The halls and corridors of the Lorespire Complex beckon.
"A pleasure to see you all." says First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo, having caught you all as you finish a routine patrol shift of the halls of the Lorespire Complex. "I want to congratulate each of you on your recent elevation to the Society ranks, though I suspect that patrol duty was not at the forefront of your list of anticipated assignments upon joining the Society. Nevertheless, I trust your patrol was uneventful?"
Picture of Luwazi Elsabo is now on Slides.
"The truth is, I am rather pleased to see you here." Luwazi continues with a smile. "Although you have only recently been elevated to the Society's ranks, your skill and accomplishments have already been noted within these halls."
"I just happen to be on my way to one of the Lorespire's recreation suites." she offers. "And was hoping to play a match of harcoló."
You note that Luwazi was clearly waiting for you to finish your shift.
You recognize the harcoló as an aggressive sport where teams of one to three compete against one another by using specialized hand pads to hurl a crystalline sphere into the opposing team’s portion of the play board. The crystal is typically psychically resonant, allowing players to funnel their latent emotions into the shots they make with their handpads.
"Since you are here," she proposed, "Perhaps you would like to join me?"
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Elwin is a tall, slim elf whose ears seem to be a tiny bit longer than the ordinary elf. It could be an illusion due to him being completely bald though.
He wears light armor and only has a pistol and knife by his side along with a standard pack.
"I have never played this game before but it sounds fascinating. I would be happy to lose horribly to you in a few games!"
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Resembling nothing so much as a 'giant' moth wearing Tempweave, the creature does a mid air-bow before speaking through telepathy.
"Oh, I love games! It would be and honor First Speaker, but you will have to teach me the game. I am not familiar with--harcoló. Does it resemble Emotuba'tu?"
Misty Kit goes on to describe a game which you suspect doesn't have winners so much as it has survivors.
"I am not familiar with--harcoló. Does it resemble Emotuba'tu?"
Luwazi pauses, then blinks for a few moments, before concluding, "Not quite."
A smile again forms on the woman's face. "If you haven't played it before, then you're in for a treat!" Luwazi explains. "The sport originated on Castrovel. Teams consist of one to three players. Specialized hand pads are used to hurl the sphere into the scoring area of the opposing team. The crystal sphere is typically psychically resonant, allowing latent emotions to be funneled through it." The woman's explanation is slow and deliberate.
The First Seeker then asks you to divide yourselves into teams as she leads you into a large circular room with glass half-spherical window that overlooks the grounds of the Lorespire Complex campus. Luwazi takes up position on the opposite side of a rectangular table with a single line of jagged violet crystals dividing the table into two distinct play areas.
TEAM ONE, MATCH ONE
As the first team takes its place to compete against Luwazi, a team unto herself, the First Seeker says, "I want to thank all of you for humoring me with this little game. I don’t get a chance to get as much recreation in as I probably should, what with the Society’s ongoing search for a new First Seeker. Also, I can’t keep just beating up on poor Radaszam.”
Luwazi says with a vibrant smile as she finishes her stretches and takes to the table.
"This one is fascinated. Such interesting amusements exist in the Pact Worlds." Speaker for the Dead nominates himself for the first team, puts on a hand pad, and awkwardly tries to hurl the sphere into Luwazi's goal.
“So, we have a group of first competitors then?" remarks Luwazi as she takes up a position opposite Speaker for the Dead, Morbo Rivers, and Elwin. She offers a hand pad to the others.
Speaker for the Dead makes the initial push, which is handily countered by Luwazi. "Speaking of a group of 'firsts'," she continues, "The Forum has put together a list of initial candidates for First Seeker. Since you represent our new generation of agents, I was wondering if I could pass some of them by you."
As she speaks, she attempts to anticipate Morbo’s move, but is unsuccessful.
"I must admit I am not very good at the game, but I do enjoy it." Morbo joins the first team as well.
Despite, the failed effort, the First Seeker's voice remains cheerful and pleasant. "Don’t sell yourself short, Agent Rivers. I’m sure that each of you has the potential to one day take my position, but until that day comes, we’ve got some immediate candidates to discuss!"
