/dot in!
First Seeker Ehu Hadif stands behind his chair across the table. Two of his hands grip the backrest tightly as the other two fidget, indicating some anxiety or excitement before he begins to speak.
“Thank you for joining me. It’s a pleasure to be here before you. Today, I have a special request directly from a High Despot of the Veskarium.” Ehu Hadif pauses, gauging the reactions of his audience.
He gestures to a projection that pops up of a heavily snow-capped planet. “Of the Veskarium system’s planets, Vesk‑8 is the furthest from their sun, and most would not consider it a glamorous outpost. Each of the Veskarium’s planets has an ultimate authority, called the High Despot. Jularaz the Frozen is the High Despot of Vesk-8 and is our client for this particular mission. It can’t be overstated what a unique opportunity this presents. Considering he has an entire planet under their control, we would not normally expect a High Despot to need resources such as the Society. But Jularaz seems keen on protecting the secrecy of the anomaly uncovered in his shimmerstone mines, and he doesn’t trust his own ranks to keep the information from the attention of outside Veskarium leadership".
“The High Despot has requested our assistance in investigating this anomaly. When we questioned him for specifics, Jularaz remained vague. I anticipate that this is partially to keep the information secure, but it also evidences exactly how little Jularaz currently understands about the anomaly. All we currently know is that it likely has something to do with the shimmerstone mined on Vesk-8. Such an unknown quantity requires a versatile group to investigate and research the phenomenon".
“We now have the opportunity to develop a relationship with Veskarium leadership using both the skills and discretion of our Starfinders. Although Jularaz may come across as ambitious and status-oriented, he is deeply engaged in the politics of Vesk Prime, and certainly not a meaningless ally to obtain"
“You will be meeting with the High Despot’s direct contact, Rahla.” The projection changes to the feline face of a pahtra. Black markings dot her beige fur, and a pink scar cuts diagonally over her amber eyes. “She is the High Despot’s eyes and ears in the mines, and she’ll lead you from the surface into the cavern where the anomaly has appeared. While you should always do your best as Starfinders, please be aware that you are all emissaries for the Society, and you will be responsible for establishing the nature of our relationship with the Veskarium.”
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Rastar crossed his four arms as he leaned against a wall and listened to the new First Seeker, Ehu Hadif, give the mission briefing. The folds of Rastar's long trenchcoat rustled as he shifted to find a more comfortable position. That slice he had taken in his last mission still twinged occasionally, though it had been months. As was traditional in his clan, Rastar wore a kideche cloth that had been blessed by the fountain rites of kolruthi - a black and green affair that he had inherited from his father. The hammer slung across his back, and accessible through slits in the trenchcoat, bumped gently against the wall he was leaning on.
"Sir, do we know anything at all about this anomaly? IS it a living creature, mystical effect, a lost skittermander sock? I know not every ,mission briefing can have all the information we need, but this one seems unnecessarily vague."
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In an almost identical posture (if without so many limbs) Chorizal leaned indolently against another wall. A rather large laser gun and a doshko strapped to his back kept his hellknight armor, prominently decorated with the order of the pike emblem, from actually touching the wall.
The blue scaled vesk stood up straight and dropped his arms, the smirk disappearing from his green tinged face when he heard who they would be working for.
"You don't ask a High Despot for information. You thank them for the information they decide to give you," he commented.
"Indeed, the High Despots aren't always forthcoming with information - often due to their political ambitions, or to avoid showing a sign of weakness that may be exploited"
“High Despot Jularaz’s complete consternation indicates it might be mystical in nature, as we also know that Vesk-8 isn’t particularly well-known for its technological innovations. We only know that it appeared on Vesk-8, and that the miners uncovered it in a shimmerstone mine after some extensive development of a new dig site. It must be exciting if it pulled Jularaz back from Vesk Prime.”
"It might turn out to be a lost mystical Skittermander sock, but it will likely be an important lost mystical Skitter sock"
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Sitting ramrod straight in his chair and paying close attention to Ehu Hadif's every word is another Kasathan. Dressed in a formal military uniform adorned with combat citations, merit medals, and rank insignia he raises his hand to get the first seeker's attention.
