Viper and Lynn both recall the symptoms of koruxian poisoning and they don't match those observed here.
The locals point Lynn to the location of Radi quarters. From outside the door you hear groaning coming from within. The door is unlocked and inside the suite contains two beds, a lavatory, and a rectangular glass terrarium and incubator. The overheard lights are dimmed to a point of near darkness, and a strong, reptilian odor fills the room. The thermostat is cranked down to a chilly temperature that's noticeably colder than elsewhere on the station.
Radi, a male dwarf, calls out from his sickbed to anyone who enters. He speaks between fits of racking coughs. He admits his poor decision to smuggle in a zuvak for a constant supply of fresh eggs. He tells you the location of a storage pantry where the creature has made it's nest...
Init - Bold may act
19 Ki'ren'nura
19 Azara
18 Viper
14 Daata
14 K'saret
13 Lynn
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5 ZUVAK
Daata takes a chunk out of the creature with his axe, Mikey's first shot goes wide but the second sends an electrical shock through the beast, and three bolts of magic slam into it from Lynn... it looks mad.
Init - Bold may act
19 Ki'ren'nura
19 Azara
18 Viper
14 Daata
14 K'saret
13 Lynn
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5 ZUVAK
The creature dodges Azara's rush and catches only the edge of the flames but Viper lands a hit dead on.
Init - Bold may act
Ki'ren'nura
Azara
Viper
Daata
K'saret
Lynn
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5 ZUVAK [Flat-Footed]
MURKBLIGHT
Type Disease (Contact); Save Fort DC 15
Track Physical; Frequency 1/Day
Cure 3 consecutive saves
A Zuvak is Blinded for 1 Round when first exposed to bright light, such as sunlight, and it is Dazzled for as long as it remains in an area of bright light.
The skittermander lands a shot at a vital area but the beast still manages to shrug off some of the damage. It takes full damage from K'saret's magic though as blood starts to drip from its ears. The creature takes a swipe at Azara before retreating a step back into a corner.
plus Disease Fort DC 15
Init - Top of Round 2 - Bold may act
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Ki'ren'nura
Azara
Viper
Daata
K'saret
Lynn
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5 ZUVAK [Flat-Footed until Viper's turn]
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If only this were the first time Azara had been bitten by some strange beast...
He flinches a bit as Ki unleashes a blast right next to him but doesn't let it slow him down, not even waiting until the afterimage of the lance of fire leaves his vision before closing with the shadow beast again and slashing at it with his solar weapon, the mote hanging between his antennae having become a large ankh he holds by the loop.
The shadow creature goes down under a hail of magic, blade, and cannon fire. You're able to harvest a tissue sample from the zuvak and return the samples and data to Dr. Monsylkis on Absalom Station for analysis.
Success Covert Mission 3!
ACTION MISSION 3: ACTS OF COMPASSION
Dr. Monsylkis loads canisters and syringes into a rectangular package, stopping briefly to acknowledge her visitors. "Good news. My team was able to synthesize a treatment for the murkblight disease affecting the citizens of Laelund Station. These syringes contain an experimental vaccine, and the canisters are filled with specialized antiviral capsules." She holds up a metal canister to demonstrate how to activate it. "Both medicines are perishable. This portable refrigeration unit buys you some time, but if it fails, you'll have about an hour to use the drugs."
"First, travel to Laelund Station and administer the medicines before it's too late." Dr. Monsylkis grits her teeth as she finishes her briefing in a curt voice. "Then, release news of the cure to the media using AbadarCorp's name, crediting Iseki-Okaibo specifically. As as much as I hate the idea, that should make the board think twice about the vote of no-confidence and save us all from Datch's manipulations."
The situation on Laelund Station has deteriorated further since the your first visit. While approaching the station, the you notice signs of continued neglect. Chunks of material have broken off from abandoned construction sites, and unanchored mining equipment drifts among the debris. The hangar bay stands open, and no security personnel radio as you approach or meet you when you land. When you return to Sector 9, the floor is completely deserted and the rooms have been ransacked of supplies. The holographic directory displays the location of an elevator leading to the Commons.
THE COMMONS
This sector's lofty, domed ceilings and lush hydroponics gardens create a pleasant atmosphere, but stale odors diffuse the air. The gardens are unkempt, and refuse litters the walkways and benches. Four gardens grace the central portion of this sector, surrounded by a half-dozen squat buildings.
