Whether a citizen of Verces or a visitor, you have caught word of a rumor circulating that there is a job available at the visitors center for brave and skillful individuals interested in helping the city of Thamal.
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Chip is a blond halfling with a laser pistol on his hip, and most of his attention on a very homemade computer in his hand. He's accompanied by a bulky humanoid robot carrying a doshko.
"Hello, name's Kaleb--but call me Chip. This is Checker. I had to replace of lot of its plating that got smashed up during our last mission, but that is kind of what it's for."
He knocks on the front of the robot. The robot does not respond.
"To be clear, Checker is a drone. He's not my particularly shy SRO buddy or anything. It's valuable equipment and I'd prefer it doesn't get blown up, but part of the reason I made it is to take hits so nobody else does."
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A tall, bulky humanoid that looks very much like an ant with an upright thorax and hands at the ends of it's top two most limbs enters. Her only weapon is a taclash at her waist.
"Greetings. I am 903-Ck-Chk-Ckt." The normal words seem strained and labored and her name is spoken quickly and seems like some of those noises that anyone not of her species is sure to mangle.
"I hope you do not mind but I prefer to communicate this way," she continues telepathically. "Please call me '903.'"
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Ah, excellent! Another telepath. I am happy to translate for you if you ever prefer. My name is Anock. Radiating egoism self-confidence, a fastidious shirren replies to 903 telepathically, then introduces herself to the remainder of the assembled individuals verbally. "Hello everyone. My name is Anock. Are you here to fill the roster of 'brave and skillful' people requested in the job posting as well?"
As you each arrive at Thamal’s recently constructed visitors center, which is surrounded by a mix of trees, older buildings, and new construction, you find that the surface of the visitors center’s large silver dome covered with thousands of small colored lights that display the message, “Welcome to Thamal.”
A well-dressed, verthani woman strides out to meet you. "I am Councilor Kirslin Auganir," she says by way of greeting. "Thank you for coming. I’m sure you’ve noticed the city’s recent power troubles. It’s a problem the city council would like remedied as soon as possible.”
The lights flicker out, along with the lights and displays of nearby buildings. After a few moments, the lights flicker back to life.
Councilor Kirslin sighs heavily, her skin paling to a dismal gray. “Did you see that? This city’s about to be named a top Verces travel destination for the first time in its history, but nobody’s going to want to visit us if the power won’t stay on."
"I can see the next story now: ‘Thamal’s future is looking dim. Literally.’ Luckily, that’s where you come in.”
“The city council managed to narrow the power issue down to a single plant. Station Green has gone completely offline, and the other power plants can’t consistently compensate. We sent repair drones in three times, but they went dead upon arrival. So now I’m sending you, if you’ll take the job, that is."
The Councilor nods knowingly as she hands you all several tourism brochures, logs from the plant and repair drones, and a map to Station Green.
"And please, keep it quiet? We’ve got a reputation to maintain."
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"So you need someone who's not a drone to go in there and evaluate the problem," says Chip as he starts to review the logs, "and you think it might be dangerous because something keeps killing the drones. Once we've done that, you could probably just send repairs drones in again but it's better if we can do the repairs while we're at it. Right?"
He looks up at the others. "I'm good with repairs."
"So you need someone who's not a drone to go in there and evaluate the problem," says Chip as he starts to review the logs, "and you think it might be dangerous because something keeps killing the drones. Once we've done that, you could probably just send repairs drones in again but it's better if we can do the repairs while we're at it. Right?"
"Yes. You are essentially correct," confirms the Councilor.
He looks up at the others. "I'm good with repairs."
And decedent with computers. It does not take Chip long to uncover that the logs from the plant are unnaturally consistent, as if they’ve been doctored. This oddity goes back to the earliest days of the plant, long before the outages began. The faked logs contain patterns that mimic organic processes more closely than technological ones.
Further, the drone data and regional rumors show evidence of unexpected plant life around the power plant.
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903-Ck-Chk-Ckt's mouth parts click and chatter each time someone mentions a drone dying. Some of her favorite cousins are drones, though not the kind being spoken about.