With so many military personnel at the meeting there is no need for introductions. Everyone knows the Kasathan sitting at the conference table in his Starfinder space navy uniform is:
"First Seeker Hadif, should the abnormality turn out to be hostile do we have permission to use lethal force to suppress it?"
"Assuming it can be suppressed by lethal force and it is hostile then I would suggest that the Veskarium would probably warmly encourage a lethal solution"
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A korasha lashunta... Actually, given the glowing lines and segmentation here and there, a korasha lashunta-shaped android sits in one of the chairs. The ramrod posture and deep frown that has clearly worked the creases into even his artifical face clearly show a military back ground and given the universal white background and red cross on his shoulders and pack, likely was in the medical division, but the doshko and frost maul that are arrayed next to the seat in a precise manner shows he probably saw combat as well.
He readjusts the blue and silver ceremonial officer plate he has on, frown lines deepening as he takes in the clear wear and tear it has been though despite the obvious attempts at maintenance. The style and fashion clearly predates the rest of the people in the group, as it is nearly a hundred or hundred fifty years out of date. That style of linked anodized steel chain for the joints hasn't been used for at least that long.
He glances around the room and notes the people in it, A vesk solider and two kasathan soliders. And a sickly looking waif of a human... hopefully the human stays out of the thick of the fighting, as keeping him up while I try taking care of three different fighters is going to be hard. Especially as those two leaning on the walls look like the type to rush headlong into danger and nearly kill themselves... I forgot to stock up on serums didn't I? Snap!
He then listens to the new first seeker's breifing, his face not seeming to react much to the news. "Good to see that the Vesk are at least starting to rely on us. It's not been relatively too long since the Swarm attacked and our current cease fire was put into place. Hrmm, could you fill me in on what Shimmerstone is exactly? If we had an idea of what that was, we might be able to extrapolate possible abnormalities."
"As to retaining any items, best get the final clearance from the vesk - I would hate for it to be the long lost sock of Damoritosh and we are seen as absconding with some sacred relic"
“Shimmerstone is an extremely rare mineral found only on Vesk-8. It possesses some magical qualities, and the kothamas have used it to meditate much in the same way they contemplate the stars. The Vesk mine it particularly for military efforts, but the extent of its capabilities isn’t fully understood.”
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Oraeus raises a hand and adds, "I'm not he most experienced with mystical matters but I did get a library chip installed for such topics in case I ran into cases of magical poisoning or disease. It's extensive though and I can probably find information on other mystical things. Just need a computer to interface with it. But I'm a doctor and a soldier not a magician. "
"The catlike pahtras are one of the most prominent species of the Veskarium, natives of a lush world they call Pulonis but that the Veskarium designates as Vesk-6. Their home planet’s relatively low gravity and fast predatory species resulted in the pahtras evolving into a lean race with elongated humanoid bodies and limbs"
"They have their own society, but under the ever watchful eye of the Veskarium"
Culture (Recall knowledge) or Diplomacy (Gather information)
The current political state of Vesk-8, and the spiritual traditions of the local kothama.
Kothamas are a have shaggy fur and six stout limbs, and multiple pairs of glassy eyes turned toward the skies. Their culture is extremely peaceful, and they spend most of their time contemplating the cosmos.
The primary mining operation run by the vesk on Vesk-8 is called Penal Colony 8, and it’s a prison work camp that utilizes the labor of criminals committed for life. These sentences can be brutally short.
The kothamas of Vesk-7 and Vesk-8 convene a gathering called the Meet once every 36 years, using portals scattered across both planets to reach their shared moon, Traverse.
When the Meet takes place, the kothamas convene at Gathermount, a platform on top of the moon’s largest mountain that contains a magical shimmerstone gate.
Some kothamas are able to reach such a high state of ascension that they become star shamans. These kothamas have unique abilities and are respected spiritualists that value the connection to the cosmos above all else. They have a special kinship with followers of Ibra and other celestial religions.
***
Physical Science (Recall knowledge)
The properties of shimmerstone and the geography of Traverse and Vesk-8.
tallest mountain, Gathermount.
