|
The four of you, Benoit Battlestar (Engineer), Neroo, Krara and Eki Niqim are on board a Drake class starship which is on it's way to Pholskar, also known as the Planet of the Giants. None of you have any idea why you are going there until, after a week’s travel through the Drift, a pre-recorded message arrives from Venture-Captain Naiaj.
Apologies for dispatching you without a briefing. As you’ve probably gathered, you’re headed to Pholskar, a Near Space planet inhabited by giants. Pholskar’s government, the Cloud Imperium, has tight restrictions on off‑world visitation, so there’s little we know about Pholskar that’s been verified by anyone outside the Imperium.
It’s been a longtime ambition of Ehu Hadif’s to visit. Now that he’s First Seeker, he has the clout to negotiate with the Cloud Imperium’s convoluted bureaucracy. He actually managed it— we’ve been granted permission to explore one of Pholskar’s ruins normally restricted to all but the Cloud Imperium’s archaeologists. It should be obvious how great of an honor this is. He’s asked me to collect a team of accomplished agents to go in his stead. That’s where you come in.
The ruins are Talgradur, a flying city that crashed into the Ithillian Sea centuries ago. Most of the ruins are underwater, but the site they’ve granted you access to is on the fringes of Talgradur, along the coast. Since this isn’t one of the main ruins, I suspect it’s a test to determine the Society’s skill and trustworthiness. I expect you to do the Society proud.
You have an appointment with Elthel in the flying city of Anduwar. She’s the bureaucrat assigned to your case. A cloud giant, I believe. Your case was recently transferred to her, so we’ve yet to communicate directly. Make a good impression so she doesn’t cancel the expedition, then travel overland to Talgradur. When you’re done at the site report to Elthel, then return to Absalom Station. With luck, we’ll be approved for a follow-up visit soon.
I’ve attached a digital data module along with this transmission. It contains information on Pholskar. None of the sources are particularly reliable, so it might take some digging to uncover the truth. Stay sharp.
By now your flight time remaining is days. During the ride, you can use the data module to learn more about Pholskar and its
inhabitants by succeeding at a Computers, Culture, or Physical Science check to Recall Knowledge. The data module provides a +2 circumstance bonus to these checks.
|
A grumpy looking dwarf sits at the chief engineer's station. He scowls at the monitor in front of him as he types commands into the ship's computer.
"Giants, can't say I've ever had a good experience with one of them. This mission is going to go well. Let me tell you what's going to happen. We'll find some kind of horrible creature lurking in the ruins and it will proceed to kill us all. I'll finally be able to rest in peace and not have to answer to whatever hand puppet the society chooses to be the First Seeker this year."
Benoit starts laughing at his own joke whether anyone found it funny or not.
|
Neroo is a well known Lashunta, thanks for a participation and second place at the famous holoTV show Absalom Idol a few years back. Since then she joins the Starfinder Society, improving her audience while streaming her new, and heavy edited, adventures and missions until Dash smear campaign against the Society. After the backlash of Dash's campaign, she decided to quit the Society to focus more on her personal and professional life.
But she recently came back into the Society. She's happy and proud to be part of this expedition to Pholskar.
Giants! I think I've never meet one in real life... That's a first and I'm sure we will found very interesting things in this ruins and that our meeting with Elthel we go quite well. I'm quite excited to discover this planet et these flying cities!
She studies the data module pour learn more about the planet.
Neroo is a smiling joyous Lashunta with purple hair. Her round face is quite charming and her voice like honey to a bee. She's always followed by a camera drone.
|
|
You actually get all the information available about the planet.
10+: Pholskar is a terrestrial Near Space world with breathable atmosphere and standard gravity.
15+: Pholskar is very geologically active. Earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and other dangerous geological events are commonplace.
20+: Pholskar’s geological events release toxic gas into the air. In stable regions the air is acrid, but not dangerous to breathe. In volatile regions, the air is dangerously caustic.
25+: Throughout most of Pholskar, the atmosphere remains mildly caustic but not deadly. Environmental protections are a necessity but need not be used constantly. Many of the planet’s inhabitants ration the use of their environmental protections judiciously, in order to ensure they remain fully operational in case of emergency.
30+: Pholskar’s atmosphere is cleanest at high altitudes. Thus, the planet’s major settlements are located not on the surface but flying in the sky.
