You were hustled onto a Starfinder vessel with a preprogramed flight plan without so much as a briefing. You are 17 days into your drift flight into the Vast. You are on approach to your destination the only information you have about your mission is a holographic message contained in a spell gem like crystal.
>> START PLAYBACK
On the left half of the illusion, First Seeker Ehu Hadif sits behind a black desk in his neat office. “You’ll be excited to hear
the Society has decrypted the beacon found on Kizmatta. Though, not as excited as Radaszam, I expect.”
On the right half of the illusion, Radaszam stands in a museum warehouse alongside several crates labelled “Rasheen.” Radaszam grins. “This is a historic expedition! We’re back on Rasheen’s trail!”
Ehu nods. “The beacon is one used by the well-known explorer Jelev Rasheen to mark the path of her expeditions. She operated in the early days of Drift travel when courses were less predictable than today. Thanks to Radaszam’s research, we know that parts of the code from the Kizmatta beacon contain Rasheen’s notation for graves and memorials.”
“You’re going to Tombworld!” Radaszam interrupts with excitement.
Ehu shakes his head at the name. “A little sensational, don’t you think?”
“Nonsense! Show them the imagery!” Radaszam retorts.
Ehu obliges, pulling up a screen showing a star map of a nondescript solar system, then magnifies a section of its asteroid belt. Further magnification of a large, spherical object in the asteroid belt reveals a pyramidical structure. “It appears to be a pyramid, a structure used on old Golarion for religious and magical purposes, and yes, sometimes as tombs,” Ehu concedes. \
“Rasheen never mentioned an interest in old Golarion in any of her authenticated talks or records, but this architecture could indicate a civilization that had contact with Golarion colonists.”
“Or it could be an Azlanti outpost, so keep your weapons charged,” Radaszam points out. “Either way, we want to know why Rasheen went to check it out.”
“The beacon’s message contained what I think is an access code, most likely for the pyramid.” Ehu adds. “In the mission packet I’ve duped authentication tokens with the code, which we hope will help you enter it. Once inside, we’d like you to document the contents. Stay safe.”
<< END PLAYBACK
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A morose looking dwarf shakes his head back and forth as he listens to the first seeker's message.
He turns and looks at another dwarf and a vesk standing behind him and says with an ease that indicates that he has a familiarity with both.
"Yeah, we are all going to die. There's no doubt in my mind that the pyramid is going to be full of Azlantis that want to kill us. Drink all the dwarven ale now, because we won't have another chance after this."
He then turns and says to the human male who makes up the fourth member of the Starfinder team.
"Send an encrypted transmission, priority one to the first seeker and tell him it's from me. First Seeker, I only have one question, how do I get transferred out of this chicken s#^& outfit."
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Grump Gunderson
Male NG Dwarf Spacefarer Star Shaman Mystic 9 | SP 81/81 HP 60/60 | RP 9/9 | EAC 25; KAC 27 } Fort +6; REflex +5; Will +11 | Init +2 | Darkvision; Perc: +20, SM: +13 | Speed 40ft (land), 60ft (Fly) | Active Conditions: DR 2/- Adamantine armor; DR/5 Cold/Fire, Thermal Capacitor; DR 10 Electricity, Electrostatic Field
Another dwarf, scruffy-looking but less morose than the other dwarf, sits in the cabin.
"Maybe our deaths are slated for today, Benoit. Though I might've been happier knowing our mission maybe just a little bit sooner. We got fabbers on board that could've been crafting necessary gear for us."
Turning to his other teammates, he introduces himself.
"Grump Gunderson. Glad that we're flying off to adventure together."
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Gremvest is a handsome, athletically-built Vesk in his 40s, with a tribal sunburst tattoo around his left eye. Something about him looks a bit familiar; maybe he’s a has-been celebrity? Wearing an ecru thrift-store duster, he seems to glow slightly. He introduces himself in a self-deprecating, friendly sort of way.
He chuckles at Benoit's line about chicken excrement, nodding along at the sentiment.
