The Exo-Guardians faction once maintained an impressive fortress known as Sangoro's Bulwark. Years ago, mysterious forces attacked the bulwark, and the fortress was lost. Now, under the command of Ixthia the Unbreakable, the Starfinder Society launches a massive operation to reclaim Sangoro’s Bulwark, rescue any survivors, and destroy the foul forces that dared take the lives of the Starfinders stationed there. The battle for Sangoro’s Bulwark has begun!
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At the staging area a Shirren paces nervously, checking several vials dangling from a tight bandolier and furiously typing away at a complex device clamped onto his left arm. His antennae twitch with nervous excitement as he looks around at all of the Starfinders massing.
So we're finally going back there. Good. But why now?
In a nearby chair, a purple-haired human woman reclines leisurely, a leg draped casually over one of its arms.
"You're going to wear a hole in the floor, if you keep doing that," she remarks to the shirren, her miss-matched eyes sparkling mischievously while her mouth slips into a crooked half-smile.
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Another agent is rather small and slim android with blue skin. The person looks like it went through a lot, his skin has scars and bruises, his artificial blue eyes are focused on a piece of weapon that leans on the desk. His right arm looks normal but his left is a bit a prosthetic and looks like made for a Vesk. It is a bit bigger with 4 fingers.
Android reaches for a cigarette that they put in its mouth and leave there unlight
"Hellih, owner of a gunsmith workshop on Absalom, if you need a piece of weapon stop by."
Greetings to you... Altronus. Guard, researcher. Kasatha who has just come up makes the traditional greeting gesture for their people and folds all four arms on his chest. He is gloomy and focused.
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A blue-furred skittermander holding a machine gun in two hands, pistols in two others, and a humming flail in a fifth salutes with her sixth. "Officer Swizzers, reporting for duty!" She wears the distinctive uniform of the Stewards, but with an Exo-Guardian badge on one sleeve.
D'zyliit's antennae twitch in recognition of a familiar vocie.
Swizzers? he broadcasts excitedly. Dr. Dzyliit! It has been some time since I last saw you. Of course we'd interact against at the Bulwark once more. How have you been in the intervening cycles?
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The furry mountain covered in sand-scoured armour and weapons (including a meaty axe) chomps his cigar and rubs behind an ear as he looks at the small chairs designed for humans "I'll stand I reckon", he looks back at the small chairs, clearly working out how much weight they could 'bear'. A small slightly weathered-looking medical bot carrying a medkit accompanies the giant bear, it wanders over to plug itself into the wall and begins charging.
At last the time has come. Com units everywhere chime with incoming boarding orders. Senior Starfinders and leaders shepherd the various teams, ensuring everyone finds their correct berth, despite the buzz of activity and seeming chaos.
Ships launch and the mission is underway. Each individual experiences the time through their own perspective and anxiety. For some the journey is almost instantaneous, others feel like it is taking forever.
The fleet is a magnificent sight to behold. There's all the great ships of the Society, the Thunderbolt, the Spitfire (including various patched-up stress fractures in its hull. Leading the fleet is the Thunderous Transgressor.
Incoming Hail! the Regulated Zetaflop Message Radio on board communication system notifies the passengers.
“We’re headed back the Bulwark, Starfinders!” declares Ixthia the Unbreakable. The copaxi’s image appears on the viewscreen as it’s being broadcast across the fleet from the expedition’s lead ship, the Thunderous Transgressor. Ixthia’s coral-like features convey little expression, but the excitement in their voice is undeniable. “The resolve to return to Sangoro’s Bulwark, former headquarters of the Exo-Guardians, existed years before we became leader of that stalwart faction. Years before we even joined the Starfinder Society. Indeed, the resolve was spawned the moment that all contact with Sangoro’s Bulwark was lost and our brethren stationed there failed to return.”
“The Starfinder Society lacked the capacity and resources to mount an earlier return, having already suffered heavy losses during the Scoured Stars Incident. Yet, amid the pounding waves of loss, the resolve of the Exo-Guardians and its allies remained steadfast. It led to the recovery of the Bulwark’s coordinates, and it has led to the formation of this fleet. Just as the passage of time sees the atoll rise over the waves of the sea, so too has the Society over these past several years risen above the waves of adversity, growing in its strength, in its ranks, and in its capabilities. The Society’s resolve and readiness have been made evident through the formation of this fleet as well as the drills and exercises conducted over the past few weeks.”
