GAB—YSOKI ENCAMPMENT
The ysoki crosses her arms and looks guarded. She shrugs. ”I don’t know anything about that, stranger. If you’re visiting one of our businesses, then get to it.”
Looking around the camp, there’s a repair shop, a hydroponics facility, a small cantina, and a VR parlor.
KLYSK—MINING FACILITY
Vex sends you a message confirming that this gnome matches the description and voice identifier as the missing Starfinder agent.
Nelli shouts with excitement when you show her the Starfinder Society emblem. ”I haven’t seen any other Starfinders since Absalom Station fell and I fled here to Akiton. Oh, if only the Dataphiles had managed to save Guidance from the Data Plague, we’d know what to do!”
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Klysk is silent for a moment, before telepathically replying Nelli's statement. {Nelli, I think that something has happened to you. Guidance is still fully functional back on Absalom Station, and not only that, you aren't really on Akiton. You, and every individual here in this town, are located inside one of the vaults of Salvation's End. My three companions and I were sent in here to investigate it after some anomalous readings were detected. You in fact went missing here several months ago.}
He pauses for a moment, sending a comm message through his custom rig to Vex detailing the basics of what he had just learned, ending with saying that he will likely be connecting again momentarily. He then returns his full attention to Nelli. {I think that there is someone that you should probably speak with. I can contact the Venture Captain of Salvation's End, Venture Captain Vex. Would you like for me to do this?}
GAB--YSOKI ENCAMPMENT
When you get to the VR Parlor, you see several miners sitting in lounge chairs with special headphones and eyepieces. They look very relaxed. A young ysoki bustles over to you. He speaks in rapid-fire speech. "Hi! Mynameis Kib. Areyouhere totry out VR? Freetest for yourfirstime! Whattype ofexperience wouldyoulike?
KLYSK—MINING FACILITY
Nelli expresses complete disbelief at first, but slowly, as Vex patiently walks her through everything, she starts to believe. "I think . . . somehow I always knew. But these people in town--they're real, too. How are we ever going to help them? Well, whatever you need, I'm in."
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Klysk nods at Nelli, telepathically saying {So far my teammates and I are currently here to investigate what is going on inside the vault here, as there were some anomalous signals that we detected emerging from within here. If necessary we will try everything we can to help those who are in here. What do you know about what is happening here? Anything at all that you can think of will be useful.}
After Nelli provides any information that she can about the vault, Klysk pauses for a moment before 'speaking' again. {Earlier you said something about being willing to create a distraction to allow me to slip inside the facility here. I'm not sure what I would be looking for in there, but it would still probably be good to investigate nonetheless. These vaults haven't ever been straightforward from what I've been told.}
GAB--YSOKI ENCAMPMENT
Kib claps his hands. "I'vegot the funniestholo! Guaranteed laughriot!" He leads you over to a chair and straps on the VR gear. The words "Hilarious Experience" begin repeating over and over again on the lenses. That seems to be the entirety of the program.
KLYSK—MINING FACILITY
Nelli doesn't seem to have any information about the vault, and can't remember what happened to her or how she got her. She just knows that she's supposed to get that meditation tablet but that she's always stymied by the facility manager's keen watch over the facility.
When you're ready, she runs around the corner shouting nonsense. When Drak sees her, he shakes his fist, yells about the "good for nothing gnome", and chases her. It's easy for you to slip inside the facility. There is some sort of mining or processing operation here, but there's no Contempative ruins in the ravine.
KLYSK—MINING FACILITY
Studying the scene for a moment, you realise something that seems crazy at first. The facility is "mining" already refined thasteron! Indeed, a complex series of pipes puts back into the ground what had just minutes before been taken out of it.
GAB--YSOKI ENCAMPMENT
Kib suggests a thrilling action adventure, but when you give it a try, the words "Exhilirating Experience" flash over and over on the screen. Looking over the equipment, it appears to be a normal VR set but the content of the holos is these repeated messages.
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Klysk quickly takes mental notes to his custom rig covering what he is able to see of the process, even taking a small sample if it would be possible to do so without triggering any potential alarms. He then slips out of the facility while trying to avoid any unwanted attention, meeting back up with Nelli before messaging the others with what he found about the facility.
