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Well, I see I have to take charge. *Again.* Anock sighs. The mantle of leadership can be so heavy sometimes. Ah, well. I *am* the most qualified. (Actually, she's not.)
From her place on Oud's back, hovering above the muck and mushrooms, Anock waves at the unicorn. "Hello there! We're new here, and we're trying to get our bearings and see who else is here. I am Anock, and this is my team of Starfinders. And you are...?"
It takes a moment after the words leave her mouth to realize that she has no idea if unicorns can understand and speak language. Hopefully she hasn't made a complete fool of herself.
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GRIM*! tries to talk to the unicorn
"Can you talk and understand us? If so, I just wanted to warn you not to ask my name my friends though it might scare you. I'm really not that scarry I just have to look that way for my other job, I'm a professional wrestler and I have my own video channel, do you like to wrestle?"
Xylovol thinks to herself "This ought to be good GRIM*! trying to talk to a unicorn about wrestling." Xylovol zooms the camera in for a close-up shot.
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"Oud, how about you, got any muddy unicorn theories?"
Oud turns to Navasi. Curious as he keeps his eyes on it. Whispering. Overwhelmed with the feeling to squeeze it for being so cute yet revere it for its majesty. Of course! The hooves, Navasi! Woah. It an honest-to-goodness, organic, adequately moist, high-protein, salon-grade styled, pristine...He ran out of adjectives to convey his esoteric impression on the unicorn. ...unicorn.
He turns to Anock and follows how she introduces herself and the team. Then, to GRIM*! and how he takes in the team's pleas to be chill around the unicorn.
Oud, still hovering and carrying Anock, speaks appreciatively. My face might not show it, but I am in awe. Those mushrooms... They were cultivated with intention and care. All thanks to its diligent steward, no doubt.
Navasi tries to talk to the unicorn.
"We're from the Starfinder Society, explore, report, corporate is our motto. We weren't expecting to find a unicorn in a swamp in a vault, but we have seen stranger things. My name is Navasi how's your day going."
Navasi looks over at the rest of the team, then back to the unicorn
"Have you met the rest of the team? GRIM*!s not so grim on the inside, I think you left Oud faceless, but he's always faceless, and our brave Anock is doing her best to stay out of the muck. Hope we are not intruding we were jsut trying to avoid damaging the mushrooms that seemed important to someone."
The mention of her precious mushrooms obviously softens the stern unicorn. She listens to what you have to say, and you see the light of hope in her eyes. (you have successfully changed her attitude
"I see that you have taken care about my mushrooms and my swamp. I grow tired of having to defend them from interlopers, and so your arrival is fortuitous. Perhaps you can convince them to leave my swamp alone."
(One more diplomacy check to convince her to make peace with the others)
edit: I should clarify that it's fine if someone who has already made a diplomacy check tries this one. Other are welcome to aid.
"We would be happy to help, and maybe you can help us too. We were sent to find the source of energy that seems to be someplace around here. Maybe that energy source is what is attracting others here. Finding it to understand it better, might help us convince others to stay away. Is there anyone in particular that is causing you trouble with your mushrooms?"
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"If anyone hurts your mushrooms I will say my name at them, they will be afraid, and your mushrooms will be safe! and if anyone does hurt them Anock is the best healer in the whole galaxy, she can heal your mushrooms I'm sure of it! I think Oud likes your mushrooms I bet he would help protect them too!"
GRIM*! turns to Navasi
"See I didn't say it."
The big white furballs sometimes wander in here randomly, and the gnolls trample all over my mushrooms trying to get some kind of herb.
I need them to stay out of my swamp. If they really need something, I could be convinced to allow the occasional respectful trip, as long as they keep off my mushrooms.
I'm going to back up a little. The mukfurs also agreed to make peace with the others if you can find a plan that works for everyone. They could be convinced to stay out of the swamps, as long as whatever lives in the swamps will leave them alone, but they really need food from the gnolls' territory.
Anything else, or do we move on to the gnolls?
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As the unicorn speaks, Anock's chest expands, puffing up with portentous pride. "Hm. This is a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the diplomatic mission of the Starfinder Society. *Cooperation* is vitally important in such a confined world as this Vault. We would be honored to broker a mutually beneficial trade agreement between all three parties. Can you point us in the direction of the gnolls' territory?"
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"Hold on I got a smart idea before we go, Xylovol get the camera! Sorry, but I'm going to have to say my name."
GRIM*! goes over to the mushrooms and singles Xylovol to start filming.
"See these mushrooms here, don't hurt the mushrooms because
But be nice to the mushrooms and everyone can be friends! and friends share food, so be friends or I will say my name again! I also like to wrestle."
GRIM*! singles Xylovol to stop filming and ask the team and unicorn
"How was that? This way we can show everyone what mushrooms to not mess with, see I'm getting smarter too."
The unicorn points out the hilly area on your map where the gnolls live.
You find yourself in an area of fertile farmland surrounding a town.
A small village is built atop a low hill in the distance. A swift river borders the village to the west, its waters flowing from north to south. Fields of rice and substantial clusters of mushrooms grow from the hillsides around the town, and several figures are at work tending to the crops, their backs bent and hunched. The village itself has a short wall of piled dirt around its perimeter, and scraggly growth on top shows the beginnings of a protective hedge.
You realize these gnolls are behaving in a way that is quite unusual; gnolls are usually brutal slavers, but these appear to be peaceful farmers.