Elwin shrugs, smiles and steps in. "From the First Speaker's confidence I feel we are about to be beaten badly."
“Confidence is not a prerequisite for being First Seeker, but it helps.” Luwazi explains. “And one candidate that has confidence in abundance is Tara Nova. She has exhibited quite a mastery of media. If ever we needed someone to help our reputation, now is the time and Tara Nova seems to fit that role quite well. She’s a strong proponent of the Society becoming more of a force in the media circuit. I know she still harbors a lot of resentment for what happened in the Scoured Stars, and she’s made it very clear that if any organization tries to attack us, she’d be willing to use overwhelming force to take them down. But will such aggressive tactics make us more enemies in the long run? That much is quite unclear."
The first match goes to the First Seeker and she invites the other three agents to participate in a match, by extending hand pads to each of them.
“Just because the game may be new to you doesn’t mean that you can’t excel at it.” Luwazi urges, before she pivots. "For instance, consider another one of our candidates, Calder Soren. I never thought that we’d see a morlamaw rise to the heights that Calder Soren has so quickly. It was only two years ago that we authorized our mission to the morlamaw home world, and now morlamaws have joined the Society in droves. Calder Soren wants to reestablish our presence in Near Space and in the Vast. He’s been pushing an initiative to construct a whole new series of lodges out beyond the Pact Worlds! Expansion could help us greatly, as long as his vision doesn’t neglect the work that needs to be done in the lodges that we already have."
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Bisig takes the offered paddle and does a little stretching to limber up. He then takes a swing at the sphere to get it moving, but misjudges and whiffs. "New challenges and discoveries are why I joined the Society in the first place. I hope our new Seeker will keep that at the forefront of their agenda!"
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Misty attempts to bluff someone out of position as they try to take advantage of their flight to get into unanswerable positions.
"Yes, I do see the need for the Society to expand myself. While it wasn't technically your fault, what happened to my people has sort of fallen to you as a responsibility. At least I don't see anyone else stepping up."
Bisig takes the offered paddle and does a little stretching to limber up. He then takes a swing at the sphere to get it moving, but misjudges and whiffs. "New challenges and discoveries are why I joined the Society in the first place. I hope our new Seeker will keep that at the forefront of their agenda!"
Luwazi quickly deflects the sphere, adding, "Speaking of those at the 'forefront', Avor Stelek is an interesting candidate. The man's known for being a doctor as much as he is a master of blades and dance. I’ve seen him working with agents like yourselves who have only just begun their careers in our Society. I appreciate his enthusiasm for recruitment and training. However, I’m worried that he isn’t willing to work with other organizations. Avor believes that factions like the Dataphiles and Wayfinders need to take even more of a backseat to the greater needs of the Society. That sort of refocusing on our core mission may be just what we need in the coming days, though."
Misty attempts to bluff someone out of position as they try to take advantage of their flight to get into unanswerable positions.
"Yes, I do see the need for the Society to expand myself. While it wasn't technically your fault, what happened to my people has sort of fallen to you as a responsibility. At least I don't see anyone else stepping up."
"Good one!" cries the First Seeker when she realizes that she had fallen for the feint. Catching her breath, she nods solemnly at Misty kit's words. "The Society doesn't take its responsibilities lightly."
"The Society has not always had the best track record, I suppose." she continues, "but, it can learn from its mistakes and remain diligent in its efforts to improve."
"The fourth candidate, Ehu Hadif Ko’ra Amares of Clan Tolar, exemplifies diligence," Luwazi concludes. "He’s a kasatha who’s done a lot of work on bringing old Society lore back to the forefront. He was personally responsible for arranging an upcoming mission based on the findings of a recovered Starfinder starship called the Unbounded Wayfarer. Ehu’s recent interest lies in the library world of Athaeum and uncovering a mystery Starfinders found on an earlier mission. Focusing our efforts on a single world could be a welcome change of pace that allows us to dive deep into its history—that is, as long as the world interests enough of our agents.”
