could die for any number of reasons, and you should try your hardest to prevent that from happening. But our goal is not to kill you. We need you to survive if we are to be friends.”
“I answer to Silent Strike, master of the Executioners’ Nest. He is serious and patient, but a demanding teacher. He teaches a lesson only once. We must learn, adapt, and survive.”
"Your gear will be fine."
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"Mmmm, my suspicions stand. I'll do my best to avoid any additional mental trauma for you."
She nods along to Biter's description of things. "So we should survive." And she looks at the others as she continues to speak. "But we're also allowed to win however we want. There's no such thing as cheating since the game is just to win. Any way we can get through the tests, even if they aren't expecting it, is fine as long as we come out on top at the other side. That works in our favor, but means the challenges might be more difficult."
She pauses for a moment, then decides to say one more thing.
"And we still want to try and meet their expectations, of course."
"Silent Strike... the Executioners' Nest is a station? Ship?"
"It is not only a starship but also a grand temple of Grandmother Rat. It traverses shadow space on the Shadow Plane, evading our enemies and keeping us grandchildren safe. An ominous name, I know, but only to scare Grandmother’s enemies.”
“You must decide whether or not you are coming with me now, but we can leave when the sun falls on Gullet—in about three hours. That should be long enough to gather your belongings. If all goes well, you’ll be back before dawn.”
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Doc will gladly give the entire party a wealth of information on both the shadow plane and Lao Shu Po, as well as what she's heard about Silent Strike. To Benoit she tilts her head just so and raises an eyebrow. "Oh, you're being dramatic. We just need to play the game our way while playing it Silent Strike's way. They promised we'd live, and we'd only die anyways if we went in unprepared... or incompetent. You could argue that we'd deserve it in that case."
She pulls a flashlight out from one of her pouches and flicks it on and off several times. "Look here. Even something as simple as this will scare of shadow creatures..." She paused just a hair and when she spoke again there was a slightly ominous tone to it. "Have a little faith."
When you are ready to depart, you accompany Biter on a Starfinder shuttle to Aballon’s Gullet Ice Well.
When Biter reaches the statue he wispers something. When he finishes, the waters start to gently swirl into a whirlpool at the center of the dark pit. “After you,” says Biter in Common, gesturing toward the now-swirling vortex. When you enter the well, you feel a great pulling sensation, dragging you down into the dark abyss, but you do not feel the water. After what feels like falling for minutes, your feet find the solid ground of a metal grate.
This sparse room consists of a metal floor, the grate patterned to look like an emaciated rat, and an ancient metal altar with rows of candles in front of a taxidermized dire rat. Only 17 of the 41 candles are lit, in what seems like no particular pattern. The room looks to have only one exit, on the forward wall opposite the shrine; it is surrounded by a dim blue light.
Biter lands silently, seemingly dropping from the smooth metal ceiling. He immediately turns to a small wooden altar in the back of the room and snuffs out one of the candles with his fingers. After a moment of silence, he asks, “Would you care to pay your respects?” indicating the handful of lit candles still on the altar.
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Kemple takes a look around as they begin to follow after Biter.
Her nose twitches as she takes note of the statue, and then she uses her magically provided telepathy to repeat what Biter is whispering along to the rest of the group without giving away that she heard the little prayer.
At the bottom of the well she spends some time considering the experience of the well, her feet shifting just a bit now that they're on solid ground. "Interesting and more interesting, I have to say." Her eyes focus on the altar and she's approached it even before Biter has made his latest appearance. When Spanner speaks one of her ears twitches before she glances his way.
"Well... now you're just being paranoid. Smart!" She reaches out to snuff one of the candle flames herself.
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"Are you sure about this... AAAAAHHHHH," Benoit exclaims as he is sucked into the black pool. Coming out the other side he finally touches down on the metal floor. However, only after several seconds of having his feet on solid ground does he open his eyes, which were squeezed shut when he landed.
Seeing Doc snuff out a candle he sheepishly follows suit. "TEC-9 activate your spotlight." On command Benoit's combat drone turns on the powerful spotlight attached to his intimidating artillery laser. The room is doused with a 100' cone of bright light.
The door to the room opens on its own and Biter gestures for you to enter into the new room.
This large octagonal chamber features several three-foot-high walls arranged in various patterns. Each wall features a large set of sliding double doors. All doors are surrounded with dim red lights except for the fore doors, which are open and display dim blue lights. There are short walls scattered around the room .
After you all enter the room, Biter follows, the forward and aft doors abruptly shut and the lights around them turn red. Over the ship’s intercom booms the voice of Silent Strike, patient and precise. “You’ve come here, at my request, to prove yourselves worthy of my assistance. I assume you are expecting an ambush. You expect this is all an elaborate setup. Very well, let us begin by meeting your expectations.”
The light around the forward-port doors turn blue and the doors suddenly open, revealing two cat-like creatures with five legs, batlike ears, a long snout, and covered in thick trichobothria (vibration sensitive hair). A moment later, all lights in the room extinguish, plunging the room into darkness.
Reynold, Jazz, Spanner
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Benoit, Doc
Bold is up
In dim light, you can somewhat make out shapes, but you can’t see precise details well at all. Dim light includes moonlight outside at night and bright starlight, or a starship’s emergency backup lights. An area just beyond the range of a light source has dim light. Creatures within an area of dim light have concealment (20% miss chance; see page 253) from creatures without darkvision or the ability to see in darkness. Because dim light is not ideal for observation, if you’re in an area of dim light, you can attempt a Stealth check to conceal yourself from creatures without low-light vision, darkvision, or blindsight. Dim light does not affect creatures with low-light vision, which can see in dim light as if it were normal light.
Red is 40ft west and 15ft south
Only 6 seconds worth of speaking.
Reynold's shot sails off into the darkness and hisses against a wall.
Spanner turns to the north and fires. Something squeals and the fire lights up more than expected.
The shadows move and the strange creatures appear next to Spanner and Benoit, claws-a-flying.
You are deafened. You can’t hear. You take a –4 penalty to initiative checks and opposed Perception checks, and you automatically fail Perception checks based on sound.
You can hear nothing except the creature attacking you.
Reynold, Jazz, Spanner
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Benoit, Doc
Bold is up
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Benoit reacts quickly to the creatures sudden appearance. Its claws rake against the front of his armor and suddenly he is deafened. "What the... TEC-9 fire! Benoit swings his nova lance around and jabs twice at the beast; while TEC-9 lines up his disintegrator cannon on it and fires a beam of disruptive energy at it.
Everyone else sees Benoit's lance alight and swing around, but can hear nothing of that combat.