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Please dot in.
Recently hired by the Ulrikka Clanholdings, a major dwarven mining consortium. You find yourself aboard the Sledgehammer, an Ulrikka Clanholdings, a titanic mining facility, a floating factory, and exploration vessel. You have been on board the Sledgehammer for several days, navigating the Diaspora with conventional thrust engines that rumble like a magnificent thunderstorm.
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A female dwarf wearing a suit of stylized armor designed to look like interlocking stone plates enters the ship's lounge, bringing the first news of the mission details
” The names, Venture-Captain Thromkenda, how about that view? Nice rocks!”
Thromkendalooks walks over to and looks out of the side viewport at some asteroids.
” The joy ride ends here, time we be putting you to some work. Come follow me to the ship's bridge for a proper mission briefing.”
Thromkenda leads the team to the bridge. Once inside as a blast shield lowers to cover the bridge’s titanic viewing port. Outside, a light hail of meteoroids bounces off the hull, beyond which looms a large asteroid. Several dwarven cranes, scaffolding, and extractors speak to a mining operation in full swing. Thromkendal cracks her neck before speaking.
“Sorry for keeping you in the dark until now. This venture’s a sensitive subject for most of the crew, and I appreciate your agreeing to pitch in. A few months ago, the dwarven mining consortium of Ulrikka Clanholdings began quarrying from the asteroid AA-126D, an especially metal-rich chunk of rock. They recently broke into a buried complex marked with the symbol of Droskar, the Dark Smith.”
Thromkendal’s eyes narrow as she makes a harsh gesture as if warding off a hex.
“The duergar, our ancient enemy, apparently constructed a hidden base within the asteroid. It appears abandoned, yet the amount of blasphemous Droskari iconography nearly spurred the mine’s director to blast the rock into nothingness. I reminded her that the Clanholdings has a firm deal with the Starfinder Society that lets us first explore cultural sites they uncover in exchange for a percentage of the exploration’s profits as well as any dwarven artifacts and lore we find. The Sledgehammer’s officers are giving us three days to explore the site, document any technologies we find, retrieve any artifacts, and get out. After this period, the starship’s going to blast the whole thing to pieces.”
She adds severely,
“That’s how offensive Droskar is around here.”
She lowers her voice and adds,
“Now I’m normally amenable to nuking evil from orbit, but this decision feels a little…rushed. There’s no telling what secrets are down there, and it might not even be something we’re equipped to extract or analyze. It might also be a den of fiends, in which case we’ll be lucky to have the Sledgehammer’s weapons ready. Be prepared to present your findings and recommendations once we’re done. The shuttle’s ready when you are. You be having any questions?”
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"They've got the right of it," Darakwinn says when Thromkenda finishes speaking. It seems all she can do to speak through her gritted teeth.
"Nothing good has ever come from Droskar or his worshippers. Better to turn this place to dust and erase it from everyone's memory."
She grips her holy symbol of Angradd.
"There is nothing worth learning down there. But, if you and the Starfinder Society insist on risking investigating that darkness and death Angradd's Army and I will lead the way in pushing it back."
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A tall three-eyed humanoid with pale skin and mandibles near his mouth stands next to you and listens. His armor is made as a fusion of modern technology and ordinary bones, somewhat resembling the style of equipment favored by Eox warriors. His main weapon is always in plain sight, a bone cannon mounted on his right shoulder. It's not just embedded in the armor, it feels like it's rooted somewhere deeper-perhaps right into the shoulder of a humanoid. At the same time, none of this looks archaic or barbaric. There is a different approach to aesthetics and understanding of technology in this, but it is certainly modern and very effective.
I don't understand you. Droskar is not the god of the duergar alone. This is the dark god of the dwarven pantheon as a whole. On the lost Golarion, in the legendary Realm of the Five Kings, for a full hundred years, the main religion was the worship of Droskar, and this was among the surface dwarves, who abandoned Torag for that period. That's what your story says...