Now for the inhabitants ... Computers or Culture to Recall Knowledge. Again the data module gives you a plus 2.
|
Ha! laughs the vesk woman positively looming over the rest of the party (somehow even when she's seated). I'm sure the giants will be lovely. Strong creatures, conquered the sky itself: I'm sure we'll become fast friends!
Krara leans back in the starship's chair with a grin. Even during the journey through the Drift you've noticed she tends to wear her armor about with her. The suit does seem to have been modified to remove some of the more cumbersome pieces, but whether that's to increase comfort or to show off as much of her scaled muscles as possible without compromising its protection is less clear. Besides, the last ruin I was sent to we got to kill the person living there. With no consequences since she was an a#~%&%# too. It was glorious!
Despite her bravado and enthusiasm for giants in concept, internally the vesk scours her brain and finds herself somewhat unfamiliar with the species...
|
|
Benoit looks up at the very tall vesk who seems to think the mission is going to be a piece of cake and says, "I wouldn't assume that the giants will like you, unless you want to end up as a permanent stain on the bottom of one of their feet, hahahaha. Yeah, there is no way we are going to pull of this mission."
|
|
Again you get everything.
10+: Pholskar is a planet of giants in Near Space. Although numerous types of giants live on Pholskar, the planet is ruled by the Cloud Imperium, a bureaucracy of cloud giants that live in flying cities. Offworld visitors are permitted in two locations: the flying cities of Anduwar and Elysius.
15+: Talgradur is a flying city that was destroyed by war and crashed into the Ithillian Sea centuries ago. The site is restricted and only the Cloud Imperium has access. Talgradur is patrolled by giants and high-tech submersibles.
20+: The Cloud Imperium’s rule isn’t uncontested. One flying city is occupied by independent storm giants, the moon is populated by unaffiliated lunar giants, and some giants living in secluded or remote regions of Pholskar’s surface are completely unaware the Cloud Imperium claims governance.
25+: Pholskar was once ruled by a coalition of cloud and storm giants who lived in flying cities equipped with storm engines, mechanical devices capable of creating and controlling deadly storms. A schism arose between the storm and cloud giants, sparking war. Today, the Cloud Imperium rules and occupies every flying city save one: Agrishall. Agrishall is occupied by storm giants and the only sky-city with an operational storm engine.
30+: Unlike the flying cities of today, Talgradur was occupied by a variety of giants. Historians believe Talgradur’s destruction coincides with the beginning of open warfare between the cloud and storm giants, and the mass malfunctioning (or possibly destruction) of the storm engines. Agrishall’s storm engine was repaired 50 years ago.
|
|
"Seems the giants don't get along with each other. What's the difference between a cloud giant and a storm giant anyway? Is it like the difference between an dwarf and an elf?"
Storm giants are more heated, easy to rage and go their own way. Krara replies confidently. It's in the name, the power in the blood coursing through them.
That's, that's a gross and mildly - to say the least - reductive classification of a species... a dwarven man who has mostly been keeping to himself during the journey timidly pipes up.
Come on Kharl! the vesk woman barks back with a laugh. No one likes a know-it-all. And besides: we're meeting with the Cloud giants. I doubt they're going to be as concerned with social niceities around the people stubbornly resisting their empire.
|
|
Finally you exit the Drift, right into Pholskar’s atmosphere, which shouldn't normally happen. Is this a symptom of the Drift Crash? To make it worse, you’re plunged into the midst of a volcanic eruption. Blaring alarms and flashing lights draw you to your stations as dense black smoke engulfs the starship.
If you can't sort this out, you might end up featuring on Starship Crash Investigation
Challenge 1: Ash. The starship plunges through ash clouds covering viewports, clogging scanners, and getting into the starship’s instruments
and engine.
|
|
Hells! Krara yells as she jumps to her feet at the first sign of alarms. Pirates? Corpse Fleet? The vesk begins running towards the armaments console, but slows as the readings start to come in detailing the situation. Ash??? I’m not going to get crashed by just a bit of dust!
Leaving her more tech-inclined party members to deal with the sensors and systems, Krara races down towards the engine room to do the actual hard work to get the Drake moving right.
|
|
That is enough successes to deal with this problem. Both Eki and Neroo are frantically going through check lists and, following those, the engines get cleared of ash and restart. Benoit guides the pilot through the thinnest portions.