She has no skills that can help at this point so she remains quiet, otherwise, simply waiting for their journey to the plant to investigate.
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-EARLIER-
A well-polished SRO comes into the room, his small electric motors and actuators announcing his presence. As his head turn to look at each of you, there is an unmistakable whirring sound. His head is oddly shaped, and his body seems a patchwork of various components. If he wasn't so perfectly polished and clean, the rest of you might think he had come straight from a junk pile.
Turning the halfling, he finally speaks with a metallic, yet gravelly voice. "You seem as if you may have an understanding of certain technical matters. I am hopeful that you might be helpful if this work turns out to be dangerous and I end up somehow mangled. Simply apply the nanite patches I carry with me in this pouch, and perhaps I can be salvaged." The SRO's tone is almost depressing.
-NOW-
Trurl looks over the tourism brochures, but quickly sets them aside. He takes his time with the logs, attempting to look for any sort of pattern or clues to what may be going on.
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A female human arrives at the scene, albeit late. She constantly rummages inside her backpack until she finds, a holy symbol of Sarenrae in the form of a golden necklace she inherited from her family. "Greetings! My name is Luzviminda. Sarenrae's flames are upon you as a blessing!"
After hearing the briefing, she gets a chance to look around a see who will be with her for the mission. She even scans the brochures. They are well-illustrated, she can say from a not-an-artist point of view. She might be interested to inquire about it. But not for now.
He takes his time with the logs, attempting to look for any sort of pattern or clues to what may be going on.
The SRO finds that the logs from the plant are unnaturally consistent, as if they’ve been doctored. This oddity goes back to the earliest days of the plant, long before the outages began. The faked logs contain patterns that mimic organic processes more closely than technological ones.
The drone data and regional rumors show evidence of unexpected plant life around the power plant. A small bit of video recovered from one of the drone logs appears to show something moving within the building, though it’s not clear what or where it is. The logs also give indications of magical energy of some kind.
They are well-illustrated, she can say from a not-an-artist point of view. She might be interested to inquire about it. But not for now.
Responding to questions by the Sarenite about the logs, Kirslin concedes, "I thought they might be too good to be true, but had no time to follow up."
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“The city council managed to narrow the power issue down to a single plant. Station Green has gone completely offline..."
Anock squares her shoulders importantly. "Well, what can you tell us about this 'single plant'? What's it called? How is it expected to behave? Do you have any videos of it? Security camera footage from before the outage? Anything?" It could be an intelligent non-plant life form framing the plant for all this. Huh. A boring theory, but a possibility. Anock preens, proud of how smart she is, as she listens to the Councilor's answer.
Using the directions provided, you are able to location the power station easily.
Station Green stands in a paved clearing decorated with a tile mosaic of a forest against a city skyline. Grass grows in the spaces between the tiles in the 10 feet immediately surrounding the plant, edging onto its outer walls. The exterior door is ajar.
I have placed your tokens "outside" the front door of the planet.
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“The city council managed to narrow the power issue down to a single plant. Station Green has gone completely offline..."Anock squares her shoulders importantly. "Well, what can you tell us about this 'single plant'? What's it called? How is it expected to behave? Do you have any videos of it? Security camera footage from before the outage? Anything?" It could be an intelligent non-plant life form framing the plant for all this. Huh. A boring theory, but a possibility. Anock preens, proud of how smart she is, as she listens to the Councilor's answer.
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"Yes, check the perimeter first. Though that door ajar there is certainly notable. Is the auto-close mechanism jammed by something?" Anock draws her azimuth laser pistol and begins to peel off to the right so she can see around the corner.
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903 Ck-Chk-Ckt assumes the interior of the facility is more dangerous than the exterior so when Jax goes inside, she follows him. And by following, she stays adjacent to him, uncoiling her taclash from her waist but keeping it loose in one hand.
She does her best to see but be unseen.
Is it not unusual that the plant growth became noticeably more prominent closer to the facility? If it was simply poor maintenance wouldn't more of the area be overgrown?
