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"Yeah, yeah. It's quite simple: you are trapped in here; we have starships outside ready to get anyone who wants to leave to a new world, populated or not, your pick; for the owners of this trap to let anyone leave, we need to establish the dominance of one of the groups - the muckfurs are a bunch of bone heads who won't respond except to violence - but you might be more understandable and cooperate so we can all leave. Just say you surrender to the muckfurs, out loud so "they" can hear, we'll go to the "power in the south", make the same offer, and by tomorrow we can all be on our way out of this dump. What do you say, Corev? Do you really want to fight to stay in this cage?"
Well, I don't know anything about ships in space, but I do know my folk are in need of food, and herbs from the swamp. We've started to cultivate our own food now, but the swamp is dangerous. Maybe you can make a deal, the leader says and shrugs it's not like we can do much against those yetis
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Asier takes a back seat in dealing with the gnolls, trying to not interfere with their actions as much as possible. But after getting a good series of videos with proper notes and memos attached for later filing and organization, he steps forwards. "Given that this place is some sort of experiment about domination, a 'cage match', if you will, as Hermena has put it, it brings me, with a 83% likelihood, 'great pleasure' to hear that you are willing to pursue a peaceful resolution. I am 67% posisitive that we can reach a satisfactory agreement with the Muckfurs as well. Now there seems to be a third 'power' in this place. Do you have any tales, stories or anecdotes about a 'ghost,' 'power' or entity in the swamp? Did any of the groups you sent to gather herbs ever get attacked? How long ago did you last gather them? Were the yetis here at that time?"
The swamp is home to a terrible demon, the gnoll leader says, only last week we've lost another few of us trying to gather herbs.
The demon takes various shapes... sometimes a cat, sometimes a boar, sometimes a snake. Sometimes a set of dancing lights in the distance. It will play tricks on your mind and lead you astray. None has ever come face to face with its true form and lived to tell the tale! Fleeing is impossible!
The journey into swamp takes the group back across the lowlands. The gnoll chief briefly commented on the plains, saying the soil is made of very fertile peat, that is a great fertilizer when wet, but burns with a thick smoke when allowed to dry out.
As the group near the swamp, the air becomes more humid and the heat oppressive. There is a perpetual haze in this part of the cave, and thick vegetation.
Suddenly, the air is filled with the sound of a deep groan, of a creature in mortal pain.
A few steps further, the swamp’s tangled vegetation gives way and opens into a wide clearing bordered by towering, mildly luminescent mushrooms that stand over twenty feet tall. The smell of rotten flesh pervades the area, lingering in the stillness as if trapped.
The mushrooms give off a dim green light - eerily illuminating four dead gnolls, Gruesome symbols of unknown meaning have been carved into the gnolls’ chests and faces.
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Modern Body casts Junksword (analog, block and reach special properties). "Let's see what sort of obstacle those bastards placed here. Check the gnolls, maybe they harvested the herbs before getting killed - that would make our job a lot easier."
Modern Body tries to identify the symbols:
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Kai draws his static arc pistol and a baton, and looks for threats.
Modern Body tries to discern the meaning of the strange marking, but they look to be mere mutilation, serving to warn off trespassers. Hermena finds that the gnolls were dragged here after they died. Furthermore, there's hoof-prints in the surrounding mud.
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"If you ever show me a ghost that leaves behind hoof-prints, I'll show you a fraud. It might be invisible, but this is no ghost. "
Modern Body casts Detect Magic, on the bodies and around the clearing.
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Kai investigates the scene. "We might be dealing with an animal - probably attacking to defend its territory."
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Asier determines the gnolls died approximately a week ago—two of them from lethal puncture wounds in their necks and chests, but the other two with signs of internal bruising and ruptured eardrums.
Dr Buse and Modern Body spot several circles of mushrooms in the area, lovingly tended. One of them has been crushed by gnoll footprints.
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"Call me a smoke-huffing yeti, but I think destroying the mushroom garden might be the trigger to the murder event in this area. Damn game designers." Modern Body concludes, without enough clues.
"I think this is good enough. " he yells towards the south, using the full power of his lungs.
He casts token spell to illuminate a pebble and tosses it on top of the tallest mushroom around.
"I'd rather solve this while my junksword is still active." he looks displeased as he sheathes it around his hand, looking like a glove of scrap metal.
If this gets no reaction, he'll move on, trying to follow the hoof prints.
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"Everything has to be a spectacle." mutters Kai.
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Lexicor is impressed with the party's ability to uncover the clues.
Heading deeper into the swamp may be the only way to find the ghost or whatever it is. Or at least that seems to be how these gnolls found it. We should strive for a different outcome at least.
Lexicor motions towards the path to follow as well.
Modern body calls out, but there is no response. Dr. Buse tries to collect some of the stomped mushrooms, but they are mostly a mush of decomposing fungus and mud.
The party ventures deeper into the swamp. The path through the swamp becomes clearer here, a hard-packed earthen trail winding its way between grasping branches beneath a canopy of gigantic mushrooms. A scraggly heap beneath one particularly large mushroom seems to contain at least a few unmoving limbs - the dead bodies of two yetis.
Kai spots a trail of uprooted trees and bushes, and evidence that the yetis were dragged here - again, by a hoofed creature.
The path to the south contains thorny branches, which will make it hard, if not painful to move through.
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"Damn murder horse, making us waste time..." complains Modern Body, out loud.
