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Venture-Captain Naiaj watches a map holographically projected onto the spherical wall of the dimly lit chamber. This meeting room is aptly named the “Starscape Chamber” and hosts various important strategic meetings for the Society. The pale bleachling gnome slightly nods a greeting, hardly looking away from the stellar map. "Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice," she says, as she finally turns away from the map. As you should already know, the Starfinder Society lost not only many agents but also a great deal of equipment in the Scoured Stars incident. Since then, we’ve been dealing with a shortage of guns, ammunition, armor, tools, and provisions. Over the past four months, the Society has recovered to the point that we are able to start replacing some of the equipment we lost. While we are explorers, right now, battle-ready firearms are sorely needed."
Naiaj momentarily turns to face the map and makes a request- "Starscape, show me Nightarch." The map on the wall zooms in on one of the outermost planets of the Pact Worlds, showing a gloomy, air-sealed settlement on the small gray planetoid identified as Apostae. "After calling in a lot of favors and holding lengthy negotiations, we managed to secure a deal with the drow of Apostae to obtain a shipment of weapons. House Zeizerer arranged a deal between the Starfinder Society and House Xicton, a lesser drow house with a solid track record on sales. I personally oversaw the negotiations, and only recently returned to Absalom Station to deposit the down payment owed to House Xicton."
"My intention was to send you to Nightarch, the drow’s surface settlement on Apostae, to guard this delivery." However, Naiaj pauses briefly, staring blankly at the map on the wall before continuing, "I just received word that the weapon shipment has been stolen. According to my contacts in Nightarch, the thief is a minor noble of House Zeizerer named Villyth, who went rogue and stole the weapons. We do not know her motives or the current whereabouts of the shipment, but I’m sending you to Nightarch to find the weapons and bring them to Absalom Station. As you may have heard, the interhouse politics of the drow are lethal and treacherous, and you will find only trouble if you start searching blindly. For this reason, I’ve arranged for you to meet with Ceobarn Zeizerer, who represents House Zeizerer in this specific matter. You are to discuss how the Society can get its shipment back without causing a diplomatic incident."
"Your shuttle is ready, so I expect you to get your things and get going as soon as possible. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask."
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A tall kasatha leans on the wall, two hands inside pockets of a dark jacket while another types deftly on the wrist-computer of the fourth. "Are you expecting to retrieve the weapons through further negotiation?" they ask, voice dampened by the traditional scarf draped over their mouth. "If so, what are we authorized to promise? And do you trust this Ceobarn to discuss the matter fairly, or should we be always on our guard for duplicity or backstabbing?" The flat tone of their voice might indicate either an extremely professional facade or utter disinterest. Or both.
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Around the table sits a small and slim android. His skin and circuits bare marks of a hard life, numerous wounds and countless modifications. His head instead of hair has led tubes changing colors what it seems at random, his clothing is covered in grease stains typical to engineers and mechanics. But the most characteristic thing about him is his left hand which is replaced with augmentation completely not matching his build, it seems like a big made of steel arm of a vesk. He uses it to retrieve a pack of smokes and takes one out, putting it in his mouth without lighting it.
"My experience with arms dealers is that you should always expect to be shoot in the back. But maybe on Apostae it is different."
He asked for the assignment on this mission and pulled some strings to be in this room. His gunshop needs supplies, and he hoped to get a contact while being on Apostae to get some parts to his business.
His gunsmith shop was in Downlow and the troubles that Society had buying weapons dried the market.
"I am Hellih and I am a gunsmith, I will be able to assess the quality of the shipment if we retrieve it."
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A young and very muscular half-elf is sitting back in his chair, relaxed. There’s a holographic sign atop him, with the words MODERN BODY written in glowing neon colors, alternating between purple, green and pink. Sometimes they are replaced by a moving sign that says “modernbodymodernbodymodernbody”, repeating itself a couple of times before going back to the original. He seems to be watching something on his comm unit, which he puts away for a moment. “Hello, companions. I am Modern Body. You might have seen some of my magical fitness holovids - they used to be very popular some 5 to 10 years back, in at least a third of the Pact Worlds. Nice to meet you.” he goes back to his comm. His armor is carefully tailored to reveal his impressive chest muscles.
