[YFF/SFS/DMK] 6-11 Gifts Ungiven (Inactive)

Game Master Kludde

Dawnfriend runs around, intent on helping with the various tasks, including the combat, but not contributing much.

He nods in agreement with Raia. "Yes, we need to help Venture-Captain Naiaj and the dignitaries!"

- An invitation to an event in the Skyreach Room, where Venture-Captain Naiaj is scheduled to make a presentation to a group of dignitaries in a few hours.
- A manifest from the Lorespire Complex mess hall indicating the arrival of a special order today.
- A brochure from the First Seeker Ilystre Memorial Museum mentioning some of that First Seeker’s more notable deeds.

Skyreach room - we have a few hours.

Just trying to place that in order of urgency

Hoping that the other players don't mind if Dr. A-Prof snags the micro-goggles. The visual of many mini mantids passing the micro-goggles off to each other is just giggle-worthy in my mind.

"Ztopping the neighborz from helping VC Naiaj with the dignatariez zeemz like the bezt plan to uz.

All good from my end, and I promise I wont let the marine iguana on Bennys head try eat any of the swarm

There's very little timing information on the pinboard. There's a tracking number on the parcel, which leads to a somewhat useless infosphere website that just lists the arrival as 'today between 2 hours ago and 4 hours from now'.

---
Hello Envies! Today we are at a special location, the Lorespire Complex! Not only home to the stuffy museum of First Seeker Ilystre, but also the Skyreach room where on regular occasion some Starfinders get sent on missions to find me! Well, no issue today, because I'm right here! I'm not here for the museum or the briefing room, though, just here to check out the canteen and hang out with my homies! Let's see what...
---Envar's Expeditions, episode 512, 1'204'267 views

All locations are in the Lorespire complex. The meta-game answer is: you can visit them in any order.

Well, happy to start at the top of the list, and work our way down.

In order it is then :)

The Skyreach Room is one of the Lorespire Complex’s most prestigious meeting spaces, equipped with holo displays, top of the line acoustics and audio systems, and some of the best seating and interior design the Society can afford. Venture-Captain Naiaj and her holographic presentation hold the audience’s attention. A stream of numbers and starship schematics display on floating holos positioned where everyone can see. Naiaj raises an eyebrow at the slight interruption of an entrance, but continues speaking.

The entrance being you guys. Can you imagine how far that eyebrow would rise if there was a real disruption? Shhh!

In the center of the room, between rows of audience chairs, stands a shipping crate.

Loki moves forward quietly...

Stealth: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (5) + 12 = 17.

...and tries to disable whatever 'surprise' is present in the crate.

Engineering: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (6) + 17 = 23.

An additional +4 should be added, if this counts as a trap.

Raia pauses to take in the presentation, while making notes on her datapad as she advances on the shipping crate to see how easy it is to move and to check for any booby tracks.

And now we know where Stella is :)

Benny flippers his way in, as subtle as a gigantic 10+ feet of Walrus gets.

Trober sees the present and immediately tries to find cover. He doesn't want to projectile vomit like he did the last time.

Naiaj's slightly more furrowed frown, and slightly more tense voice betrays a degree of annoyance as the group moves up to the crate, accompanied by loud flapping noises from the morlamaw.

It doesn't take too much engineering knowledge to figure out this crate is rigged to open automatically. The contents are a heap of shiny medals (no sign of Stella) with Starfinder insignias, including faction symbols, engraved on them. Festive!

Mysticism: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18
Computers: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

"THERE ARE OOZES MIXED IN WITH THE MEDALS!

Trober backs away from the crate and fumbles to unsling his Blindmark rifle from over his shoulder.

Life Science: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14

"Yes, oozez called Proogz. Ztarling them makez them hoztile.

Engineering: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

"And cratez opening with fanfare & glitter bombz are definitely startling. Yezz. Definitely."

mysticism: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28
computers: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31

Raia attempts to find the opening mechanism and jam it.

engineering: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24

Noting the fellow Starfinders have this in hand, Benny keeps an eye out for any trouble elsewhere - or people sneaking up on the party...!

Shhh! one of the audience members says to Trober I can't hear a thing!

Trober gets some passive-agressive frowns from the audience, while Dr. A-Prof quickly figures out the situation. Raia goes straight for the opening mechanism, and manages to disable it. Not before one of the proogs manages to get out, though. It seems to be quite docile, and follow Raia, hobbling along after the lashunta, every now and then changing its form when its standing still: a baton, a sonic pistol, or helpfully in the shape of a drinking mug, or even a googhurt containers. Suspiciously often a googurt container.

Naiaj manages to finish the presentation without any (serious) disruption, and takes a moment to talk to the group. First I wondered what that was all about, but then I saw you disarm that device with the proog coming out. Good job, that could have been messy.

