[SFS/Shifty] #2-23 The Edge of Cadascon (B) (Inactive)

Game Master Nik B.

Tchisk will leave catching the last one to Azara while he works on the captured one.

Engineering: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (2) + 19 = 21

Shopping excursion:
Daata, Tricsie, Mr Bison,Conrad.

Iko turns to respond to Daata "Yes, a bit homesick now you mention it - this is one of my first missions but as I am quite curious about the myriad life-forms that populate the universe I suppose I have to deal with it - how do you find it so far? Missing home too?

The people mover is heading back, the supply truck following on.

***

Frolicing in the garden.
Tchisk, Azara.

Tchisk is looking at the programming - it appears to have been deliberately set up to malfunction, and very recently too, in the last few minutes.

The other drone is still flying oddly, the other Starfinder is about to shoot it.

Jump on it Az! :)

Tchisk considers the engineering to cause this. "Hm. Sabotage or a test?" Once he realizes that Ritska is about to shoot the next one, he yells, "Don't shoot it! I need that one!"

"I'll get it for you, Tchisk!" Azara calls.

Even as he's throwing himself into the air, he's hoping he doesn't get shot by a fellow Starfinder while trying to capture a malfunctioning drone. It would not be a very flattering epitath.

Athletics: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13

Shopping excursion:
Daata, Tricsie, Mr Bison,Conrad.

The vehicles arrive back at the Lodge, you are delighted to see they must have the BBQ going as there appears to be a light smoke trail in the garden.

***

Frolicing in the garden.
Tchisk, Azara.

Azara misses the last drone and the impatient fellow Starfinder simply shoots it out of the air. The other two Starfinders look a bit annoyed at the shooting, "Hey you pair did great, good work there - a shame old trigger happy here couldn't be more patient"

Party now rejoined

Mr. Bison waves his bottle of Akitonian ale in the air and says, "Let's drink, its happy hour somewhere in the galaxy right now."

Tricsie picks up the drone that was shot down and looks it over. What happened?

engineering: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14
computers: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (3) + 17 = 20

Daata nods forlornly at the fellow izalguun. "Sometimes." He lumbers over to the barbecue and helps himself to some of the veggie options.

Tchisk shakes his head in disappointment. "That robot you shot was supposed to help us finish this. You get to do its share of the work too." He sets about finishing the preparations.

Tricsie can't work out anything from the remains, other than it was once a drone intended for providing light and music for events. Tchisk knows something though...

The setting is eventually finished and you move off to get dressed and prep for the evenings dinner.

You get to go clean up and look presentable - any other prep?

"That wasn't so bad. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go powder my nose." Conrad winks as he prepares. Ready

"Time is only a construct sentient beings use to account for the fact that everything doesn't happen all at once," Azara replies to Mr. Bison.

Then, he has a bit of ale before heading off to freshen up. Not that he looks much different when he returns. He considers his armor to be his finest suit of clothing (and it's brand new and still shiny.)

Ready.

After sharing a drink with Azara, Mr. Bison dons the sequined cape that he wears when he enters the fighting pits of Akition. Underneath the cape his body is still encased in his brand new Azlanti battle armor that he recently obtained from a black market broker on Absalom station. His tactical great axe now rests in its carrier on his back.

He positions Zangief on security duty along the perimeter of the barbecue area.

Gotdreal continues to follow obediently behind Mr. Bison, the intercontinental championship belt still prominently displayed on his shoulder.

"Try to relax Daata. Here have a drink; it will take the edge off." He pours some Akitonian ale into a stout glass with an ice cube in it.

Ready

Tchisk uses Token Spell to clean himself and his robes alter themselves for a more formal affair. "I am ready."

Tricsie tucks the broken drone in her pack. Maybe she could get it fixed up - could be useful in her act .. or get one just like it.

She cleans herself up and comes out in full magician's regalia.

Starfinders of all kinds mill around the gardens, laughing and chatting. Hover drones flit about the space, cycling through countless musical genres and displaying “WELCOME, STARFINDERS” on their screens. Tempting smells drift from a buffet in the center of the space. “Please, take this time to relax and enjoy yourselves, as well as to mingle with your fellow agents. Connections to one another are one of the most valuable treasures we can possess,” Zafeldrin says from where he reclines upon a raised platform.