"Well, what can you tell us about this 'single plant'? What's it called? How is it expected to behave? Do you have any videos of it? Security camera footage from before the outage? Anything?" It could be an intelligent non-plant life form framing the plant for all this. Huh. A boring theory, but a possibility. Anock preens, proud of how smart she is, as she listens to the Councilor's answer.
"The plant designations are color-coated based upon location and the areas they serve for providing power," replies the Councilor. "This particular plant's designation is Station Green. As for how it is expected to behave, it is expected to provide power--continuously. The city of Thamal can’t afford any more power outages."
"Station Green contains a single reactor," she continues. "It is fully-automated. Any maintenance or repairs that its systems cannot handle alone are tasked to repair drones. However, as I indicated, the three drones sent to repair the plant have disappeared. All of the available video footage and other information transmitted or obtained from the plant should be contained within the logs from the plant and repair drones, which I have already provided to you."
"Yes, check the perimeter first. Though that door ajar there is certainly notable. Is the auto-close mechanism jammed by something?" Anock draws her azimuth laser pistol and begins to peel off to the right so she can see around the corner.
A check of the exterior of the plant does not reveal any obvious threats. Most of the exterior windows are clearly designed not to be opened, but to simply filter light, including the massive transparent aluminum window in the rear of the planet. Windows in one area, however, do have locks that indicate they can be opened from the exterior.
Jax is in the middle of the room
Jax moves through the door into room beyond and finds that the entryway to the power plant is lit by sunlight coming through the plant’s open front door, though emergency lights in the ceiling also flicker dimly. Pieces of metal and circuitry are scattered across the floor. Some spark erratically. The sound of dripping is accompanied by faint squeaking and skittering.
903 Ck-Chk-Ckt assumes the interior of the facility is more dangerous than the exterior so when Jax goes inside, she follows him. And by following, she stays adjacent to him, uncoiling her taclash from her waist but keeping it loose in one hand.
She does her best to see but be unseen.
The formian notices the floor is slick with fluid.
The formian concludes that that one should step carefully here.
Trurl follow Anock and looks for anything suspcious
The SRO maintains their footing and spies something quite suspicious--one of the puddles is electrified and would cause damage on contact.
Location of electrified puddle is now indicated with yellow outline on Map. Also, I believe Jax Kraven 2 is large, so I have increased the size of his token and adjusted the other tokens accordingly.
Luzviminda enters and cast a spell to detect any presence of magic nearby. She also quickly takes a look around the entrance and whatever is in front of them. "I believe it is wise if we go together..."
Luzviminda spots nothing more unusual from her current vantage.
The fluid-covered entryway has four exits. The exterior door to the north, through which you entered, the door to the south, which is currently blocked by the electrified puddle, a door to the west and a door to the east.
Kaleb safely removes the electrical components from the puddle, so it no longer poses a threat.
Both of the interior doors to the east and west are open, revealing short hallways beyond. The door to the south is ajar.
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Anock bustles back to the group. "Well, that side of the exterior looks normal, but since we're all heading inside, I skipped doing the full perimeter. Why do you all look like you're trying ice skating for the first time? Oh, the floor is slick? Gross. Oh, well. Let's check out that open door." Anock begins sliding over to the southern door. Halfway there, she remembers that it might be smart to be sneaky. When she gets to the door, she peeks inside without moving it.
Trurl walks across the oily floor, being extra careful so he doesn't fall.
Moving toward the west doors. he looks down the corridor.
As he approaches, the shirren spots a second electrified puddle.
Location of second electrified puddle now indicated on map.
So Jax senses plant life.
The rest of the party cautiously make their way across the slick floor to the door to the south. The door is open, unable to be closed due to plant growth. Beyond the door, a large, circular generator sits dormant in the center of a room filled with plant life. Vines curl up and around pipes and wires, ferns hang from ceiling lights, and thick gray moss covers the walls.
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Trurl attempts to diffuse the electrified puddle.
