Adventures on Vesk-3! And Skittermanders!
The six armed heroes of Skitter Shot and Skitter Crash have earned a break and are heading to the skittermander home world of Vesk-3 for a planet-wide celebration! But things are sure to be anything but relaxing...
Chapter 1: The Festival of the Eclipse
Vesk-3's two moons are known as the Big Mother and the Firstborn, witht the latter being the smaller of the two. The Big Mother eclipses the Firstborn on a semi-annual basis and when this occurs, the planet's skittermanders hold a festival known as Reetamander, which loosely translates to "The Great Birthing." The days prior to the celestial event are spent decorating the streetsand large fields outside of large metropolises where the eclips can be viewed safely. While the hours leading up to the eclipse are spent in games and revelry, the festivities don't begin in earnest until after the larger moon has fully eclipsed the smaller.
Festival participants then gather together to light scented bonfires and perform traditional rhyming chants, believing that these efforts will ease the Big Mother's "birthing pains" as the Firstborn moves out of its shadow. As the smaller moon begins to appear, the songs become more boisterous and course of delicious food are brought and consumed long into the night. The celebrations reach an apex when the Firstborn becomes fully visible again, as the skittermanders rejoice that the moon is now free to hunt and grow on its own like any newborn.
The skittermanders Dakoyo, Gazigaz, Nako, and Quonx work for Nakonechkin Salvage, a small but scrappy company that operates all throughout the universe under the management of its owner, the vesk whose name the company bears. After some tough missions, these skittermanders have arrived in Morandomandrana- Vesk-3's oldest skittermander city by far- to join in on the Reetamander festivities and perhaps soak in some of their home world's culture that they might have been missing.
Welcome to Morandomandrana!
The seaside city of Morandromandrana is an architectural wonder, made even more stunning by the thousands of colorful decorations hanging from every building and streetlight. Built around a series of wide canals that alow the pink waters ofthe Vermilion Sea to surge and wane between the buildings with the tides, the city many outsiders simply call "Mandrana" also boasts expansive plazas surrounded by skittermander-owned and operated businesses advertising special sales for the festival of Reetamander.
The streets and plazas are packed with residents and visitors- mostly skittermanders , with a few members of other species of he Veskarium standing head and shoulders over the rest- all excitedly chattering and laughing. The revelry of Reetamander is already underway, though the eclipse that is the focus of the celebration is still a few hours away.
Our intrepid helping heroes arrive in the Central Common, the largest of the Morandomandrana's open-air plazas, just after dusk. It is currently packed with festival-goers and stalls presenting all manner of goods, games, and contests. It is a riotous, raucous affair, lit by hundreds of small, electric lanterns strung up between poles, As they wander the plaza, the sight of a stall boasting a contest draws them closer, a pungent peppery smell wafting their way as they approach...
That smell! Dakoyo will snap his head in the direction of the food. Smells good, must have some. Guys! Follow me Dakoyo will go towards the smell of the food.
Gazigaz leans his head back and sniffs the air. Yum! Good idea, Dakoyo! he says as he scurries alongside the other skittermanders up to the stall.
Once Nako catches a whiff of the said smell, there was nothing in her path that would stop her from reaching the source. Nako now charges to the sourse, shoving past those who block her way.
A stout vesk in sunglassed and a neckerchief emblazoned with chilis named Yoloveda in the stall displays baskets teeming with the spicy aroma of jojokolea peppers. She loudly attempt to entice festival-goers to a jojokolea eating contest with the winner getting a secret magnificent prize!
Jojokoleas have seeds that produce high amounts of capsaicin and are highly spicy. For an entry fee of 2 credits, contestants can see how many jojkoleas they can eat before the spiciness overwhelms them.
[ooc]If you choose to participate in the contest, make 8 fortitude saves, which will be counted in order for each pepper. The DC starts really low but will increase as more peppers are successfully eaten. When a save fails, the character begins retching and cannot eat any more jojokoleas that day.
I want to do contest. Sounds Exciting...FUN!
Mako laughs out loud when hearing the Vesks name at the contest stall.