“As we approach our objective, assemble your gear, finish your preparations, and send any last messages. Today, we reclaim Sangoro’s Bulwark.”
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Please make sure all dental records are up to date, to allow easy identification by any recovery crew.
Resident archaeologist Blinky knows almost the full history of the Bulwark:
Sangoro was a vesk Starfinder who discovered the Bulwark and gave it to the Society. Many Starfinders distrusted him, as the Pact Worlds were in conflict with the Veskarium at the time, but he soon founded the Exo-Guardians faction and became a distinguished Starfinder.
Sangoro’s Bulwark is a massive fortress built by a forgotten alien race and is the only structure on Mazdrun, a world known for its toxic atmosphere, extreme temperatures, violent dust storms, and subterranean radioactivity. The Exo-Guardians kept the planet’s location secret due to the weapon stockpiles once held within the extensive passages and vaults beneath the fortress.
After Sangoro’s Bulwark fell, no one knew its location—except for Guidance, the Starfinder Society’s amalgam digital consciousness. Guidance ignored all requests to provide the fortress’s location. In the years after the Bulwark fell, a team of Starfinders found the Struggle’s Scholar, the only ship known to have escaped the fall of Sangoro’s Bulwark. Unfortunately, the ship’s crew was dead. It took the ExoGuardians and Dataphiles working together for several months to unscramble the data recovered from the Struggle’s Scholar and determine the location of Sangoro’s Bulwark.
A variety of interplanar anomalies surround Mazdrun and the planet itself is inhospitable. The crater containing Sangoro’s Bulwark maintains a normal atmosphere and is miraculously protected from the planet’s frozen dust storms and radioactive volcanic fallout. During the last expedition to Mazdrun, mounted by the Exo-Guardians and based upon the recovered data revealing the Bulwark’s location, the crater was found cloaked within a shroud of darkness of unknown origin. Starfinder leadership decided to leave the site alone until a larger, better equipped force could mount an assault.
Days before the fall of the Bulwark, many of the weapons held in the fortress were moved to a satellite facility known as the Arsenal. A battalion of angels was stationed at the Arsenal to prevent the weapons within from being used for evil purposes. During the fall of Sangoro’s Bulwark, these angels suffered psychic injuries that robbed them of their memories and angelic powers. The weapons once held in the Arsenal were subsequently stolen by a criminal named Datch as part of her efforts to discredit the Starfinder Society. These stolen weapons have since been recovered. The surviving angels that had stood guard over the Arsenal were recalled to Heaven.
The group have four missions to choose from...
Every screen aboard the Starfinder fleet broadcasts lxthia the Unbreakable standing on the bridge of the Thunderous Transgressor. They are accompanied by Radaszam, the Deal maker leader of the Acquisitives faction, and Venture-Captain Naiaj.
"Here lies our objective,"* recounts lxthia. Their image is replaced by a star chart displaying a solitary world orbiting a dim star. Focusing in on the planet, the image reveals a barren landscape marked by the occasional rocky summit, volcanic ridge, or deep crater.
"This is Mazdrun," Naiaj explains. "An inhospitable world with a toxic atmosphere that experiences irregular planar anomalies. Save for one special crater, near the planet's equator, which is protected from the planet's hazards." The image of the planet's surface continues to spin before focusing upon a sizable crater containing a dark, shadowy shape that obscures its center.
Radaszam nods. "Inside this dark shroud is Sangoro's Bulwark. We don't know what the shroud is, but to reclaim the Bulwark, we need to get through it, get beneath it, or get rid of it."
"First, we need to know what it is," adds lxthia. "To that end, we're forming reconnaissance teams to conduct initial fact-finding and to gather intel. Let us determine who, or what, has overtaken the Bulwark. Identify the source of this darkness shroud and find a way into Sangoro's Bulwark." With a final nod, lxthia declares,
Ixthia lights up on the viewscreen once more, this time to specifically address the group.