There is both a creak and a growl in his voice, but it sounds rather dry and calm.
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Venture-Captain Thromkenda looks agreeably towards Darakwinn Ironhead
"I'm happy to drop the bombs on that place, but you're here to make sure we're not going to blow up anything important. I wouldn't put it past Droskar or the duergar to be hiding stolen Dwarven artifacts down there. Best to survey twice and bomb once... then bomb again if needed."
Thromkenda then replies to Floota
"You might not be a dwarf, but anyone willing to help a Dwarf is right in my book, I appreciate your help keeping this bunch alive."
Thromkenda turns to Loxx the Revenant, speaking sternly in Dwarven.
Whit ye juist woke up fae th' gap? torag cast droskar richt oot o' pantheon lik' th' keech he is. We ain't git na lost golarion aroond 'ere, fur tis lost... This is th' diaspora, a bunch o' rocks floating in space, best mining in a' th' pact worlds in mah humble opinion. Whit we ain't git aroond 'ere is ony likeing o' droskar deity o' toil, slaverie, 'n' cheating.
Thromkenda returns to speaking a language everyone can understand
"Just to be sure we are all on the same page I'll send you all a file on droskar."
Droskar is the deity of toil, slavery, and cheating. He was once among the god Torag’s greatest smiths until it was discovered he had stolen others’ masterpieces and passed them off as his own. For this, Torag cursed him to never again create an original work. Whether it’s fate or tradition, duergar tend to share this shortcoming, and they rely on slaves to engineer many of their war machines
Droskar’s faith encourages toil, believing that raw effort alone can lead to success. He also condones doing whatever it takes to achieve one’s goals, including lying, cheating, and enslaving others.
Droskar’s rituals are often long and taxing, and the god’s demanding dogma can make it difficult to abandon a ritual once it’s begun.
Even a lifetime of toil is sometimes not enough for Droskar’s faithful. Those who perish in their labor sometimes linger as ghosts. Others Droskar deems unworthy of the afterlife and are cast back as metal-shod hunters condemned to capture souls to fuel Droskar’s forge.
Thromkenda puts her hands on her hips, looking at the team and asking.
"So what other questions might you be having?"
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Thromkenda speaks up again.
"Probably best I tell you what kind of rock you are going to be hopping around on. The rock is named Asteroid AA-126D Deserted Duergar Star Forge. Diameter: 5 miles; Mass: less than ×1/100; Gravity: ×1/100 Atmosphere: none; Day: 27 hours; Year: 4 years, but don't think you'll be there that long."
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Whit ye juist woke up fae th' gap?
Technically, yes. I've been in stasis based on creating a parallel reality for an indefinite number of thousands of years. My people were a great cosmic race when your peoples were mining with pickaxes, not with machines. He says all this absolutely calmly, without arrogance, but also without hints of friendliness. I was recently awakened and here I am, exploring a new world for myself, where my descendants are nothing more than savages on the ruins of the greatest civilization, but there are many other new young species like you.
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but there are many other new young species like you.[/b]
Thromkenda blushes and then starts to chuckle.
"Loxx, did you just call me young? I think we'll get along just fine, It's been at least 200 years since anyone called me young. Not really sure how old I am, I was born during the Gap."Thromkenda takes a moment to regain her composure before speaking again.
"Best we get back to the mission briefing before I get distracted by more compliments. Does anyone else have any other questions?"
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Whit ye juist woke up fae th' gap?Technically, yes. I've been in stasis based on creating a parallel reality for an indefinite number of thousands of years. My people were a great cosmic race when your peoples were mining with pickaxes, not with machines. He says all this absolutely calmly, without arrogance, but also without hints of friendliness. I was recently awakened and here I am, exploring a new world for myself, where my descendants are nothing more than savages on the ruins of the greatest civilization, but there are many other new young species like you.