Success! Raia's got a new pet, it seems.

Internally breathing a sigh of relief, Loki heads to the next location on the list.

Raia lets the proog sit on her shoulder.

Very messy Venture Captain ma'am. The crate were full of cheap knockoff medals and a whole lot of Proogs. Oh ... and the glitter bombs. Still no idea who is sending these packages as pranks yet though.

She then tells her what happened in the lobby with the other package. ... so Radaszam charged us with getting to the bottom of it. Erm .. interesting presentation by the way. Any chance of notes or do you plan on doing it again?

One of the beating hearts of the Lorespire Complex is the mess hall kitchen. Serving three meals a day to one of the most diverse collections of sentients in the galaxy is no small task, and mess hall workers constantly innovate menus to better meet the demands of hungry Starfinders, while doing their best to keep up with the latest cuisine trends in the ever-evolving food scene on Absalom Station. There eating area has a friendly sign DICEBOT is not here, clean up your own mess!

The Lorespire Complex’s mess hall kitchen is normally a busy place, even in the off periods between meals, but now sits strangely empty. There is a smoky haze in the air and a smell that blends pickles, salted meat, chocolate, caramelized sugar, and a mixture of potent spices quickly overwhelmed by the smells of burning. An industrial sized pot bubbles over alone on the cooking range. Open ingredients littered across the prep area hint at the pot’s ingredients—chips, crackers, various meat jerkies, sweet pastries, pickles, salted nuts, and chocolate bars. The molten brown liquid spills over the sides of the pot, bursting into flame as it touches the cooking appliance below.

To get close to the pot and avoid retching, I need a DC 12 Fort save, Athletics, Engineering, Physical Science, or food-related Profession check to get the situation under control

fort: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10

Ulp! As Raia turns a really odd colour for a lashunta and disappears into the nearest rest room. Hurk!

Loki makes sure that the environmental protections of his armor are operational, before moving forward.

Would that be worth a bonus, if I can't smell it?

Fort: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11.

He then tries to jury-rig something that will stop a tidal wave of disgusting slop from destroying the kitchen.

Engineering: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (17) + 17 = 34.

Not seeing anything on no smell on your character sheet. Do you have any immunities or related bonuses you can point to?

Fort 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

The Morlamaw walruses his way in, not concerned by the smell - then turns off the stove.

Dr. A-Prof flies into the kitchen.

Fortitude: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

And almost make their way to the burning mess before being overcome by the smell.

Trober turns on the environmental controls on his armor and tries to help.

Engineering: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

Not seeing anything on no smell on your character sheet. Do you have any immunities or related bonuses you can point to?

I think he means because he had his environmental seals activated.

Exactly. I mean, if the armour is environmentally sealed, surely it would be difficult for the stench to penetrate properly. At the very least, I was asking if it would be worth a bonus to the fort save.

There's more to the pot than just the stench, it's starting to look pretty gross as well. The DC is already pretty low on this one.

While the disgusting sight, stench and general mayhem of the pot seems to throw off Loki and the doctor, Benny calmly flops up to the pot, and tries to turn off the stove. Dawnfriend is looking to help with some spices (and they have some good spices lying around!), but can he stand the mess?

Can I have check for Benny, and/or a Fort save for Dawnfriend?

Engineering 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

Nope. Whilst his walrus constitution was not bothered by the smell, Benny looks perplexed "No stoves on Arniselle, sorry!"

Yeah ok I admit it is a pet hate of mine that we're now 6 season in and the scenario designers are still bamboozled by the idea that the average Starfinder has environmental seals. Happens with a range of Pathfinderisms that they keep incorporating which are jarringly out of place in a sci-fi setting (like walking everywhere, dealing with mundane cold environments, and apparent total lack of GPS).

Benny scrambles to turn off the stove, but Dawnfriend actually manages to come in right on time, dumps some herbs in the frothing pot, and somehow manages to get the thing off the boil and under control. The empty pot of herbs reads 'arctic psycho-mint'. Herbilicious.

Well, that dish still looks salvageable, and the fire suppression system didn't go off (that would have been a disaster!).

You can try to salvage the dish by a Mysticism, Physical Science, or appropriate Profession check (such as Dawnfriend's cook skill). There's a lot of ingredients available in this kitchen, so you can also create your own alternative menu if you prefer. Ready, steady, cook!

Raia comes out of the bathroom, assesses the situation and tries to become a Zen Cook - even though she's more used to take out.

mysticism: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

Benny chips in his thoughts...

Auto aid Mysticism

Trober is relieved that the situation didn't descend into violence, so he does his best to help out.

Mysticism (Aid Another): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Raia gets the dish under control, just in time to see the return of the kitchen staff. Esa Murat Khal, the kasathan head chef of the kitchen holds a (fake-looking) invite and asks What was happening here?

