New members of the Starfinder Society are often contracted out to private firms to gain experience (and to earn the Society some much-needed credits). You’ve been directed to Ysanto, a small town located on the banks of the Yaro River on the planet Castrovel. The prosperous town has recently started to attract investors from the city-state of Qabarat, located just a few days’ boat ride away.
One of those investors has hired TeleWright, a construction business known for building revitalization projects. A recent advertisement was posted seeking “enterprise freelancers”, and when you arrive outside TeleWright’s office, a massive sign reads “TeleWright: You Think It, We Build It!” Other Starfinder agents are waiting outside as well--it seems like a good time to introduce yourself.
|
Altoid Ant walks in and talks in a nice friendly explaining voice. Don't be alarmed, us bug like races, or what most of you would refer to as bug like races are actually friendly. We ain't like the bugs in your home that eat your food. Anyway name is Altoid Ant, nice to meet you. He extends his hand for you all to shake. If you don't shake it, I ain't offended.
|
A tall human wearing a somewhat old-fashioned top hat and a large crossbow slapped across his back. He greets Altoid Ant with respect, and shakes his hand Pleased to meet you, the name is Saja Joseung. There is no cause to be alarmed.
Out of curiosity he adds as he seem to browse through a deck of cards Altoid Ant is your full name?
|
An android walks in. Displaying long neon blue hair that divides in the middle, one would notice their face is also a divide of masculine and feminine features if that matters. It seems that two bodies fused into one being if one would think of it. They have been staring blankly at the advertisement. "I am Felix Felicis." they introduce, with a voice that sounds like a combination of a low echoey voice and a high pitchy voice speaking in unison.
As the introductions wind up, the decision is made to enter the TeleWright office.
Inside, a short lashunta with shoulder-length blue hair and a large smile welcomes you in. “Hi! I’m Nasaeoh, the site manager. It’s a pleasure to meet you! Thank you for responding to our work offer. We here at TeleWright are incredibly excited for an upcoming project but need a little bit of outside help to get it off the ground. See, we’re replacing the town’s old eye-sore of a hospital with a brand new, fully modernised laboratory! We’ve got all the materials and the plans sorted out to put the laboratory up posthaste. There’s just one tiny task we need to take care of first: a final inspection of Kivala Hospital must occur before demolition can begin.”
Nasaeoh looks nervous but hides it with another smile. “That’s where you come in! Simply take this checklist, do a walkthrough of the building interior, and return when all the tasks on your checklist are complete! It’s as simple as that!”
|
|
A male drow with the perfect figure of an athlete in tight black armor, seems to have been chosen a size smaller to better emphasize his musculature, enters the office. Sorry for late, I ran into a couple of drunk white elves in the space port. You see, they didn't like that someone like me came to their planet. I had to give them a thrashing, and then there were the police, protocols, well, you understand. He shakes hands with all of you. The handshake is quite strong, and by the way there are no signs of damage on his face - either the fight was not serious at all, or he easily emerged victorious from it. Name's Antethriss. Then he studies the list. What do we do with "objects of value"? Are we giving it to you or taking it for ourselves? And animals... what does "remove" mean?
|
|
Felix Felicis Saja nods in acknowledgement, trying not to be biased by who the name reminds him off. Luck... let's hope he doesn't show up.
Anthethiss Saja also repeats the name of the drow. To both of them he says Saja Sojeong, at your service. There is no need to be concerned. he says while he peruses his card deck, as if searching for something.
Are these names you mention your full legal names? he asks for verification.
Saja reads:
□ Remove any animals and/or people from site
□ Retrieve objects of value
□ Stop any dangerous and/or unexplained occurrences
It seems you are dealing with an infestation of some kind, but dangerous or unexplained occurrences? Most interesting... there must be a motivate for making this request. What dangerous or unexplained occurrences might it be that worry you?
|
|
A tall human wearing a somewhat old-fashioned top hat and a large crossbow slapped across his back. He greets Altoid Ant with respect, and shakes his hand Pleased to meet you, the name is Saja Joseung. There is no cause to be alarmed.