While shimmerstone is primarily known to release a calming effect, a few case studies have experimented with infusing other emotional properties into shimmerstone by using other substances. The result of these experiments has yielded darker, cloudier, and nearly red-colored shimmerstone that behaves far more erratically.
***
Boon finalisation
There are no specific boons called out for this scenario. It also lacks any Starship tag.
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Rastar glared at J'Shun from his slouch by the door. "With respects, J'Shun, this is not the military and we are not under your command. Maxamas shared what he knows with you. If you weren't paying close enough attention, perhaps you could ask him nicely to repeat himself while you take notes."
"First Seeker, if Vesk-8 is a penal colony planet, and the mines are worked by criminals, what are the chances that this is some sort of ruse or plan for a mass escape? I mean, the first thing most of the criminals I chase down do is cause some sort of distraction, then bring in an uncontrolled element that they attempt to use for their plans. I don't want to be the dupe that brings a shuttle taxi off planet for a group of crime lords."
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"Look, I only know about flying fast and hitting hard. All this info's real nice and all but we're not getting any closer to solving this problem standing around here jacking our jaws. Kothamas wouldn't hurt a fly, and even if they change their mind about that, they're not suddenly going to learn how to be dangerous and we'll take care of any of the prisoners who decide they can take advantage of our presence," Chorizal chimes in.
"You all worry too much," he says, heading out of the office and toward their transport.
"First Seeker, if Vesk-8 is a penal colony planet, and the mines are worked by criminals, what are the chances that this is some sort of ruse or plan for a mass escape? "
"It wouldn't be the most outlandish thing we've seen. Keep an eye out for that sort of treachery, whilst it would be a fool who tried to break out of Veskarium custody, there's plenty of fools around"
***
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"Lieutenant Rastar, When you speak to me you will use my full name at all times.
J'Shun stands up from his seat at the conference table and gives Ehu Hadif a crisp salute. "You can count on me to lead this platoon and complete our mission."
He turns to follow Chorizal out the door.
"We will make immediate preparations for deep space transport to Vesk-8. To the hangar bay. THIS I COMMAND!"
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Since you are reminding us that we will be in the snow, that means difficult terrain and getting stuck in the snow possibly.
Since Vehicles are thing in Starfinder, I'm purchasing one, assuming it fits on the Starship. I'll purchase two if someone wants to drive the other one, cause with 2 passengers, that means 3 people and with 2 of them, that means six of us.
Source Starfinder #7: The Reach of Empire pg. 21
Item Level 2; Price 1,850
Large land vehicle (5 ft. wide, 10 ft. long, 3 ft. high)
Speed 20 ft., full 200 ft., 22 mph (hover)
EAC 13; KAC 15; Cover partial cover
HP 28 (14); Hardness 5
Attack (Collision) 5d4 B (DC 11)
Modifiers –1 Piloting, –2 attack (–4 at full speed)
Systems complicated starter, planetary comm unit; Passengers 2
Special Abilities
Complicated Starter (Ex) Due to being heavily used over the past several months and hobgar tampering, starting one of Madelon’s Landing’s hovertrikes is a complicated ordeal, even with its ignition components restored. Starting a hovertrike requires a full action rather than a move action.
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Rastar shrugged at J'Shun Kay's outburst. "You know we don't have to put up with this, right? I'm not in the military and never have been. We'll work as a team or not at all. I'm not getting paid enough to be treated like this, and frankly I have no desire to go on a mission with someone so likely to get us killed out of his inflated sense of importance."
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"Lieutenant Rastar, When you speak to me you will use my full name at all times.
Oraeus gives a spurt of laughter and then levels eyes at the kasatha, very clearly not giving a quarter on this topic. "I will not be referring to you by your full name. First, I've served over 100 years in the Kormena military and was allowed an honorable discharge after finally being recognized as not being property. I've had more than a lifetime of having to follow inane orders like that and will not do so again willing. Second, that is too long. In the time it would take for me to remember and iterate all the titles, I could have told you to duck and about the three sniper lasers on your back. Third, using the full name and all titles at all times diminishes the prestige of them over time. Fourth, and most importantly, I don't care and I'm not going to memorize that."
