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Jek shows up the meeting wearing a t-shirt "I fought the Corpse Fleet and all I got was this lousy T-shirt?" on the back it says "Next time bring t-shirts!" In Jek's arms is a stack of the same t-shirts that Jek passes out to the whole team each with its own saying on the back.
"I know Borq wanted one, but I thought everyone might like one."
Jek reads the backs of the t-shirts as Jek hands them out.
Momo, “Ow! Not too close! We don't have a collision waiver!”
Ears, “Way to send those boney deaders packing!”
Borq, “You can run but you can't hide!”
Qimok, “Eat our shed fur!”
Thrym, “Since you were silent during the entire mission, and your combat skills are very deadly I just had to make something up for you,
“Silent but deadly.”
If you don’t like that option I made an extra t-shirt you can put your own saying on the back.”
After hearing about the mission.
"So sounds like a culturally sensitive mission, I think will have much better options if we can get on the Gideron Authority's side quickly. Not sure if anyone realized this but I really like T-shirts, with the right T-shirt it's easy to fit in anywhere, which brings up the question, maybe the Gideron Authority has a sports team, or is there a popular band that hobgoblins like we could get t-shirts of. Might also be a good idea if we have some food or drink that hobgoblins like, or some other type of gift. I'll see what options I can find on the info sphere."
Jek thinks to themself antenna twitching as Jek searches.
I love the infosphere so many options! so many!
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Ears is neatly dressed for the briefing in a tweed jacket with leather elbow patches, and apparently on his best behavior. He nods respectfully to the other team members. "Marixah Republic and the Gideron Authority? I've heard rumors from other agents about the difficulties of running missions on their borders.
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Where's the Heartfire reception and what's the likely Drift transit time to get there? How much time is available before we depart?"
When Jek hands out T-shirts, Ears' composure breaks down. "This is great, Jek! Thanks. I'll wear it on the mission."
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Qimok looks much as he did on his last mission with this team--a muscular, swaggeringly self-confident, black-furred skittermander wearing blue and black powered armor with gold accents, which doubles his normal height. The more observant in the room might notice the addition of some runes to the barrel of the heavy laser mounted on his pauldron.
The soldier laughs merrily at the T-shirt that Jek gives him, and lightly claps the shirren on the shoulder. "Not exactly a phrase to wear in polite company, but I appreciate the gift, nufriend Jek," he says, before carefully folding the shirt and stowing it in a storage container attached to his battle harness.
After Radaszam and Celita's initial summary of their mission, Qimok says, "I know little of archaeology, but I will do what I can to assist my teammates, and insure that they remain safe. What can you tell us about the Marixah Republic and Gideron Authority? I've not visited that part of Near Space before."
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Ooh, stylish! Momo says, and immediately puts it on. Despite her cheerfulness, she looks a bit pained at the memory. I was so scared then... she confides in Jek.
What are we expecting to find in the archaeology site? If we tell the hobgobling we're on a treasure hunt, they won't be very keen to let us in, I think. Are we just trying to get the permission, or should we be digging as well?
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What’s are relations like between the Gideron Authority and the Marixah Republic? (Radaszam) Tensions are rising over border and territorial disputes. The Gideron Authority accuses the Marixah Republic of piracy, while the Republic claims that Authority ships in turn violate their space and harass their shipping. The Authority insists on building up its fleet and armed forces, which does not bode well for the Marixah Republic if the conflict escalates—the Republic is a cultural power rather than a military one.
You'll be travelling there on the shuttle along with the other dignitaries so you can get to know them and hopefully get them on our side
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A vaguely familiar pink-furred skittermander patters into the meeting room a bit late, carrying an archaic-looking printed tome in each pair of arms. Omzig mumbles an apology to Qimok, and gives Radaszam and Celita a sheepish look as she takes a seat beside her cousin. She carefully stacks her books in her lap then unhooks her spectacles from her ears so that she can clean them while she listens attentively to the rest of the briefing. She is wearing a tweed coat today, possibly in imitation of the scholarly Forum member Royo.
