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Some weak Earn Income rolls, but fortunately only Crit Fails and Crit successes matter, so 8 credits for each of you! Here is the link to the chronicles. I checked the boxes in RPG Chronicles, but it didn't check them on the Chronicles for some reason. Let me know when you've grabbed them and confirmed that everything looks right. Great playing with you all again!
With the help of the flanking from Shadir, Yjun's two strikes connect and kill the yellow creature. As that creature falls, Shadir turns his attention to the red one, and with a successful strike takes it down as well. Looking around, you see that the others have also rallied together, taking down the remaining creatures and drones. The battle seems finished, with some injuries and no fatalities.
Within moments, Sarmak returns to the room and calls everyone remaining back to order. “The Starfinder Society will not allow these attacks to dissuade us from our mission. Neither this ‘Functionary’ nor whatever entity she claims to serve shall dictate our plans,” First Seeker Sarmak proclaims. “The Wreck of the Returned is incredibly dangerous, but it must be explored. If, as I believe, the First Ones are coming, they pose a threat unlike any other the Pact Worlds have ever faced. Whatever intelligence or means of defense the Wreck may hold must be attained. “The Society firmly commits to delving the Wreck,” Sarmak continues. “But to succeed, it must not venture alone.” He turns to the remaining delegates. “Tell me. Where do you stand?” Murmurs again break out across the summit, and finally Jax, of all people, steps forward to speak first, “I have no interest in splitting profits.” Jax concedes with a somber expression. “But, if you want to explore the Wreck of the Returned, the Apis Consortium won’t stand in your way.” Posit-Certitude then speaks up, “I may not be convinced of your concerns about the First Ones, but I agree there is value exploring the Wreck of the Returned together. I count all present among my allies.” Voss then calls out, “I agree we have much to offer one another. My fellow salvagers look forward to upcoming joint ventures.” With that, the successful summit's official business is over. In the wake of the battle, those with the ability to do so tend to the wounded, while some measure of bittersweet merriment continues into the evening, until the various delegates leave. Zizenzi and Sarmak both express thanks as you all clean up after the event. Sarmak says, "You have impressed me, initiates. I will definitely keep you all in mind for additional field assignments moving forward."
A couple of days later, Zizenzi comes to each of you. "Those drones that you captured spying on the summit had some interesting tech on them. Some of our engineers have modified them into a little gadget they're calling a 'reality distorter.' Basically it's a proximity triggered defensive field you can add as an armor upgrade, that morphs the terrain around you making it difficult for enemies to easily get near. Anyway, we've got a few prototypes available, if you'd like to requisition one sometime. They're kind of pricey, I'm afraid, but wanted to give you a first shot at them."
Yjun is infused with Killik's healing energy through the mystic bond.
The yellow creature begins having rippling and healing from its technology as well.
Round 2 -
Shadir and Yjun join together in their battle, before Yjun moves away. The yellow creature sways, clearly nearly on the last of it's many, many legs, though not yet out of the fight.
The machine components of the reddish creature seem to ripple, with small trails of metallic machinery flowing over its body, as wounds seal up and are replaced with mechanized components.
The reddish creature then bites again at Cyprium.
The bite misses, however. Round 2
The yellow creature advances and bites at Yjun.
The attack devastates Yjun, but he is still (barely) conscious! Round 1
As if on cue, various people from groups around the room drift over toward The Functionary and join her on stage. No full groups join, but she has a not-insignificant number that have chosen her offer over their current associates. GM screen:
Killik gains no particular insights beyond the obvious from her remarks. She appears to be a devoted zealot for whatever masters she obeys out of the Wreck. “Very well,” the Functionary remarks, nodding in recognition at those who have chosen to stand by her. With a glance at those remaining, she grins. “Let it not be said that I didn’t offer you the hand of friendship. Mark my words: you will come to regret your choice this day.” With that, she strides away, leading the way out of the summit building alongside her new followers. Sarmak turns to the group of you and says, "Please stay in here and help maintain order. I will go outside and make sure she and her followers don't cause any problems." Event 3: They Come From Below! Almost as soon as he leaves the room, the ground begins to shake. A portion of the floor buckles, but then catches. You hear Zizenzi yell, "Oh, thank heavens those engineers reinforced those tunnels!" Through the cracks, though, emerge two medium-sized insectile creatures, clearly modified with the addition of technology and perhaps cybernetics. Other guests at the summit run for cover or flee the building. You notice Jax hiding behind the bar. Posit-Certitude is holding a door open, motioning for people to flee through the rear doors of the building. Meanwhile, Voss and his bodyguard Aruk are fighting other of these creatures, as well as some of the drones similar to the ones you fought earlier, elsewhere in the room. GM Screen:
Round 1 The red insectoid creature advances on the largest target, Cyprium, and bites at him.
Missing with the first attempt, it bites again.
Red Baddie
Posit-Certitude listens with interest as Killik discusses the mystic bond as a form of networked consciousness. Yjun joins in with Shadir discussing how this ties into team sports, while Cyprium successfully pretends to be interested in all of this talk. Though some of the connections to his areas of interest seem a bit strained, Posit-Certitude doesn't notice any social awkwardness, and seem generally satisfied with the overall outcome of the discussions.
