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"I'm not much for words Elthel, but I have a feeling that there may be significant scientific discoveries to be made at the city that only Starfinders like us have the expertise to discover and even undertand. We know all about the geological and environmental dangers in the region and are fully prepared to deal with them and if not we'll probably all die trying, hahahaha." Benoit's irritating habit of laughing at his own jokes continues even during this important diplomatic engagement.
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When it comes to Carlos, before he speaks, he is enveloped in some shadows* that even a darkvision cannot pierce. In these shadows, his voice sounds even more muffled, you almost have to listen to hear him... and something in his calm indifferent confidence in this words can cause trembling. I have seen before a darkness that you cannot imagine. I saw the curvature of space-time, the collapsing universe, the blackness devouring everything. I heard a moan of pain and horror of the whole material life dying in agony. I killed what gave birth to this nightmare and partly became a nightmare myself. Nothing that we can meet there can compare to what I have met before. A small pause. Don't be afraid for us, be afraid for what decides to harm us. The latter could even be regarded as a hidden threat, but his voice sounds too distant and does not seem to put such meaning into these words.
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Eki is impressed by his colleagues "As my dwarf friend pointed out, we have extensively studied the geology of your planet, and other important issues, while preparing for this mission. Volcanic environment is exciting in its own way and a great challenge. Fortunately our armor should adequately protect us from toxic gases. Personally I have served on several missions as ship engineer and participated on two missions to hostile Scoured stars system, where we successfully rescued fellow agents."
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Krara - Success
Neroo - Success
Benoit - Success
Carlos - Success
Eki - Success
Interesting .... punching two demigods in the face ... impressive ...I see that Ehu has indeed brought his best
Talgradur is a flying sky-city that crashed into the Ithillian Sea shortly after the Gap. Nearly the entire city is submerged, but some sites, like 728G, are located on the coast and visible above the waves. Your site is registered as partially flooded, so you won’t require specialized diving equipment, but environmental protections or other methods for breathing underwater are highly recommended. Our records indicate the site was once part of an engineering sector—it probably includes maintenance tunnels or a portion of the engines that kept Talgradur aloft.
When our meeting is through, you’ll be escorted to the Chute, which will transfer you to Pholskar’s surface. From there, you’ll undertake an overland journey to Talgradur, which should take a week or two. Pholskar’s surface is volatile and the atmosphere can become toxic at a moment’s notice. I highly recommend you ration the use of your environmental protections carefully, so they remain charged in case of emergency. Keep in mind you need not only reach and explore Talgradur, but also return to Anduwar through the Chute. I expect a detailed briefing upon your return.
You’re approved for an archaeological exploration of site 728G and all items and information acquired during your exploration remain property of the Cloud Imperium. Attempts to withhold information or objects uncovered at Talgradur will result in severe legal repercussions for yourself, Mr. Ehu Hadif, and the Starfinder Society. Whatever you may be in the greater galaxy, while on Pholskar you’re scholars, not thieves.
I’m transferring a copy of the documents you’ll require to your comm units. You’ll need to show these to the guards at Talgradur to gain access to the site. You’ll also receive a contract and waiver, which must be signed by each of you and returned before your departure. They’re not optional. Any questions?
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And what type of security did this city have? Krara asks. Raising her hands, the vesk explains. We're not trying to breach state secrets or anything. Besides, I'd imagine that Anduwar or any of your other cities have new defenses that aren't centuries out of date. But if we're getting sent down to a downed dwelling its good to know what sort or robots or automated defenses might not care about a document signed by people that didn't exist when it crashed.
While awaiting a response, Krara will look over the contract documents Ethel provides
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Talgradur had technological fail safes to protect the propulsion engines from hackers or malfunctions. Each sky-city was also equipped with a storm engine that could create and command powerful storms, but it wasn’t operational at the time of the city’s fall. All of the storm engines suffered a catastrophic malfunction a few days beforehand. Today, only Agrishall has a functioning storm engine. The storm giants who live there brought it back online around fifty years ago. Apart from that, I have no idea of what you may encounter.
Krara examines the contract and determines it’s a standard exploration contract, specifying the site you are approved to explore and the route you’re cleared to take. It also requires you to agree not to intentionally damage the site, and explicitly states anything you find belongs to the Cloud Imperium. The waiver absolves the Cloud Imperium of fault in the case of your deaths while on Pholskar.
The outpost next to the Chute's exit point is a place you can resupply and make purchases. The outpost additionally sells mounts and vehicles, although the only options available in your size are juvenile upondos (shaggy herbivores) or garishly painted motorcycles intended for cloud giant toddlers.. For some reason, she finds this amusing.
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You teleport to the surface via the Chute and obtain your vehicles. Once equipped, you begin your overland journey. The air is mildly caustic—anyone who does not use their environmental protections soon have a sore throat and itchy eyes. Although irritating, this has no detrimental effect on you.