Looking around you can see that your fellow Starfinders appear to have splintered off into three groups.

Buffet Table:
Cailis and Ritska stand next to the buffet table. Ritska is doing the talking, but Cailis the Borai seems even more frosty than usual.

Garden:
Talet and Iko are walking in the garden engaged in friendly conversation, Talet appears to be doing most of the talking.

Dining Tables:
Naveret and Kran both volunteered to pick the music playing from the hover drones, and the music alternates sharply between Naveret’s Verthani electronica and Kran’s classical elven pieces. They appear to be engaged in a good-natured debate over something.

Mr. Bison approaches Cailis and pours him a drink of Akitonian ale. "Have a drink Cailis; the party is just getting started." He offers one to Ritska also.

Tricsie pauses to listen intently to the elven pieces, then wanders over to listen in on what Naveret and Kran are discussing. She does divert to the buffet to pick up some consumables on the way.

Daata goes back over to Iko and stands with his kinsman in solidarity, enduring Talet's monologuing with him in silence.

Buffet Table:
Mr Bison

Garden:
Daata

Dining Tables:
Tricsie

Tchisk walks up to Talet and Iko in the garden

Buffet Table:
Mr Bison

Garden:
Daata
Tchisk

Dining Tables:
Tricsie

Pending Conrad :)

Azara also heads over to the dining tables, finding the electronica much more palatable than the classical pieces. He even dances a bit at the former and appears to be fighting off sleep towards the end of the latter.

Tricsie looks over to Azara ... Not so fond of the classics .. hmmm?

Sorry, installing a new floor in the dojo!

Conrad looks around at the team. I think parties might be my gig, but you never know.... He then saunters over to the buffet table.

"Indeed, a party it is!"

Buffet Table:
Mr Bison & Conrad

"So do you even taste the food? I mean, you are dead after all right?" Ritska pauses to pick a few crumbs off a pristine suit of well polished armour, Cailis looks a bit annoyed at the line of questioning, and it looks like it has been going on for a while.

Diplomacy (guide the conversation), Intimidate (silence Ritska) or Profession (Soldier or mercenary) to change the subject

Garden:
Daata & Tchisk

The conversation pauses a moment, allowing you to join in. Iko seems very welcoming "I'm quite new to the Society, and would appreciate any
wisdom or advice you have to share about the creatures that populate the universe. Talet was sharing some great stories, and I am really interested in hearing yours as well" Talet seems quite encouraging "Yeah what have you come across so far?"

Engineering or Mysticism

Dining Tables:
Tricsie & Azara

Naveret and Kran are both deep in the debate, but as you approach, Swift, Naveret’s squox, greets your approach curiously and the creature seems to be interested in engaging...

Survival

Hello Swift Tricsie says with a smile.

survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21

Mr. Bison observes the conversation, but remains silent. He knows Conrad would be better suited for dealing with the situation and besides he's feeling a little tipsy from the Akitonian ale.

"Gotdreal, where are you? WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY BOTTLE OF ALE!"

[b]"That's really a difficult question to answer because where does one start? I've fought with and against all manner of beings and creature from undead to other planar. Interestingly enough though, it's the myriad forms of normal life that I find most interesting. I was on a planet in the vast on a mission for the benefit of the church of Desna where I met this young race of beings that had an unusual affinity for racing combustion engine vehicles around an obstacle-strewn race way. Amazing.

Engineering: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (9) + 19 = 28
As I understand it, the question would be better answered by Life Science rather than Engineering, so.
Life Science: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (11) + 14 = 25

Buffet Table:
Mr Bison & Conrad

Pending Conrad

Garden:
Daata & Tchisk

Pending Daata

Dining Tables:
Tricsie & Azara

Swift seems rather taken with Tricsie, climbing up onto her shoulder for a ride.

"Hey why don't you bring my little devil back over here and talk music with us?"