GAB--YSOKI ENCAMPMENT
When you get to the cantina, you learn it is run with a quiet, no-nonsense steadiness by an android named Triss-5. Percussion music plays I the background, and it looks like all the equipment in the cantina is Veskarium design. A few hylki miners have gathered here for post-shift drinks.
Triss-5 walks over to you. "Would you like a drink? Sorry we don't have any better music--our music holo player is malfunctioning." She points at an old, Pact-made device.
GAB--YSOKI ENCAMPMENT
Triss-5 gives a small shrug. "Sounds like politics to me. I try to avoid that sort of thing."
When you examine the music holo player, you learn that it only plays four separate clips from four songs saying “This. Is. The. End.”, though the last word changes to “Beginning” every four verses through the eerie tune. Something about the program chip is intriguing, and you're able to collect it for further study later.
Obozaya rendezvouses with you for an initial assessment, and shares what she's learned. "I tried to get into the garrison, but the guards weren't having it. I used my normal cover as a "merc looking for work", and they put me through on the comms to an annoying skittermander secretary. He said he could arrange an appointment with the governor and would get back to me." Obozaya shrugs. "Could be useful to talk to whoever's at the top. And unlike Pact World politicians, this won't be any political hack. Veskarium governors are respected warriors."
PHASE 2
KULTAINEN
GAB
OBOZAYA
KLYSK
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{I'm not sure Kultainen. As it is, I don't know how long we might end up staying inside this vault. By the way, here is Nelli.} He gestures to the gnomish woman as he introduces her in person to the others.
After spending some time sharing whatever information he has that he already hadn't conveyed through comm messages, Klysk looks around the settlement. {I think I'll head up to investigate the shrines. I've never particularly much of someone to spend time worshiping, but I am interested to see how the Veskarim being here has influenced this.}
PHASE 2
KULTAINEN--BARRACKS
You see small group of shobhad mercenaries reside in barracks atop the south mesa, and they’re sparring and checking their equipment in preparation for battle. The obvious leader of the group looks you up and down, but doesn't seem interested in speaking with you.
GAB--YSOKI ENCAMPMENT
You look over the hydroponics facility and surmise it must be where most of the town's fresh produce comes from. On your way out, you walk near the repair shop and see several ysokis repairing damaged Veskarium armor. The ysokis looks friendly enough if you want to talk with them.
KLYSK--SHRINES
Following some tunnels through the central mesa, you come across small shrines to Abadar, Eloritu, Iomedae, Pharasma, and Talavet, surrounded by a much large chapel to Damoritosh. A few Vesk soldiers are offering prayers here.
A hylki priest of Pharasma introduces himself. "Welcome, newcomer. I am Holden Draven, caretaker of the sacred spaces of Buyer's Remorse. If there is something I can assist you with, please let me know. Otherwise, feel free to look around."
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Klysk nods at the man after he finishes speaking, before broadcasting to him only {Thank you. My name is Klysk, and if I need any assistance, I will certainly let you know.} He then begins moving around and looking at the various shrines, examining their structural design as much if not more than their religious nature. Scatter keeps pace a few feet behind him.
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Kultanien offers a wicked smile to the training shobhad.
She sidles over to their leader "Looks like there has been plenty of work recently. Probably enough that breaking off training for ten minutes to have a chat wouldn't hurt. Or you could leave your sergeant over there in charge of them and have a quiet drink with me..."
GAB--YSOKI ENCAMPMENT
The ysoki repair team is amazed by just how much you know. "Thanks fella! Hey, you need a job? If those Vesks keep fighting those mysterious invaders on the outskirts of town, they'll be plenty of work here." A quick follow up question reveals that no one is sure who the invaders are, where they come from, or who sent them.
KULTAINEN--BARRACKS
Venture-Captain Vex sends you a shobhad ritual greeting, and Nelli reminds you not to approach from behind. But unfortunately, the shobhad in charge of the group just grunts, ignores you, and continues barking out commands to his troops.