“We’ve made a grim discovery on the planet’s surface,” Ixthia says solemnly. “It’s the wreck of Wisdom’s Grasp, a Pegasusclass starship scheduled for rendezvous at Sangoro’s Bulwark shortly before we lost contact. The cause of its crash is unknown. There are no holes or scorch marks indicating battle damage. Any obvious damage to the ship’s hull can be attributed to impact. It appears to be operating under emergency power even now, these many years on, but we’ve been unable to detect any life signs. There’s been no response to communications.
“Take a shuttle to the surface and explore the wreck. Discover what brought the ship down. Such intelligence may prove useful in our current struggle. I don’t expect you’ll find survivors, but please recover any remains or keepsakes. The crew’s kin will no doubt appreciate the gesture and any closure we can offer.”
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It is easy enough to steer the ship down to the surface, and scans indicate the wreck of Wisdom’s Grasp lays partially submerged in a deep furrow created by the ship’s nose as it plowed into the planet’s surface.
Scans show the ship has no visual breaches or external signs of weapon damage.
The Wisdom's Grasp is a pegasus-class ship, and would have had several airlocks for entry, but it looks like all but one are buried under dirt and debris. Only the port side airlock remain accessible, but it is firmly locked.
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"A bit concerned that there is no obvious damage - suppose it could have been EMP, some sort of remote hack, or even operator error. Still it pays to be cautious as we advance as there could be traps or hazards for us to stumble into - even biological risks if there are decomposed bodies. Please take a moment to ensure your environmental seals are locked down, and if you see anything out of the ordinary signal your friends"
"If you use weapons please draw them now"
Blinkys small robot - DocJr - readies first aid supplies and is holding a fire extinguisher.
Perception +4 Vs Traps.
Blinky checks the thing for countermeasures, traps, slipfalls, anti-personnel systems, and any other potential hazard before opening. He also scans with a radiation badge.
Once happy, the giant Koala tries budging the door.
Athletics
Blinky checks the airlock for traps, but it actually looks like the greatest hazard is coming from outside, in the form a nasty rainstorm that is brewing, as if it is coming forth from the plane of water itself. Fortunately, the door gives way quite easily to the heft of the koala.
The airlock gives interior access door to the east. A warning light above the interior door flashes every few seconds, bathing the chamber in a dim orange glow. A small panel next to the door flashes orange in time with the warning light.
Beyond the door, a corridor stretches much of the length of the ship. Metal doors stand open along its walls, revealing crew quarters, shower facilities, escape pod access, and the path to the ship’s forward and aft sections. Red lights on the door’s access panels flicker and blink in an irregular pattern.
The flashing is Starfinder encrypted signal code:
W-A-R-N-I-N-G-B-O-A-R-D-E-R-S it spells.
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Officer Swizzers nods in appreciation of Blinky's reminder, and activates the environmental seals on her armor. With weapons out, she's ready to proceed.
Shortly after entering the vessel, she holds up her empty hand in the tactical signal for "Halt." She switches over to the group's internal comm channel: "The flashing lights are a standard Starfinder warning code. This ship was boarded by hostiles. We all know there are threats in this galaxy that can persist for years, so be ready for hostile contact in addition to investigation and rescue. Make sure to confirm your target before opening up, as we don't want any tragic mistakes."
D'zyliit moves to the door to the forward section, which just happens to be open. The door, however, doesn't seem to want to cooperate... D'zyliit hears a faint whisper, in a language he doesn't understand. The door slams shut with enormous force, but and thanks to those seal he engaged he manages to avoid getting hurt.
In rapid succession, all the other door in this area slam shut, leaving the group in the intermittent red glow of the alarm light.
Blinky tries to search a bunkroom, but as soon as he is ready to pass through a door, he hears another whisper, and the door slams shut as he tries to move through.
By now it is obvious that these doors have a mind of their own, and some whispered haunting accompanies each slam of the door.
Upon hearing of the Wisdom's Grasp's battle-free condition, Navasi glances at her companions, apprehensive.
"From my experience boarding abandoned vessels that are inexplicably sound, it doesn't take long to find the explicable reason behind its abandonment," she says. "Ghosts, usually," she adds with a grimace.
Reaching the planet's surface, she arches a brow, watching as Blinky takes charge, issuing instructions before personally taking the lead in accessing the airlock.
How very interesting, she muses. A small half-smile on her lips, she follows her companions' expample, activating her environmental seals and drawing her pistol.