Two days into the trip, you travel through a region recently struck by a powerful earthquake. The fields are littered with boulders and deep ravines and cracks jut into the hilly landscape. Amid the chaos mills a nomadic stone giant community. Although not in immediate peril, the stone giants are clearly wounded and in disarray. It’s obvious they were hit hard by the recent earthquake and could use some help.
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Benoit also rents an enercycle for himself and TEC-9.
Observing the situation, Benoit decides to help. "TEC-9 overwatch, threat condition yellow. Do not engage potential hostiles until I clear you to fire." He orders the combat drone to stand watch while he pulls his medkit out of his backpack and begins attending to the wounded giants.
"I don't have a bandage the right size for you, but let me have a look at your wee ouchie laddie."
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Before the group enters into a dialogue with the giants, Carlos asks to be dropped off among the boulders. You can see how he opens the violin case, takes out a sniper rifle folded in half and a silencer, which he begins to attach busily after connecting his long-range weapon into a single unit. Then he hides the case in one of his null-space chambers and twitches the bolt of the rifle. Go on, I'll cover you from here. With these words, he crawls away on his tentacles among the boulders, ignoring the verticality of some surfaces and quickly gets lost from sight.
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You are greeted by Rigeth (male stone giantAA2), the friendly leader of the group. Rigeth is surprised to see off-worlders, but is grateful for the aid. He explains they’re a nomadic community that herd upondo and trade wool, meat, and foodstuffs with the sky-cities in exchange for technological devices and other gear they couldn’t otherwise create.
This region is usually stable, so the earthquake’s severity took Rigeth and his people by surprise. It injured many, spooked the upondo herd, overturned vehicles, and dropped a supply wagon into a crevasse. What’s worse, underground monsters clambered out of the rent earth and attacked while toxic gas spewed up. The creatures are dead or driven off, but the stone giants aren’t without casualties.
Each of you can attempt one skill check to aid the stone giants in one of the ways listed below. You can also substitute a relevant Profession check in place of a listed skill.
Companionship: Bluff or Diplomacy check
Hauling: Athletics or Engineering check to retrieve the supplies.
Healing: Medicine check ((Success by Neroo and Benoit)
Repairs: Engineering check
Upondo: Life Sciences or Survival check to calm them or find the missing ones
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A bit peeves at being delegates to riding ‘toddler’ vehicles, Krara is forced to admit once on the surface that the bikes are surprisingly comfy.
As they approach the stone giant group, the vesk quickly parks her ride and moves up to the edge of the crevasse. Ah, that is a pickle. Luckily it’s shouldn’t be much of a problem to get you set once again!
She eagerly heads into the depths to begin dragging the giants’ gear back to the surface.
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Eki - Success
Krara - Failure
The stone giants are grateful for your efforts. Rigeth gives you an Adaptive Energy Shield for your help.
A day after you encounter the stone giants, you are caught in the middle of a large earthquake. As the ground buckles and heaves, each of you must attempt one of the following skill checks to keep your balance—an Acrobatics check for those on foot, a Life Sciences check for those riding
an upondo or other living mount, and a Piloting check for those driving a motorcycle or other vehicle.
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Everybody but Carlos ends up prone on the ground taking bludgeoning damage. Two crevasses split the landscape around you. Corrosive fluids bubble up from the earth. Toxic gas fills the area (1d4 acid damage per round if you're breathing it)
But that's not the worst of it. Three hungry augrisaurs emerge from the crevasse and attack.
Initiatives:
Neroo is up first, followed by Green.
Then it's the rest of you and lastly is the rest of them.
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After realizing she has no way to calm down the creatures, she points at the closest to her and commands her drone to shoot at it, after casting Supercharge Weapon.
Be careful, these creatures are immune to acid and poison!
The drone abide to the command and once the creature is in range, it shoots.
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Benoit and TEC-9 get up off the ground.
"I'm getting too old for this nonsense. TEC-9 target that incoming rhinoceros-buffalo, weapons free, maximum firepower."
The drone's emotionless voice responds, "Acknowledged."
TEC-9's targeting sensors lock on the augrisaur. Everyone's hair stands on end as the drone's colossus coil emits a terrifying arc of electricity.
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Benoit scans the area around him for his nova lance. When he crashed his enercycle it must have been thrown somewhere nearby. Suddenly he remembers the called fusion on it and he immediately activates it. The weapon teleports into his waiting hands and he presses down on the switch to activate the jet of plasma from its tip.
He brandishes the lance toward the approaching augrisaurs. "Get ready to enter the house of pain."
TEC-9 backs away from the incoming augrisaurs and fires another arc of electricity at the closest one.
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((Green: -180, Red: 0, Blue -15))
With all that concentrated firepower, Green goes down.
Blue single moves, Red double moves.
Benoit's AOO misses but the readied action hits. In retaliation, Benoit gets spat at. ((Blue: -38))
. Assuming it hits, everyone within 10ft gets splattered (as explosion) ref DC 18 for half.
(( ))
Everyone but Benoit is up.