The Starfinder Society has been invited to participate in the inaugural Dustwarren Cup, a three-day boat race across the vast, shifting sand dunes of Akiton’s Dustwarren silt sea. Hosted by wealthy eccentric and retired racer Mimli Nurkop, scion of the fabulously wealthy Nurkop ysoki clan, the Dustwarren Cup boasts an impressive prize and is drawing plenty of attention—not all of it wanted. As Mimli and the other racers prepare to brave the elements, battle local wildlife, and outrace their competitors, a band of pirates plot to abduct the Nurkop heiress! Weigh anchor, hoist the sails, and set sail for adventure! The stakes are high in the Dustwarren Cup!
There's something really unsatisfying about flying an atmospheric shuttle, and this particular model is no expection. It's a rough ride, with atmospheric turbulence shaking up the vessel, and the whole thing flies like a brick. One moment of poor attention, and the thing falls like a brick too.
It's a neccessity though, to take a shuttle in order to get to the start line of the Dustwarren Cup. Daza was, after all, the closest settlement to the Dustwarren silt sea, so this little ride was the only way to get there in time.
Daza? Silt Sea? Dustwarren cup?
We've got a little catching up to do. See, is was Venture-Captain Naiaj who sent you out to Akiton to participate here. She did it in her usual style: dropping an invitation by comm unit. At least she gave you the opportunity to stock up on supplies before sending you off.
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A tall, lanky figure in a trenchcoat and fedora staggers into the passenger cabin. All of this features are obscured until he reaches one of the open chairs. Then, with an exaggerated motion, he casts off his coat, revealing a green-furred skittermander on stilts, a backpack with an assortment of handguns dangling from the straps. He leans one stilt against the wall and splits the other in half, revealing that a part was actually a cane. He rummages around in his sack for a moment, retrieving an antique quill and paper notebook, then takes a seat.
"Name's Kōlēfō," he says, a wide grin splitting his beard. "I bet we're all about to be part of a great story." He pauses a moment, before adding, "And it sounds like a dry one this time. Suits me fine. I think Tari is going to be charging me by the gallon for shampoo from now on..."
Kolero has actually written about the The Nurkops, a common topic as one of Akiton’s most famous rags-toriches stories. Before the Gap, they were nobodies, one of the hundreds of downtrodden ysoki families trying to scrape together a living on the dusty planet. After the Gap, they found themselves fabulously wealthy, and nobody knows how. Smart investments and a series of savvy business decisions have kept them riding high ever since.
Maxamas knows some further details: Mimli Nurkop is an influential member of the family, the unmarried eldest of five who occasionally dotes on her niblings but otherwise seems to have only true passion: racing. Despite being in her mid-50s, which is rather old for an ysoki, she hasn’t yet given up on her lifelong dream to compete in the Absalom Run. She’s almost never seen in public without the company of her butler, and there are some wild rumors in the press about her reportedly “tempestuous” relationship with a fellow well-off racing enthusiast, the sarcesian technomancer Zwarna Linsholm.
A long-standing rumor holds that, during the Gap, the Nurkops discovered a vast treasure in one of the many wrecks that dot Akiton’s surface. Rumormongers dub this secret treasure site the “Nurkop Richpick,” and insist that the family still knows the location, but is keeping it a secret among themselves to protect their wealth and good fortune.
The faded iron sign over the entrance to the Warrenbound Pulrina is just barely visible as the colorful banner stretched across it flutters in the wind, welcoming participants to the promised, double-underlined, “First Annual Dustwarren Cup!” Beyond the arch, a modest boardwalk eventually gives way to a small harbor, at which a half-dozen identical-looking crafts resembling large sailboats are moored and waiting. Instead of water, the boats sit partially immersed in soft, fine, pale red silt, which stretches as far as the eye can see. Solid ground ends only a few feet past the welcoming sign.
The Dustwarren is made up of silt, a fine, soft sediment that doesn’t behave exactly like sand or water. Rather than forming full waves, dunes slowly crest and fall in steady undulations between and against the solid rocky coasts, and the creatures who live here have all adapted to swim through it as easily as oceanic creatures swim through water
A modest crowd of all shapes, sizes, and species occupies the boardwalk, mostly clustered into groups talking among themselves in low voices.
