Twisted Nicknick does not detect any auras beyond those among the party's items. Ji-Thil does not detect any likely threats.
The Doors Open - Round One Cont'd
Ja-Thil[/b] -1 SP
Murgatroyd-01 -2 SP
Twisted Nick -3 SP
RF-209 -8 SP
Perimeter Plasma -5 SP
The party assembles near the door.
An L-shaped plastic table and accompanying chairs are haphazardly shoved in the northwest area of this circular space. Doors exit to the south and east of this otherwise empty chamber.
Interior of room now revealed on Map.
A pair of hairy beasts with gaping, tooth-filled mouths stand within the room. One looks up immediately, opens its mouth and rushes toward the android.
However, its jaws fail to connect.
COMBAT ROUND ONE
Red creature
Perimeter Plasma -5 SP
RF-209 -8 SP
Murgatroyd-01 -2 SP
Twisted Nick -3 SP
Ja-Thil -1 SP
Yellow creature
RF-209 uses his move action to identify the creature using his micro lab.
RF-209 realizes that the creature before you all is not the product of any natural evolution.
He’s gonna shoot a dart filled with an awesome cocktail that is ment to lower the beast his AC with 2
If he and when he has a clear shot at any of the 2 creatures.
COMBAT ROUND ONE
Red creature
Perimeter Plasma -5 SP
RF-209 -8 SP
Murgatroyd-01 -2 SP
Twisted Nick -3 SP
Ja-Thil -1 SP
Yellow creature
The solid punch from Murgatroyd-01 is followed by the sound of a deadly *snap* and the attacking beast drops to the ground limp and lifeless.
Perimeter will take a guarded step and step back to get a clear shot, then fire his Auto Pistol.
Perimeter Plasma steps forward and lands a solid shot into the furry hide of the remaining creature .
With the second creature near the other door, RF-209 still does not have a clear shot.
COMBAT ROUND ONE
Red creature -9 HP
Perimeter Plasma -5 SP
RF-209 -8 SP
Murgatroyd-01 -2 SP
Twisted Nick -3 SP
Ja-Thil -1 SP
Yellow creature
The solarian's strike fails to connect, but Twisted Nicknick's spell swiftly drops the remaining beast .
This mess hall is mostly abandoned and rarely used, with randomly placed tables and chairs pushed against walls or carelessly overturned.
The door to the east, exiting further into the outpost is unlocked.
Suddenly, from down the other corridor and emanating from within the room where you initially entered, there is a bright flash of light and the sizzling sound of seared earth and plastisteel!
A quick glance reveals that a laser security trap has sprung in the room, undoubtedly from the wall panel that had been humming.
Claxons go off immediately after the laser trap activates!
The camera in the ceiling of the now seared room slowly turns to peer in your direction down the length of the corridor.
Static crackles as an intercom pops to life. A voice reverberates from the walls, which is accompanied by the flickering and pulsing of lights from within the ceiling and walls--the patterns akin to the visual language utilized by the natives of this world.
“So, it seems I have some unwelcome guests intruding upon my solitude." speaks the voice over the intercom. The voice is heavily accented, yet clearly in Common. Its tone is harsh and stern, yet somewhat airy. "Leave now, or you will regret ever venturing farther. This is my first and final warning, trespassers!”
.
|
I'm Twisted Nicknick, the well-known lawyer. Surrender now and I will defend you at your trial.
To the others: Well, I think the way continues here. Murgatroyd-01, can you please open the door?
Murgatroyd opens the east door and advances through the corridor, wondering if there are more traps./
Murgatroyd spots none.
If nothing happens, he'll open the next door, once the party is close to him.
Nothing happens when he opens the door. Passing through the corridor, he reaches another door and opens it.
Upon opening the door, you spy a thirty-foot-wide circular room with supply lockers lining the walls. Varied pieces of equipment are visible within some of the open lockers, while others are piled on the floor in front of hastily cleared units. Doors exit this chamber to the west and southwest.