KLYSK--SHRINES
Looking at the shrines, you realise something curious about them: each has hidden magical-tech hybrid devices built into them to diminish and misdirect divination magic and amplify memory-altering enchantments. Could this be a way to maintain the simulated nature of the environment even when worshippers are communing with their gods?
OBOZAYA--DINER
Obozaya relays a news broadcast to all of you that is being played on the holo in the town diner. She seems a bit bemused by it. In the broadcast, a Vesk journalist is talking about the conquest of Absalom Station and showing documentary video of the destruction of the Armada. Footage shows the Veskarium invasion fleet quickly destroying the handful of functioning Pact Worlds starships, including the Master of Stars, which is, for some reason, colored a strange pink instead of its traditional green and yellow. The broadcast then switches to a celebatory feed of the Veskarium fleet dismantling Absalom Station as they extract the Starstone for transport to Vesk-Prime. "I like this sim better than the one with the dwarves!" Obozaya teases.
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Gab helps them out a bit. As he offers them some help, he invokes an age-old Ysoki scrounger custom. "Got any spare stuff in the lost and found I could have for my collection?"
He calls to the group, "Okay, this is weird. So they're tellin' me there's some kind of outside invaders, but nobody's sure exactly what they are. Never seen 'em. They apparently stay on the outskirts of town. The hydroponics facility is real, but the VR stuff just loops text ... and they somehow don't seem to realize it. The last of these Vaults I was in really did a lot to make sure that it seemed realistic ... so why it isn't even bothering to run realistic holoprograms is kind of strange."
He listens to the other reports.
"I'm gonna go check out their clinic, see if there's any injuries from these 'mysterious invaders' that may shed some light on who they are."
PHASE 3
You may all take your Phase 3 actions now.
GAB--CLINIC
You see the clinic consists of a small medical center on the central mesa, run by a female elf named Diniel. She gives you a warm greeting and explains that the clinic offers basic spellcasting services, tier 3 medicinals, and mk 3 serums of healing. "You don't look ill, if you don't mind me saying so. And I don't think you're from the encampment? Visiting relatives there?"
Ysoki encampment: The leader of the ysokis didn't want to talk with Gab, but someone could try again. However, Gab did turn up an interesting piece of tech in a holo-music player, noticed that holo-vids were just text messages on repeat, and heard that mysterious invaders had attacked the outskirts of the town.
Yon's diner: Obozaya showed you the "news broadcast" of the Veskarium invading Absalom Station and taking the Starstone. There's nothing else to do here.
The Clinic: Gab is here now--pending.
Shrines: Klysk noticed hybrid devices to deflect divination spells. There's nothing else to do here.
Mining Facility: Klysk noticed that the facility was just "mining" already refined thasteron and then returning it to the ground. There's nothing else to do here.
Shobhad Barracks: Kultainen wasn't able to get the shobhad leader to speak to her, but someone could try again.
Veskarium Garrison: Obozaya made an appointment to speak with the governor. There's nothing else to do here.
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Gab replies in Elven,
He looks around the facilities, trying to get a feel for if this looks like a well-used medical clinic, or something superficial like the holo recreation facility.
KULTAINEN--YSOKI ENCAMPMENT
Looking around the encampment, you see dozens of ysoki are about, many working at small businesses. An older female ysoki named Neknok seems to be the leader of the encampment, and she looks you over carefully before deciding that you're trustworthy. "Cut the dung. Visitors don't turn up to Buyer's Remorse. So I'm guessing you're either a Steward, a Starfinder, or a spy from those mysterious invaders. So who are you, and what do you really want to know?"
GAB--CLINIC
Diniel smiles when she's addressed in Elven. "Well, Buyer's Remorse isn't much to see. But if you're looking for a place off the beaten track, then this is it." Looking around her clinic, this seems like a "real" place for treatment.
KLYSK--BARRACKS
At first the shobhad leader doesn't seem inclined to speak with you, but Venture-Captain Vex suggests ostentatiously flaunting some of your high-quality weaponry and armor. It's enough to get the shobhad to halt training and wander over to you. "Good tech," he grunts. "You looking for work? We're going up against them soon, and could use a hand."