On your way, you encounter a few gnolls farming, but they hurry into town as soon as they see you. One of them is particularly brave and suggests that you come into town and speak to the mayor, Corev.
assuming that you enter the town as suggested:
The buildings in this village are relatively low and squat, their walls formed from stacked bricks of peat. Most of the roofs have vegetation growing upon them, creating a soft, fuzzy look that is enhanced by the perpetual mist.
Many gnolls gather in the town center to watch and listen as you speak to the mayor. (image of mayor revealed on map)
(poke, poke)
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Oud starts off introductions. Hello there. We mean no harm! We just want to talk. I am Oud, and these are my Starfinder companions!
He gestures for each of them to let them speak for themselves.
He continues. We talked to the unicorn and the yetis… and we’re trying to get a better idea of each group. You were looking for an herb of sorts?
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Anock crosses her arms. "Oh, let them respond first!" She continues in GRIM*!'s head telepathically: "If they don't cooperate without it, you can show them. We don't want to scare them into NOT cooperating, you know."
Addressing the gnolls, she builds on Oud's introduction. "Basically, we're trying to set up a system that allows everyone to get what they need without harming anyone else. So the unicorn won't kill you when you need something from the swamp, for instance. And the yetis won't steal from or hurt you. All it will take is a little cooperation from each of you. What do you think? Is it worth hearing more and considering?"
"Greetings my name is Navasi, Oud already introduced themself, let me introduce the rest of my team that forgot their names, the big guy is GRIM*! he's much nicer on the inside than he looks, over here is Anock, who has summed up the situation fairly well. So I hope this can be the beginning of something beneficial to everyone."
Corev is clearly impressed, and suggests that since it is growing late in the evening, you share the simple food and lodging of the village and continue the discussion the next day.
Assuming that you agree, it is now the next morning, and Corev and many other villagers are willing to listen even more carefully to whatever suggestion you want to make as to how to achieve peace with the other groups here.
"GRIM*! maybe your video might be a good idea after all."
GRIM*!, I appreciate your honesty in this situation, but when the story has already gone on, I'm not going to retcon something like that which harms the party.
The results for 'yesterday' in game will stay, and I'll the number you intended as a reroll for 'today's' diplomacy roll. Since you indicated that you are willing to use your reroll to succeed on diplomacy, I'll reroll the 'today' roll for you.
Corev is impressed by your arguments, and readily agrees to your proposed solution of:
gnolls give food to yetis
gnolls stay out of unicorn's swamp except for a few medicinal herb foraging trips, during which they will watch out for mushrooms
yetis stay out of gnoll territory
yetis stay out of unicorn's swamp
unicorn lets gnolls harvest herbs
unicorn leaves yetis alone
As soon as you get the agreement of the gnolls, your scanners go bonkers for a minute, and there is a brief strong flash of energy at a location that your map indicates is a swamp temple.
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GRIM*! says to the team when it's safe the gnolls won't hear.
"I don't think they like wrestling, I think we should go find that temple in the swamp before I make things worse. You would think starting a friendly wrestling league between Yeties and Gnolls would have been easy, I think they don't watch enough wrestling on the infosphere, that has to be the problem."
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Before leaving the gnolls, Anock shakes hands all around and brags about the Starfinder Society. She also asks if the herbs they were seeking have medicinal properties.
Anock makes a show of nodding sympathetically at Grim*!'s assessment. "Yes, I'd be surprised if they can even access the infosphere from inside this Vault. They are truly deprived. Anyway, it's time for us to go inspect that swamp temple. I can't believe those words exited my mouth." Shaking her head at the thought of trudging through another swamp, she asks Oud: "If we encounter more filthy muck, may I have another ride?"
This building appears run-down and decrepit, made of broken concrete and pillars half-sunken into the surrounding marshy ground. It bears no ornamentation or any other obvious sign of its purpose. Small glowing mushrooms sprout from some of the cracks in the walls and pillars. An entrance is obvious.
Inside the temple is single circular room 30 feet in diameter and 10 feet tall. The walls are lined with all manner of monitoring and recording equipment. Compared to the dim light outside, the interior of this circular room is quite bright. The source of the illumination is a clear central pillar approximately 10 feet in diameter, which pulses with a continuous series of bright bursts of blue light that travel up and down the interior. Around the perimeter of the chamber, numerous terminals and instruments are embedded in the white walls and provide readouts on a range of information both biological and technological.
The door to the room vanishes, replaced by solid, featureless concrete as a cool, mechanical voice speaks. [b]“Greetings, interlopers. Your behavior thus far has been noted. Final adjustments to the study have been made, and the building has been sealed for your personal safety. Commencing Duskmire sterilization protocols. Thank you!” With that, a deep and ominous hum fills the room.
The humming becomes louder.
(you may all take one round of actions. You may make one of the following checks if you wish, but that will be your action for this round: computers, engineering, perception, or physical science)
Grim does not notice anything else.
Navasi is able to looks at the computer panels and see that there is no program called 'sterilization protocols' running.
Anock and Oud?
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"Hm. Well, at least this place is well lit. It ought to be easy to see how clean it is." Anock begins inspecting the interior, but jumps when the doorway is sealed. "What?! Are you kidding me?!"
“Greetings, interlopers. Your behavior thus far has been noted. Final adjustments to the study have been made, and the building has been sealed for your personal safety. Commencing Duskmire sterilization protocols. Thank you!”
"I say! There's sterilization, and there's obliteration, and you'd better not be doing the latter!" She shouts indignantly at the glowing pillar (for lack of a better source of her indignant ire). Quickly she looks around and reaches out with all her senses to determine if there's anything she can do about this situation.