"You and I are almost in the same boat then. I just kinda woke up here one day with no memory of who I am. I guess it's good to know I'm not the only one." Aphelion chuckles a bit after that last sentence, then turns to Thromkenda, "No questions from me either."
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Darakwinn quirks an eyebrow at the parallel histories of Loxx and Aphelion.
"Bunch of sleeping beauties around here," she mutters, sharing a look with her fellow dwarves.
"I know all I need to know about Droskar and his works," she replies to Throkmenda.
"And Angradd will tell me anything else I need to know when we get inside the asteroid."
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Venture-Captain Thromkenda
” I see you are eager to get started. The Ulrikka Clanholdings gave me these supplies to pass on to any kinfolk.”
Thromkenda gives a bag of supplies to both Darakwinn Ironhead, Balin Starforge. In each bag there are 2 frag grenades mk 1, a serum of healing mk 1, and a spell gem of comprehend languages.
” Feel free to share it if you like. It will be a bit before the shuttle can leave. If you want to buy any more supplies on your own, and maybe use the ship's computers to get any more info. Now’s the time, I hope you know what to look for down there.
Navasi sneaks into the back of the bridge, trying to hide that she's late for the briefing.
"Seems simple, Droskar bad, duergar bad, Ok so that part that got my attention is the part about dwarven artifact, who doesn't like artifacts. My knowledge of dwarven artifacts is a bit rusty. Thromkenda, can you remind me of what kind of dwarven artifact we should be keeping an eye out for?"
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Thromkenda looks a bit surprised to see Navasi but answers her question.
"Good question, what qualifies as a dwarven artifact? “There’s a wide range of possibilities. Nameplates, badges, jewelry, promising non-industrial computers, journals, personal remains, sacred weapons, and more might be relevant. Examine the context of what you find to make good judgment calls.”
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Unsurprisingly, Darakwinn knows some things about dwarven history and culture.
"Dwarves and duergar share ancestry but at some point they betrayed our gods by refusing to participate in the Quest for Sky. Instead, they dug deeper and turned their worship to Droskar. Obviously, this didn't work and they had to work harder and harder as a punishment. They turned to slavery in a misguided bid to get the work done, only adding to their sins," she begins and is obviously restraining herself from going on an even longer evangelical rant.
"Not much is known about this particular asteroid. Scans can't penetrate very deep, probably because of the metal content but there is a large open chamber near the core and maybe even molten lava near it. There's intermittent life signs and the general consensus that it's just vermin."
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Intermittent life signs registered in scans of AA-126D,
which the dwarves associate with common space vermin. Before
the Pact Worlds’ formal union in 41 ag, the Diaspora was considered
especially lawless, and many dwarves aboard the Sledgehammer
speculate that this duergar installation dates back to that time
when storied investigators like Avaldur Rhols and Gwahil Starpeak
brought justice to the asteroid belt.
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Hey. Got a message you needed a techie in computers. Here I am. Vega Capella - Undine technomancer.
The speaker in question, is dressed as a Desnian astronomer/priestess in Desnian robes as well as a Desnian butterfly brooch. She had rushed on to the bridge after being summoned from Astrometrics.
So ... what's the sitch?
After absorbing the data, all she says is Ah! Better stock up on spellgems
Navasi looks up as Vega enters and smiles.
"Vega, good timing, I just got a text message, I'm needed elsewhere, on the ship to deal with a Dwarf Ambassador, someone just spilled a drink all over their beard, looks like they want me to clean up the mess both literally and figuratively."
As Navasi leaves, you think you hear her whispering to herself.
" I just got lucky, that was the wrong mission briefing."
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There are a few minutes for Vega and anyone else to shop before the shuttle leaves.
The shuttle lands on the asteroid’s surface about 200 feet from the entrance into the duergar complex. The shuttle’s pilot's voice can be heard over the intercom.
” Make sure to activate your armor’s environmental protections and boots’ anchoring if you got it. There’s no breathable atmosphere, and gravity is so low on this rock, if you jump too high, you can launch yourself into space.”
