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Renowned as one of the greatest explorers following the advent of Drift travel, Jelev Rasheen left behind a legacy of adventure and exploration, not to mention countless alien relics, technologies, and treasures recovered from her travels. Her disappearance in the Vast, along with rumors of her final treasure fleet, has inspired adventurers for centuries. Now Radaszam, head of the Acquisitives faction, has uncovered a lead on Rasheen's last journey into the Vast, and he wants the PCs' help in finding what befell Rasheen.
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Did anybody else get a benefits pamphlet? I've had some... gaps in my medical and things haven't been quite the same since I lost my proper job...
A nervously fidgeting lashunta with a very introverted vibe glides into the briefing and takes far too long to decide on a chair to.. not really "settle" into.
Gaps in the history? You were no one of the agents lost in the Scoured Stars, were you? a barathu broadcasts back to the lashunta's mind as he floats into the room. But even if so, so not worry. Radaszam's acquired funding helps cover all Starfinder agents with their troubles.
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Radaszam, the vesk leader of the Acquisitives stands in front of a museum display piece showcasing an ancient polearm of unknown make. He turns to the new arrivals approaching him “Ah great! Have I got a job for you, hotshots. Heard the name Jelev Rasheen?”
He turns away from the display, walking and speaking while waving for everyone to follow. “Most of you probably have, even if kids these days don’t read the gazetteers anymore. She was a big shot explorer in the early days of Drift travel, sallied forth to find new worlds and meet new civilizations, all that explorer romantic kind of stuff. She always came back with holds full of riches, but I think for her the real treasure was the stories she got out of it. Until she didn’t come back, that is.”
Radaszam continues through the museum, still waving to follow him. “No one knows what really happened to her, but everyone she met seems to have had a theory; from her kids, those who call themselves her kids, her adventuring buddies, and the people who read those godsawful pulp stories. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good adventure story as much as the next vesk,” he adds, “but I’ve been on some of those planets and that writer had no idea what he was talking about.”
Stopping abruptly, Radaszam motions at a clear case on an ornate pedestal, with the label “JELEV RASHEEN—VOYAGE 17: SANCTUM OF THE HIGH PRIESTESS OF THE KATTAR-ZHIN.” It contains several pieces of engraved platinum. “What with all the conflicting accounts, some coming from Rasheen herself, it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s artistic embellishment. But there is hard evidence for many of her journeys—we have several reliable accounts from seasoned
Starfinders who ran into supposedly uncontacted species with prior exposure to the Common language, and with some digging we’ve been able to connect them with Rasheen’s travels. Not to mention the reports of huge stelae with her family sigil carvedon them in the middle of nowhere, or collections like this—” he gestures to the case— “lurking in a retired adventurer’s attic, to be sold off by kids who don’t know their history. Jelev Rasheen’s fingerprints are everywhere in the exploration business, once you start looking. And with things settling down after our last dust-up, I had some time to look through the Society’s metaphorical attic for leads, and what do I find but a map of Jelev Rasheen’s last journey.”
Radaszam pauses to make eye contact with everyone present. He then removes a laminated hard copy map from a hidden cabinet in the pedestal; it’s an image recovered from a damaged hard drive, with some areas pixelated beyond interpretation, but it clearly depicts a star system, with navigational information in its legend.
“Following in her footsteps—or even finding her final resting place—would be a major accomplishment, both on its own and for raising the profile of the Society in the Pact Worlds.”
Radaszam unlocks the case, removing an object smaller than his palm that may once have been a pendant. He touches it to his forehead reverently, then replaces it carefully, saying, “Trust me, the experience alone is worth it—it’s a rite of passage for a true explorer. I almost wish I could lead this expedition myself.”
Radaszem gestures for each of you to repeat the same ritual with the pendant.
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A shirren with wings walks in behind Sefel. {Bugface doesn't know anything about benefits, but Bugface does know someone who does great prosthetics,} Bugface says patting their mechanical left arm.
What?! They're taking care of medical problems by painting over them with prosthetics?! The still fidgety lashunta looks a bit disturbed by this suggestion and quickly turns away.
Gaps in the history? You were no one of the agents lost in the Scoured Stars, were you? a barathu broadcasts back to the lashunta's mind as he floats into the room. But even if so, so not worry. Radaszam's acquired funding helps cover all Starfinder agents with their troubles.