"Ha ha ha! Your name would be Yolo, having a spicy pepper contest, ha ha ha! Now take my money and I'll show you how it's done!"
Gazigaz watches his friends and other contestants shoving the peppers in their mouths, and often retching them back up. He strokes his chin pensively before saying, "Ok, nufriend, I will try your contest--but with dignity!"
He reaches into his pack and produces a small plate, a napkin, and silverware. He tucks the napkin neatly into his collar, then one at a time, he takes a pepper, places it on his plate, carefully cuts it into bitesize pieces, which he eats with a fork.
Yoloveda laughs with glee when each of Nakonechin Salvage employees succumb to retching before they achieve eating eight peppers.
Ah haw haw haw haw! Your bravery is commendable, little handy-dandies, but the jojokolea has bested you in combat. Here, I have some little individual packets of coffee creamers I grabbed from the hotel lobby. Maybe they help salve your wounds, no?
Yoloveda then puts away the case of mk 2 serums of healing that would have been awarded to anyone who could consume eight jojokoleas.
Undeterred by the unsuccessful venture in jojokolea eating, the stalwart multi-armed helpers continue on in taking in the sights and sounds of the festival. They spot a lavender furred skittermander calling for participants to take part in his clever game of building and stacking random assortments of various objects, called "Gin-Jaaah".
On your mark, get set, BUILD!
Gazigaz examines the contraption carefully before throwing up his many arms in frustration. "Here, Nako, let me help you lift that object. I fear I stand no chance on my own."
I help too! Dakoyo will go over next to Gazigaz and try to help lifting.
As the buzzer goes off singling the end of the contest, our intrepid heroes place second to a group of well muscled vesk teens whose strength stacked a very high edifice of parts. But the teens, in a fit of back patting and self congratulating, rush off to another contest when one notices a particularly comely vesk harking for who can eat the most of the galaxy's spiciest peppers.
The contest operator gives a six shouldered shrug and turns to the second place winners.
I guess-guess my tail wasn't shapely enough to keep them here to get their prize. Saaaaay, would YOU like to help me out? Maybe you could find them later and give them their prize? No hurries, ok? Take your time. And if you can't find them, just drop it off at a recycle center.
He them hands them a shiny platinum ring.
Gazigaz nods vigorously. "Of course, nufriend, we are always glad to help! Here, Quonx, you hold this."
The skittermander then looks around for the next source of entertainment to catch his eye at the festival.
After our esophagus-burned and muscle weary yet jubilant heroes have had time to enjoy the festival while keeping a look out for the winners of the magic ring, other attendees begin to chatter excitedly. It is clear that the eclipse, the main event of the festival has begun! Skittermanders around Central Common pick up various musical instruments and commence playing upbeat melodies, many of them singing lyrics they've concocted on the spot, while most everyone else looks up and marvels at the lunar phenomenon. Over the next hour, the Firstborn slowly disappears behind the Big Mother. The crowd then lets out a massive cheer...
...which quickly turns to startled screams of sheer panic!
Event 1: Decorative Danger!
Havoc breaks out all across Central Common as strings of lights and colorful pennants snake down to grapple and squeeze any festival goer within reach. Of course, all the skittermanders in attendance attempt to help those who get grabbed, which leads to more ensnared victims!
Quonx recognizes evidence of nanites as the source of the decorations' unnatural movements.
Where the heroes stand, three animated strands reach down to grasp at them and other revelers.
Initiative
Gazigaz
Nako
Quonx
Dakoyo
The ribbons strand lashes out at an aquamarine fur colored skittermander who screams in surprise and terror. She has no weapons nor looks particularly combat effective.
The light string and banner lash out at our heroes!
The light string and banner both whip towards Quonx, attempting to grapple her!
The light strand almost grabs her but does not quite succeed!
The banner also misses Quonx!
The grappled aquamarine furred skittermander screams!
Continue round 1, players actions.
We need to help!
Dakoyo is going to shoot at one of the strands
Gazigaz's eyes go wide as the aggressive advertising becomes downright hostile. He draws his static arc pistol and points his other five hands at the Ribbon Strand.