Environmental Protections rules
The breach into the duergar facility descends from the center of the asteroid’s largest crater, traveling along a straight, steeply sloping tunnel to a depth of about 500 feet. Much of the architecture is carved directly from the metal-rich asteroid, and beyond the distant glow of surface light, the complex is dark.
The tunnel ends at a wide pit crossed by a steel gangway. On either side are control rooms connected to mechanical arms. The gangway supports an immense, spherical device encircled by two hovering, instrument-laden rings and flanked by a large pair of clamps. One of these clamps holds a wide crucible tethered to the wall by chains. On the other side, the chains are broken and the corresponding crucible is gone. The gangway extends to a distant door of dark metal. The pit descends for hundreds of feet before reaching a shimmering pool.
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"Low-gee. Great." Darakwinn says, clearly less pleased by the prospect than Vega. She takes the pilot's advice and turns on both her environmental protections and the grav clamps on her boots.
It makes her gait strange but she's clearly done it enough to be effective as she marches onto the asteroid.
She looks down into the pool of lava below. "What are the chances of that happening?" she says, though her tone suggests that she expects that exact thing to happen given the way most missions go.
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Darakwin and anyone else, looking at the pool of lava below.
Aphelion and Anyone else, looking at the broken chains.
Between the 2 sets of chains, at the center of the platform, a shimmering hexagonal plates cover this large sphere that hangs over a deep pit. From the north and south, a gangway leads to the interior, which houses a large forge-shaped dynamo and network of conduits. A heat-singed hammer rests at the edge of the dynamo. Inscribed over the sphere’s entrances are images of a stone arch containing a flame.
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The area you are in is only dimly lit by a few remaining functioning energy lights. The faint glow of the lava 400 feet below is not enough to help. The rooms don't have any lights on inside them, and being 40 feet away, even those in the party with the Drak vision can only make out that it is a room, and there is stuff in it.
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Without moving around to explore things more closely, there isn't anything else that can be discovered from where you are standing. Feel free to move your tokens around to places you would like to check out. You can roll Perception or other skills you think are appropriate to what you are looking for or trying to do.
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While you cautiously approach the door, I need everyone to roll a Physical Science Perception check.
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As we enter the asteroid, three red dots begin to slide across the doors, walls, and everything else Loxx is looking at. It's his shoulder cannon that has activated and is aiming its laser sight at any potential target.
First. The lava looks active, we should keep an eye on it. Second. From where the chains connect, there appears to be a conduit leading to the corresponding rooms on each side.
Vega, indeed. I hear a low rumble, and there is a faint flicker in the background glow from the lava below... I get the feeling the lava is becoming active again.
Deciding that it's time to act, Locks tries to open the door. When it doesn't budge, he will try to open it in another way.
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Loxx is able to get the door open as the sound of the lava rumbling gets louder, and hisses of steam can be heard from below. The glow from the lava is now brighter than the emergency lighting.
When the door is opened you see, In the center of the room, a large cylindrical battery glows softly with red light. Scores of thick wires run like arteries from the battery to workstations throughout the area.
The room’s relatively low ceiling, cramped conditions, and
austerely procrustean workstations seem purposefully designed
to quash individuality and encourage discomfort over the course
of long work hours.
All the labels and controls are in Dwarven, though the layout is intuitive enough that a PC canany one able to read Dwarven can figure out they are used to control the arms outside the room, but nothing will start without hacking into the computer system.
DC 17 Computers check to hack into the computer.
If you choose to stay outside the room, let me know what you are doing out there.
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Aphelion enters the room, looks around a little, and has a look of discomfort with how compact everything is.
"Guess this wasn't made for us bigger folk. Everything is really squished together in here."
Noticing the Dwarven labelling, Aphelion turns to face Balin.
"Got any idea what any of this says? I can't make out a single word here."