He then turns to see the Barathu entering the room and sends a return telepathic missive. No.. I was referring to gaps in my medical coverage. You see, before I started adventuring with the Starfinder Society... oh, nevermind.
He cuts himself short as soon as Radaszam appears and begins.
When passed to him, Sefel blinks at the pendant, slightly confused. He quickly rubs it on his forehead, almost as if he's just scratching his head, and passes it on.
...and you're sure nobody else already found this map and followed it to dead ends? Seems like a lead many agents would desire to follow over more menial missions, such as providing security for a pop band.
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{After a diagnosis of 'Bugface's arm was bitten off at the shoulder by a devil', Bugface is pretty sure a prosthetic is the only treatment,} Bugface thinks at Sefel as he turns.
Bugface watches Radaszam perdorm the ritual and then offer the pendant up with a curious tilt to their head. Is that ritual safe? Radaszam seems fine but he's tough. Oh well, these little ceremonies are too cool to pass up!
Bugface participates as well.
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Radaszam nods with silent approval as the starfinders also engage in the ritual.
"Good to see you getting into the spirit of things!" he smiles. Of course a vesk smiling... not the most comfortable of situations.
He addresses Sefel "Am I sure? No, but I did some digging, trying to find any other fragments of this map. It was part of a document collection auctioned off for some Aballonian lady who owned a major stake in a mining outfit. Winning bid was some salvager, who had no exploration background and didn’t understand what he had; he sold it to us looking to make a few quick credits. This all happened before the Scoured Stars incident; this prize egg’s been hiding out in our files ever since. I came across it while looking for actionable leads, and I couldn’t believe it. There are so many rumors and grifters...But when I cross-referenced it with confirmed records of Jelev Rasheen’s itinerary for her final journey, they describe a similar system, and there’s been no exploration of that sector since. This could be the real thing. “
This journey, do you know what Rasheen was looking for in this system? Bluuuuu asks. The barathu's gaze drifts towards Bugface. Hopefully not any more infernal activities.
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"Of that we have no real clues. If she was there, there may be a clue in the navigational beacon that she typically left behind. Find that, and we'll know!"
He consults some notes.
"It seems a mining company did a quick fly-by, saw there weren’t any
mineral deposits floating around, called it the Arat system after their rather… self-obsessed captain, and then they left. Their initial scans show a young yellow star; this map doesn’t depict any rocky near-solar planets, but there are several gas giants, so we might be looking for a moon, or if any local species have achieved advanced technology, a dome system. At those distances from the sun, subzero temperatures are almost certain, so pack accordingly.”
Shaking his head he sighs "Very out of the way, and no real reason for her to go there... that we know of."
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Radaszam nods to Donovan.
"“If Rasheen did stop in this system, she almost certainly left one of her claim beacons. Back when Drift navigation wasn’t as reliable, explorers sometimes left beacons to broadcast their claims to first right of settlement before returning to their home stations. Jelev
Rasheen used hers to mark her path on longer expeditions; she’d leave a beacon-zero at her first stop outside known space, with a quick situation report and her planned heading, then beacon-one at the next stop, and so on. If we can find one of her beacons, we can confirm whether or not it’s actually from her last journey, and get a lead on where her next destination might have been—those beacons will be guideposts to her final resting place, if we can just find the first one.”
There was a commotion at the door and a bulky lashunta staggered in, panting slightly as he tried to catch his breath. He was big for a lashunta, with the kind of bulk that signified a heavy exercise regimen and an even heavier drinking and eating one.
"Sorry I'm late. Been...um...exercising. What'd I miss?"
The exercise was likely peeling his eyelids off his sore eyeballs, for the lashunta had all the classic signs of a really nasty hangover.
"Name's Chivix Velloro, by the way. Cool map."
It is a treasure hunt. Bluuuuu broadcasts to the new lashunta. Well, a hunt for a treasure hunter, I suppose
Oh, and I am Bluuuuu the barathu extends a tentacle towards the vanguard.
Chivix looked at the tentacle, then slapped it with an open hand and did some odd finger movements. "Pleased ta meetcha!"
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The station is abuzz with the news that a Crypt Warden has docked at Absalom station. Many folk have never seen a Corpse Fleet vessel, let alone a warship, and the various viewing decks are somewhat crowded.
It is with a sense of honor that Sefel leads his crew towards the unusual ship. You find the ships fit-out... unusual... and probably uncomfortable, in an emotional as well as a physical sense.