"Quick, my brave minions, save the pretty lady!" he gives her a wink and quintuple finger guns as he emphasizes pretty.
Nako runs up to try and free the lady.
, a combination of incomprehensible yelling and shouting that you may think is some sort of swearing but you're unsure due to the amount of rage encompassing Nako. It's safe to assume what Nako is saying is not that nice.
Decorative Danger round 2
Gazigaz, grappled
Dakoyo
Nako
Quonx
Dakoyo whips out a pistol with gunslinger agility and fires at the ribbons holding a hostage, needles piercing through it.
Gazigaz conducts himself with inspiring combat direction and imitates a gunslinger in his own right.
Quonx uses her engineering know-how to initiate a simple wave pulse to temporarily disrupt the connection in the nanites.
Nako flexes and her muscles in such a way that would make even a seasoned vesk veteran go "whoa" as she pulls the ribbons off the trapped skittermander.
The now freed aquamarine furred skittermander uses the opportunity to dash to the side and out of the way of any animated decorations.
The strands now whip about towards our heroes!
,
,
,
The ribbons and light strand attempt to grab onto Quonx but she is too nimble for them
The banner snaps forward and wraps tightly around Gazigaz who is now grappled!
Our heroes are up!
"Eeek! Unhand me you--you--overpriced tarp!" he squeaks as he pounds many fists upon the banner.
Regaining his composure, he turns to his allies, "Now, my fine gentle-manders, if you would be so kind as to extricate me from this predicament?"
"You call that grappling!? I'll show you how a banner is supposed to grapple!"
Nako flexes her muscles, turns green with rage and yells,
Dakoyo will take another shot.
Decorative Danger round 3
Gazigaz thrashes about to confuse and confound the fringe tassels of the banner attempting to further wrap around him.
Quonx notes the materials of the strands and ribbons and strings would be particularly vulnerable to slashing and cutting attacks. She then sends a quickly configured simple wavelength pulse from her comm device that temporarily disrupts the nanites in the banner.
Dakoyo aims and shoots but his shot goes wide.
Nako's muscles bulge exceptionally beneath her armor, perhaps due to a nearby gamma radiation power source, but the slick silky material of the banner proves ineffective against to her grip.
The banner attempts to further squeeze around Gazigaz...
...and grips tightly and painfully around the erudite envoy!
The ribbons and light strand snake forward looking to grab a target!
The ribbons wrap around Dakoyo!
The light string wraps around Nako!
Heroes go!
Dakoyo will grab a knife and take a stabby stab.
Decorative Danger round 3
Nako struggles against the light strand but the nanite infused wiring resists her efforts while one of her extra hands to draw a knifeand drop it over by Gazigaz.
Gazigaz stretches toward the knife and swipes toward the banner encircling him but is not successful in cutting it.
Quonx slashes at the ribbons wrapping around Dakoyo and scores a shredding hit against the colorful polyester fabrics with the keen precision of an experienced seamstress before dropping the knife towards Dakoyo.
Dakoyo scoops up the knife and barely manages to score a hit against the ribbons around him, shredding it further to mere ripped threads, freeing the marvelous mystic as its threads fall to the ground!
The light string attempts to further squeeze around Nako...
...and keeps its grip as it crushes about the stalwart soldier!
The banner also attempts to keep its hold around the struggling Gazigaz...
... and it tightens itself around him!
Hugged heroes hop to it!
Dakoyo will attack another strand.
Dakoyo will hold out the knife for someone else to take.
Gaz will help his friends aim while he stabs with his knife into the banner that seems the most wounded.
Nako will take the knife thats on offer and proceed to deliver a cutting stab of annoyance, since her muscles alone couldn't finish the job.
"I will cut your life into pieces, as this is my last resort!"
Decorative Danger round 5
Dakoyo misses
Quonx crits on the banner
Gazigaz narrowly misses
Nako polishes off the banner and frees Gazigaz!
Gazigaz, -11 SP
Dakoyo
Nako, -11 SP, grappled
Quonx
The light string attempts to further constrict around Nako...
... and squeezes viciously!