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“Well, home sweet home. Don’t worry, VC. As usual, I’ll lead this band of misfits into a glorious outcome. I have dealt with Apostae’s houses for most of my life - we’ll either get the guns back or get a better deal - if there’s one thing that motivates my people, it's profit. I got this.” he leans back, waiting for the meeting to end.
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Venture-Captain Naiaj nods, as the group makes their introductions, "I see the Society have some well seasoned agents! Good!"
He grimly smiles at Modern Body, who announces his dealings with Apostae's houses, "Villyth is a minor noble in the hierarchy of House Zeizerer. I understand that she is something of a rebel, and as far as I know, her actions were not sanctioned by her house. Make you own judgments on how to handle things when you engage her. The society trust you."
"House Zeizerer. They are the most powerful drow household on Apostae, controlling the major surface settlement of Nightarch. They are demon-worshipers and arms dealers like the rest of them, but as far as drow houses go, they are quite reliable because they have a reputation to uphold. Complications like this are bad for the business. Our representative with them, Ceobarn Zeizerer, has always been blunt and up-front with me—how I prefer to handle most of my social interactions."
He waves his hand at the vesk, whe he asks about the weapons, "In terms of the shipment, I just want it back. Recover it. We have paid for the weapons and we would like what we paid for. You'll know it when you see it."
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Hellih nods to Modern Body as he wonders if the Half-elf remembers him.
He eyes the Obozaya knowing her only by the reputation.
"Venture captain Naiaj, I would that we will get a ship for that mission? Or shall we travel on some space shuttle?"
Says Hellih downloading the information shared to his custom rig.
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Venture-Captain Naiaj ... waves his hand at the vesk, whe he asks about the weapons, "In terms of the shipment, I just want it back. Recover it. We have paid for the weapons and we would like what we paid for. You'll know it when you see it."
Obozaya's shoulders rise and her neck swells and bulges until it's half again as wide as her head, but she says nothing.
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Naiaj waves his hand, and brings a small space shuttle onto the forefront of the holocomputer, "You will take one of our shuttles registered with Apostae. We do not want to stir military action in response to this little incident. Get in quietly, and find those weapons quickly. You should have no problems getting them out if you use Ceobarn Zeizerer's name." He pauses looking around behind the group, "I think we still need to wait for a few more members of your team to assemble. In the meantime, please look over our databases for any more additional information you may require. Good luck, Starfinders."
Nightarch is a metropolis of over 1,200,000 inhabitants, most of whom are drow elves. Their society is traditionally matriarchal, but contrary to popular belief, the gender divide is not backed by law; rather, it is a holdover from pre-Gap times. A drow man with enough contacts, cunning, and wealth may rise to positions of leadership, rivaling drow women in power.
The city has a sizable orc and halforc population, but they are treated as second-class citizens at best, and slaves at worst. Most orcs and halforcs are destined to live and die as mercenaries, or, as some drow houses prefer to put it, cannon fodder.
Weapons are Nightarch’s main export, and many drow houses are involved in arms trade. What most people don’t know is that there are thousands of miles of tunnels and numerous vaults of alien technology beneath the surface of Apostae. Many weapons designed in Nightarch are reverse-engineered from this technology.
Of the many bizarre technologies that drow are known for, fleshwarping is perhaps the least understood. It involves mutations and magic to transform a humanoid creature into a hate-filled abomination. While originally a punishment, a more refined form of fleshwarping can be used to create augmentations which—while gruesome to behold—greatly enhance the individual’s physical qualities. In the most drastic cases of fleshwarping, the target often suffers from incredibly reduced intelligence, limiting the creature’s tactical acumen.
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The android looks at his teammates wondering how this mission will go. He checks his belongings once again to be certain that he packed all the necessary things.
Seeing that everything is ready he removes his rifle and puts it on the table. He removes the two batteries and begins to unassemble the barrel. The gun is a highly modified laser rifle with extra lenses to change the focus of the laser beam, a set of electronic controllers, and extra cooling. The barrel of the rifle has a symbol of pipes spreading through it with parts of it being cut allowing the light to shine.
From all of the belongings that Hellih has, most of it is not well maintained, but the rifle quality and look is impeccable.
"Anyone can dig up about the location that we are going to?"