"Nah, we ain't dying today," the Vesk says amicably in a deep, gravelly voice. "I got child support arrears I gotta pay, so dying ain't an option, just ask my exes," he adds with a chuckle while fiddling with what appears to be a worn guitar pick.
"By the way, what's Old Golarun?" the Vesk says with genuine curiosity while strumming his Vesk guitar-like musical instrument.
orbited the sun where Absalom Station now does and is the home world of dwarves, humans, halflings, orcs, and many more. The planet
disappeared during the Gap, along with its inhabitants and a few deities. If the pyramid has any connection to Golarion, it would be the discovery of the century.
contained coordinates leading to another beacon on the planet Kizmatta. After carefully navigating Kizmattan politics, the Starfinder Society was able to reach this second beacon, from which they extracted encrypted coordinates.
Jelev Rasheen sallied forth from Absalom Station in the early days of Drift travel. She returned every few years with fascinating tales and a hold full of fantastic treasure. After her final disappearance, stories continued to circulate that her final haul put her previous expeditions to shame—but no storyteller could present hard evidence of where she’d set her last set of Drift coordinates. The ambiguity of Rasheen’s disappearance inspired holovid dramas and adventure novels that, while short on historical accuracy, inspired a generation of explorers and treasure-hunters to set their own courses into the stars. Radaszam was one of them.
A few years ago, while searching for leads on Rasheen’s discoveries in the Lorespire Complex, Radaszam stumbled across a flight plan that Rasheen had registered. He set some Starfinders on the same course. On an icy moon they found a beacon Rasheen used to mark her progress, store data, and leave messages for friends.
Jelev Rasheen sallied forth from Absalom Station in the early days of Drift travel. She returned every few years with fascinating tales and a hold full of fantastic treasure. After her final disappearance, stories continued to circulate that her final haul put her previous expeditions to shame—but no storyteller could present hard evidence of where she’d set her last set of Drift coordinates. The ambiguity of Rasheen’s disappearance inspired holovid dramas and adventure novels that, while short on historical accuracy, inspired a generation of explorers and treasure-hunters to set their own courses into the stars. Radaszam was one of them.
Starfinders uncovered a beacon that contained coordinates leading to another beacon on the planet Kizmatta. After carefully navigating Kizmattan politics, the Starfinder Society was able to reach this second beacon, from which they extracted encrypted coordinates.
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Of course that question by Gremvest puts the Professor into lecture mode as he tells Gremvest about the missing planet that was in Absalom Station's orbit pre-Gap.
He concludes by saying. And I'm Professor Patrick Messier. Double Doctorate in Astronomy and Quantum Physics. Technomancer, specialising in the Magic Missile. Been following this trail for a while now.
He also briefs the others on Rasheen and the previous steps of the trail
He then pauses and says to Gremvest. Child Support huh? I don't know whether or not to say you were unlucky or lucky to at least have the opportunity to get a partner. Personally I would rather not die on this mission either.
To Benoit Message composed and ready to send. Would you like to confirm transmission please?
After the long but uneventful transit to the Ukkoruuk system, you reach your destination amid an asteroid belt. Unlike its neighboring natural asteroids, the planetoid at Rasheen’s coordinates is spherical. It’s almost perfectly smooth surface consists of a hex grid divided by neat canals filled with a silver liquid, crossable by narrow footbridges. Each
hex contains a structure, some only two or three yards tall. Most notable is the largest structure, a pyramid which almost occupies its
entire hex. It has no visible entrance.
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Patrick asks the pilot to orbit the planetoid a few times while pictures and sensor readings are taken.
The planetoid has unusually high gravity, approximating that of Absalom Station and lost Golarion. Logic would say that is artificial. The canals are filled with liquid mercury. The structures appear to be replicas of famous buildings from lost Golarion. The pyramid for example appears to be a tomb from the desert nation of Osirion.
He looks over at the others. After my .... erm ..... timey/whimey mission, I recently participated in, I did quite a lot of research into Lost Golarion and the old Pathfinder Society - at least as much as I could find out in the old Archives
He even pulls out an old Wayfinder out of his pocket
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Gremvest nods along as the professor speaks, pretending he is following along and understanding. He finds himself humming along to a Coronal Mass classic rock hit, but real quietlike.