Creatures: Currently some residents appear to be fighting over a few barely edible looking plants in the gardens. They stop fighting each other as you approach and turn their attention towards you. You will need to diffuse the situation quickly to prevent them from attacking.
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"Greetings, we are here to help. This is not much but it will sustain you for the day."
K'saret will cast Megavitamin with all their 1st level slots and produces:
Megavitamins which he will distribute as best he can.
"We are also here to administer a cure to the recent ailments, please allow us to administer it."
First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo continues to stay in contact as she gives updates on the situation. ”Our agents have brokered an alliance with an influential member of the AbadarCorp Board of Archdirectors. We believe this new contact will do everything within her power to positively influence her colleagues in their upcoming vote.”
A voice message comes onto your comm unit. ”A brave and compassionate team of Starfinders visited a space station in dire need of assistance. They gathered important scientific data and determined the source of the distress. Dr Monsylkis’s team is already developing a solution.”
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"Allsix!" Ki responds to the Doctor's briefing, again carrying their cannon in the Briefcase so as not to scare their nufriends at the station. Activating their Protections the Skittermander joins their allies as they disembark from their Starship. Looking around they frown at the poor state of the place in contrast to their last visit.
"Nufriends shouldn't fight! we have brought Doctors and food and supplies, we Help!" they bounce forward, keeping their smile broad and waving furiously to the gathered citizens. "How Can me help?"
First Seeker Luwazi sounds excited. ”Starfinders infiltrated the Golden Vault and retrieved data from Datch’s office, revealing a vehicle identification number that we believe is involved in smuggling weapons or other goods. Our techs are working to decrypt the files and harvest additional information.”
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With K'sarit providing the food these people desperately need, Lynn acts as a reassuring presence "Oh, its such a relief we found you! I was so worried for you guys when we were landing and everything looked wrecked." She flashes a sunny smile "Don't worry, everything will be alright. There's plenty of food and medicine and soon you'll be able to get things back to normal~"
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"Man's attempt to fight chaos"
"Surely doomed to fail"
"But noble in the doing."
Azara looks at the space station, marveling at how quickly things fall apart.
He wishes he could say he's surprised to see that what is true for the physical structure of the station is true for the social structure of the station. But it seems that the center cannot hold in many regards.
He lets others do the talking when they run into the scavengers. Everyone seems to have things in hand.
K'saret's vitamins help Lynn calm the crowd and K'saret, Daata, and Viper quickly administer medicine to the residents in the plaza. "Please you must help the others in the surrounding buildings," one of them pleads. There are four areas around the Plaza where residents have taken shelter, an Arcade, a Diner, the Worker Suites, and the Supervisor Suite. You will need to get the residents in each area to come out and receive treatment.
Arcade
A wall of holoscreens bathes a deserted row of gaming consoles in a greenish glow. Several young residents have taken shelter in the adjacent buildings.
Diner
This neglected restaurant contains a greasy stove and dusty tables, and broken dishes litter the floor. Citizens raided the diner over the past few weeks, but a walk-in freezer still contains a few packages of food.
Worker Suites
The real estate in this sector is reserved for Laelund Station's senior laborers. These residents hide in their apartments until you can assure their safety.
Supervisor Suite
This extravagant suite features a private garden, lobby, and luxury apartment. A pipe has burst and flooded the garden and front rooms. To rescue anyone trapped inside you will need to swim through the flooded building , then succeed at an Engineering check to repair the broken pump system in the southeastern corner of the submerged garden.
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Arcade
Bluff
Viper stands outside, "Hey nice vidgame parlour - but I think the Strawberry Machine Cake 'B Team' are actually dropping in across the road, why don't you head over while it's safe!"
Diner
Survival
"I've had to have a few goes at microwave food on long haul starflights - if you add THIS package and THAT package together you get a pretty good meal like... SO"
Worker Suites
Engineering
"It was like that when I got here, honest. Don't ask me why you left it unlocked"
Supervisor Suite
Athletics
Engineering
"I think I found the problem, but was that I had to swim through?"
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Helping K'saret deliver their conjured vitamins to those in need as well as being a goafer for their nufriends as they treat the injured - fetching boiled water and strips of cloth as needed, even tearing into one of their beloved Skitter-outfits to help out. With that done they press further into the STation seeing if there is anymore to help.