With this he checks his medical supplies and gear and then heads over to the hangar bay, lightly bemoaning, "Dang another frozen world. Seems that the Society likes to send me to them. Guess the frost maul is going to be pointless. Hopefully this one I can use my hostilier without it ruining the battery."
You all board a small shuttle bound for Vesk‑8. The journey takes eleven days, during which occasional information broadcasts provide warnings about the severe chill of the planet, and advisements that the landing site is near a penal colony and to be alert.
***
Fighting against the blustering winds of Vesk-8, the ship touches down just outside Penal Colony 8. A feline woman with sharp amber eyes stands proudly at the edge of the landing pad. Her white fur whips wildly in the frozen winds of the arctic planet. As the landing doors open, she beckons with clawed fingers toward the disembarking passengers.
“Welcome to Vesk-8. I am Rahla. Please, follow me.” With a brisk turn on her heels, she leads the way down a long staircase and into the dank mineshaft. Prisoners, restrained at their ankles, loiter around the mouth of the cavern with wary eyes.
“Don’t mind them,” she assures. “We must reach the portal quickly. Watch your step.” She hops nimbly over a crack in the path and points it out behind her, offering a hand to help anyone less sure of foot to cross.
Jutting from the walls of the mineshaft is a deep blue stone that sparkles like crystallized fragments of the night sky. The luminescent blue shine of the shimmerstone becomes more prevalent in the deeper parts of the mine.
"First time seeing shimmerstone? It is pretty. This mine is one of the best run and incredibly productive" she keeps leading you onwards.
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Seeing that Oraeus wasn't putting up with J'Shun's nonsense either, Rastar relaxed a bit. Maybe he'd stick this one out after all.
As they reached the planet and met with the pahtra, Rahla, he relaxed a bit more, despite the climate. What a horribly cold place. "What can you tell us of the anomaly that you have experienced?"
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Chorizal doesn't engage in the exchange over titles and usage or not. On the 8 day trip, he does use J'shun's full title when addressing him, but he doesn't address him, much.
As the warnings continue to play at annoyingly regular intervals, Chorizal speaks up "Who would be dumb enough to pick up a hitchhiker on a prison planet? If they did, they would deserve what they got."
"I like her," he says to the group as Rahla greets the group then leads the way. "Professional, precise, without being rude."
He takes her hand when its offered but obviously not to help him get across the gap. He gives her a wink.
He pauses to examine the Shimmerstone admiringly but then hurries along.
"Portal? Not door?" he asks, thinking that "portals" usually have magical connotations or teleport you somewhere.
She responds to Rastar and Chorizal “Yes, Portal; although it isn’t the portal itself that has our attention. There are dozens or more like it all over Vesk-8. It’s something the kothamas use. We generally ignore them. The anomaly is its behavior. I’ll explain further when we arrive.” she returns to the fast-paced walk.
"Professional and precise indeed. Penal Colony 8 is as old as the Veskarium’s presence on Vesk-8. We mine shimmerstone, which is a mineral with mind-altering properties. Due to our substantial workforce, we can have more than a dozen active workings in each sector, and we utilize novel backfilling processes to expedite the progress of new, secure tunnels. I engage in auxiliary operations on Jularaz’s behalf.”
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During the trip over to Vesk-8, J'Shun pours over all the intel gathered on the planet and the situation in the mines. He runs numerous combat simulations based on what he's learned on the ship's computer and forces everyone to participate in them in order to strengthen the team's "cohesion".
When the ship finally arrives on Vesk-8 he quickly introduces himself to Rahla, saluting her and saying, "Rahla of the Veskarium, I am Space Admiral J'Shun Kay, first son of clan Summersword, House Davion, line of Atsu, born in fire! We have been sent by the Starfinder Society to purge your mine of the corrupt forces of darkness. Show us the way to the portal!"
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Oraeus sets up a small med bay in his space on the shuttle, double checking over the supplies he has and mentally lamenting the lack of serums of healing. He does try provide medical treatment to anyone on the shuttle who needs it.
