please dot and delete
A hologram of First Seeker Sarmak, elected leader of the Starfinder Society, fills the air, looking grim. Larger than a car and dressed in shimmering bronze tactical armor, Sarmak stands on four of his muscular limbs while gesturing with the remaining two, cutting an imposing figure. “Thank you for taking up this mantle of responsibility at a time when the Starfinder Society—no, the entire Pact Worlds—desperately needs you. A dangerous conflict is coming, but we don’t know when or where it will first manifest. Last year the Starfinder Society encountered a violent cult bent on drawing the mysterious First Ones back to the Pact Worlds to rule. While we prevented this cult from destroying Aballon’s government and capital city, we were too late to prevent them from dispatching their transmission to the First Ones across the galaxy. Unfortunately, this signal was received—the First Ones are coming!” Sarmak pauses for breath briefly before continuing. “We are unable to monitor the entirety of the Pact Worlds alone, and with the Pact Council busy with other calamities, we have sought out dedicated freelancers such as yourselves to keep a wary eye out for potential invasion.”
“Little is known about the origins or plans of the First Ones, as they’ve long been absent from the Pact Worlds. We know long ago they seeded the planet Aballon with robotic life, and what wrecks and ruins we’ve explored have been incredibly dangerous, filled with advanced technology, automated defenses, magitech sentries, volatile magic, and mind-bending architecture. Should you see or hear of anything unusual, immediately investigate and report back to me as soon as possible. Stay vigilant and be careful—the fate of the entire system could be in your hands.”
Three months have passed since you received this message from First Seeker Sarmak, so you’ve already had time to learn about the First Ones and the region of Akiton you’re patrolling.
Please roll Diplomacy or Society checks to see what you know about the First Ones. Also, please roll Diplomacy or Nature to see what you know about Akiton. (It is also possible a lore skill may apply)
A shirren arrives at the scene, antennae gently swaying as they remain absorbed in their comm unit, music echoing themes of personal struggle and triumph. Once grounded, they dedicate time to catching up on recent events on Akiton, browsing the infosphere for details that spark their interest. In line with his mission, he wanders the area, seeking out any new information or fresh developments about the mysterious First Ones.
First Ones:
Akiton:
Navasi readily shares her (apparently advanced) knowledge of the First Ones, but comes up short on Akiton.
"Never been before. Heard it's pretty dry."
A hulking Vesk furrows what passes for a brow as he ponders the information given.
Nothing come to mind... he says with a shrug that sends his armor clanking.
No one knows who the First Ones were, what they looked like, where they came from, or where they went. However, the First Ones left behind traces of their presence on the planet Aballon and in the depths of the Pact Worlds sun, including ancient buildings packed with advanced technology and a workforce of self-improving robots. In time, many of these robots became sapient beings called anacites or protocites.
You don't know anything in particular about Akiton.
You each have one hero point to start out with.
You are patrolling the southern reaches of the Kaviri Plains.
A sudden burst of color and magic illuminates the midday sky as a massive object appears without warning in the upper atmosphere. A moment later, a bone-rattling boom heralds its arrival. Engulfed in flame and magical energy, the ovoid object careens toward Akiton’s surface at speeds certain to crack the planet in half. Just as impact is imminent, the object decelerates. An explosion engulfs the southern horizon, followed by a shock wave of gale-force sonic winds. As the sounds fade, dust and earth fill the air, blotting out the light of the sun. Through the reddish haze, shifting lights remain—a beacon, marking the site of collision somewhere in the Sloughscar Hills.
The force of this collision devastates the surrounding region and blankets the entire southern hemisphere in a pall of earth and debris that will take weeks to settle. While you are too far from the impact site to be physically harmed, the force of the blast and ensuing winds are strong enough to knock you prone and leave you deafened and dizzy for several minutes. After you regain your senses and equilibrium, you realize two facts: first, something artificial has crashed into the nearby Sloughscar Hills, and second, First Seeker Sarmak would want you to investigate it.
When you are ready, you can depart for the impact site aboard d-vees, compact and sturdy hover vehicles designed to endure in Akiton’s windy deserts while hauling salvage. Each d-vee can hold up to three Medium or smaller creatures. (how many vehicles do you want, and who is piloting each one?)
Chk Chk’s eyes widen at the sudden burst of color and the appearance of a massive object hurtling from the sky. Awe quickly turns to fear as he realizes this spectacular display is no miracle: it’s a catastrophe. Without hesitation, he dives behind cover, bracing himself against the incoming shockwave and whatever devastation the impact may bring.
When the dust finally begins to settle, he brushes himself off and surveys his surroundings. Whatever that object was, it’s worth investigating. After all, he didn’t come to this planet for sightseeing, he came for the mission.
"Well, I am not driving." he tells to others when they are ready to leave.
I'll pilot... Obozaya says as he opens the craft and makes sure his weapon is stowed properly in case he needs to maneuver.
Make sure you're restrained properly...in case it gets bumpy. he says as he fires up the vehicle.
"I have an advanced driver's license, so I can handle the other one."
Your journey takes about eight hours. It is evening as you near the site where you saw the impact.
Signs of impact are obvious, with wreckage strewn across the hillside in huge, jagged chunks as far as the eye can see. Deep gouges permeate the underlying red rock where a massive object scraped the soil clean before plunging itself into the dusty red surface, pulverizing boulders in the process. Here and there, flames, smoke, colorful gas, and magical energy seep from the wreckage.
The massive, generally ovoid alien object appears breached in several sections. A powerful gust pours forth from one of the jagged holes in its exterior, swirling nearby sand and debris, then reverses, giving the eerie impression the strange structure is breathing.
possible checks to find out more:
- Piloting, Physical Science Lore, or Warfare Lore
- Crafting
- Perception or Survival
Navasi looks the object over, trying to determine if it is, in fact, a vessel of some kind.