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Matching the clanking of Obozaya, DICEBOT steps in carrying his usual cooking utensils: a tactical duelling blade and an Ifrit-class flamethrower. He stares briefly at the neon-colored signs displaying 'modernbodymodernbodymodernbody', while a small transistor radio plays Astrowerk's multi-vector hit song 'Apostae is a planet' in the background
Apostae is a planet
It's very very old
Apostae is a planet
It's very very cold
Aposate is a planet
Some distance from the sun
Apostae is a planet
It's not a well-known one
Unfortunately for DICEBOT, DICEBOT can't even seem to figure out what an Apostae is.
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You settle any final remarks with the venture captain, collect your things and before you know it, you board the shuttle headed for Apostae.
As the shuttle approaches the dull gray planetoid, several fighters emerge from a hulking capital ship identified as part of the local fleet defense: the Blood Armada. These fighters whizz past like a swarm of angry wasps. The navigation computer lets out a blaring alert as the capital ship scans the shuttle, but soon after, the alert ends and the fighters fly back to the massive carrier. The shuttle descends into low-orbit, and several small settlements with sealed atmospheres come into view. Further out, beneath clouds of dust, several mile-wide blast doors, many large craters, and miles-deep crevices can be seen across the planetoid’s surface. The shuttle soars closer to Apostae’s surface, fast approaching the dark city of Nightarch.
The eponymous arch and various tower houses can be seen within the city limits. Nightarch’s vast spaceport is alive with hundreds of blinking red and purple lights, which guide the shuttle into the gloomy capital of the drow.
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You disembark from your shuttle and are met by two drow guards working for House Zeizerer. They introduce themselves as Laibross and Sirendeil. With your escorts you travel through a labyrinth of air-filled, enclosed tunnels to Mileshadow, a tall corporate building owned by House Zeizerer. On the top floor of the building, the guards lead you to the office of Ceobarn Zeizerer.
The guards open the door to a spacious office on the top floor of the tall building, and without even a hint of emotion, one drow barely mutters, "Wait here please." The greentinged windows in the room offer a majestic view over the gloomy Nightarch. Several statues and holographic devices depicting grinning fiends sit on shelves on the walls and on a darkwood desk at the far end of the room. A curious fixture reminiscent of a demonic spider looks down from the ceiling with many glistening eyes.
There is no one in the office, and the house guards leave you to wait in the room. There are statues and holograms around this office.
You know that the statues and holograms depict different aspects of the demon lord Abraxas.
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After about five minutes a wall panel at the back of the office slides open, and a middleaged drow walks in and settles into a red armchair behind the
desk. "I am Ceobarn Zeizerer." He gives a nonchalant wave of his hand, and the demonic statue in the ceiling starts shedding a purple glow, illuminating the room. "I take it that your eyes haven’t adjusted to the light levels on Apostae. You are Naiaj’s Starfinders, correct? I heard about the shipment. A most unfortunate setback. Villyth has always been a troublemaker." After a brief silence, he spits, "But it is not our fault. House Zeizerer officially disowned her months ago. Why should I help you?"
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”Charmed.” Vyecmuraf’s facial expression shows no sign of such a feeling. ”As I’m sure your other clients will be when they hear about how you can’t keep control of your promised shipments. I’m sure your... excuse that she is no longer your problem will not cause anyone to rethink whether the cost of buying from your house is worth the risk of getting their purchases waylaid.”
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"My dear Zeizerer, I can tell by the decor that you have a penchant for chaos... but as a business person even you will have to admit that the Abadar method of conducting yourself turns out better results. We don't ask for much - crumbles, if you will - but some assistance in resolving this unfortunate matter, so we can both part ways satisfied in the outcome."
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”Charmed.” Vyecmuraf’s facial expression shows no sign of such a feeling. ”As I’m sure your other clients will be when they hear about how you can’t keep control of your promised shipments. I’m sure your... excuse that she is no longer your problem will not cause anyone to rethink whether the cost of buying from your house is worth the risk of getting their purchases waylaid.”
-- Rolled 21+2 -- success
Zeizerer scoffs, "As I'm sure your reputation as Starfinders would only improve when your enemies hear how easily your Society loses track of their recently acquired property." The man does not seem to be intimidated by such an unmotivated threat. -
Errrr- Zeizerer smiles, "You make a good point, we are allies in this venture. Any threat to the reputation of our royal house, is a threat to us both." He nods.
...
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"My dear Zeizerer, I can tell by the decor that you have a penchant for chaos... but as a business person even you will have to admit that the Abadar method of conducting yourself turns out better results. We don't ask for much - crumbles, if you will - but some assistance in resolving this unfortunate matter, so we can both part ways satisfied in the outcome."