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Borq practically squeals when he gets the shirt from Jek. "This is amazing! I will wear this with pride." He immediately pulls it on over his shipsuit, grinning hugely. "I can't wait to vid my next show with this on. The comments will go through the roof!"
He calms down a little as the faction leaders begin their briefing. "Anything else you can tell us about the site, so we don't step on too many toes? And what do you know about Heartfire and this Vekkhad d'Salaz?"
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Here's what you know.
Both the Marixah Republic and the Gideron Authority are single-system civilizations in Near Space populated by colonists from lost Golarion. The similarities end there. The Marixah Republic’s population is extremely diverse, including humans, half-elves, and half-orcs, among many others. It is a democracy that deems itself a peer of the Pact Worlds, despite its small size and limited military reach. By contrast, the Gideron Authority is a rising military power ruled by hobgoblins and related species and eager to expand.
A recent coup in the Authority overthrew its elected council and replaced it with an authoritarian regime. It is pressing territorial claims against the Marixah Republic, a more pluralistic society with an elected—and divided—government. There does not appear to be a unified response to the Authority’s aggression. Even if it could decide on a course of action, the Republic would probably be at a disadvantage—it was barely able to muster a limited number of starships to support the Veskarium and the Pact Worlds against the Swarm in 291 AG.
The Marxiah Republic allegedly partakes in privateering from Gideron Republic ships. Additionally, a Marixah hobgoblin spy was recently caught infiltrating a key Authority military installation. There are also some indicators that the Republic, stung by criticism of their contributions against the Swarm, has been building up its own fleet to advance its claims to diplomatic parity with the Pact Worlds.
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Qimok notices Momo's nervousness, and asks Radaszam, "Yes, do you know anything about the security measures for this reception? If we are to travel with these dignitaries, and any trouble does rear its ugly head, it could be useful to know if we might be needed to assist in the general defense, or if that would offend anyone whose job it is to maintain security." As usual, the pious gladiator seems undeterred by the idea of danger, and more concerned about protecting weaker folk.
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We do not believe you're going to be attacked Radaszam replies.
Celita cuts in. According to the guest list sent by the Director, the reception includes a civil engineer from the Department of Public Works. This person will likely have the most influence over the permit process, so you are well advised to focus your efforts there. Another would be the university representative, Professor Mason. Her connections to Heartfire are well-known: she has assisted Director d’Salaz in recruiting students for the corporation, as well as performing contract work for them prior to her appointment to the University. Her inclusion may be an attempt by d’Salaz to influence the negotiations in your favor. There is also someone from the government’s Protocol Office in attendance—this office is a subsidiary of the Marixah Republic’s diplomatic service. Why they should be in attendance we are not certain, except possibly to observe. Director d’Salaz himself will host.
(Radazam) As for the Director, he’s the director of Heartfire, the terraforming company that made Kizmatta habitable for Marixah colonization. The process took decades—they had to invent most of the weather-control technology themselves. But as big as the operation’s gotten, it’s still family owned, and by all reports most of the family helps out with the business. We reached out to him when we learned that the coordinates were on land controlled by the company. Turns out it’s his family’s personal property. He’s willing to negotiate for exploration rights, but he wants to clear it with local authorities first. The Marixah Republic is very proud of its cultural heritage, and letting outsiders just walk in and carry it off probably wouldn’t go over well. So he’s hosting a party for some bureaucrats who can push the right papers—it’s up to you to impress them so he can get permission to open up the area without getting into hot water himself.
(Celita) The Society previously negotiated a nonaggression pact with the Gideron Authority to acquire essential components for the Master of Stars in preparation for our return mission to the Scoured Stars. This leaves us in an awkward position in negotiating with the Marixah Republic, as some of its contingent worlds are advocating for Pact Worlds intervention in the dispute. Avoid committing the Society to any agreements, let alone the Pact Worlds—we have no governmental authority to do so. However, the Stewards are likely to take the Society’s reports into account when making such a decision if the situation worsens. Keep your eyes open and assess the Republic’s stance. Any information you can gather on their military readiness, willingness to negotiate for peace, or support for intervention would be useful.