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"The creature either likes to keep her lair clean of corpses - there's no evidence it has eaten any part of them - or is trying to scare further interlopers away from approaching. I believe she is quite intelligent." muses Kai.
The group struggles through the thorny bushes, the branches lashing them and causing lacerations - without too much effect, fortunately. At the end of the path, another clearing emerges. The crumpled stem of a giant mushroom blocks the path at the north end of this clearing, its faintly glowing cap knocked halfway from its base. Thin, wispy fog blankets the ground, swirling about in curious patterns and eddies. Overhead, the largest mushrooms yet stand sentinel, with occasional bursts of spores lighting the sky like flashes of lightning.
Below it, a spotlessly white unicorn makes a sharp contrast with the starfinders, who by now have racked up quite a caking of mud, peat and other swamp detritus. The unicorn's mane shimmers with a faint glow, but its eyes are an inky black.
It looks at the party with a glare full of cruelty. So, it says, you came so see me? Gnoll, yeti? Whose side are you on?
I am Sparklemane, it says in what is potentially the least sparkly way to pronounce that name, and this is my swamp. As long as I've lived here, none have seen me and lived to tell the tale.
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“Are you f-” starts Modern Body, just as Kai jumps aheads, interrupting him “It would be both, and neither, Sparklemane. We are the Starfinder Society and we’ve been trapped in here with you all - a drone told us that if one of the three powers residing here takes over the other two, everyone will be able to leave. We are trying to forge a truce between all, so we can all be free. Would you help us?”
Modern Body keeps looking from Kai to the unicorn, not believing what he’s seeing, livid. "Did that horse just threaten us?" he asks the rest of the party, in a lower tone. He casts Token Spell to clean himself up.
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Asier moves through the swamp, flitting from one plant to another mushroom and then back to a vine. "Ohh, I haven't seen one of these ever! And this species hasn't been in the pact worlds since the last recorded black market smuggling in 235 AR... Oh and a Flyvine! These are so hard to find sometimes!"
He comes up short as he catches sight of the unicorn and pauses as he processes the information.
"Modern I think you were right, this is not a spirit in the swamp... It's a unicorn! However, Sparklemane, as my friend stated, we are neither of the Yeti nor of the Gnolls, and instead trying to achieve a peaceful resolution to this 'experiment' as it seems to be rather inhumane... uh, in-sentiente? We are also not formally recognized as a group in the experiment and thus can relay messages if you so wish. If you want we could convince the gnolls and yetis to submit to you and then take them away from here to their natural habitats. Yeti for example are not meant to be in such warm lands as these."
Yeah, I suppose you heard the same voice as I did when you arrived here. Domination. Bunch of whack. What use do I have for Yetis and Gnolls? They only come here to trample over my plants. the creature of legend says in a voice severely lacking sparkliness. Not interested. Story's different if you go out and kill them all, of course. It's not that hard.
Yes, I consider my swamp to be my swamp. If it's swamp it's mine. If it's not swamp it's not my swamp. By the way, you are intruding. You haven't been as destructive as those other goons here, but I would appreciate it if you just galloped off now.
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Fine, the unicorn responds to Kai, I see you have good intentions. If you can convince those yetis and gnolls to leave me alone here, I'm willing too cooperate. These gnolls seemed to be searching for something here, so I might even be willing to allow a visit from them, and long as it's not more often than once a week, and for a good purpose. Other than that, I want no intruders on my lands. None.
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"What do you know, the fleabag was actually reasonable - despite between a murderous nutjob. Let's get the herbs the gnolls need, and drop by the muckfur camp to tell them there's a truce between both tribes and the "swamp ghost". We might need to hold Inix's head inside a smoke hole before he agrees, though." suggests Modern Body, as they move away from the unicorn hideout.
Sparklemane provides exact directions to the temple.
it is a building that appears run-down and decrepit, made of broken concrete and pillars half-sunken into the surrounding marshy ground. It bears no ornamentation or any other obvious sign of its purpose. Small glowing mushrooms sprout from some of the cracks in the walls and pillars.
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Hermena begins to look around. Given the nature of how all the other occupants of this vault were introduced, she suspects this non-ornamented structure was not crafted by any of the factions already here. She keeps an eye out for remote recorders or technological items that don't fit with the archaic layout.
The unicorn answers to Dr. Buse I tend to these mushrooms, and make sure they're well looked after, just like all the other plants in this area. There is no significance to them, the soil just makes them grow really well - it's what keeps me comfort in the captivity of this place.
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Hermena investigates the area, but finds no entrance, nor any signs of a hidden passage. There is an obvious 'front' to the structure, where normally one would find an entrance, but it's just a bare wall at this point. There are no obvious signs of technology or magic, but given that the entire area is part of a simulation, there is no telling how the structure may reconfigure once the right simulation triggers have been met.
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Asier pauses as the group leaves apparently interested in something Sparklemane just said. "If we can get this unethical experiment to end, would you like us to take you some place of your own choosing? We could take you most places in the near space. Or maybe even the vast. You don't have to nor should you stay in captivity!"
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Asier stares at the temple for a bit, this clearly not being something of interest to him. " Maybe it will open up when we finish the experiment? "
Sparklemane looks at Asier I would. There is very little for me here in this place of captivity. While I've tried to make what I can of this swamp, it still doesn't feel real. I know nothing of these near spaces, but I'm sure a better meadow can be found than this prison!
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