[SFS] 1-20 Duskmire accord 9 (Inactive)

Game Master Kludde

Asier watches the displays of athletics with the camera eye running, and then gives a small round of applause at the displays. "Wow, Buse, that was amazing!"

His eyes light up, literally, for a second at the suggestion that they find a new smoke hole and then heads out into the field hoping to get a pure sample of the gas so he might be able to properly analyze it.

Physical Sciences: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Hermena raises an eyebrow at the yetis' request to find another smokehole. Are we just enabling their smoking habit? This place is getting more and more unsettling the longer we stick around.

Still, as long as the yetis are cooperating and acting non-violently, it makes sense to keep playing along. She scouts the area for gaseous disturbances.

Survival: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

The party searches around a bit, until Hermena finds a particularly large smouldering underground fire. Some digging later - with the party becoming covering in dirt, much to the hilarity of the yetis - a glorious waft of new smoke emerges from the ground.

Smoke with us! Have a smoke with us! the yeti say, become part of the Muckfur clans, and join us in the inhalation!

Anyone who tries a smoke should take a Fort save, though

Modern Body watches his crew getting busy with all the tasks. "All this mess better be worth it, Inix."

Medicine: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

Despite all of Buse's medical know-how telling her this is fine, she feels paranoid. The kasatha moves up to the pit, sitting in such a way as to easily get out if needed.

Fortitude: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Buse inhales, and immediately starts coughing, which of course draws much laughter from the yetis. It even earns him some slaps on the back.

"Well, we've come this far," Hermena grumbles to herself. After seeing the good doctor decide it's safe to inhale the smoke, she leans over the pit she found and inhales deeply.

Fort Save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Lexicor again is unsure of the tasks assigned by the laughing yetis.

I am not sure this is entirely prudent. as he tries the smoke.

fort: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19

GM, are there any skill checks we could have earned a better result on? If so, Kai is happy to try them.

Here goes nothin' Kai thinks to himself and gives the smoke a try.

fortitude: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

Asier takes a moment to get into the pit and sniffs at the smoke.

Fort: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23 additional +2 if this is a poison or disease effect

Hermena and Kai join the doctor in his coughing fit, only serving to exacerbate the laughter of the yeti clan. Lexicor and Asier brave the smoke without flinching - drawing some acknowledging looks from the yetis.

In the end the yetis applaud and shout celebration! Let's hold a welcoming celebration!

And indeed, the chief insists that the group joins a celebration to held for their 'honorary Muckfurs'. During the festivities the chief is a lot more open about the clan's situation: they found themselves in this cave, without any memory of the past, and something felt out of place. It doesn't feel right here, the chief explains, it's too hot here.

He also says we were doing fine after we took over the gnoll village, we don't even have to get any food, there is so much in stock, look at all this as he spreads out his mighty arms, there is much more where that came from.

If you go south, be careful. There's a terrible swamp ghost there. A few weeks ago, we sent out a scouting party. We never heard from them again, until we found their mangled, mutilated corpses near the edge of the swamp. That's a dangerous area!

"Looks like an easy living, Inix, but, personally, I'd go mad being caged by some unknown force. If you want to get out, we got some starships right outside." posits Modern Body.

"So you never went inside the temple? Did the voices from the walls say anything about that? Something you needed to do before gaining access? Ah, and do you know what is a duskmire accord? It's supposed to be the name of this dump."

Gnolls, huh?

Hermena frowns. "If your scouts never returned, how do you know it's a swamp ghost? Have you ever seen it, or engaged with it? Can you tell us more about its appearance or behavior?"

"Where are these gnolls now? Subjugated, dead?" Buse asks. She loads up on foreign food to get rid of the smoke's effects.

"Let me guess - it's a "ghost" because you couldn't find any tracks of it, right? Man, you muckfurs... I'm guessing it's an automatic defense system, to keep anyone from entering the temple without completing the requirements. But we'll find out more when we get there."

So the gnolls were here before your clan arrived. Could gnolls have escaped to the marsh and perhaps they were responsible for the attacks? Lexicor asks rhetorically.

"Did you slay all the gnolls or just run them off? Do you know where they went?"

Asier tries to take a sample of the apparently psychotropic smoke, or at least seemingly that way for the yetis, for later analysis, and then listens to the story recording the whole time.