This room, though mostly ransacked, once served as the supply room and arsenal for the former colonists.
Suddenly, a camera in the ceiling turns toward you and the light panels in the walls and ceiling begin to pulse and flash.
"Your fate has now been sealed, interlopers!" hisses the voice over the intercom.
|
|
Well you lay down my offer. You’ll need to find out another lawyer... or maybe not. And that’s someone unarmed who say this.
Then to the others: I think it’s time we open the next door. Be ready.
He casts Detect magic on the door.
Well you lay down my offer. You’ll need to find out another lawyer... or maybe not. And that’s someone unarmed who say this.
"Where I am headed is outside of your jurisdiction!" the pulsing lights and intercom voice respond in unison. "Once I hatch the eggs of the Sky Mother, I will have an interstellar armada of such aberrations to conquer other worlds."
he shouts maniacally as the lights flicker brightly.
He casts Detect magic on the door.
The ysoki detects no auras.
"We shall meet soon, 3pulsesthen2 - the exile! Your wrongdoings won't be overlooked. Cease your evil acts and face justice!"
"So, the villagers told you who I am, then?" comes the exile's reply through sound and light. "No matter. Those fools knew nothing of the true nature of the Xenowardens or their living starship! Instead, those simpletons chose to only worship them from afar as so-called, 'Sky Minders'. I , however, am not so narrow in my thinking. For I am the Evolutionary Luminary!"
"You label my deeds as 'evil' and 'unjust', but it is you that slew the precious 'Sky Mother' that the villagers held so dear. It was you who robbed them of any means of hatching their 'sacred' eggs without the incubation facilities held within this outpost."
"It was you," the exile shouts with deafening tone and blinding light, "who destroyed a living starship and cut off my means of immediately leaving this world behind."
"It is YOU who are the evil ones!" declares 3pulsesthen2. "And it is the snuffing of your foul lights that will restore the proper glow to this world!" So loud and intense are these final words of the Evolutionary Luminary that they blow out the speakers within the arsenal room and the lights on the walls, ceiling, and cameras spark and explode, showering the room in shards of pastisteel, metal, and glass!
After everyone searches the room (and the door for traps, hopefully), Murgatroyd opens the next door.
The untrapped door opens into a short hallway, ending in another door.
|
|
I don't talk to you about any juridiction. I talked to you about you. That's all. The sarfinders can operate everywhere anyway.
The ysoki casts a new Detect magic on the door.
Go back a little perhaps.
Then he casts a Psychokinetic hand which should be able to open the door for them.
Then he casts a Psychokinetic hand which should be able to open the door for them.
The door opens revealing an immense circular room that is bare, except for several computer screens and databanks that line the inner walls. Chairs jut out from some of these computerized desks, while doors exit to the northeast, southeast, and southwest.
Near the door way of stands another pair of beasts similar to those that you had swiftly defeated earlier.
The spacious area they guard clearly once served as the command and control center for the entire outpost. Several of the computers have obviously short circuited or broken down, but about half of the terminals are still functioning.
Behind them, crouched behind a chair, is one of the natives, his coloring far bluer and more intense than those of the natives that you had encountered earlier. Pulses of light flash from his skin angrily, identifying him as the exile, 3pulsesthen2!
Images for the Exile and First World Creatures on Slides.
3pulsesthen2 is adorned in a suit of graphite carbonskin, which is formed in a style that, while outdated, is indicative of those among the Pact Worlds. The Exile holds a laser pistol in one hand and a small blade in the other!
COMBAT ROUND ONE BEGINS
Perimeter Plasma -5 SP
RF-209 -8 SP
Murgatroyd-01 -2 SP
Twisted Nick -3 SP
3pulsesthen2
Ja-Thil -1 SP
Beast (yellow)
Beast (red)
Both of the creatures succumb to the technomancer's fiery spell. The ysoki then sends a bolt of magical force into the exile, wounding him severely.
