Please dot and delete when your character is ready.
Your com devices beep, and a mission briefing pops up. It says the following:
HANDOUT: MISSION BRIEFING
Welcome to the Birnam’s Bubble survey team! We’ve had our eyes on this planet for many years. No one in recorded history has ever passed through the energy field surrounding the planet to learn why all its living people and animals are missing, or who built the ancient cities that dot the surface. In the wake of the Drift Crisis, the energy field has begun to shatter, falling piece by piece to the surface. While this enables us to explore the planet, the field’s collapse is causing great destruction, which we project will only get worse in time. On behalf of the Church of Weydan, he who is the Endless Horizon, I thank you for your help in exploring the planet before its secrets are lost forever. You’ll be joining one of the hinterlands survey teams at the coordinates provided. They’re investigating interesting structures in the jungle near one of the planet’s cities. We believe these structures are linked to the magitech satellites that generate the planet’s energy field. If we can find out how to activate the structures, we might be able to stabilize the field’s collapse and preserve the planet. Coordinate with the team to survey the area, and above all else, remember that our mission is one of peace.
—Captain Expedite-8 of the Stylus of Destiny
As this adventure begins, you are approaching your designated survey site in a verdant jungle a few miles from an empty settlement.
The route from the energy shield entry point to the landing site takes the ship past a pristine but empty city of glistening buildings. A small clearing in the verdant jungle is just large enough for a second ship to land next to the Weydanite advance survey team’s shuttle. The sensor readouts indicate “ambient energy of indeterminate danger” in the atmosphere, but for now, all is calm.
Too calm. Despite the lush jungle surroundings, the only audible sound is a light wind gently rustling the leaves of the planet’s strange flora. There are no buzzing insects, no chirping birds, nor any other sight or sound of life.
You find the Weydanite advance survey team a short distance to the east along a wide path through the jungle. A voice calls out from the
survey site, hailing you.
(pausing for any reactions, and for you to digest the information so far before you talk to the advance survey team)
"Pieces of the energy field are falling? Oh, they probably mean the satellites are falling. ...that's probably bad."
Once they've landed, Navasi immediately moves towards the survey team. "Good to see you! Where do you want us?"
"No civilization here?" Iseph tells them, eventhough they can see the glistening buildings of the city. "Have they evacuated because of that? Reasonable." they talk to no one. Their eyes are peeled to anything unusual, but seeing the survey team around, they think it is unnecessary at this point.
When they find another agent, they introduce themself. "Iseph."
A large, heavy-set agent returns Iseph's greeting in a bassy, equally terse response. "Obozaya."
Obozaya doesn't say much, looking to Navasi for a directive. The large two-handed machine gun whirrs softly yet menacingly in the background, like the stirrings of a dragon on the cusp of waking up.
Chk Chk spends the trip with music playing on his comm unit, keeping it localized to his earbuds but leaving a connection open in case any of his allies would like to listen in as well. He was about a third of the way through an album when the servery team caught their attention.
"Chk Chk." he says in half-speech, half-chitter. He seems a little too distracted by that enchanting rhythm coming from Obozaya's weapon, which goes strikingly well with the metallic grinding of the music playing to him on his comm.
“Hello there! I’m Mehusel, head of this little team. We’ve discovered a tower that we think will help stabilize the planet’s shattering energy field. We’re preparing to activate it, but before we do, we’ve got to survey the site. We’ve noted other points of interest, too. There’s the tower itself, some strange consoles to the south, odd rock formations to the north, and potentially dangerous flora to the east. Could you help out before we try to activate the tower?”
"That's what we do!" says Navasi with an informal salute. "'Potentially dangerous' anything gets my attention. Should that be our first priority, or do you want us to focus on the tower?"
"I will handle dangerous thing." Obozaya boasts. "Is what I'm good at."
Iseph silently nods at the request and begins packing up their things for the mission.
"Do we survey one area to another together or we can survey them as we please?" they finally ask.
Chk Chk looks up at what's left of the energy shield and then back to the group. "That seems like it's a little higher on the danger scale, but if the planet has a little more time then we should probably take care of the other thing. Especially if its a free roaming thing that might get us later."
"Well, that's our actual objective, but we have to handle the obstacles that might stop us first. Right?"
You can split up. This is run in exploration mode. Please pick which of the four areas you want to scout for the first round, and I will let you know what checks you can use.
"I can check the strange console at the south." Iseph tells them and heads over to the area.
"If the obstacles come first, then I kind of want to see those dangerous creatures. Or better yet, those rock formations. I wonder what sorts of phenomena might take place on the verge of its doom." He makes to move for the north.