He does pipe in with a, "There might be an actual apparition or ghost-like thing in the swamp as well. We can't make any assumptions in the matter without further evidence, only theorize... Well should we go and see if we can find this Swamp Ghost then?"

We drove the gnolls out, they're to the north of here now, where we came from. We like this place better, har-har!

Duskmire? Never heard of the name. I don't know what this place is called.

We know it's a swamp ghost because it killed our tribesmen, and the strange haunting noises some of us have observed. Nobody has ever seen the ghost and lived to tell the tale.

Where do you want to go? North - gnolls, Southwest - swamp ghost, Other directions - who knows?

Temple, if possible avoiding the swamp and its ghost on the way there

"north of here" would be back at the entrance, I'm guessing is more like north-west, over that ramp

Yeah, the yetis are new to this whole north-south-east-west thing. They usually do 'up' and 'down' in the mountains, and even then tend to get lost most of the time. North is indeed more north-west-ish

Hermena nods to Asier-23-7. "I think you've got the right idea. It sounds like the gnolls aren't as threatening as the Muckfurs, especially since we've joined their tribe. If they inhabited this location before the Muckfurs kicked them out, perhaps they saw this 'swamp ghost' as well and could give us more information about what we are up against. If there is only one creature here that is dismembering sentient beings, we should gather evidence about how best to fight it - perhaps even offer a united front."

Hermena votes we go northwest and interrogate the gnolls.

"I would like to meet these gnolls." Kai agrees

"There's a huge frigging temple standing right there, and you want to go all the way back to investigate the previous tenants of this drug camp? Are you afraid of the "ghost" that these muckfurs have never seen? Gimme a break."

"The temple will still be there after we talk to the Gnolls. So will the ghost, which I am sure we will deal with one way or another."

"Oh? And the nulls will go somewhere else while we explore the most interesting and important aspect of this whole junkyard? Seems like you are playing exactly as the voices in the wall expect - you know, the jailers and kidnappers of aliens species, who treat sentient as animals. Smart move."

Gnolls 2 x 1 Temple, pick a side and let's gogogo

Asier nods and adds, "Seeing how the gnolls here live would be an interesting point of data to collect! Also we can probably try talking with them calmly and gain possibly valuable information about this place. Further data points is always helpful in building understanding."

# for the gnolls!

Lexicor is fine with the gnolls first and nods his consent.

Understanding the gnolls and how and why they were treated by our hosts seems prudent. The ghost may need additional research.

Buse nods, albeit a bit apprehensively. "We may as well try. But I get the sense whatever jailers made this place didn't encourage conflict resolution."

"Tyranny of the majority it is. I just hope the null gnolls don't keep a watch over the muckfurs - they might not be so welcoming to a group that was seen playing in the mud with their oppressors. I would hate to have to put them down defending myself... when that happens, remember: I told you so." Modern Body smiles, wickedly.

On their way to the NW ramp: "Starfinders turning their back to archeological discoveries - you guys probably slept right through all the introductions during recruitment, I'd wager."

If nobody else has anything to do around the yeti camp, I guess we are ready to move on

Asier hums loudly through the verbal abuse by Modern Body, clearly somewhat distressed that the half-elf is distressed but then finally responds to the last comment. "We might be avoiding the archeological discovery for the moment but we are going for the anthropological discovery instead. And as for the recruitment introductions I have video recordings of 7 iterations of the Society on boarding instructions, including the most recent version updated last year. I can replay them for you if you like. They don't seem to weigh in on value judgments between anthropology and archeology."

The group, counting among them a rather miffed half-elf, makes their way up the north-west ramp. As they mount it, an unexpected visitor emerges from the sky: a small, robotic drone descends from the sky, hovering just in front of the party.

A polite, cool voice speaks from the machine. “Greetings, interlopers. Your presence has been noted and appropriate adjustments have been made to the operation of this facility. External access is now prohibited until such time as the experiment has completed. Thank you for your cooperation in this endeavor.”

"External access? What experiment?" Kai asks the machine, concerned. Are we trapped in here now?

This facility is the current site of an experiment. Your insertion into the test parameters has now been accounted for. the drone responds. External access is prohibited until one of the three subject inhabitant groups achieves dominance over the others. When a single power remains, external access will be restored.