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(Radazam) As for the Director, he’s the director of Heartfire, the terraforming company that made Kizmatta habitable for Marixah colonization. The process took decades—they had to invent most of the weather-control technology themselves. But as big as the operation’s gotten, it’s still family owned, and by all reports most of the family helps out with the business. We reached out to him when we learned that the coordinates were on land controlled by the company. Turns out it’s his family’s personal property. He’s willing to negotiate for exploration rights, but he wants to clear it with local authorities first. The Marixah Republic is very proud of its cultural heritage, and letting outsiders just walk in and carry it off probably wouldn’t go over well. So he’s hosting a party for some bureaucrats who can push the right papers—it’s up to you to impress them so he can get permission to open up the area without getting into hot water himself....
"Radaszam, you mentioned " walking in and carrying off Marixah's cultural heritage." I thought our mission was to trace Rasheen's movements. Is the acquisition of artifacts a secondary objective? If not, we can easily explain that."
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"So sounds like a culturally sensitive, diplomatic mission with a side order of spy activity, this might take more than just t-shirts I may need more hats. As much as I like options, with so many stacking up best, we make a list of objectives to avoid being overwhelmed with choices in the heat of batt... I mean whatever happens."
Jek takes notes, and works on making a summary of mission objectives and other important notes.
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None that we are aware of
D’Salaz offers you a business-class compartment on the Marixah Republic’s state transport, which typically ferries diplomats, mid-level corporate personnel, and cultural figures such as artists and architects between the Pact Worlds and the Republic. The transport takes days to reach Kizmatta. During this trip, you can attempt to socialize with other dignitaries onboard the shuttle.
After you land, a guide from Kizmatta’s Protocol Office, a half-elf who introduces themself as Tioran, escorts you. The half-elf brings you to a well-appointed hotel near Heartfire’s corporate headquarters. Tioran wears a phoenix halfmask and dark red business clothing. They then offer to guide you to some of Kizmatta’s local attractions, including the University and the Settlement Hall (a museum dedicated to Kizmatta’s colonization).
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Jek opts to concentrate on cultural figures such as artists for information and possibly a signed t-shirt
"There I was at Songbird Station, just chilling doing my thing enjoying the Strawberry Machine Cake concert, I ran into a Startinder, I mean literally ran into, but it worked out and we started talking that's how I first heard of the Starnfider Society and decided to join. A couple of missions later I'm actually backstage with the singer of Strawberry Machine Cake, how cool is that!"
Trying to get info
Trying to be cool and just fit in with the cultural figures
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Halfway through the trip, after trying to schmooze diplomats and dignitaries, Ears can be heard in the ship's cafeteria complaining about their stupidity and lack of humor. He's dressed in his armor.
*** Planetside ***
"Thank you, Tioran. I would enjoy seeing your seat of higher learning and soaking in your culture. May I have a few moments to find my tweeds?"
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Momo boards the shuttle with a pale face and an ironclad grip on a small pill box. During the six day travel, she mostly spends her time in her bunk, sleeping (or rather - unconscious).
She's clearly not on her best socializing game.
Planetside, color returns to her face, and she seems to breathe normally again. Guide Tioran, what is the significance of that mask you are wearing?
I'd be happy to see those sites. Which one is first on our itinerary, the university?
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Tioran explains that they observe certain older elven customs, including going masked at times, but to better perform their duties as a representative to outsiders, they wear a half-mask to ease communication barriers
At the university, Tioran encourages the party to visit the school’s performing arts academy, which is holding a dress rehearsal of a dance piece today. The drive there is forced to detour around a student protest. While small—consisting only of a few dozen students—the protest makes considerable noise, waving signs and chanting anti-war slogans. A small drum circle performs nearby, while a handful of bystanders look on but do not interfere; there do not appear to be any police on hand.