Out of curiosity he adds as he seem to browse through a deck of cards Altoid Ant is your full name?
Well pleased to meet you, and yes, Altoid Ant, my parents couldn't name me Atom Ant, cause that would be a copyright issue.
Altoid will ask around to see what people know
Nasaeoh nods at Antethriss. "Smart questions! I'm glad we hired some forward-thinking contractors. Frankly, TeleWright is only interested in the building, not its contents, so as far as I'm concerned, you can keep anything you find. As for animals--well, I'll leave that up to you. We won't ask questions about your methods. You're the experts, after all!"
When Saja asks about dangerous or unexplained occurences, Nasaeoh purses her lips. "Well, it's not haunted or anything. More like it gives us locals the shivers. Folks think they see lights flickering or hear strange noises. But it’s been abandoned for years, so there shouldn’t be anything inside."
|
|
Felix stares at Saja before they answer the man's question. "Yes." they tell him flatly when asked about their legal name, and continues staring at Saja, analyzing the purpose of such inquiry.
"I think I have information about this hospital..." Felix tells them, now about the hospital, abandoning the legal name inquiry in their mind.
Felix processes what they know about Kivala Hospital.
Kivala Hospital stands on a dark, dead-end road at the edge of town, its grounds overgrown with dying vegetation. No lights or movement are visible from outside, and the general air of abandonment gives the place a forlorn feel.
From the from of the building, large double doors provide the obvious way in.
|
|
This is an hospital, but an abandoned one. I doubt I'll have anything to do here unless a patient has been forgotten.
Saja sees Antethriss sneak up unto the front doors, and wonders if the drow has been a former patient who couldn't afford the bills. In any case, he gives the drow plenty of space to not interfere with his stealthy efforts, and will cross the entrance threshold once the drow declares it safe.
After Antethriss declares the doors safe to open, Saja pushes them to reveal an entryway. The walls and floor are covered in sickly plants that occasionally twitch and sway.
A metal fence separates this area from a room of sand, and just to the right of the entryway, windows show a small receptionist's office.
Feeble rays of light from outside struggle across the entrance threshold, but the rest of the hospital's interior--despite the many exterior windows--seems plunged into gloomy darkness.
Felix finds light switches near the door and flips them on. The lights in the ceiling flicker for a few seconds and then go off.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"This is the address, right? I'm not getting that wrong? It certainly looks worn down enough."
"Alright, well... are you ready to explore an abandoned building that... probably violates every building code in existance?"
"Wh--no, this won't just be work. There'll be... monsters? Probably? They wouldn't have hired us if that wasn't part of the worry."
"...although if the company is planning on using this building, they'd probably appreciate a preliminary inspection..."
"Fine, fine, I'll try not to get too distracted."
As Saja lights the lantern, the double doors creak open again, and in steps a large, greying Nuar in what looks to be a business uniform--dress shirt, tie, briefcase, and glasses--stretched over a heavy suit of armor. He seems very apprehensive as he enters, seeming both nervous and as if he doesn't particularly want to be here.
He clears his throat. "You're the, uh, Starfinder agents, correct?" He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wallet, opening it and holding up a government ID. "Oshari Soteria, Government Health & Safety Inspector. And, uh, Starfinder agent now. Apparently."
"Oh, and, uh, this is Ariadne. Don't be shy, they're nice people. I think." he says, gesturing at his shoulder and switching to a much softer voice.
A small grey-blue blob of nanites appears perching on his shoulder, with a display of lighter blue glowing spots appearing to make a very nervous expression.
Slowly, it moves forward a bit, changing from fearful to inquisitive, as it looks around at everyone in the room.
|
|
Ah, a government issued ID, that is very helpful. Well-acquanted, Oshari Soteria. I am Saja Joseong, but there is no need for concern at this point. You are here to help us prepare this building? There has been some rumours of odds sighting, but for now we can just assume they are just that, rumours.