Arcade
"Hihi! Don't be scared - me here to help! Nufriends have food and medicine, can make you better!" they call out, trying their best to placate the scared youths.
Worker Suites
The Skittermander starts going through the hab block, enthusiastically knocking at doors to get the attention of the residents sequestered inside. "Excuse me! We are here to help honest! Food, medicine - good poems! Please let us help you!"
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"Hey there, youths. Let me 'rap' with you for a while," Azara calls out at the arcade, sitting with one leg up on a console and the other bracing on the floor.
"There are folks who say that these things rot your minds, make you fat and lazy, teach you to be antisocial and dangerous."
He pauses meaningfully. "Well, I'm here to tell you, those people are mad whack! Vidgames are dope! Who wants to try their leet haxxor skillaz against me in a game of 'Babies Ate My K'Saret?'"
He isn't much use in the diner but he heads to the Worker Suites.
"Hey guys. I know it's scary times. It looks like the apocalypse is coming but, it's not. That doesn't happen for another 15 years. You should come out here and enjoy the time you have left," Azara says to coax people out.
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With the rest of the party doing an incredible job of enticing the residents out for food and treatment, Lynn stays with the crowd gathering outside. She presents a cheerful and reassuring demeanor, trying to defuse the survivor mindsets that have settled in for the residents. Once people are fed and medicated she asks how things got so bad so quickly, just to gather some information that might be useful in tracking down who else might need help.
The party easily coaxes the youths from the arcade, their mothers probably wish it was that easy for them. Viper and K'saret cook an excellent Hearty Meal the scent of which brings nearby residents out of hiding. Viper takes a more... direct approach with the residents locked in their homes than Azara, Ki'ren'nura, and K'saret. Perhaps she was feeling a bit short because being the first to enter area she triggered a crude tripwire made of braided electrical cables. Reflex DC 16 or take damage and fall prone. The workers are at first not sure what to make of the skittermander but with K'saret's help the four of them are able to convince all the workers to leave their homes and get treatment. The flooded suite was perhaps the most dangerous challenge but not for Viper who easily fixes the underwater pump. Once the water reaches a safe level veteran supervisor Urulla (LG female dwarf) emerges from behind an airtight door and promises to take charge of the situation once all the residents are treated.
Once the PCs have treated all the residents, all that remains is to share their success on the infosphere while giving credit to AbadarCorp and Iseki-Okaibo by succeeding at a Computers or Culture check.
ACTION MISSION 1: DOWN TO THE WIRE
Venture-Captain Arvin's voice breaks through the static of signal requests. "Denanne Karrsi, AbadarCorp's archdirector of finance, just contacted the Lorespire Complex. She wants to hire a team of Starfinder bodyguards for her upcoming baksu tournament." Arvin chuckles and muses, "Perhaps Datch's claims about our militaristic nature aren't entirely bad for our image. Ms. Karrsi sounded worried, and I can't imagine what spooked her enough to hire additional muscle. Still, this is an excellent opportunity to cement our alliance with her."
You rendezvous with Denanne Karrsi inside her lavish state room back aboard the casino starliner Luxx. Denanne's attire has shifted drastically since your last meeting, and the elf wears a conservative navy business suit with her silver hair pulled into a severe bun. Denanne politely thanks you for accepting her request and shows you the source of her concerns: a jade-green calling card embossed with the image of an emaciated rat. A typed message on the back of the card urges her to reconsider her stance on company politics. Though she lacks proof, Denanne believes the card represents a threat against her life and that Datch is involved. She's scared but refuses to withdraw from the tournament. Knowing that the Starfinders also oppose Datch and realizing other organizations may not be trustworthy, she made a desperate call to the Lorespire Complex.
LUXX CASINO FLOOR
The grandiose chamber is well lit by crystal chandeliers hanging from its lofty, 75-foot-tall ceilings. Three sets of white marble stairs cascade down to a spacious marble floor. To the north, a bar lit by fuchsia and indigo neon serves drinks to glamorous clients. Besuited waiters dart through crowds of patrons milling about card tables, roulette wheels, and other game stations. Guests lounge beside a sparkling pool set ridiculously into the middle of the casino floor. At the center of the room, a host shirren seated at a grand piano plays a jazzy tune.
As hired bodyguards, the you accompany Denanne to her final event before departing Luxx: a televised baksu tournament.