The paper looks like a memos to the kitchen staff to leave the mess hall unattended for a couple of hours for a “culinary demonstration, but it's clearly something that was cobbled together from 'recycled' letterhead. Do you know who was behind this? Who is trying to trick us? Not you, I hope!

Loki shrugs.

"No, we are not behind it. There is someone pulling 'pranks' around the Lorespire complex, and we are trying to track them down (at the request of the head of the Acquisitives), whilst minimising the damage from those pranks. Glad to see the damage was not too bad."

No no Raia replies. We're investigating. It's not just you either. Pranks have been happening all over the Lorespire

"Yezz." buzzes the Collective.
"Prankz - many prankz."

Ok, well. Looks like you didn't make a mess, and this stew doesn't taste half bad. Very balanced, whoever made it must have been very zen. Let's put this on the menu for today!

---

The First Seeker Ilyastre Memorial Museum contains displays of all the First Seekers that have held the post since the Society’s founding. The pristine and cavernous halls of the First Seeker Ilyastre Memorial Museum contain holographic displays depicting Starfinders meeting new people, exploring breathtaking planets, fighting alongside one another, and discovering fantastic relics. Artifacts and trophies recovered by Starfinder missions fill glass cases in some rooms and are mounted to the walls in others.

Suddenly a distressed shout rings out, followed by the whine of hydraulics and gears being taxed to their breaking point.

Lying prone on the floor is a host shirren, in front of an animatronic display a replica of Ilyastrebattling a defrex, which is in the process of what can be best described as 'explosively deteriorating'

It looks like that animatronic display may need some work to disable.

You can make any one of Mysticism (disrupt magical code), Engineering (disable the circuitry) or Athletics (forcing it to stop). Any other check you think is appropriate (tip: not diplomacy) could work as well. You have to be next to the animatronic for it to work.

Map updated.

---(Round 1)---
Everyone!
---

Mysticism: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

"What's happening??? Someone help that shirren!

Trober cautiously moves toward the animatronic display

Life Science: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30

"Thiz Zophont needz help, badly." intones the mantid swarm.

They extract a Mk1 healing serum from their gear pouch & apply it to the shirren.

healing: 1d8 ⇒ 5

Raia pulls out a toolkit and gets to work
engineering: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21

Mysticism 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17

Benny is a bit perplexed.

Loki pulls out his Trapsmith's Tools, and gets to work.

Engineering: 1d20 + 17 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 17 + 4 = 36.

Can I have check for Benny, and/or a Fort save for Dawnfriend?

Sorry, I thought it was either skill check or a Fort save. Here ya go

Fortitude save: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Dawnfriend again begins gagging. "So ... very, very ... gross." Still, between some judicious use of token spell and culinary knowledge, he's able to help Raia a bit get the food sorted out.

Later on ...

Medicine: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
Seeing the wounded shirren, Dawnfriend shrieks and runs forward, diving to the ground to touch the creature. A glowing flood of healing energy flows from his hands and into the wounded creature. "It'll be okay! Sarenrae'll help us out!"

Cast a level 1 mystic cure
Healing: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

The Doctor and Dawnfriend give first medical assistance to the shirren, as Trober valiantly steps up to reduce the magical circuitry in the animatronic display. Loki and Raia then disable the driving mechanics, causing the overheated display to stop trashing around.

I am Palivhar Chooser of Hues the shirren introduces themselves once they regain consciousness, and explain I was just searching for information about the Szandite Collective, when I saw this display here that I had never seen before. There were no ropes, no plaques, so I touched it... that is when it activated and started moving. Quite nicely at first, but then it became wilder and wilder... can't remember much else, I must say

Here, take this they say, as they give the group a brooch of shielding, thank you for your help. Maybe you can join me when I organise that trip to the ll Szandite Collective...

As the shirren speaks, there is a buzzing, rattling sound and the shadow of a small-to-medium sized creature leaving the scene, and a rather improvised drone trailing after him...

The shape disappears through an access panel..

Each player should make a check for themselves (I need 3 successes):
- Acrobatics to dodge through tight spaces,
- Engineering to find a shortcut through the infrastructure, or
- Survival to quickly navigate confusing twists and turns

Survival 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

Benny might be too big to fit down the smaller tunnels, but a lifetime diving the reefs and undersea caves have sharpened his nack of finding a way through regardless...

Loki's eyes light up with enthusiasm when he spots the fleeing creature.

"I haven't sent a space goblin to the Exo-Guardians for examination. Looks like I will be able to rectify that oversight shortly."

Engineering: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (6) + 17 = 23.

He then ploughs through the infrastructure.

Raia goes after the fleeing creature.

engineering: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26