Two new rounds of Diplomacy checks please.
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Tioran explains the history of Dhal Salaz, Vekkhad d’Salaz’s ancestor, and an early immigrant to Kizmatta. This successful ore prospector (and rumored former treasure hunter) used his rich finds to establish the Heartfire corporation. Upon inheriting the company after their father’s death, his children partnered with Marixah’s homeworld government to help terraform Kizmatta and mitigate its harsh weather. Their success enabled a wave of immigration to Kizmatta and more representation of non-homeworld interests in the Convocation Hall on Marixah. Tioran speaks favorably of this increased representation and obviously takes pride in the Marixah Republic’s inclusive society and government.
While the Marixah Republic rigorously defends its status as a sovereign entity, it called on the Starfinder Society for assistance in excavating another ancient hobgoblin site. The Gideron Authority recently advanced on a Marixah Republic outpost on the border world Sansorgis, and the Republic negotiated the Society’s excavation rights in exchange for their assistance in evacuating the outpost. On one level, Tioran points out ruefully, this actually made the diplomatic situation worse: the Gideron Authority regards the ancient hobgoblin empire as its predecessor. The Authority now claims that such ruins are proof that the empire controlled a much wider section of space, and they are using the ruins’ presence as justification for claiming even more territory—some of which is now within Republic borders. Permitting outsiders to excavate another site might spark further accusations of the theft of the Authority’s cultural heritage.
Regarding the Authority’s accusations of piracy by Marixah ships, Tioran points out that the Authority may have difficulty realizing that not all Marixah starships are affiliated with the government—in fact, most aren’t; they are privately owned vessels engaged in everything from trade and transport to exploration and leisure travel. Any privately owned vessels that engaged in piracy would be breaking Marixah law only if they did so in Marixah-controlled space. The Republic does not believe it has authority beyond this space. Even under those circumstances, officially reporting the matter to the Republic’s space forces would have prompted an investigation and sanctions for the perpetrators. The Gideron Authority has made no official or diplomatic attempts to resolve the issue. Tioran, and most of the public, believe that the Authority is exaggerating the extent of the problem to justify its belligerent behavior.
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At the Settlement Hall you discover that this museum includes exhibits on the earliest settlers of Kizmatta, from the time before Heartfire ameliorated the frigid climate. The displays show that in those early days, most colonists lived underground, close to geothermal heat sources, and only a few brave souls ventured aboveground. One new exhibit features artifacts from the ancient hobgoblin empire that spanned several nearby systems. The displays present the intriguing but controversial theory that the ancient hobgoblin empire may have left the area voluntarily: most sites show no signs of violence or a population in distress, and few contain items used for daily life, as though the people packed up their necessities before leaving.
In an interactive exhibit featuring cold-weather clothing, gear, and survival strategies, you encounter a small group of uniformed military cadets. The sergeant supervising them explains that they are conducting research for a cold-weather field exercise and asks you not to interrupt them, but she is willing to answer a few questions from the off-worlders herself. She says that enlistment rates are up in the face of Gideron Authority provocations, which she thinks is for the best as she doubts the proposal for a draft is likely to pass in the legislature. She adds that its failure may be a good thing, as the small standing military has its hands full training the new crop of volunteers and would have difficulty coping with a mass influx of raw recruits. A career infantry specialist herself, she hopes that the Authority will not risk a ground assault and confine itself to starship combat, but she nods to her cadets and says, “Better to have ’em and not need ’em than need ’em and not have ’em.”
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Jek's antenna perks up when Tioran says "and rumored former treasure hunter."
"Tioran, do you think there could be any connection between Dhal Salaz and Jelev Rasheen?"