Luwazi calls the match. "Thank you once again for being willing to serve as competitors." she says. "And worthy ones that."
"Now, if you'll indulge me, I have another request of you." she continues, her face serious. "I want you to visit each of the candidates I've mentioned and offer to assist them, however you can. Get a sense of each of the candidates," Luwazi requests, "Then, return to the Lorespire Complex for an informal debriefing on the potential new First Seekers. I want you to meet each of these people for yourselves and make the decision on whether the Society would benefit from that candidate’s vision."
You find Avor Stelek in the the Ring district of Absalom Station, far from the Lorespire Complex and somewhat close to the Little Akiton. Avor waits at a small bistro called All That and the Sun that uses various holographic projectors to turn the surrounding terrain into a re-creation of Akiton’s vast deserts.
While traveling through the Station, you have had the opportunity to learn or recall more about First Seeker candidate, Avor Stelek.
Avor Stelek is a hylki, one of the red-skinned Akitonian humans, who has gained much notoriety through his daring actions during missions for the Society. He’s known to have gained numerous victories against the jinsuls during the events of the Scoured Stars incident.
When you first spy Avor, he's in the middle of reading a datapad, and when he sees you he looks up.
Picture of Avor now available on Slides.
"Greetings, my fellow Starfinders!" he says with a smile, which begins to fade when he asks, "Do any of you happen to have experience with legal documents?"
"hmm I have had to sign a few in my time, I suppose I could take a look."
"Please do," Avor says, handing the datapad over for all to see. "So, what do you make of it?"
You recognize that the datapad sets forth a contract that is a terribly one-sided affair, granting the Zo! Media corporation rights to monitor the life of a Starfinder agent and recast choice events in perpetuity.
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Speaker for the Dead moves up, slug-like, until he's in front of the man.
"This one knows little of Pact Worlds law, and even less of human medicine. But this one has heard that Avor Stelek is an expert in emergency medical procedures. Is this what brought that one's interest in the Starfinder Society?"
"I appreciate that the law is not an area of expertise for any of us." says Avor. The red-skinned Akitonian man smiles as he takes back the datapad. “In any event, it seems one of our fellow agents has got themselves in over their head. The android Pave-5 gained some notoriety for being one of the first Starfinders to enter the moon of Salvation’s End, which led them to meeting some media contacts working for the infamous undead mogul Zo! Pave-5 agreed to long-term contract with those agents, and now they’re stuck having every moment of their existence filmed by undead camera crews. A Starfinder can’t work in those conditions, so the Society’s leadership has effectively considered Pave-5 to be out of commission until this situation gets resolved."
Avor Stelek stands up gracefully, placing his ceramic cup on the table. “I for one can’t stand to see a fellow agent so abused. I’m
going to ask your help in trying to get Pave-5 out of this mess.”
The man quickly pays his tab at the shop, then turns to you and says, "And, I'll be joining you. After all, no leader deserves their position if they just remain behind desks all day.”
As Avor leads you all through a section of the station between the Freemarkets and Little Akiton, the trip takes about half an hour.
En route, you have time to further peruse the contract involving Pave-5.
Avor eventually stops in a transitory section of Absalom Station that contains several small shops and a series of installed green areas. These green areas contain short benches and small ponds for passersby to sit and enjoy some tranquility.
Sitting atop one of the benches in the central pond area is an agender android, starring indifferently at the still water.
"Pave-5." Avor mutters quietly, a hint of sadness evident in his voice.
Not far from the android's location is a blue-skinned ghast in professional dress, viewing a monitor, along with an undead vid crew, their lenses trained on the android. The black-framed, canvas chair behind the ghast bears the label, "Wazasha Kevir of Zo! Media".
Pictures of Pave-5 and Wazasha now available on Slides.
Map of the area showing positions of PCs, android, and undead now on Slides.
"Hello Mr. Pave-5. I'm assuming you are having issues with your contract? Can we help you deal with it?"