Saja shines his lantern around the room trying to catch if there is anything out of the ordinary.
As Saja shines his lantern around, the disturbing sight of the plants slowly writhing to wrap themselves around everyone's legs is revealed! But although the tendrils grasp and coil, they seem to lack strength and it's easy to pull them free.
Antethriss opens the doors across the entrance hall to reveal a circular area featuring hallways on either side leading to a raised, windowed seating area overlooking what looks like an operating room.
|
|
Oshari leans away from the plants as they start grasping for him, kicking the few vines that can get to him away. "Just rumors, you say?"
Ariadne jumps a bit and flows off of his shoulder, forming into a plasma axe in Oshari's hands.
"Don't worry, these aren't dangerous, just... creepy. Still, it might be a good idea to be on our guard, mkay?"
A nervous expression appears on the head of the axe, nodding.
"Let's see what we're working with, then." He walks a bit into the operating room, looking around.
|
|
We'll have to replace these plants, I'm afraid. Saja remarks, let's hope we don't encounter any healthier specimens.
As he moves into the next area, he remarks Ah, the operation room. So many times I have visited these, while tapping the deck of cards in his vest.
He has a look if there is anyone on the table (), or any sign of recent activity.
Walking further into the observation room, the Starfinders can see through the glass into the operating theatre below. A strange device is on a nearby counter next to a notebook, while another counter holds a computer.
|
|
Drow stares at nuar for a while, then meets Saja's eyes and raises an eyebrow questioningly. Then he slowly pulls out two amphibious knives. He looks doubtfully at the newcomer once more, then sighs. I'm going to check what's to the west, Antethriss whispers and quietly begins to move in that direction.
|
|
Oshari spends a bit peering through the glass, trying to get a good look inside the operating theater, before his attention is caught by something in the reflection of the window. He glances over his shoulder quickly, before turning back the window, where his attention is caught by something inside the theater.
"You saw that too, right?"
Ariadne nods.
Noticing some of his colleagues staring a bit, he straightens up out of his defensive position and clears his throat. "I'll come along too, I want to get a closer look at the operating room. Judging by some of the blood, they didn't do much to clean or sanitize this place when it was abandoned, so I want to check to see what kind of health hazards might be present." However, while this is a fairly reasonable explanation, given his profession, it's clear there is something else on his mind.
The group move to the side of the observation gallery where an elevator presumably provides access to the lower level where the operating theatre stands. However, the doors to the elevator don't budge! A keycard reader is affixed to the side of the elevator doors.
|
|
"Best I've got is this plasma axe, which probably wouldn't get the job done."
Ariadne looks at Oshari, offended.
"Do you want me to swing you at the door repeatedly for the next twenty minutes?"
She thinks for a minute, then sighs (or at least appears to).
"That's what I thought. If we can't hack it, I think our choices are find the keycard or dismantle the door entirely, which would be a pain. We could split up, have some people keep trying at the door while others look for the keycard, but..." He pauses. "We don't know exactly what's in here, so splitting up might not be a great plan."
"I heard some rattling close to the doorway, just side to that desk." Felix points out the source of the noise. "Maybe we can che..." but they dismiss the idea and check the elevator first.
"Wait, you said you heard a rattling, right? Which doorway was that? Maybe checking there is a good start." he asks Felix as they work.
With the key-card reader proving too complex to hack, Saja and Antethriss move to a door near the desk. Audible rattling can be heard from the other side of the door, which bears the universal insignia of leading to toilets.
Saja's light illuminates the bathroom, catching a small, furry, vulpine animal about two feet long in the furthest stall. The shadow-tinged creature screeches and looks about to leap into the vent in the ceiling!
Initiative (Round 1)
Felicis
Creature
Saja
Oshari
Antethriss
Altoid Ant
Bold should go!
The creature darts into an air vent in the ceiling and disappears!