Later at the museum
"My name is Jek, I'm the team's battle medic. Sergent what can you tell me about Gideron Authority tactics, what kind of equipment do they favor? Any intel you have would help me keep them safe."
Jek looks over at the cadets and then whispers to the sergeant.
"Worst case scenario, If you only have 5 minutes to train just give them a box of grenades and spend the rest of the time teaching them how to use med patches.
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Ears listens politely to the history and sociology, but his heart isn't really in it. I wonder if they have a high energy physics department?
He does prick his ears up at Jek's question about DHal.
At the museum he politely examines the exhibits. The ysoki pities the recruits lack of a good fur coat.
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Qimok listens attentively as the sergeant talks about her new recruits and their training. "I work as an instructor myself, between missions, so I can appreciate the labor required to teach those unaccustomed to combat," he says when she finishes. "I hope that some of your recruits have a knack for teaching others, once they're no longer so green themselves."
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Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a connection between Dhal Salaz and Jelev Rasheen - at least one that they know about. Following your tour round Kizmatta, Tioran escorts you to Heartfire’s corporate office in town.
Heartfire’s well-appointed corporate office hosts the event. The decor is subtle but elegant, with a dark green and pale red color scheme and art objects from various cultures and time periods on display in clear protective cases. A spotlight illuminates a small stage in one corner; the opposite corner has a small bar offering various drinks, bottled scents, and other mild intoxicants. Between the bar and the stage there are clusters of tables, each large enough to seat four to six people.
On one side of the room, long tables display trays of snacks, each clearly labeled with ingredients for those with dietary restrictions. Small sample plates demonstrate possible pairings of vegetable skewers, miniature quiches, and rarer delicacies. Two waitstaff wearing black circulate through the crowd, offering drinks and collecting discarded plates. Vekkhad d’Salaz speaks quietly with Tioran, who is now dressed far more colorfully than they were for the trip around the city.
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Social Influencing: The PCs’ goal is to make a good impression on as many of the guests as possible. The PCs can impress an NPC by succeeding at skill checks as described in the Influence entry of the NPC’s stat block. The PCs must succeed at four skill checks against an NPC to earn influence over that NPC. If there are four PCs, reduce the number of required successes for each NPC by one.
Repeated tactics lose their effectiveness. Each attempt to use a skill that has already been used to attempt to influence an NPC (successfully or not) incurs a cumulative –1 penalty against that NPC (to a maximum of –3). Repeated failures run the risk of offending the guest; after three consecutive failed checks to influence a given NPC using the same skill, that guest is no longer interested in speaking with the PCs and cannot be impressed.
Each PC can attempt one check to influence a single guest during each social round. A PC can use her action for a social round to attempt a skill check to aid another PC in place of attempting a skill check to influence the NPC directly. If a PC is not sure what kind of check to attempt, she can make light conversation in lieu of attempting a check for that round, learning something about the NPC’s background, interests, or personality to gain a hint of appropriate skill checks to attempt to influence that individual. PCs partaking in such “small talk” can attempt a Sense Motive check to learn an appropriate skill to influence the NPC with. For every 5 points the PC exceeds the Sense Motive DC by, she learns one additional skill that can be used to influence the NPC.
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The delegates are:
Camily Mason (Female human)
As a representative of Marixah’s most prestigious university, Camily has regular contact with d’Salaz, as she was a contractor with Heartfire before taking her university post, and the company frequently recruits from the school. She and Kanaxa have been friends since their undergraduate days, but their respective adult careers have caused tensions between the two. Camily feels that Kanaxa continues to charge headfirst into situations as though she’s still a student, rather than a government official with the ability to delegate and allocate resources. The two have recently had a more dramatic falling-out: Kanaxa was seriously injured when she ignored Camily’s warnings that hazardous materials had contaminated an archaeological site Kanaxa was working on.
Camily is young for an academic of her rank, but otherwise unassuming in appearance, with medium height and build for a human. She wears her brown hair in a loose bun and dressed somewhat informally for the reception in slacks and a long sweater with a loose cowl. She seems somewhat bored with the affair, and tends to revert to reading from her tablet unless directly addressed.