Getting closer, the group is met by a sprightly, older ysoki dressed in goggles and a waistcoat like a vintage race car driver, trailed by an
elderly male ysoki in a full black suit.
Ah, splendid! the woman says with dashing tone of voice absolutely jolly that you could make it, I am delighted, absolutely delighted. The excitement seems quite genuine as she goes around to shake everybody's hand Mimli Nurkop, at your service! And here, at my own service, this is Wat Ryshel. Wat is my butler.
Wat was my best friend growing up. Mimli says, to which the butler respond Yes, miss, indeed, miss, and Mimli continues Wat has been in the family service for over 35 years! That's quite a contribution.
Now let's talk about you. You reputation as racers has preceded you! Did you ever race the silt before? You've got some heavy competition racing against you, isn't that true Wat?
Yes, Miss Wat responds Indeed, miss
Well, it's about time you meet the competition! Mimli points to several groups clustered around the boardwalk. There is still time before the festivities to mingle a bit. I'll leave it to you to introduce yourselves. Have a splendid time!
Apart from the Starfinders and Mimli's team there are five more groups of participants.
One such group clusters around a sarcesian who stands out from the crowd with a towering 15-foot height, who Maxamas and Kolero immediately recognise as Zwarna Linsholm.
There's a cluster of five hylki humans and two shobhad-neh, all in simple work clothes, have settled onto some crates near the back of the boardwalk and are trading lively conversation over a cooler of non-alcoholic drinks.
There's also a chaotic team of space goblins, a group of very athletic lashunta academic jocks, and a group of gnolls, one of which is glaring angrily at a nearby stray cat.
William is aware of the same rumours and facts that Maxamas relayed earlier.
Well, let's hope the open silt is as kind to you as your simulation Mimli says, with a degree of encouragement and excitement, we've got many talented teams in the race, and your have a reputation to hold up!
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Kōlēfō responds, "Ooh, was that Grand Theft Skimmer? I loved that one, but couldn't get past the mission with the holographic chinchilla."
After talking with Mimli and the other Starfinders, he wanders toward the goblins. "Not easy being green," he remarks faux-casually, taking a look at their vehicle and tools.
Here is Longshanks, come to see the goblins sing, not knowing how wrong they are
Goblins not in space but sea
Dusty monster stays afloat!
Goblins have the bestest boat!
Biggest sails and hull shampood
We be fastest, you be food!
These goblins are tinkering on a boat that has a nameplace with crude letters 'DUTS MNOTSER', and which is otherwise barely recognisable as aboat. They are indeed in the process of actually shampooing their boat with some kind of foamy soap, and already the sand is sticking to the hull in a coating of yellow....
The skittermander looks down at his legs, in case they suddenly grew by a meter. Satisfied that he has not been mutated, he moves closer. "That looks like good stuff, though I still have a little bit of strawberry-scented shampoo left over from my last job if you'd like to try it."
Strawberry? Yugh!
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"Not too much direct racing, though outrunning enemy starships has surely given me some practice," Chorizal answers Mimli.
"I would say that I'll go size up the competition, but I don't expect any of them to actually be able to compete with me," he continues.
The vesk is eyeing the group with the sarcesian until he spots the gnolls.
He has a soft spot for the hyena headed beings so he heads over to them.
"I bid you greetings as an honorary member of the Duskmire tribe," Chorizal says, referencing an honor he received on his first foray as a Starfinder many years ago.
Chorizal gets closer to the group of gnolls, who are just having a conversation Yea, actually, Raycatcher is also quite a good name for a business, don'cha think, Sly? one says in a typical whiney gnoll voice perfect naming for a fishing store. In reponse, the gnoll called Sly reponds With you on the name, Rinko, but we'll be selling hovercars! Only the slickest models... catch the Rays! the gnoll makes an arcing gesture with his hand, then turns to a third gnoll Oi, Dweevil, leave that cat alone!
Duskmire tribe, eh? well, nice to meet you. We's the Raycatchers. I'm Donat, this is my cousin Rinko, the cross-eyed one is Dweevil, and the greasy one over there is Sly. You think you have a chance on this one?