When the Iomedaean enters the room, the one that 3pulsesthen2 has been saving his ire for, the exile commands, "Flee!"
The Starfinder readily shakes off the spell.
"Your will may withstand my demands, but let us see how your companions fare!" The exile then glows and glares at the ysoki that had so wounded him and attempts to overload the Starfinder's mind with a glut of psychic information.
COMBAT ROUND ONE CONT'D/ROUND TWO BEGINS
Ja-Thil -1 SP
Beast (yellow)
Beast (red)
Perimeter Plasma -5 SP
RF-209 -8 SP
Murgatroyd-01 -2 SP
Twisted Nick -10 SP | -9 HP
3pulsesthen2 -13 HP
"Never."
Murgatroyd approaches the villain and tries to exact justice.
The exile drops to the ground.
COMBAT ROUND ONE CONT'D/ROUND TWO BEGINS
Ja-Thil -1 SP
Beast (yellow)
Beast (red)
Perimeter Plasma -5 SP
RF-209 -8 SP
Murgatroyd-01 -2 SP
Twisted Nick -10 SP | -9 HP
3pulsesthen2 -13 HP | -1 RP
|
|
If you want to make a prisoner, be quick and tie him firmly! Otherwise I shot another volley of missiles.
The ysoki stays ready to cast.
Then we should go out quickly as well. There is perhaps a trap here.
The exile's body has the following on his person: graphite carbonskin, azimuth laser pistol with 1 battery (14 charges), survival knife, credstick (800 credits).
If left unharmed, the exile does indeed regain consciousness within several seconds of going down and prepares to lash out at you, his hated foes.
The Starfinders readily slay the exile.
In this room, you can access the command-center computer and retrieve information on what happened to the outpost and several interesting finds that the colonists discovered about nearby systems.
With the threat of the exile and the summoned security creatures abated, the Starfinders are free to explore the remainder of the facility.
Locations now indicated on Map
Officer's Quarter
This tight room contains little beyond an imposing plastic desk and an nearby chair. A single exit door leads to the northeast. This room was once the private quarters for the commanding officer of the Xenowardens. The addition of luminescent moss and fungi indicates that 3pulsesthen2 had claimed the room as his personal lair. Inside, you discover a variety items the exile has stolen or hoarded over the years, not only operations manuals and translation equipment, but also a seed bank, containing seeds for many rare and unusual herbs and plants valued for medicinal and industrial purposes that 3pulsesthen2 undoubtedly hoped would allow him to colonize and control other worlds.
Medical Center
A medical bed stands in the center of the room. A plastic shelving unit that curves around the southern wall of the circular chamber contains an assortment of vials and random tools. The only exit is a door to the southwest.
This room served as the medical center for the colonists. Although it is in some disrepair, it is still functional and can be used as an
immovable medical lab. The exile has clearly used most of the supplies over the years, but some valuable medical equipment remains. The shelving unit in this chamber contains four mk 1 serums of healing, two basic medkits, and four medpatches.
Barracks
This was the sleeping quarters of the former colonists. Now rarely used by the exile, the room is mostly empty except for some bunk-bed units and remnants of personal items from the original residents.
Security Center
Panels of electronics wrap around this thirty-foot-wide circular room. The steady hum of energized computers gently drones, while lights rhythmically flash on and off. Monitor screens display live images of various rooms throughout the outpost. Door exit to the west and north.
Displays feed the video from the outpost’s cameras into this room. The controls are an older form of hybrid technology and magical defenses; the hybridization was intended to allow easier access to the chamber for colonists that were proficient in one or the other. The terminals in this chamber have the command authorization to summon and program the magical First World beasts that had served as security forces.
Hydroponics Bay
Here, rows of greenery line the southern and northern spaces of this fifty-foot-wide circular chamber. Curved plastic walls lead up to a transparent ceiling, partially obscured by chunks of random debris atop it but still clear enough to admit sunlight. Doors exit the area to the north and east.