Buse is hoping, but not counting on unification being an accepted outcome. "What constitutes dominance in this scenario? And are we our own group of inhabitants?"

"We have already been accepted into the cultural folds of one of the groups. It is not a 'domination', however it does mean that we are considered part of their group from our and their points of view. Does this not count as combining our groups for purposes of this experiment? If not then please give a full accounting of all terms and definitions, as your common parlance in this situation is leading to many divergent interpretations. "

Negative, you are not considered your own group. Your presence has been factored in, but only three groups are considered in this cavern, the drone says, and swivels around the tribe that dwells west of here pointing in the direction of the gnoll camp, the tribe south-east of here pointing the direction of the yetis, and the power in the south

Based on prior observation, dominance among sentient species typically refers to termination of the opposing groups’ leadership. Complete extermination is not necessary for completion.

Note the word 'typically' - creative solutions are possible

Current groups dominating other groups: zero

Cultural assimilation has been noted. Effect on dominance is deemed irrelevant, since (1) you are note considered a separate group, (2) criteria for dominance have not been met.

"So we have to kill the leader of the gnolls and whatever is behind the temple to ensure the muckfurs are in charge? I knew you were cold bastards, but this is reaching some new heights.”

Modern Body walks forward, reaches a hand and tries to touch the drone. “Mind if I take a peak? You are all so powerful it makes me curious…”

Hermena sighs, "So it is a cage match after all. I suspect its just for blood-sport, but maybe these maniacs had some 'scientific' outcome in mind as well." She glares at the drone. "I don't suppose you've already told the three groups what they're 'objective' is, have you?"

The drone backs off as Modern Body comes closer and says Dominance-seeking behaviour observed.

All groups have been informed of their need to establish dominance.

Any further questions for the drone, or do you want to carry on to the gnoll territory?

"Sneaky little freak, aren't you? Do the leaders need to die, or can they just surrender? I'd prefer not to kill your pets, if not needed."

Requirement is establishing dominance, means are irrelevant. Direct forceful termination or complex socio-political measures are all within the range of options.

So surrender would work. Within the rules of the game, it says 'one faction must gain dominance'. If that faction happens to be an alliance of all three parties (or an alliance of two dominating the third), that is technically within the bounds of the rules.

"Ah, good. Then I won't need to slaughter everyone this time around - though things have a tendency to end like that. Now get out of our way, and tell your masters they shouldn't expect similar kindness from me, when I finally get to them."

Modern Body ignores the drone and walks forward.

Moving on, the group reaches the foot of a hill. A small village is built atop a low hill in the distance. A swift river borders the village to the west, its waters flowing from north to south. Fields of rice and substantial clusters of mushrooms grow from the hillsides around the town, and several figures are at work tending to the crops, their backs bent and hunched. The figures in the fields have hyena-like heads and fur-covered bodies.

The creatures eye the group nervously, and two of them nervously head back from the field into the village. In the village itself, the buildings are relatively low and squat, their walls formed from stacked bricks of peat. Most of the roofs have vegetation growing upon them, creating a soft, fuzzy look that is enhanced by the perpetual mist.

The creatures seem very hesitant to talk...

Life Science: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

"Hellos, gnolls!" Modern Body says out loud in the village. "We are the Starfinder Society and we are here to free you from oppression! Now, where is your leader?"

Life Science: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11

Buse tries to ease the gnolls into this wild situation. "We're hoping to keep any more violence here to a minimum. Do any of your people need medical treatment?"

The gnolls defer to their leader, called Corev, who seems to be the gardener type. We saw you coming from the yeti area, he says. He sniggers as Dr. Buse mentions violence, hmpf. Ever since we've been driven from our lands, who can we trust. Most of us are underfed, because we lost all of our food supplies. We're just rebuilding are our existence here now - until those yeti will just attack again. Whose side are you on?

"Being on a 'side' is an artificial construct of the cage in which we find ourselves. We parlayed with the yetis because we suspect a unified front between everyone in this cell will allow us to open the door and lead everyone out of here in one piece." Her voice becomes somewhat wistful. "There is a much larger universe out there - we've seen it, and we can show it to you, and the yetis, and everyone else here, if we can set aside past conflicts."

”Indeed. It would be prudent to cooperate rather than escalate additional violence. If for no other reason than to disrupt the plans of those conducting this warped experiment. “

Life science : 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9 bleh!