-- Rolled 17+0 -- fail
The man leans up in his chair, his shoulders tense, and he meets Modern Body's gaze with a stern and frightening gaze, "You, half-elf, asking for my assistance so shamelessly. No wonder Abraxas punishes your people still. Abadar holds no power here, and you would be wise to hold your tongue before speaking to me again." He seems insulted, you have spoken another dietys' name before even referencing the reverant demon lord he serves.
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A whistling sound comes from the hallway, as one of the guards knocks on the door. A short while later, a red-skinned man in some impressively dashing looking freebooter armor, a white shirt with some frills on the cuffs and some good form hugging pants, grins broadly at the assembled starfinders and similarly-named Ceobarn Zeizerer. He steps up to the executive, handing him a business card, still anachronistically on paper, and then turns to hand one to everyone else in the room (minus Hellih) in turn. "Ceolor Xusha, nolonoevlist extraordinare, author of such well known holonovels such as Around Verces in 80 Parsecs or An Akitonian Abroad. Sorry for the late arrival, traveling from Icefront than expected (I swear arguing contract details about publishing always delays Drift Travel!) Anyways, I'm this team's sixth member, and it'll be a pleasure to work with you." He does give Hellih a smile and a nod, "Hellih, you old street rat, Whatcha been up to? We should catch up!"
He pulls out his comms unit and gives Ceobarn a small look of apology. "If you wouldn't mind, sir, I did some research on Nightarch on my way here and thought I'd share it with my team, if you don't mind the interruption for just a second."
He turns to everyone gathered around and asks "Right, turn on your GuidanceDrop for a second and I can send over what I was able to dig up about the city!"
He then turns to the man behind the desk and gives him a wide smile, "Seems you are a man of quite some influence and tenacity, rising to such lofty ranks in the traditionally matriarchal drow society. I'd love to get to know more about you, if you don't mind me basing a character in a holonovel after you... Hrmm or I could try to dabble in making a biographical holonovel, but I'm not the best at those."
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Vyecmuraf clasps both pairs of hands in front of them. ”Be sure to pay close attention to the part where he suddenly decided his job wasn’t worth the bother,” they add on a cool voice. ”Perhaps it is a cultural thing.”
”That being said, is having rogue members of one’s house a common situation here on Nightarch?” the kasatha continues, letting a bit of curiosity color their flat voice for the first time. ”And why would such a rogue member be targeting weapon shipments? A vendetta against the Starfinders? Unlikely. A vendetta against you?” They relax the now-pointed finger and return to the twice-clasped pose. ”Much more likely. Helping us solves a lingering problem for yourself, and at much lower cost than waiting to fix it later on your own.”
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Hellih smiles at Ceolor and makes a head gesture towards Ceobarn
"I can see how such a novel could aid you to rise even higher in esteem, Ceobarn. "
As Vyecmuraf is speaking Hellih keeps his eyes at Ceobarn trying to read his emotions.
Increased respirator frequency, his eyes shifting to the side...
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He then turns to the man behind the desk and gives him a wide smile, "Seems you are a man of quite some influence and tenacity, rising to such lofty ranks in the traditionally matriarchal drow society. I'd love to get to know more about you, if you don't mind me basing a character in a holonovel after you... Hrmm or I could try to dabble in making a biographical holonovel, but I'm not the best at those."
-- rolled 19+2 sucess --
The drows eyes dart quickly towards the akiton, and he quickly acknowledges the idea entirely, "Indeed your flattery will do you much good here, Mister Ceolor. We can discuss the finer details later, but make sure your protagonist, they are the mightiest warrior that Abraxes himself courted for his personal service. Oh, and make sure he is dashing like me."
...
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”That being said, is having rogue members of one’s house a common situation here on Nightarch?” the kasatha continues, letting a bit of curiosity color their flat voice for the first time. ”And why would such a rogue member be targeting weapon shipments? A vendetta against the Starfinders? Unlikely. A vendetta against you?” They relax the now-pointed finger and return to the twice-clasped pose. ”Much more likely. Helping us solves a lingering problem for yourself, and at much lower cost than waiting to fix it later on your own.”
-- rolled 24+2 -- success
The drow quickly turns to the kasatha, giving him a nod his way, "Indeed it is not common for the underlings to act without permission of House nobles. Villyth surely has some plans of her own, and i suppose it would be beneficial to work together to sort out this mess."