Culture, Diplomacy, or Profession check related to music

Sure ... why not ... Tricsie replies. My tastes are rather broad .. it really depends in the sort of mood I'm in... something energetic for a show or practice but ... something more relaxing afterwards

She reaches up to stroke the squox. Ever been pulled out of a hat before? she says to it with a grin.

culture: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

Conrad tries to guide the conversation away from the discomfort, "You know. Speaking of food, I've been experimenting with different fusions at the Station. Tell me, what two cultures would anyone like to see fused in some menu options?" Diplomacy: 1d20 + 16 + 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 16 + (4) + 1 = 35

Buffet Table:
Mr Bison & Conrad

Conrad manages to steer the conversation away deftly. Ritska the ysoki just seemed oblivious that the line of questioning was upsetting the undead Starfinder.

Mr Bison breaks off with Cailis, and notices she was a half-elf "Some people don't get it. I died while trapped in the Scoured Stars system and I was partially revived due to desperate experiments with scavenged technology conducted by the rest of her team. The team ultimately perished before rescuers arrived - I got to stay alone, drifting, waiting. It felt like lifetimes alone before I was found"

"Hey I found this on a previous mission, I don't have a need for it" - she hands Mr Bison a thunderstrike sonic pistol.

Garden:
Daata & Tchisk

Iko is thrilled with the conversation "I look forward to encountering these things on future adventures, I am inspired by your knowledge. Here, I have been working on a few items during the journey here"

A first aid kit containing three mk 2 serums of healing

Dining Tables:
Tricsie & Azara

Tricsie gets to work with the magic tricks, and somehow ends up with Kran coming up with a soundtrack that keeps everyone happy.

"You do well at getting people working together. I've got some notes you can borrow from my personal collection - they detail the varying historical dialects of Triaxian"

The notes grant a +5 circumstance bonus to Culture checks to decipher writing while reading ancient Triaxian and allows such checks to be made untrained.

***

Zafeldrin sits slightly separate from the main table, enjoying a sizeable banquet whilst 'casually' observing the gathered fellow Starfinders.

"Ahem" the draconic venture captain announces "It seems that there were a few incidents today, it turns out that the ingredients were misplaced, and perhaps some drones malfunctioned, I can't possibly fathom how this could have happened" the dragon appears to almost smirk "..and perhaps these mysterious events gave me an opportunity to see your teamwork and resourcefulness at play"

"I offer a token of my appreciation to your teams"

Some small drones bearing giftboxes head out to the groups.

Your Box contains - he offers them a purple nanite hypopen, a manual sight weapon accessory, a longstrider module, and a credstick with 900 credits.

"Thus concludes tonights festivities - we leave at dawn tomorrow, so try get a good sleep."

With that, the dragon departs.

Azara finds himself adjacent to a whirlwind of activity. In a very unfamiliar situation for him, he is unable to impress anyone with his natural charisma and charm. Tricsie is just too fast and good for him to keep up.

"Of course I can respect classi-" he manages to begin before the situation moves on.

"Oh what an adorable little creat-" and then the lady lashunta has the squox quite in hand.

"Have you ever listened to 'Ruminations on Supernovas' by Str-" and again he has missed his window.

It would be quite annoying if it wasn't simply impressive.

"You truly are great and powerful," he says to her as the night's festivities close.

Conrad spends the evening shakes hands, mildly flirting, and learning names. After, he gets a solid night's sleep.

Why thank you very much Tricsie replies as she receives the notes These may well come in handy at this site we're supposed to be checking out

Afterwards, she walks back to their quarters with Azara.

Sorry you didn't get a chance to show off she says. Stella says that Tricsie have a tendency to hog the limelight. She's my best friend and she also has a mote like yours. Tricsie suspects you are Great and Powerful in your own way - you just didn't get a chance to shine tonight

And yes, I have listened to Ruminations on Supernovas. she continues. It's one of Stella's favorite pieces. Tricsie quite likes it too but not a much as she does. Tricsie prefers something ... a bit more soothing

Azara shrugs. "When you're in a race if you're losing you don't ask the other people to run slower, you run faster."

"Not that this is a competition. And, in fact, I'm glad to be around someone so skilled. It makes it much more likely that we'll succeed...and survive, for that matter."

Tricsie grins Tricsie thanks you ... and Tricsie hopes there will be something, or someone, large to hide behind when the shooting starts so Tricsie will survive too.