One week out of Absalom station, and after a bit of rough drift travel, Sefel reports that his scanners have picked up a couple of vessels, both of unidentified designs. One's transponder identifies itself was the Tinker's Path, while the other doesn't appear to have any power sources at all.... and may in fact be a wreck.
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Sefel hails the Tinker's Path proactively, with what he realizes is going to commonly be a required introduction...
Greeting Tinker's Path! I am Sefel Lamunesh of the Crypt Warden. We are NOT members of the Corpse Fleet, simply travelers who happen to use one of their vessels. Are you in distress or do you require assistance?
"Not the Corpse Fleet? I never thought about that being an issue. Of course we're not the Corpse Fleet, but people will run away from us anyways. I hope they take us up on our offer for help!"
If scavengers would attack the Corpse Fleet then those would be desperate or confident thieves indeed Bluuuuu muses.
To Sefel, the barathu adds: Be sure to breathe heavily in your communications. It should help to convo ce them we are alive and not Eoxian
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"Certainly can Starfinders, certainly can. Though I doubt there will be much. It looks like it was some type of line that lost a chase with something that was following it."
The stellar coordinates where the chase began as being close to a mostly uncharted world in the Vast called Icefront
The damage scans of the destroyed craft shows it was disabled by boring torpedoes.
"Does this thing have some kind of scanners or something? Can we check out them and the derelict ship?"
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You discuss the fact that the derelict alien ship originated near Icefront, home of the Izalraans - a civilization that fled the Scoured stars...
The scanners show just the old ship. Little can be made out of it, and from your brief time in the area it looks like the crew of the Tinker's Path are doing a systematic job at stripping it's hulk.
"Stop by sometime Starfinders. Good rates for you all!" sends out Xizvee as you eventually pass on by.
Another nine days and you arrive at the Arat system.
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If scavengers would attack the Corpse Fleet then those would be desperate or confident thieves indeed Bluuuuu muses.
To Sefel, the barathu adds: Be sure to breathe heavily in your communications. It should help to convo ce them we are alive and not Eoxian
The lashunta frowns and shakes his head quickly as if ridding himself of the suggestion. What? No!
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Friends, I believe we have finally arrived!
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Sefel confirms you have indeed arrived in the Arat system. The Aratros is huge gas giant a long way out from the systems primary star. Orbiting it is the smaller planet (moon really) Arat.
Commencing a scan for the beacon, the first thing he discovers is that... there is no beacon. At least none broadcasting as expected. However his detailed scans do detect a couple of interesting anomalies.
Firstly, on Arat there is what appears the be the wreckage of a starship. With a big of jiggery pokery, Sefel manages to get a very precise location for it, and find a possible landing spot only an hour or so travel from it. The bad news is the crashed ship is not on Arat itself, but rather on Aratrosim, a large moon - which (luckily?) corresponds with where you would expect to find the signal beacon.
What Sefel also notices is a signal coming from another of the moons of Arat. It vanishes almost as soon as it was detected, far too short a time to get an accurate fix on exactly where it came from. Or maybe it was just a glitch. Who knows really?
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Sefel points on the scanner for the rest of the party to see. There, where I would expect the beacon may be, the wreckage of a starship. We can land an hour's travel from it... there. His finger strays only a hair pointing it out.
As he starts to direct the Crypt Warden towards the landing spot everybody notices his antennae stand on end suddenly as he catches a blip on the scanners. He blinks several times hoping he seeings it again. Did anybody see which moon that signal came from? I almost missed it altogether...
I did not notice anything.[/ib] Bluuuuu says, concerned. [b]Though if there is a wrecked starship there, perhaps it sent out a distress flare? Maybe that could have triggered this ship's readings.
He looks out through the viewscreens at Aratosim beyond. What sort of world are we looking at below?
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"No, but I trust you, Sefel. If you say you saw something, then you saw something. The thing is. If you can't find it again, that makes me concerned that it is hostile. How about this. From this moment on, we're on a clock. Let's act and react accordingly. Let's land and get moving. What do we know about that moon?"
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Sefel is a mine of information on the moon, having luckily done a research project on the system back in high school.
The moon of Aratrosim consists of an icy crust over extensive oceans, warmed below the surface by tidal heating, and a rocky core. The differences in temperature and pressure between the frigid surface and the volatile oceans beneath create frequent cryovolcanoes, eruptions of liquid water and other chemicals, which quickly re-freeze in the cold air.