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Lynn spreads the word on the infosphere, showing pics she's taken of the recovering residents eating delicious and nutritious megavitamins while getting treated. She signs off the posts Wow~ All thanks to AbadarCorp and Iseki-Okaibo, who woulda thunk it!?"
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Lynn gives Karrsi a thumbs up "No worries, we'll have you zetta covered!"
At the grand casino floor, Lynn speaks once more with the staff to offer them a chance for an appropriately classy impromptu performance. Once she has the stage again with the piano-playing shirren, she creates a standing illusion around herself to update her clothing to an exceedingly fluffy gown. She spends a few minutes conversing with the shirren to coordinate their music.
A few minutes prior to the start of the tournament, Lynn begins ♪♫ to perform ♪♫.
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Reflex - Viper dodged the blow.
***
Viper scans the card and talks to her AI assistant.
Mysticism
"The image on the card is the unholy symbol of Lao Shu Po, a goddess known as Grandmother Rat whose worshippers include assassins, rats, spies, and thieves. Someone is making quite a point"
Viper sets up on the far side of the piano...
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Bidding goodbye to their nufriends at the Station, Ki happily follows into their next task, making their way to Arvin's office and sitting through the briefing. "Yes Boss! Me Help!".
"Hmm, that sounds bad - but no worries we here!" Ki accepts the Director's worries, frowning slightly at Viper's confirmation that it is indeed the calling card of the Assassins. "Yep...definitely bad..."
In the Main Room, Ki moves to one of the large flower beds in the centre of the room and leans against it, their heavy Cannon hidden in the bed to avoid scaring people. "Ki in position!"
Like any good celebrity Lynn has a sizable fan base on social media and news of "Iseki-Okaibo's" philanthropy is soon trending.
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Azara wants to keep close to their charge but wants to remain relatively inconspicuous. Well, as inconspicuous as someone whose been #8,897 on the Castrovellian Bestsellers list can be, anyway. Fame does have its price...
He takes a seat at one of the nearby slot machines and does a very poor job of pretending to play it while actually carefully watching the crowd for any sign of danger.
Just as the tournament begins, the lights go out, enveloping the casino in darkness. Bystanders scream and glasses shatter as panic ripples through the crowd. Under cover of darkness, a squad of Laoite assassin rappel down from the ceiling.
At the first sounds of combat, the crowd begins stampeding toward the elevator at the top of the eastern stairs. PCs must succeed at a DC 16 Acrobatics or Athletics check each round to move against the flow of the crowd.
Init
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27 Viper
26 Ki
24 Lynn
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21 ASSASSINS
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17 Azara
10 Daata
6 K'saret
Identifying Information
No check required to know they are ysoki with typical ysoki traits. Any other abilities come from class abilities and equipment so Life Science isn't as useful. Each has a sword and pistol on their belts and a rifle over their shoulders, but nothing drawn yet as they just finished using both hands to rappel down from the ceiling. Hopefully by this tier everyone has some way to compensate for natural darkness.
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As the Assassins smash through the ceiling glass and begin to rappel down, Ki reaches behind them and brings their Plasma Cannon from the flowerbed behind them, showering the ground with dirt as they ready the weapon against the Ysoki Assassin in deep Green. Trying to ignore the jostling of the crowd they Squeeze the Trigger with a near blinding flash of Superheated Plasma.
"Bad Rats! No Biscuits!"
Green goes down in a hail of fire... and also while on fire. The remaining two assassins unshoulder their rifles and fire poison darts at the Starfinders.
BLUE WHINNIS
Type Poison (Injury); Save Fort DC 14
Track Constitution (Special); Frequency 1/Round for 2 Rounds
Effect Progression Track is Healthy—Weakened—Unconscious; No End State.
Cure 1 Save
Init Everyone is up!
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Viper -4 HP
Ki
Lynn
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ASSASSINS
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Azara
Daata
K'saret
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As the shot hits Viper , K'saret channels the energies of his Healer connection and uses Lifelink. Wispy ethereal energy washes from Viper to K'saret who absorbs all 4 HP damage into themselves, as Viper's wounds manifest on K'saret's body.
K'saret then advances on blue and raises his hands towards them, grasping at the air as if restraining them as he casts Hold Person, DC18 Will save vs 5 round paralyzed.