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Chorizal nods to each in turn. He hooks his thumbs in his belt and gives them a big grin.
"Name's Chorizal. Do I think I have a chance? You could say that. I'm the only one who does have a chance. You guys seem pretty alright, so I hate to see you wasting your time trying to compete with the Starfinders, but at least you'll get to enjoy a nice day out on the silt," he brags.
Donat stays silent for a moment, letting his response become filled with tension. He then grins widely, sharp teeth clearly visible, and laughs Ah, did you hear that Rinko? These guys think they have a chance! Well, we'll make sure to make it interesting for ya.
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Chorizal swaggers over to the group that includes Zwarna Linsholm and looks up and up and up at him.
"So, I hear you're our main competition. Name's Chorizal and I look forward to competing with you. When we're on the podium together, we'll be closer to the same height when you shake my hand to congratulate me."
Kolero hangs around at the duts mnotser, and gets a good reception on his offer for music Goblins like music! Music good! Good music with big explosion!
Seems like the goblins saw the Star Sugar Super Concert! live special, which did indeed features a satisfying amount of fireworks. Something to like for everyone, though the goblins seems to be adamant on referring to the title track as Star Sugar Heart BOOM!
Chorizal easily spots Zwarna, who at 15 feet positively towers above the small crowd around her. The sarcesian is immaticulately dressed in the latest designer outfit, wearing accessories of highly fashionable hybdrid sporting goods. Maxamas can readily point out that Zwarna and Mimli must have raced each other dozens of times. As Chorizal approaches the tall figure, xe snorts in a somewhat unfriendly manner I would be surprised if you arrived on time for the podium ceremony. Mimli seems to think she can bring just any novelty team these days. Zwarna says, hinting at some simmering animosity between xerself and Mimli.
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Will goes over to the swole lashunta jocks, and greets them warmly.
Activating linguistic program: Surfer Dude (TM).
"Hey dudes! This looks like this is going to be a gnarly race! It'll be interesting see what sort of tricked-out racers everyone will be bringing. Nothing like a good competition to make everyone pull out all the stops, when it comes to pimping out their rides with good tech and strategies!"
Far out one of the lashunta jocks responds our boat is all like fast, man. Like, really smooth and slick and all. It's got fins, and like a big sail. We're going to be like hella fast, man. It's going to be awe... he pauses ...wait for it... then finishes ...some! Awesome.
The lashunta student sheepishly grins as if that was a good joke. The other students don't seem to be interested in the greying android, instead deciding to watch the latest episode of 'Envar's Expeditions' on their comm units. Hello Envies! Here is another episode on Envar's Expeditions. Today, I am on...
The group is mingling with the various participants, when suddenly...
“Hey! Watch where you’re going!”
If the heavy thump of bodies against the boardwalk hadn’t drawn the crowd’s attention, Mimli’s indignant shriek does the job. Wat Ryshel has been knocked to the floor, tangled in the limbs of a scrawny copper-scaled kobold only a little shorter than he is. After a few seconds of furious scuffling, the kobold manages to untangle themself, scrambles on all fours, and bolts for the pulrina entrance, shouting, “Sorry—sorry—sooooorryyyyy!”
“Oh, honestly!” Mimli huffs, puffing her cheeks out angrily.
“Who brings a kid all the way out here? Wat, are you okay?”
“Quite all right,” says Wat with a patient smile as he brushes himself off. “Goodness knows I’ve taken heavier falls following you around.”
William and Maxamas speeds nimbly through the rowd, while Chorizal manages to catch up from the back. The kobold soon finds herself surround from three sides by the starfinders.
Sooorrry... I said sooorrry. It was an accident, I'm really sorry. Please don't hurt me... the kobold apologises again...
That's not a kid at all, but an adult kobold.
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Not too long after, Mimli clambers up on a crate at the end of the boardwalk and gets everyone’s attention by blaring an airhorn. Welcome everybody to the first annual Dustwarren Cup! I hope you've all been enjoying the terrific weather in this neck of the woods. It's now time to get down to - as they say - brass tacks. In the great tradition of this race, you are all provided with a lightsail yacht, and you have two hours to make your modifications. Following that, we sound the start! May the best team win!