"Let's just take a peak at this 'dangerous flora' then," says Navasi, drawing her pistol. "We can check it out from a distance and see if it might pose a problem. Flora usually isn't too mobile, even the dangerous kind, so it might just not be an issue as long as we avoid it."
"Puny flower is no match for big gun!" Obozaya says as she draws her minigun.
Sounds good! Mehusel agrees.
Iseph, occultism, arcana, vidgame lore, computers, crafting, or society, please pick one check.
Chk Chk, mining lore, physical science, crafting, thievery, nature, occultism, or perception.
Navasi and Obozaya, acrobatics, perception, thievery, life science, or nature.
I'll tell you what you see and know after I have your checks, let you know how many points your team has, and find out if you want to continue in that location or move elsewhere.
Iseph tries to tinker with the consoles to see if they can make it work or something.
Chk Chk, mining lore, physical science, crafting, thievery, nature, occultism, or perception.
Obozaya tries to perceive the world around her for anything out of the ordinary.
"...We should go somewhere else." Obozaya moves to check out the tower.
Navasi and Obozaya move east to look at some flora.
Two types of strange flora grow near the dirt path. Some plants resemble bulbous, spiky berries, each several feet in diameter, while others are fern-like succulents with large green and purple leaves and a bloom of bright orange flowers at the center.
One of the researchers is examining the odd flora from the safety of the path. She barely notices you when you first approach, and then she says, “Careful. Not sure what’ll make these things activate, but they seem dangerous. The ones with the orange flowers look angry
Neither of you notices anything as you approach. Navasi realizes that the berries are harmless, but the fern-like plants have bulbs concealed
at the base of each orange flower that might open or
react in response to an external stimulus.
Obozaya fails to see anything in her survey.
round 1: Navasi and Obozaya get one survey point at the Threatening Flora.
Iseph approaches the consoles.
An alcove surrounded by rock walls contains short columns of stone, each about 3 feet high. The columns are studded with gems and metal panels, and ancient runes are carved into nearly every inch of their surfaces.
A skittermander from the survey team waves to you when you approach the
consoles. “Hi nufriends! Mind help-helping me? I think these are magical controls for the tower over there, but I’m not sure how they work or what they’re supposed to do. I made some fun sketches of them and sent them to the other survey teams on my datapad, and it turns out these weird consoles are found all over the planet! Neat, huh?”
Iseph does not succeed interacting with the consoles. In fact, he seems to distract others.
round 1: Iseph gets a critical fail (so loses one survey point) at the Magitech Consoles.
Chk chk goes north to examine the rock formations.
A formation of purplish-black boulders juts from the jungle floor. A large patch of grass around it has taken on the same dark color, rather than its usual vibrant green.
You notices a slight drop in temperature near the boulders; nothing drastic, but the boulders are either drawing heat from their surroundings, or else chilling the area in some other way. A PC who succeeds at this check gains a +1 circumstance bonus to their Survey
Checks in this area.
With that +1, you get a critical success, 2 survey points, and have completely explored this area. You also get a bonus to your check to survey the other rock formations (there is another location of rock formations you can also explore)
You notice that these rocks look slightly shriveled, as if they’ve been drained of energy. Further (because you've gotten 2 points) you determine that these rocks once held some amount of life essence—they weren’t just made of matter—but something has drained them dry.
OK, team, time for another round of checks. You can move to another location or stay at the current location. In terms of gathering information, it is to your benefit to get two successes at as many locations as possible. If you stay at the same locations, you know what skills to roll. If you move, I will give you the list of skills.
You will have time for a few more rounds of checks, although I will not tell you exactly how many.
Score so far: 2 survey points.
Iseph tries again, to compensate for their initial attempt, hoping that their next tinkering will make the system work this time.
"Seriously, these weird consoles are indeed weird." they tell the skittermander flatly.
"I'm going to see if I can help Iseph. They seem to be having some trouble over there..."
Obozaya takes some time to stare into the distance while perceiving the flora. She is so preoccupied with her perception that she doesn't even realise that Navasi has left to the computer zone.
Navasi and Obozaya each get a success for round 2. I'll give more info as a block at the end of the round.
Chk Chk?
Chk Chk moves to the other rock formation.
A formation of glowing boulders stands atop a high ledge.
These boulders resemble the darkened boulders to the
southwest, but they emit soft light and a low hum.
Chk Chk notices glowing dust motes hovering above the rock formation. (bonus to survey checks)
survey check:
success; the soft light and tiny glowing dust motes come from a thin layer of bioluminescent moss that grows on (and perhaps inside) the boulder in a pattern that looks like veins of ore.