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Ceolor's smile widens as he takes down the Drow's suggestions, a keen eye might also catch a small ripple in the fabric of reality as he does. "Why, I wouldn't have expected such a fine professional such as yourself to want a character modeled after him to be a mighty warrior, but that does give me some ideas... But as far as dashing goes, I thought that would be a given. You cut a fine figure in that suit as is, and any representation missing that would be poorer for it. "
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”Oh, I see the mighty warrior in front of us clearly,” the kasatha adds quickly. ”Cunning, merciless, and doing whatever it takes to come out on top.”
The kasatha pauses for a moment to observe before continuing in a smooth used-hovercraft salesperson voice. ”Now, it is obvious you are a devoted follower of Lord Abraxas.” They wave a hand carelessly in the general direction of everything in the room. ”With such devotion and attention to detail applied to this... incident, I’m certain it will be resolved quite quickly indeed. Imagine what else you may be able to add to this office as the standing of your house - and yourself - increases from resolving this swiftly and efficiently.”
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Hellih left side of the head begins to shine a bit brighter as some sort of new circuits would turn in as he begins to speak in a more natural voice
"Maybe instead of a warrior, you could be a ruthless leader? Efficient and powerful, cunning and deceitful. All the great features that drows are valuing."
After that Hellih begins to walk around the room observing whatever is around them that could give them an edge over Ceobarn
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Ceolor's smile widens as he takes down the Drow's suggestions, a keen eye might also catch a small ripple in the fabric of reality as he does. "Why, I wouldn't have expected such a fine professional such as yourself to want a character modeled after him to be a mighty warrior, but that does give me some ideas... But as far as dashing goes, I thought that would be a given. You cut a fine figure in that suit as is, and any representation missing that would be poorer for it. "
-- rolled 16+2 -- fail
Zeizerer smiles, but waves his hand in disinterest. He seems to dismis any more pleasantries, "I think we have a much more pressing topic to discuss, master author. I should urge you to focus on the missing weapons."
...
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The kasatha pauses for a moment to observe before continuing in a smooth used-hovercraft salesperson voice. ”Now, it is obvious you are a devoted follower of Lord Abraxas.” They wave a hand carelessly in the general direction of everything in the room. ”With such devotion and attention to detail applied to this... incident, I’m certain it will be resolved quite quickly indeed. Imagine what else you may be able to add to this office as the standing of your house - and yourself - increases from resolving this swiftly and efficiently.”
-- rolled 26+2 -- success
The drow skitters in his seat, as his eyes dart between the group, and his ornaments of his dark lord. He straitens his tie, and places his chin on his hands in front of you. "Yes, I feel like vigilance and haste is quite necessary to make sure we catch Villyth and have her judged by Abraxes for all her offences." He nods in agreement.
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The drow official sits up, "Indeed you make some good points, Starfinders. I shall grant you diplomatic immunity while you conduct your search for the villainess, but try to stay out of trouble." He quickly throws his attention at his computer, hastily punching in a few strings of code before hitting the enter button. Quickly, your personal units ping as you all receive a few files of interest. "There. You have my personal infosphere access rights on Apostae. Use this at your digression."
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The hylki man gives a nod and folds up his digital notepad, "Right, I almost lost track of the mission in pursuit of a new novel. We probably should focus on the weapons."
He pulls out his personal comms unit, curious as to what the executive's infospere might contain. "Ooohhh, this would be a great help for both tracking those weapons and the novel! And a truly great thank-you for the diplomatic immunity. Trying to navigate the strict mores and rules of this planet while still quickly and effectively finding a renegade weapons thief would be a nightmare."
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"I don't want to teach you how to do your business, but I am a gunsmith. And I wanted to come here to buy some parts for my shop. But after this problem with Villyth I would never buy anything from you. It is your reputation on the line... But we can help you with that..." success!
Zeizerer nods, "Our, reputation. But I see your point, android." Ceobarn clears his throat as he pulls a datapad from his pocket and sends you a list of names, "You may choose to try to hack the local infosphere to get leads or hit the streets and track down someone who knows something. See my list for some likely candidates. Now, be off. Update me with any news, and if you require any further assistance. You know where to find me."
...
And with that, your meeting quickly comes to a finish, your next task it to locate the weapons cache.