After successfully doing so, he makes his way toward the doorway to the generator.
He attempts to assess the function of this generator.
"There is something in this room affecting the function of the generator. It's likely we can get it functional once again once we find the cause of the problem. Otherwise, the basic functions of the generator seem sound."
After successfully doing so, he makes his way toward the doorway to the generator.
Chip moves over, directing Checker to follow.
"The greenery is nice, but probably doesn't belong here. ...I didn't bring tools for this."
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Peeking around the door and the bodies of her teammates, Anock sniffs dismissively. "<sniff> Gray moss. I prefer green." Since it's crowded in there and she's a doctor medic, not an engineer, she turns back to the entry room and gives it a once-over in case her team missed anything while she was outside.
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Luzviminda carefully follows behind Jax, deducing the fact that whatever path he takes would be safe for her as well.
She stops moving because she can't seem to have a nice balance while walking. She thus tries again, this time a bit slower and surer.
Able to get a sense of walking on the slick puddle, she continues moving .
It was a marker for a PC's prior movement.
she turns back to the entry room and gives it a once-over in case her team missed anything while she was outside.
Anock notes that marks on the scattered robotic components on the floor indicate they were taken apart by something with sharp teeth and claws.
Jax waiting.
In the south of generator room, a doors stands ajar, indicating beyond a room filled with well‑tended and lush planets. A mix of flowers, ferns, and vines spill from pots and rise from organized plots of dirt on the floor. The large, transparent aluminum window allows plenty of sunlight into this area.
The doors to the west and east of the entryway also stand open, revealing short hallways beyond.
I have added yellow numbers to the doors on the Map, reflecting the choice of doors above.
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"These plants are in pots," says Chip, "so somebody put them here on purpose. Seems a strange place for it, though, so I have to point out that 'someone' might not be someone who was supposed to be here. Especially given that." He points towards the remains of the robots.
"So looks like we can settle on 'physically attacked.' That's straightforward, at least."
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"Perhaps the plants are for decorative purposes. Looking at them, for sure they are well-tended." Luzviminda gives her impression about the plants beyond door 1 as she follows the formian vanguard. She even extends her hand to know if some magic keeps the plants as lush as they are.
She even scans the area for something unusual, aside from the plants and the sunlight passing through the large window.
"Perhaps the plants are for decorative purposes. Looking at them, for sure they are well-tended." Luzviminda gives her impression about the plants beyond door 1 as she follows the formian vanguard. She even extends her hand to know if some magic keeps the plants as lush as they are.
She even scans the area for something unusual, aside from the plants and the sunlight passing through the large window.
Luzviminda does not detect any magical auras beyond those on any items carried by the party. However, her eyes catch those of another figure within the room, who is tending to the lush greenery.
Catching sight of Luzviminda,
a green‑skinned woman clipping a bush turns and smiles. “Welcome to Station Green, my friends. Don’t you love what I’ve done with the place? Buildings like this should be part of growing new things, not destroying the old. Don’t you agree?"
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Ah. A person. That makes this easier. Or harder. Either way-- Anock bustles through the door, glancing around the room to see if anyone or thing else is there. "Well. That seems like a loaded question. Anyway, my name's Anock. My associates and I have been sent to discover why this station is out of commission. Now, I'm just doing this because I'm a helper. And a healer, of course. So I'm intrigued. Care to tell us about your philosophy?" She leans onto the railing like someone preparing to listen to an interesting lecture. To the group, in their heads, she says: <Everyone: File in and spread out. And be on the lookout for either her pets or for her to transform into something with teeth and claws.>
"Well. That seems like a loaded question. Anyway, my name's Anock. My associates and I have been sent to discover why this station is out of commission. Now, I'm just doing this because I'm a helper. And a healer, of course. So I'm intrigued. Care to tell us about your philosophy?"
"My 'philosophy', as you call it, is simple," the woman replies with suspicion. "I am saving Thamal from destroying natural habitats in the name of development. To that end, I have brought these fine plants, including the sleeper moss here to Station Green."