"That sounds crazy, man. I dint know you Humans came from a planet what vanished. Bummer for you. Say what you want about us Vesk, we still know where Vesk Prime is! Am I right? But really, maybe we should put on like an aid benefit concert or sumthin to find yer missing homeworld."
Through the viewports, he looks at the pyramid. "That big triangle buildin' looks cool. I bet there's some good loot in there... er, I mean, arkeylogical stuff for the museums."
((Ha! Edit based on that Culture check: "Uh wait a minute, yeah, I remember about that Golarian planet now. I did know that. I'm on the path to recovery, some things slip my mind. What can I say? They don't send me on these missions to remember stuff. Where's some Jinsuls for me to smash?!"))
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"Never underestimate the power of rock'n'roll.... it literally saved my life!" Gremvest says with a happy laugh. "And yeah Professor, me n' you, I'm happy to give you a tour of the homeland. I know where all the good eats are. Okay, how is this planetoid we're gonna be checking out, how is this place for breathing and stuff?" He starts fiddling with his space-age armor and checking his environmental controls. He scans the vidscreens for signs of fauna.
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"What the professor said sounds right."
"Don't you worry, Gremmy you and I weren't included on this mission for our brains or lack of them. The wee professor's job is to be the egghead. When things get messy, and we know they will, that's what we get paid for."
"You better be careful what you ask for professor. I understand vesks don't eat anything that's cooked or not moving before it gets on their plates, hahahahaha!"
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With a roar like a lion, Gremvest laughs happily at Benoit's jest. "Not 100% true. Doncha know, Dwarf flesh is best when fricasseed! Ya know I kid, I'd never eat you, man. I can't say that about everyone Vesk Prime, but I'll keep ya guys safe, doncha worry."
He kisses his guitar pick, and starts tooling around with his musical instrument.
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Grump seems to be scrolling through an inventory linked to his Null-Space Chamber.
"This may sound dumb, but we had it happen last mission. Everyone here has a way to fly, right? Right!? If not, I've got a Jetpack I'm not using."
"And while I'm at it, any of you not want me to caste Life Bubble on you? Its good for 9 days, in case your armors life support conks out."
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"Fly laddie, dwarves aren't known for their arial acrobatics, that's why my drone TEC-9 has a jetpack and a riding saddle on it."
If anyone was paying attention when Benoit boarded the starship, he was accompanied by a custom built combat droid with dual weapons mounts that had advanced heavy weaponry attached to them.
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Grump swipes across the inventory screen, causing the null-space chamber to open long enough to access the jetpack. He does so & hands it over to the Professor.
"Gotta figure that you know what you're doing with the install, so I'll leave you to it."
Speaking of weaponry, Grump has a new pistol on his belt, as well as a pair of powered melee weapons - a hammer & a pick lying nearby.
Your computer scans also give you a basic readout of the planetoid,
[u]TOMBWORLD[/u]
Artificial Planet-Spanning Necropolis
Diameter: 10 miles; Mass: less than ×1/100
Gravity: ×1 (artificial)
Atmosphere: Normal (artificial) or none
Day: 1 day; Year: 5 years
Tombworld is a tiny artificial planetoid constructed by
Dortay ven Corbosi to serve as her immortal tomb.
With your preperations made you look for a landing site. Because of all the buildings covering the asteroid’s surface, there’s only one hex that is clear of obstructions and suitable for landing a starship. This hex is 1 mile from the great pyramid.
Black sand covers the planet’s entire surface except the footpaths, which are paved with opalescent white stone. Liquid mercury ripples intermittently along the 10-foot-wide canals that divide the surface into hexagonal grids. Each grid contains a single structure, colored in infinite variations of gray and silver. These small monuments range in size and shape from blocky, angular three-story buildings to open-air pavilions only a few yards in diameter. Some are clearly miniature copies of larger buildings, with inch-wide “balconies” a mere foot above
the ground. All are architectural follies with no functional entrances—save one; a towering pyramid of shining white stone. Three of the pyramid’s faces are smooth and featureless, while the fourth features an inverted triangle enclosing one circle and overlapped by another, inset in gold and opal.