Challenge 2: Debris. The starship flies through volatile debris launched into the air by the volcano, causing countless minor collisions.
|
|
"Shoddy elven made engines. They need an injection of dwarven horsepower," Benoit yells as he jury rigs it to produce more thrust.
"Too many safety protocols on elven made engines. I'm taking the restrictor plate off the supercharger. I guarantee removing it won't make the engines spontaneously combust."
|
|
|
|
Let me take the lead here, computer are my thing. says Neroo calmly.
She quickly works on the computer, creating a new program and optimizing the code directly into the core of the machine to automatically rebalance the shields all around the ship to better protect it from the debris.
Done! she says with a smile.
|
|
The worst has already happened, suddenly you hear a voice from behind. Turning back briefly, you see a small figure in a yellow robe around which shadows seem to be swirling, with a raised hood and a mask on his face... A dark portal closes behind him, and the knowledgeable can understand that it led to the Plane of Shadows. Don't get distracted. I've been waiting for you at this point in space and time... I would not like my waiting to be in vain and we all died. The voice sounds indifferent and cold. Seeing the slight confusion, he adds, I'm an ally. Again, just information without a hint of sympathy.
|
|
Success.
You eventually escape the volcanic eruption. The starship remains operable, and you continue to your meeting in Anduwar, arriving on time.
Anduwar is a flying city with architecture that’s a fusion of ancient and modern, featuring sleek glass skyscrapers, white stone pillars, glimmering domes, extravagant gardens, and plentiful statuary. The city is almost entirely populated by cloud giants and, barring a shopping district sized for Medium and smaller creatures, everything is sized for beings around 30 feet tall.
After disembarking, you are escorted through a domed government building with white marble floors and plentiful windows, into a meeting room with a dozen cushioned chairs arrayed around a long table. Sized for cloud giants, the seats of the chairs are 10 feet above the ground and 8 feet wide, while the table’s top is 13 feet above the ground. On the table is a jug of water (4 feet tall) and 12 glasses (each 2 feet tall). Most of you look and feel comically small in this room and for some, even climbing up into a chair is a challenging feat of athletics.
Where do wish to wait for your host?
|
|
That's quite a view! Says Neroo seeing for the first time the strange flying city.
Once inside, she's in awe of the height of the place and all mundane things. She realizes that she's almost out of place here.
Turning to her new "ally" she asks. Are you from the Society? I'm Neroo! I'm sure you know me, I've finished second at the famous show Absalom Idol a few years back and since I'm an holoTV influencer of great renown!
In the meeting room, she says Clearly this place is design to let us know we are little things... I suggest to wait for our host here on the floor, not on the chairs.
|
|
My name used to be Carlos. Let's leave it as before. You can call me that. Yes, I am a Starfinder, and when she called me to join your ranks many years ago, I had no idea where it would lead me. He shifts forward. You can see that although the robe reaches the floor, but when Carlos moves, black tentacles peek out from under it. In his right hand he holds a case for a violin or some similar musical instrument. I know approximately why we are here. I was sent to help you. They decided that there were too few of you. Another question is why they sent me here. Apparently, they expect betrayal and death. Otherwise, someone else would be here... Nice to meet you, Neroo. Maybe you've heard of me too*. I'll probably say the same to you, Mr. Dwarf, when you stop aiming at me. He also nods to a vesk he doesn't know yet. His voice is still rather empty and indifferent. This is probably how the voice of a person in deep depression can sound, who is forced by some force to move, function, communicate.
____
Nothing new. Welcome to my world, they say. A small creature, probably experiencing this kind of discomfort from time to time in the Pact Worlds too, nods to Niroo. That's reasonable. We don't know which of the chairs are meant for us.
|
|
Krara narrows her eyes at the sudden arrival. showed up just as things went haywire. Too scrawny for a saboteur, but a bad omen. Still frowning, she eventually gives the small weirdo a nod. Krara. Ne'korm. You're really here to help then check to see if there's any damage that'll make this thing about to blow.
As 'Carlos' moves about the Drake Krara continues to keep a distant eye on them when she can, especially hoping to catch a glimpse of what is beneath their cloak, or behind their mask.