Kanaxa D'Khaan (female half orc)
A civil engineer with the Marixah Public Works Department, Kanaxa’s official responsibilities include reviewing permits for new construction and ensuring that new developments preserve the character and appearance of the city. She also surveys sites for archaeological or historical remains; if any items of relevance are found, she eagerly excavates—even when she should probably delegate the fieldwork to subordinates. She recently had a falling-out with her old college friend, Camily, over a recent rescue archaeology expedition, in which Kanaxa managed to preserve a valuable site but was badly wounded after disregarding safety protocol. While she readily admits that she should have been more careful, she is somewhat put out by Camily’s recent mother-hen behavior—especially since Camily insists on piloting her own survey flights, which Kanaxa considers somewhat hypocritical.
Tall and muscular even for a half-orc, Kanaxa has recent acid burns on the left side of her face, and a cast and sling on her left arm. She frequently tries to make expansive gestures with it anyway. She wears a sleeveless caftan to show off both her impressive physique and her most recent “battle scars.”
Tioran (Half-Elf)
The functionary from the Protocol Office introduces themself as a Cultural Ambassador, a relatively high-ranking official. They apologize for misleading the party and explain that the Starfinder Society’s nonaggression pact with the Gideron Authority has disturbed certain elements of the Marixah Republic’s foreign policy establishment. Tioran wanted to observe the party first-hand rather than judge the Society based on a single policy decision. The now-revealed ambassador does not disclose that they are also a ranking member of the Republic’s fledgling intelligence service.
Quite short and lightly built, Tioran wears a more elaborate phoenix half-mask than they did when they first met the PCs. They have also come in more formal dress, wearing an impeccably draped gown of dark gold fabric with elaborate red embroidery at the hem, sleeves, and high collar.
Vekkhad D'Salaz (male hobgoblin)
While he now works as the director of Heartfire, he once led terraforming engineers in the field, until he was injured in an avalanche while placing a weather-control apparatus on a mountainside. He brushes off compliments, saying others suffered far worse in the efforts to ameliorate Kizmatta’s climate. After his injuries ended his fieldwork Vekkhad d’Salaz moved to Heartfire’s research and development division, where he allocated resources toward augmenting existing weather-control technology with magic.
Now elderly, Vekkhad d’Salaz dresses well but simply in old-fashioned layered robes, loose trousers, and sturdy boots. Tall and lean, he walks with a slight limp and uses an elaborately cane made of elaborately carved bone.
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Jeks sees Camily looking bored and tries to see what is distracting Camily and to see if she likes music.
"Hope I'm not interrupting you, these diplomatic meetings can get boring sometimes have you heard the new DAK single?"
Jek starts playing a song on his comm unit. Descartes a Kant - After Destruction
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Qimok - Failure - although you were on the right track.
Thrym observes that Vekkhad initially appears reserved and somewhat formal, but to those who observe courtesy and ask intelligent
questions, he thaws enough to share stories about the terraforming efforts. A Profession check is probably your best bet, or maybe Culture.
Jekcedo is off track with Camily. She is rather quiet and introverted and really doesn't like that sort of music. Something like a violin solo is more her style. She is sort of interested in Momo's story, but not enough to be influenced. Jelcado believes if Momo can come up with a story involving daredevil flying. Computers and Physical Science would be good. She is also fascinated by tales of strange planets with alien features, and their attendant challenges to terraforming and colonization.
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Ears watches the others pick partners for conversation. He decides to stay with Tioran. "No apologies needed ambassador. From your perspective it only makes sense to take an opportunity to observe us in out natural habit, as it were. And you were an excellent tour guide, so we were none the poorer for your stratagem.
It seems everyone here is connected with various digs. Are you a scientist also? I'm not an expert, but I do dabble in forensic xenobiology from time to time...."