When J'Shun Kay tries to force him into combat simulations, the andriod barricades himself in his room, and the few times he does get pulled in, ends up sitting on the 'battlefield' only acting when someone gets 'hurt' or actually hurt.
On the ground Oraeus takes a quick scan of the place glad to note there's not anything particularly dangerous just yet. He does nod at Chorizal's assessment of the pahtra, "She does seem to know what she's doing here. And the professionalism is a nice change of pace."
He follows her lead into the colony, intentionally blocking out the grandiose claims of J'Shun. His eyes get a bit distant at the sight of the prisoners, possibly going back to someplace in his own past. "Oof, I felt like that before."
He listens to Rahla as she explains the operations and how things work here, but also examines the crystals, but from a distance. "I take having more people in each area allows better responses to when someone might be under the effects of the crystals? Also, Maxamas, give how this is a frozen rock up above, I'd worry less about it getting too hot than it getting too cold down there."
He pauses for a second and then asks something that might be opening something he doesn't want to, "So what makes the back-filling here novel? Would it perhaps have shimmerstone residue still in it?"
She raises an eyebrow at J'Shuns introduction "Well That sure seems enthusiastic Space Admiral, with that much enthusiasm and confidence the problems will be solved pretty quick I bet"
"We know what we're doing, the mines have been operating safely - for us at least - for ages now. The place is a frozen rock though"
"What makes it novel? Well backfilling in underground stopes is practiced by many mines in the galaxy for environmental, technical, and economic reasons. In general, the objectives of mine backfilling are to reduce tailings storage on the surface by up to fifty percent and, thus, tailings exposure to the environment, stabilize underground operations, and maximize the volume of ore recovered"
"Mine tailings are waste products generated from mineral processing plants during ore concentration. The physical and chemical properties of mine tailings can influence the mechanical properties of mine backfill and have to be considered in backfill design. For example, mine tailings containing sulfide minerals such as pyrite are susceptible to sulfate attack, whereby ettringite formation causes expansion that reduces the backfill unconfined compressive strength over the long term - shimmerstone trailings are pretty good though and don't exhibit any real problems. We add cement at a low concentration to enhance the mechanical properties of the backfill mixture."
"The back-fill thus ensures stability in completed stopes and ensures the others have less susceptibility to geological instability"
She rounds a corner "Here we are"
The miners have uncovered a circular room 20 feet in diameter. Blue, softly luminescent jagged shimmerstone adorns every inch of the walls. Elaborate designs of smooth, carved shimmerstone inlay the floor, originating from the base of the shimmerstone archway at the center.The nearby miners are resting along the outside of the room, forced to sit on the ground with their ankles bound. They whisper among themselves.
Rahla paces the edge of the room, eyeing the portal quizzically. “This is one of many portals which are meant to transport the kothamas during the twice-yearly pilgrimage to their Meet—Vesk‑8 years, that is. They are only ever active for this event, despite our best attempts. However, this one has been activating consistently since its discovery, and we are more than a quarter of this planet’s very long years away from the Meet"
“You must investigate the nature of this anomaly. Enter the portal when it next opens, and report what’s on the other side. With the shared moon being so far away at this time, we must know where it leads.”
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Rastar's eyes glazed over as the catwoman began going into the intricacies of the mining process. It wasn't as though he was ever going to need to know this stuff in the future. Still, it was interesting on the surface, and that was all he really needed to know.
Seeing the shimmerstone portal, though, he snapped back to full alertness. As a bounty hunter, Rastar was almost always conscious of his surroundings. You never knew when a mark was going to bolt, or attack from concealment. Portals, though, made that kind of situational awareness impossible. You never knew when someone was going to pop through, or what their intentions were until they started shooting.
"Has anyone attempted to go through it yet? Or come through from the other side? Do we even know if there is atmosphere on the other side?"
Raster was uneasy about this portal to who knows where.
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Chorizal's eyes also glaze over as Rahla goes into detail about the mining operations. She might as well be speaking Ghibrani for all that he understands.
He was much less worried about what was on the other side of the portal than what was on this one, at the moment.