"My entire life is now on camera." Pave-5 laments. "My entire life is unceasingly being recorded by that ghoul. Day-in and day-out. Unfortunately, I am bounded by contract--a terribly one-sided affair--granting the Zo! Media corporation rights to monitor my life and recast choice events of it in perpetuity, including my meditative routines. Whatever I do, the ghoul and her crew are bound to be there. Where ever, I go, they are bound to follow me. It is enough to make one's circuits spin."
"Uh, Avor.... Do you have a small tentacled pet?" He points at where it was at...
"A friend," replies Avor, "one I liberated from a jinsul outpost.”
"Any wiggle room we can use to renegotiate, other then the fact that your exploits are not Epxian prime time fair at the moment?"
"If I knew of any loopholes or grounds for renegotiation, I would have tried them by now." laments Pave-5.
Speaker for the Dead moves out of the camera shot and speaks quietly to Wazasha. "This one discerns that Wasasha finds her present task unsatisfying. This one would suggest to that one that perhaps observation of a different subject would prove more fulfilling to that one's artistic desires."
"You are not incorrect." Wazasha concedes. A two-footlong tongue hungrily slips out of her mouth, causing the ghast associate producer to momentarily break her professional demeanor as she irritably recoils it back into her mouth to avoid embarrassment. "Following a depressed Starfinder is a clear waste of time and talent. Since joining an expedition into the false moon of Salvation’s End, I have been sitting on the sidelines, forced to wait for the next Society joint venture with Zo!’s media empire. If I may be dead serious, I believe that my talents could be put to much better use."
Her tongue slips out again. Its movement akin to that of a coiling serpent before she pulls it back within her mouth. "However, if I am bring about an end to this situation, then I need some viable footage to keep Zo! happy. The android has failed to provide me with the necessary footage, but, then again, I am a determined woman."
"And a businesswoman, as well," she continues, a hungry look in her eyes. "I had managed to obtain--at a reasonable price--a certain 'package' to liven[i] up the android's daily routines, which I have in place nearby. My concern, however, is that, once released, they will prove to be too dangerous and likely [i]kill the android. Generally, corpses make for poor action shots."
"However," she says, with only a short slip of her tongue,"if the android were not the only Starfinder on the scene and the others were to step in and save the android, then I believe my crew and I could obtain the exact type of footage that we are seeking--enough fight scenes even to appease Zo!"
"With that in hand, I believe I could find grounds to nullify the contract." she concludes. "What do you say?"
"Excellent!" Wazasha replies, her tongue slurping out like a cobra ready to strike. She points over to a nearby shed. "The packages are in there. Get into good positions where my crew can best catch your profiles and, then I will release them."
Location of red and yellow "packages" now on Map.
Having caught wind of the plan, Avor offers to get Pave-5 to safety once the fighting starts.
The kiirinta biohacker let's loose a startling scream.
The doors of a nearby storage unit remotely unlock and the doors fly open. Out of its interior emerges a pair of leathery-winged creatures with serpentine bodies covered in sparking spines. One immediately flies toward the android.
FIGHT FOR THE RATINGS! First Round Begins!
"Package" (yellow)
Misty Kit
"Package" (red)
Bisig "Wreck" Sandahar
Morbo Rivers
/Speaker of the Dead\
Elwin the Technomancer
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Once the first enemy appears Misty Kit takes a deep breath and shouts, "Let's Go Pathfinders!" Misty Kit's shout seems to almost push the other agents into action.
Even as the other agents appear to be propelled forward, Misty Kit taps on a crystalline shard on their arm.
"The creature is a electrovore, don't hit it with electricity, it's likely to only benefit from it."
Misty Kit then starts to fly closer and draws their dart pistol as them move.
A second electrovore emerges from the storage unit and flies toward the android.
FIGHT FOR THE RATINGS! First Round Cont'd!
"Package" (yellow)
Misty Kit
"Package" (red)
Bisig "Wreck" Sandahar
Morbo Rivers
/Speaker of the Dead\
Elwin the Technomancer