Obozaya sees that the roots of the fern-like plant and “berries” link up underground, and the two types of plants exist in harmonious balance without requiring external pollination.
With two successes at that location, you discover that the proximity of these plants to the magitech tower is no coincidence. Tiny runes carved into stones scattered near the plants and tiny engravings of the plants at the base of the tower suggest the plants and tower are connected.
Navasi concludes that the consoles were originally designed for the simple purpose of activating and monitoring the nearby tower. At a later time, they were updated with additional controls and code related to a sophisticated piece of technology that manipulates reality at the quantum level.
current status at the end of round 2:
5 survey points
A1: drained rock formation: complete
A2: charged rock formation: 1/2
A3: magitech tower: not explored
A4: magitech consoles: 1/2
A5: threatening flora: complete
OK, team, let me have your checks for round 3. Please make sure you are at a location that is not yet complete (so Obozaya should pick somewhere else)
Frustrated Iseph heads over to the magitech tower to see what they can do about it.
"It is all yours, if you want to continue tinkering on it." Iseph tells Navasi before they leave for the tower. "I'll will go to that tower and check what I can do to that."
With his trust invested in his allies to handle the technological aspects of the mission, Chk Chk busies himself with continuing to look at the charged rock formation.
Obozaya also moves towards the tower.
"How's the progress? Find anything to fight?" She asks.
"Huh? Sure, okay. Whatever flavor you prefer."
Navasi is focused on the console.
Those at the tower, please roll Art Lore, Warfare Lore, Society, Crafting, Computers, or Arcana.
Chk Chk succeeds in finding out more at the charged rocks. The low hum isn’t constant; rather, it subtly changes pitch in response to the your
signs (such as pulse and breathing).
These rocks contain a significant amount of life essence at their cores, to the point that it’s slowly leaking into the nearby environment.
Navasi succeeds at the magitech consoles.
Additional technology was grafted onto the tower at some point long after its construction. The tech, a bunch of circuitry panels and wires, is likely intended to boost or modify the tower’s original magic in some way.
The magitech towers were originally designed with some kind of defensive purpose and were later modified by technology that originated from another civilization.
current status (middle of round 3):
7 survey points
A1: drained rock formation: complete
A2: charged rock formation: complete
A3: magitech tower: waiting for survey check rolls
A4: magitech consoles: complete
A5: threatening flora: complete
for magitech towers
Iseph heads over to the consoles of magitech tower, perhaps they can find a way to activate it or something.
Obozaya thinks about how the tower might make for a good place for a fight.
She gets bored and starts to walk away. "You handle this Iseph. I'll...go clean my gun."
Navasi and Chk Chk?
Chk Chk takes an interest in the tower, examining the craftsmanship. What sort of hands worked to put this here, he wonders...
Well, she'd succeeded once where Iseph had failed. How hard could it be?
I may have gotten my wires crossed as to what you learn at the tower and and the console, so I'll give you the blocks of what you could learn here:
Tower
The engravings at the base of the column depict starships in battle
near a planet surrounded by a cloud of energy. There are beings on the planet who appear to be hiding beneath the cloud, out of sight of the starships. These lifeforms are stout people wearing robes; their bodies are shaped like chiseled stone, and they have multiple eyes.
Additional technology was grafted onto the tower at some point long after its construction. The tech, a bunch of circuitry panels and wires, is likely intended to boost or modify the tower’s original magic in some way.
The magitech towers were originally designed with some kind of defensive purpose and were later modified by technology that originated from another civilization.
Console:
the tower’s purpose: it’s part of a potent
magitech defense system likely designed to visually (and
psychically) occlude the planet.
The consoles were originally designed for the simple purpose of activating and monitoring the nearby tower. At a later time, they were updated with additional controls and code related to a sophisticated piece of technology that manipulates reality at the quantum level.
Some of the runes and gemstones were altered long after the columns were originally constructed, such as by being removed and replaced (in the case of the gemstones) or re-carved (in the case of the runes).
The alterations made to the consoles were done in great haste and drastically altered the technology’s original function, likely to the point of being utterly foreign to anyone who was accustomed to the original controls.
With successes from Iseph and Chk Chk and a critical success from Navasi, you have not only found all the possible information, you have also gotten 12 survey points. That is enough survey points that more won't make any difference. You are supposed to have one more round to do research, but if there are no objections, I will move us forward without that round. I'll give you a chance to react to what you've found out and also to let me know if you don't want to skip the last round of checks.