"I bet we've got a bunch of people ready to volunteer to through the portal to see what's on the other side," he says, nodding toward the gathered prisoners.
"I don't want to have to deal with them and whatever's on the other side, at the same time. Can you get them moved out of here?" he asks.
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J'Shun listens to every word of Rahla's speech about the mine. In his head he catalogues the information just in case he may need it for strategic purposes later. As the team enters the portal room and observe the shimmerstone gateway for the first time; he asks the obvious question,
"Has no one thought to send a reconnaissance drone through the portal yet?"
"Has anyone attempted to go through it yet? Or come through from the other side? Do we even know if there is atmosphere on the other side?"
"Not yet, it's outside our area of expertise, so no one tried manipulating it - let alone stepping through it"
The prisoners go a bit quiet and look around furtively, Rahla doesn't seem to notice.
***
"Can you get them moved out of here?" he asks.
"I'll take them with me in a moment, got all you need?"
***
"Has no one thought to send a reconnaissance drone through the portal yet?"[/b]
"What's the signal range of your drones? Ours are short-range devices to support mining operations"
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"Unfortunately we did not bring any long range reconnaissance drones with us. There is only one option now. I will be first through the portal!"
J'Shun unsheathes his clan's ancient longsword. The signature weapon of clan Summersword has been handed down to the first son of House Davion for many centuries. The sword's pommel is decorated with an intricately designed sigil of the sun. It's blade is sharpened to a keen point and its perfectly polished surface reflects any light that shines upon it. In his second hand he secures his grip on his tactical shield and in a third hand he draws his semi-auto pistol. He then engages the environmental protections on his armor.
"To me Starfinders. I want a tight dispersal when we emerge from the other side of the portal. Maintain a 3 meter spread with overlapping fire lanes, weapons hot."
J'Shun begins striding toward the portal.
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Chorizal spots the prisoners' suspicious behavior.
"Wait a minute Space Admiral J'Shun Kay, first son of clan Summersword,..." his voice trails off into mutters at the end. Maybe it's the man's full title, maybe it's not.
"It looks like these dregs know something they're not telling," he continues, going to the prisoners.
He looms over them, arms crossed over his chest, a glare of disdain and threat on his face.
"Well, dregs? Is there something you want to share? Or do you want to see how much worse things can get?"
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Oraeus nods at the technical details of mining explanation. He'd read something about this somewhere before. Though he does seem to ponder the topic a bit more, trying to use it to blocking off having to think about the prisoners around him and the memories they drudge up. Hrmmm, So, is it the shimmerstone tailings that make it novel or the use of backfilling in a shimmerstone mine?
He does take a look at the portal, and then turn to Rahla asking, "Mind if I access your wireless network here? Wondering if I can find anything on these portals myself..."
As he looks over the portal, Oraeus glances back at the rest of the party and Chorizal and Mr. Space Admiral, before you can see the emotions switch off in his head and he then gives the rest of the prisoners the cold, dead look of someone who has been through hell and back.
... though his current healthy condition and lack of any intent probably severely undercuts the effect. He turns back to the portal shaking his head over the futility of trying to scare people with very little to lose.
J'shun and Chorizal play off each other and the prisoners have the shocking realisation that the Starfinders are harsher than the Veskarium prison overseer. The Starfinder Vesk presents them food for thought - whilst 'snitches get stitches, vesk give you ditches' or so goes the tale.
"Look, when the portal first activated, one of the prisoners working the section stuck his head through the portal and immediately fell back through, gasping for air and his sweat frozen to his brow. He doesn't remember what he saw though, must have been in shock"
***
Oraeus finds the mystical energy surrounding the portal reveals a unique quality to this shimmerstone. He is blasted with a swelling of emotion - a sudden urge to cry. Distinctly contrary to the calming effect in standard shimmerstone.
He also notes the shimmerstone here does indeed look a bit different.
Oreas's study of the shimmerstone gives some insight into the physical properties of the mineral. He notes that the stone is cloudier and darker than the shimmerstone elsewhere in the mine, although this doesn’t appear to be from any physical impurities in the stone, suggesting a mystical origin.