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As the team's starship touches down, Benoit and TEC-9 lead the way down the ship's boarding ramp and toward the white stone pyramid.
Moving carefully, the dwarf with his nova lance gripped securely in both his hands, and the the combat drone advance forward.
Servos on his powered armor whir every time he takes a step. He presses a button on the control panel of his armor and activates its environmental protections.
One side of the pyramid has a symbol on it The symbol rests at ground level and is 15 feet in diameter. Examining the symbol you determines it’s a door with no apparent hinges or handles. A small slot in the seams of the design could fit an ID badge or keycard.
You identify the design as the symbol of the Prophecies of Kalistrade, a philosophy that espouses that personal self-denial and spiritual cleanliness aid in the acquisition of personal wealth. Although this philosophy has its roots in ancient Golarion, it remains strong today, with many adherents—known as Kalistocrats—living throughout the Pact Worlds and Near Space. Kalistocrats are easily identifiable by their white and gold attire, long white gloves, intense dietary restrictions, and excessive wealth
At the word Kalistrade, the symbol depresses and slides away into the wall. The door is now open.
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"Self-denial and spurtyul cleanliness leads to more money? Huh, like wise saving habits, that sort of thing? I gotta say, meditation does a lot for me, made me a better Vesk." As he watches the symbols depress and the door open, Gremvest pats the professor on the back. "Good job, buddy." He activates his holy ghost killer opportunistic malebranche-class burning chains with a smile. His weapon smells like brimstone and glows red hot. With a fangy Vesk smile, he walks through the door.
Inside the pyramid, the pristine white walls are framed by a white-and-gold marble floor, polished gold ceiling, and six tall obelisks. As the entry door slides closed, breathable air flows into the entry room from subtle vents in the ceiling. Soft golden lights activate, revealing a desiccated corpse in the northeast corner.
The corpse was a male ysoki killed by blunt force. You find an employee badge with a photograph of a brown-furred ysoki identified as “maintenance technician third-class Atezo Demari.”
You Find nothing unusual from the doorway but can see into the next room.
This long, high hallway is lined with pedestals and gallery displays that showcase holograms, art, and statues lit by subtle columns of light. Material sculptures include an elaborate model of an arch supported bridge, a split-level villa with multiple balconies and porches built into a tiered hillside, a luxurious spaceport lobby, and a partially complete sculpture of a humanoid-snake hybrid with a star for a face. One hologram of a red pyramid periodically fades to show the layout of corridors and chambers within and below it. Another hologram features an old-fashioned musical performance theater, and yet another shows a pre-planned city center expanding outwards into a metropolis.
A sphinx sits on a pedestal. Her white leonine body sports robotic wings, complete with feathers of gold enamel and a human woman’s head.
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Benoit, takes one look at the sphinx and says, "Better you talk to the robot-cat-bird-woman, Professor. I'll back you up, but I don't have the fancy words needed to talk to this one."
His eyes scan the room for anything suspicious as he talks and TEC-9's sensor array rotates in a 360 degree arc to cover the entire room.
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"Huh, the statue? Oh wait, is she not a statue? Uh yeah, you bet, Grump. I wit ya." He runs one scaled hand over his facial spikes, smoothing them a bit into place. He will step closer to the sphinx and address her. "Greetings, and hello! I am Gremvest, of the band Coronal Mass. This is Grump, Benoit, and Patrick. Nice place ya got here, it feels very homey. Hey what kind of song can I play for you?" He deactivates his fiery weapon from Hell, and instead pulls out his musical instrument, starts strumming a friendly tune.... he hopes.
The woman hops off her pedestal,
"Greetings and welcome honored guests My name is Rishni. I have the honor of assistingmy lady Dortay ven Corbosi, an architect of renown, most honored among the Kalistocrats, founder and chief architect of Corbosi Incorporated. If you enjoy the display here, feel free to scan, draw or otherwise record them."