The exile used this area to maintain an ongoing supply of food. The fruits and vegetables grown here provided nourishment for the former colonists using the skillful techniques provided by the Xenowardens, and the exile had clearly taken to consuming them on a regular basis.
|
|
Engineering:
The ysoki opens the locked cabinet and retrieves the objects.
Among the informations in the computer he tries to get the diplomatic, economic and military ones.
|
“Yet again, evil lays at the feet of justice. May the light of Iomedae keep guiding us.”
Murgatroyd can't help with any computers or engineering checks, but he volunteers a suggestion: "Is there anything about that foul storm that tried to harm us on the way here? How to turn it off."
Otherwise, he grabs his comm unit and starts making a tally of everything found on the station, to report back to Guidance.
Among the informations in the computer he tries to get the diplomatic, economic and military ones.
Using the information obtained from the outpost computers, you are able to construct the following rough timeline of events.
Amiable, Inc. sought to colonize the planet that it later designated as Colony-843 after its intersystem probes revealed the planet to be a lush world full of life. Unlike other, more profit-motivated corporations known to make quick planet grabs in an effort to possess and exploit new resources, Amiable, Inc., though small in size, strove to act in an environmentally-conscience manner. The corporation reached out to the Xenowardens before setting about constructing its initial outpost on the planet. The Xenowardens, in turn, expressed interest in the life on the planet and agreed to partially fund the expedition in addition to providing monitoring of its ecological impact on the newly discovered world.
Once the outpost was established, the Xenowardens began taking account of the rare and spectacular creatures that dwelled on and around the planet, including a Besmaran whelp. It was not long before the Xenowardens realized that the forest near which the outpost was established included a sort of “thin space”, where the First World connected with the Material Plane and that the fertility of the First World flowed through the connection into the planet, often with unpredictable results.
Exploration into this connection perturbed some of the local fey that dwelled in the First World. Consummate tricksters, the fey used illusions and shape-shifting to cause discontent and strife among the colonists.
The fey’s efforts, conducting largely in secret without the colonists knowledge, led to distrust, infighting, and internal strife among the colonists. Soon, the joint venture ended. Amible, Inc., unable to make a quick enough return on their investment, withdrew from the venture and soon thereafter went bankrupt. Many of the Xenowardens departed as well, though a few remained behind with hopes of both continuing the exploration of the world and protecting its resources from outsiders.
Yet, the divisions and distrust among the Xenowardens, driven further by the fey’s actions, eventually turned violent. The remaining colonists were wiped out by internal strife along with many of their experiments, but not before one of colonists, distrustful of her colleagues, sought out the locals and entrusted them with the care of the eggs of the mother Besmaran whelp.
For centuries, the outpost remained abandoned until curiosity drove 3pulsesthen2 to explore the ruins. His knowledge limited, the exile experimented and guessed at how much of what he found in the outpost worked. One of his earliest efforts in summoning creatures from the First World, resulted in his binding some sort of living storm to the site. Although the elemental-like being was too large and powerful for him to either return or contain, its presence nevertheless urged him to continue his efforts.
Eventually, learning much of the Common tongue of the Pact Worlds, he was able to get some of the equipment working, summoning creatures from the First World as security and servants. Using the summoned creatures and those few loyal to him within the village, 3pulsesthen2 had clear designs to steal the eggs of the Besmaran whelp that are current in the care of the village. Having uncovered references to the Xenowardens' own use of living starships, 3pulsesthen2 planned to create an armada of his own.
Murgatroyd can't help with any computers or engineering checks, but he volunteers a suggestion: "Is there anything about that foul storm that tried to harm us on the way here? How to turn it off."
With its otherworldly nature now made clear, you surmise that you may be able to use the technology remaining in the outpost to release the bounded storm and possibly even send it back to the First World.