Nodding at Swizzer's warning, she warily advances with the crew.
"Trap?" she asks when the doors around them slam shut. Calmly, she joins Blinky in his survey of the area, before inspecting the doors.
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Engineering
+4 if these count as a trap.
(Blinky also has trap spotter operative trick)
(Otherwise mysticism is +15)
”this whole thing is a trap, I would have spotted a trap on the doors I’m pretty sure, so these doors are being weaponised - either a ghost, ghost in the machine like a software imp, or a well laid ambush”
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Ambush would be concerning: the timing of the door closures is too precise for chance, they would need to be monitoring us. D'zyliit looks around the space for cameras monitoring the hall.
[i]Of course ghosts would be likely worse. Gremlins maybe?[i]
The shirren will kneel and aid Blinky with trying to jam the doors open while their antennae twitch to see if they sense movement.
Blinky manages to create a safer environment from the slamming doors, by jamming them open with a piece of metal, with the help of D'zyliit.
The bunk beds are fairly non-descript, while the door to the forward side reveals the mess hall, which holds the remains of a celebratory meal of cured meats, abandoned mid-preparation and now long spoiled. The heavy, double doors to the bridge are closed.
Blinky unlocks the door to the engine bay.
The low, continuous thrum of power is audible within this area, clearly emanating from the engines embedded in the southern wall. The walls and consoles are damaged by gunfire, marking this as the site of a battle in the past. The remains of a male kasatha dressed in engineering overalls lies near the door. Though long dead, the engineer’s hand still grips a tool, reaching toward the exposed wiring of the door’s open access panel
Blinky clearly hears the word 'Run!' whispered in Kasathan, which is more than enough to tip him off the place is trapped by haunted remains.
Hellih's hireling manages to soothe the spirit, but not before the lights briefly dim. In the darkness, insubstantial images of two winged humanoids wielding jagged blades appear and move menacingly toward the door, disappearing when they reach the dead body of the engineer.
When the vision is over, the spirit slowly fades away.
The kasatha was killed by slashing wounds from a long blade
The winged humanoids are Grioths
The sudden darkness in the vision is magical
The engineer has an engineering specialty tool kit engraved with the initials M.J., magnegloves and a s-band scorchgun.
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"Good work Hellih, excellent algorithm, knew just what to say"
Medicine
Life Sci
Mysticism
"The cause of death matches the vision, long blades. No idea what those creatures were, but that was magical darkness"
Blinky recovers the artifacts and body (moving the body back towards the airlock for return to the Idari later)
He then gets to work on the cockpit.
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Grioths D'zyliit notes as he peers by blinky at the visions before they fade.
The doctor will likely let Hellih grab the engineering kit as they move cautiously back towards the bridge. Unclear why they may have been attacking this ship though. Pirates? Or were there some native to this world - who may not have appreciated Sangoro's construction?
D'zyliit knows most of the basics about grioths, including their weaknesses and immunities.
Blinky starts working on the bridge door.
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As the doctor leaves the mechanical system to Helliah, he sees if he can simply bypass the digital system lock.
As he works, he advises the others
Grioths are nasty types. Overgeneralizing is a risk of course, but most of their culture is Dark Tapestry adjacent. Often psychic too. If any still around, cold weapons would be nigh useless on their physiology. Sonics should irritate them badly, or bright light.
The doctor works on the digital lock, but the system gives a low beep that just adds to all the other alarming noises in the ship.
Ultronus holds a blade in his hand, and with the other three helps to lay down dead relatives. He more than supports the idea of returning the bodies and ritual scarves with which his people cover their faces back to Idari.
"Ghost," Navasi says in a told-you-so manner.
Taking in the scene in the engine bay, she breaths a Kasathan blessing for the fallen mechanic. "I wonder, friend - were you trying to repair the door, or seal it closed?" she asks gently.
Walking over to a nearby console, she touches a finger to the surface, running it over the gunfire damage. "And where did you come from?" she wonders, turning to inspect the similar damage on the wall. "Not blades, like the grioths. Those defending the ship or other attackers?"
Joining the doctor by the lock to the cockpit, Navasi offers her expertise. "I saw a similar set up back when... in the day," she says, over the various alarms. "Mind if I take a look?"