Chk Chk casts magic to detect if there is magic nearby. if nothing is detected, he looks around to identify debris and all
Obozaya tries to find out anything.
Anyone find out anything? he says as he clanks around.
Navasi confirms that the object is an alien starship of unknown make. Further, the impact’s nature suggests the starship intentionally slowed just before impact, burying much of the hull and reducing damage to it.
Chk Chk and Obozaya notice tracks from a number of Small insects in the area, leading into the wreck.
Would anyone like to try the crafting check?
"Tracks. Something we can follow, perhaps?" Chk Chk is somewhat excited.
I think we should follow them... Obozaya suggest as he gets out his massive doshko and heads towards the wreck.
Five figures emerge from the debris field, each armed, armored, and clearly experienced in the field. They quickly assume tactical positions, with a large, heavily armed bruiser up front and four smaller humanoids flanking on either side.
“Hi, nufriends!” a chipper green skittermander exclaims, breaking formation to wave enthusiastically. “I’m Gremmik! Isn’t this wreck the coolest? It’s huge!”
“Ignore him!” the muscular shobhad in front shouts, grenade launcher out and ready. “Stop right there, or I’ll blow ya’ sky high!”
“Yeah, we got here first, so it’s our salvage!” exclaims a mottled gray ysoki.
Beside them, a red-scaled ikeshti assesses everything with a shrewd eye. A slender human woman with bright red skin and white hair raises a hand, causing her allies to fall silent. “My name’s Kivett,” she calls out with a smile. “Leader of the Rust Wraiths mercenary company. Are you here to explore this wreck, too?”
Navasi smiles warmly.
"I'm Navasi! Indeed, we are intent on exploring this place, too. Luckily, it seems to be quite large, so there should be plenty of space for both of our groups!"
Chk keeps his mouth mum and goes behind everyone when he sees the shobad with a grenade in one hand ready.
"I think we should get out of here and look for other wreck to explore." he tells his allies. But after hearing Navasi, "Yes, tell them we can share loot of this wreck, yes."
Obozaya stands tall, ready for things to go kinetic.
I am sure we can divvy up the area...
Kivett suggests the Rust Wraiths explore one side of the wreck while the you explore the other, deferring to whichever side you choose for the sake of time.
Kivet also shares her com number with you in case you run into trouble.
How about we take the aft and you guys take the fore section... the vesk says.
Chk agrees to Obozaya's suggestion.
You are able to find a gash in the hull in the area you agreed to start. You work your way through debris, squeeze through a dented maintenance duct, and then find yourselves in a large room. (please place your map tokens in the area indicated on the first map)
"So what do we have here?" Chk Chk sends a pulse of magic to detect any magic.
still waiting for tokens on the map...
Done. I placed you right beside Navasi.
Zemir, are you still with us?
Everyone, please check the discussion thread. We need a few decisions there before we can continue.
This area was heavily damaged in the crash, with gaping holes in the walls, floors, and ceiling. The doors on this deck are all broken, ajar, or unlocked. The ceilings are 20 feet high. Emergency lighting sheds dim
light throughout.
Please indicate what area you would like to investigate first. I would suggest a colored arrow might be helpful.
"Let's check the room here." Chk points at the closest room .
Navasi nods.
"Works for me!"
Obozaya nods as he gets out his massive weapon.
Just in case... he says as he leads the way.
In the corner, you find a study room. It is damaged, and its contents lay askew on the floor.
Much of the debris, including the doors, walls, and pieces of furniture, has numerous insectile bite marks
You also find jump jets and two tactical electromag grenades.
In the next room, you find a room with a set of double doors in the center of its north wall, with one completely torn off its hinges and laying on the floor.A series of screens set into the table are still functioning. Each screen displays a recording that plays for a few seconds, glitches, then repeats. These recordings include the dapper undead entertainment mogul Zo! hosting a dangerous looking game show, a packed concert by sugar pop sensation Strawberry Machine Cake, First Seeker Sarmak fighting off robots while exploring a high-tech complex, and an anacite wearing a blue cowl who looks directly at the camera while repeating a phrase in Trinary (the phrase is “come home”).
Where next? That is the room the arrow points towards and the room directly below the one the arrow points to.
"Look at these doors, the walls, even the furniture! All of them were covered in insect bite marks!" Chk Chk exclaims with wide-eyed wonder.
If anyone shoots him an accusing glance, he bristles defensively. "Hey, don’t look at me. That wasn’t me." he chitters.
Navasi remains clueless.
"So... Whomever was running this place has tapped into Pact Worlds communications...? I shudder to think what conclusions they might have drawn from popular culture..."
Hmm..these events were all recent, if my memory serves me correctly. I wonder what that means... the hulking vesk says as he ponders the information.
I'll take one of those grenades...just in case... he says as he grabs one with his massive hand.
"What happened here?" Chk proceeds to the area with a wide open gap that looks like going down the next floor below them.
The hole at the bottom of the map does indeed go down to the next floor. You think you could carefully make your way down there if you tried.
(the arrow is pointing somewhere else, but I'm going with Chk Chk's posted words rather than the arrow since the two conflict.)
Hard to say...I'll hop down and the rest can follow...
Obozaya can see the bottom. She knows that acrobatics is not going to be enough to avoid being hurt, but that she could use athletics to climb down, or perhaps do something more interesting.
Obozaya tries to climb down, hopefully avoiding injury.
]
Obo fails to climb down and so falls, taking 5 damage.
What does everyone else do?
the Vesk gets up, cursing in his native tongue.
I'm fine..good thing I landed on my head... he says tying to play it off.
Navasi takes a crack at jumping down, too.