Each yacht comes stocked with enough rations and fresh water to last its crew up to five days; two basic emergency rafts and three emergency beacons; and a small store of spare parts for improvements and repairs, including a few hundred feet of titanium alloy cable line. The onboard navigation systems can detect and track the emergency beacons, but the yachts otherwise have no comm systems.
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Kōlēfō spends a few minutes talking to Amek Na before being called to the shop floor.
He looks over the options for upgrading the ship. He definitely likes the look of the spyglass, and subvocalizes an "Arr! Avast!" before setting it down. He's less happy with the state of the cables holding everything together. At the end, though, he knows he wants to go fast fast fast, and trusts his skills and those of the other Starfinders to sail this thing through whatever bumpy ride redlining the engine might provide.
Hey you one of the shobhads shouts to Kolefo come sit with us and grab a cold one! Who are your friends over there?
The Shobhad introduces himself I'm Amek Na, and this is my crew. All locals, Akitonian born and raised. They’re folks who’ve made their honest living doing salvage work and shipping cargo over the ol’ silt. Nobody knows the silt better than these guys.
Amek is inviting, but has a somewhat indifferent attitude towards Kolefo, as if he's checking out if he's 'one of them'.
To honest work! Amek says, raising one of his (non-alcoholic) soda cans. Well, it's tough out there. The sands get between everything. See this? he points at a cobbled-together device on his boat. There's not much use for a fancy mass airflow system out there, so we just use a much simpler device. Ondy here built it together, good honest low-tech drag measurement. Accurate to a few percent, which is good enough for us, and it won't break even if you get stuck in a meteor storm.
He points at Ondy He's a genius if I ever saw one, but that's what you get with twenty years of hauling the cargo and doing salvage work on the silt.
The team works on modifying the lighsail, making sure it is as sleek and fast as possible, if not a little twitchy to handle, with a tendency to always steer to the right.
I was sailing round in circles
on a lonely summer night
Wondering why my boat
was always going to the right!
As the appointed hour approaches, the lightsail ships pull away from the dock and take their positions at the starting line, indicated by a line of drones carrying a string of flags between them. Though the hybrid propulsion systems keep the ships from being completely shackled to the whims of the wind, the line still drifts forward as they all draw alongside one another, as it’s impossible to hold the boats completely still on the shifting silt.
The temperature and anticipation rise steadily as the sun climbs toward its zenith. The colorful lightsails shine against the dusky red of the silt sea like the pendants decorating the pulrina, swelling with a mix of wind and solar energy. Mimli, perched at the tiller of the Flyting Jenny, is visibly trembling with excitement, her whiskers a blur of energy. A young ysoki appears on holographic screens projected from the hover drones that hold the starting lines.
Zwarna is a towering over the Golden Ratio, next to Mimli's Flyting Jenny
“Here we go!” the young ysoki announces, his voice projected by the screens to carry over all the competitors.
At the far end of the line, the gnolls on the Raycatcher look ready to jump the gun, while the lashunta jocks on the Going My Way look up from their comm units, eager to start.
“On your mark… Get set…” “Go!” Small fireworks burst from the undersides of the drones (much to the delight of the goblins on the Dust Monster) as they drop the starting line and signal the start of the race.
What follows is the opening rush of the race, where each boat jostles for position.
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Round 1: Clear the harbor!
The first point of order is to gain speed, and enought of it to clear the pack before anyone can cut of the wind from the sails.
---(round 1)---
VP: 0 (+4 at end of day)
Kolefo
Will
Chorizal
Maxamas
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Well, Kolefo may be short, but he sure can pilot a boat! Only Mimli manages to stay ahead of the Skittermander as he races out of the harbor, into the open.
Once out of the harbor, the true sailing race begins, with the boat () in a good position in the leading half of the pack. The Flyting Jenny is ahead, and the Golden Ratio only just behind. Raycatcher is mostly catching rays, not wind. Solardarity is also hot on the six of the starfinder crew, and the goblins are still a little too close for comfort.
Now, can anyone figure out how these old-fashioned sails work?
—(round 2)—
Victory Points: 1 (+4 to be awarded at end of day)
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Kolefo
Will
Chorizal
Maxamas
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