---
In the meeting room, she says Clearly this place is design to let us know we are little things... I suggest to wait for our host here on the floor, not on the chairs.
Exactly why we should ascend! Krara counters. They invited us here only to treat us like hatchlings? A true alliance isn't built by condescension, but by meeting the other on the same level. We must show them our Society is formidable itself!
Moving to the closest chair the vesk begins to climb up it onto the table and to pour herself a glass of water.
|
|
Benoit holsters his pistol and says, "Okay Carlos, but Krara and I will be keeping an eye on you and whatever else you've got underneath your... robes."
Benoit finds the oversized furniture completely annoying because of his small stature. However, the hulking mass of armor and weapon systems that is his combat drone, TEC-9, provides him with an easy way to ascend one of the chairs. Climbing into the riding saddle on its back, Benoit has it activate its jetpack and easily flies to the top of the giant chair.
As he flies past Krara he says, "You're putting in a lot of effort just to get to the top of this chair laddie."
|
|
I've changed my mind. Carlos approaches the chair and climbs it easily without using his hands. The tentacles under the robe, which are now clearly visible, easily cling to the surface of the chair. Literally it looks like he was walking on the floor and now he's walking like that on a vertical surface.
|
|
A few minutes after your arrival, Elthel (female cloud giant - picture on slides) arrives with her two intimidating cloud giant bodyguards. The aged cloud giant sits at the head of the table, crossing her legs as she reviews documents on a datapad and periodically glances at you - at least the ones she can see.
Elthel looks up from her datapad with an unimpressed quirk of her eyebrow. You’re here on behalf of Ehu Hadif of the Starfinder Society, correct? She nods, waves her guards away, then offers a strained smile. Congratulations, you’ve been granted authorization to visit site 728G, a portion of the sunken sky-city Talgradur. This is an honor rarely bestowed to those outside the Cloud Imperium and granted to an off-worlder only once in Pholskar’s history. I’m not sure what Mr. Hadif has done to earn this opportunity, but it seems my colleagues have deemed him fit to visit. You, however...
She crosses her arms as her smile drops. I’m too old to waste time, so I’ll be frank. The required documents for transference of Mr. Hadif’s visitation rights to yourselves are in order, but your behavior and performance reflects on my own. So, tell me, who are you and why should I allow you to explore a restricted cultural site where countless giants lost their lives?
You have an opportunity to earn Ethel's trust. Each of you can attempt one of the skill checks below to impress her. You can also substitute a relevant Profession check in place of a listed skill. If the party includes members of at least two different species, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus on their checks to impress Elthel. Lastly, if any of you rolled a 30 or higher on your check to learn about Pholskar at the adventure’s beginning, that entity gains an additional +2 circumstance bonus on their checks.
Bluff: You can convince Elthel you possess knowledge or specialized training related to this mission you don’t possess.
Culture: You can display your knowledge of Pholskar’s culture, history, or people.
Diplomacy: You can soothe Elthel‘s worries and assure her you’re well-suited for the mission.
Intimidate: You can posture to appear formidable despite your “small” stature, thereby assuring Elthel you’ll survive the expedition.
Physical Science: You can display your knowledge of Pholskar’s geological hazards and toxic atmosphere.
Survival: You can prove your ability to survive in dangerous environments.
|
|
Krara's eyes narrow at the implication. Our First Seeker regrets he couldn't come himself. But he did not send amateurs.
The vesk stands to her full seven-foot height. Despite the fact Ethel still looms over her atop the table Krara's eyes stare sternly right back. I am Krara Ne'Krom. I've done work for the Veskarium, the Bone Sages, and the Church of Triune - all who were left quite happy with the results. I've taken down two centuries-old undead mages in their own strongholds. Chased down a lost treasure across the galaxy. And personally punched two different demigods in the face.
She gives a smirk. Are those credentials satisfying?
|
|
Neroo flies gracefully on one of the chair, thanks to her jetpack then bows towards the old cloud giant.
May be you've heard of me? I'm Neroo from Absalom Idol! My holoTV shows is an exemplar of how, as a Starfinder and as just myself, I've resolved plenty of different missions.
My expertise is vast in many subjects. From basic engineering to advanced physics.
I can assure you that the First Seeker has sent his most trusted and capable agents.