Map up!

You leave the White Sands Lodge at dawn the next day. The trip to Cadascon takes most of the morning and some of the afternoon with all-terrain vehicles. As you arrive at the outskirts of the city the terrain begins to change; as the hours pass, snow covered lowlands eventually give way to craggy foothills and finally to the shadow of the Sunset Peaks themselves.

As the convoy approaches a fork in the Charnel Run river, Zafeldrin calls for a stop after doublechecking several devices. “This looks like the optimal spot to set up a base camp, and not just because I worry the trucks won’t be able to make it much further up this mountain,” Zafeldrin says. “The remains of the city should just be a bit further on. Teams, I’m sending you the coordinates I’d like you to investigate. I’ll be playing the part of mission control and monitoring your position from here. Remember to check in periodically.” Just as Zafeldrin references them, the coordinates pop up on your comm units, directing your tean to a site roughly half a mile away.

You begin wading through a foot of snow while keeping an eye out for unsteady ground. You spot the occasional animal darting between the snowbanks, but nothing dangerous crosses your path. Away from the dull roar of vehicle engines and the hum of conversation with numerous Starfinder groups, the quiet of these snowy fields is all the more pronounced.

As you crest a final rocky outcropping, your destination comes into view. A crumbling stone tower stands precariously on each side of a narrow pass. What appears to be a damaged and outdated communications satellite still sits on top of one of the towers. The bases of the towers are covered in a thick layer of snow.

The array is on the south tower

Mr. Bison accepts the Thunderstrike pistol from the unfortunate borai half elf. Though he feels a tinge of sadness from hearing Cailis's story he doesn't usually dwell on thoughts of this type for long.

He quickly moves on, floating in and out of the crowd while all the time chugging Akitonian ale. The rest of the night is a blur and he wakes up in the morning with a throbbing headache. He spends most of the ride out to Cadascon sleeping or drinking water from his canteen.

Daata holds up a hand, signaling for the party to stop. He activates his custom rig, and Mikey detaches from his pack and flies ahead to scout.

Sending hover drone ahead to look around.

Perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (11) + 13 = 24

The drone flies ahead relaying information back to Daata.

The north tower has partially collapsed, leaving part of the floor covered with rubble. Through the drones optical sensors, Daata is pretty sure he can make out the silhouette of various bits of equipment buried under a dusting of snow. Daata also picks out what appears to be a plaque covered in ice bolted to the tower.

The southern tower is still largely intact, the front door is open and a lot of snow has gotten inside, but the building looks fairly serviceable. The comms array on top is also mostly intact, even though of long-obsolete design.

Mr. Bison perks up as the team arrives at the Cadascon.

Floating up to his riding saddle on Zangief's back he orders his hulking combat drone forward.

"I'll do recon on the southern tower. Who's with me?

As Zangief moves at a brisk pace toward the southern tower Mr. Bison unstraps his great axe from his back and activates the environmental controls on his Azlanti armor.

Tricsie will go with you

"Happy to come. This place reminds me of the old story books. I hope nothing bad jumps out.... even though it always does."

"Let's not separate." Tchisk goes with the others.

I hope there's a working computer in there. Cause Tricsie will extract all the data from it

"Snow," Azara grumbles. Having come from Castrovel, and not the northern or southern extremes, he's not a fan. Give him a steamy jungle teeming with life any day over the ground being covered by frozen water.

"I'm coming," he says, trotting to catch up with Mr. Bison and Zangief. He pulls out one of the two pistols at his hip.

"Maybe there will be a beautiful woman up there who throws down a massive amount of hair for us to climb. Only, this time, she won't secretly be a hideous monster that sucks your brain out through your ear while you sleep."

You move around to the tower, moments before entry Zangief spots a creature hidden inside under the snowdrift, and with enough warning to avoid its ambush - the bad news is there appear to be two of these white furred monstrosities!

R1
Tricksie
Azara
Daata
Tchisk
Conrad
Mr Bison
ENEMY

I am confused by the map. Is the beastie IN the tower? ON the tower? If it's in the tower, where's the entrance? And where is the second one?