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Klysk will - assuming that the shobhad leader is fine with it - address them telepathically. {It would greatly depend on who or what this 'them' you speak of is. I don't like going into any situations where I am fighting an enemy I know little about.} Klysk tilts his head slightly as he looks up at the much taller figure.
KLYSK--BARRACKS
The shobhad nods. "Smart answer. I saw them attack, from the north. They came through a tear in the sky--I reckon they're invaders from another plane. We beat them back. I picked up some trophies--have a look."
The shobhad holds out a handful of broken pieces of equipment--they look exactly like the holoprojectors you saw at the edges of the vault when you first entered.
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"Interesting conclusions." notes Kultanien.
"And how are Stewards and Starfinders seen in this town?" she asks, not wanting to confirm one way or the other who she is.
"As to what I want to know... I'm curious about the history of this town. And also about these invaders. We got attacked by some odd creatures out there on our way in. Are they the invaders you are talking about?"
KULTAINEN--YSOKI ENCAMPMENT
Neknok nods with grudging appreciation as you keep your cards close to the vest. Finally, she shrugs. "If you're a Steward, you'd want to talk to Diniel over at the clinic. If you're a Starfinder, then look around for a gnome in the mine. I'm guessing you're not with the invaders, though they come in all shapes and sizes too--elves, dwarves, robots, and even armored transports." She sighs. "As for the history of Buyer's Remorse, what's there to tell? When the Veskarium swept into the Pact Worlds after the Data Plague and banned the use of Drift technology by non-vesk, the side-effect was the rejuvenation of Akiton's thasteron mining enterprises and environmental improvement efforts. This little span of rock and dust called Buyer's Remorse got a new lease on life."
GAB--CLINIC
Diniel says "Well, it seems you have a way off-world. And for some reason, I feel like I can trust you. So I'm going to come out with it: I'm one of the few surviving Stewards in the system. I've devoted my years in hiding to keeping the spirit of the Absalom Pact alive by preserving and disseminating knowledge of what life was like before the Data Plague and the Veskarium conquest. Can I give you copies of my records to hold onto? Keep them secret and keep them safe."
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Klysk looks over the shobhad's trophies he is presenting, being careful to make it clear that he isn't moving to take any from them. Taking note of the fact that they resemble pieces of the holoprojectors, he nods to the large individual in front of him. {Thank you for letting me see. These certainly seem to be peculiar invaders to me. Seeing as how I don't have anywhere else to go for tonight, it is quite likely that I'll be helping out the town in one way or another tonight. Hopefully we can help each other out if either of us gets in trouble.} With that, he nods and heads off to rejoin the others elsewhere in town.
"I just got a comm message from that annoying skittermander secretary. The governor's ready to see us."
When you get to the garrison, you see it is busy with activity, as conscripted soldiers fortify the walls, check vital systems, and perform weapons checks.
Three soldiers wait outside the governor’s office, accompanied by a red-furred skittermander wearing a pith helmet. "Hi Hi Hi! I'm Giggentenk. Pleased pleased please to meet you! Check out my beetle terrarium! Awesome!" Giggentenk talks your ears off for a few minutes before the governor signals she's ready to meet you.
Inside the governor’s office, a display of Swarm corrovox heads and a set of immense pincers behind the desk sets a grim tone.
The vesk within has a pair of pistols and a handful of grenades in easy reach, and looks through the holodisplay on her desk showing the town’s defences; the images highlight her orange and white scale patterns.
“Here’s our new mystery out of the desert. You don’t look local.”
She throws a charred piece of armor on the table with an unfamiliar, seven-toothed cog on it
“You don’t wear this mark? Are you agents of the Vault Lord? If so, speak up quickly so I can shoot you and get back to work. Just don’t waste my time or I’ll be upset.”
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Gab begins speaking in Vesk,
Returning to Common, so everyone can be involved in the conversation, he says, "We know nothing about this Vault Lord, nor of this mark. It seems this town has some trouble. Perhaps if we knew more, we could help resolve it for you. If we fail ... well, you get us out of your scales. If we succeed, then that's one problem off your plate."