Finally seeming to have connected with you all, Posit-Certitude says, "I do apologize for any distractions during our discussion. There is a persistent buzzing in the air, which we anacites seem to be the only ones able to hear, and it causes a bit of a headache. It is stronger the closer we become to the Wreck, to the extent that I have had to install signal jammers around Investigation Site A01. We are investigating it, of course, and our technicians suspect the cause is a damage transmitter or signal array from the Wreck's crash landing." Posit-Certitude thanks you for the conversation and moves away, giving you an opportunity to talk amongst yourselves ... but for only a few minutes, before a disruption occurs ... Event 2: The Functionary An insubstantial, female form begins to take shape and solidify on the main stage. A black face mask obscures most of her features save for her red skin and long, white hair. “Greetings from the Wreck of the Returned to you, foolish interlopers!” the woman declares with an amused smirk. “You know not what you meddle with!” “Who are you and what do you want?” First Seeker Sarmak demands. Rising upon his hind legs, he towers over most within the room. “I am the Functionary. This summit is a farce. None of you have the right to enter the Wreck of the Returned, let alone to partake of its treasures. Yet, what you lack, I have been granted and may impart. “I have been to the heart of the Wreck of the Returned and serve the one that dwells there. Only by the authority granted to me, may you gain safe access to the Wreck and truly fathom its wonders. Those who wish to do so may join me now.” “And if we do not?” Sarmak questions. “All others attempting to enter the Wreck invite death,” warns the Functionary. “Which of you accepts my offer? Who would choose the peaceful path to enlightenment?” Murmurs break out across the room, as people discuss the offer, some seeming to consider it. Some seem to want to react with violence, but Sarmak calls out, "Stay your weapons! The woman has committed no violence." As people discuss the offer, The Functionary stands quietly but confidently on the stage.
In addition to being impressed by Shadir's field experience, he also seems to consider it helpful to know that the Starfinders have excellent vehicles. Cyprium, in turn, makes some sort of appropriately helpful comment.
"I really look forward to working with you all. Hey, my guys have noticed something, and I wonder if you have, too ... Does it seem like many
As you wrap up with Voss, Zizenzi rushes over to you. "Wow, you've made it through everyone. Good, good. Listen, I feel like we still need some help with Posit-Certitude. I tried to talk to them, but ... well, I'm just not sure I connected at all. We've got a little bit of time left before Sarmak's presentation begins, so maybe you could take some time to butter Posit-Certitude up a bit more." You find yourself back with the anacite Posit-Certitude, hoping you can find a way to connect with them. Round 8 & 9
Voss seems nearly speechless at the display of prowess being offered by Shadir. "Fantastic!" He looks enthusiastic at the others, clearly hoping to be similarly impressed by them. The bodyguard also nods appreciatively.
Round 7
You approach the male ileshti, Voss, who stands near a large female shobhad bodyguard. Voss nods to the approaching Starfinders, and says, "Hello there. I'm Voss, and this is my bodyguard, Aruk. Welcome to Akiton. Hope you've enjoyed your visit so far. Haven't made it out to visit us in Pilferer's Paradise yet, have you?"
Round 6
Round 7
Posit-Certitude glances at the two silent Kasatha, then focuses their attention on Killik and Cyprium. "Yes, I am fairly certain there are no water gardens. Perhaps you mean the lubrication baths, near the boundary of the Sea of Glass and the metaplex of Pursuit?" They are clearly being extremely generous at this interpretation. Turning attention to Cyprium, the only one in the group making any sense, Posit-Certitude nods. "Yes, I see ... figurative."
[b]Round 6[/dice]
Posit-Certitude is momentarily impressed by the clear (and obviously genuine) interest expressed by Cyprium, and continues droning on (so to speak). Their methodical explanation falters a bit at Killik and Yjun's interjections, as clear a sign of surprise as the anacite is likely to provide. "That is ... No, that is not an accurate description of Aballon at all."
Round 5
Round 6
You move along to the anacite, who turns toward you. In a confident demeanor, the robot says, "Greetings, friend Starfinders! I am Posit-Certitude, leader of the Aballonian group exploring Investigation Site A01. We appreciate your help in saving our city of Striving from destruction last year, and look forward to working together to ascertain the true nature of this new mystery we are encountering. As you know, very little is known of the First Ones, though there is much speculation - most of it based on scan evidence to be sure - and we look forward to finding solid data upon which to establish a better understanding ..." Round 5
Jax frowns and shakes her head. "No, the Rust Wraiths were independent agents ... but sad about that little skittermander, though." She glances among you, apparently taking your measure, and then leans over, "Okay, I can tell you this. The Consortium teams have found some weird, modified corpses. Mutated animals and undead creatures that disintegrate into rust. That kind of stuff. That is something that I think you guys should definitely be looking into."
Jax eyes the group of you with skepticism, as you do little to persuade her of your competence. Eventually, though, as Shadir mentions pulling units from the Wreck, he notices Jax seeming startled and a bit alarmed at the suggestion, but then trying to recover. "Oh, no, of course not. We're a business, after all, and there's profit ... I mean, a slim chance at profit, that is ... in this enterprise. So we'll be sticking with it."
Round 3
Round 4
As you are about to move on, Sarmak says, "You exemplify the best of the Society, fellow Starfinders. We could use more dedicated agents like yourselves. The Wreck of the Returned appeared following a signal sent by an anacite faction named "Those Who Call," summoning them to the Pact Worlds. It crashed here and was explored by two local mercenary companies. The mercenary Rust Wraiths lost one of their companions, a skittermander named Gremmik, in that exploration, and the group has since disbanded." As you move on to Jax, the female ysoki in a suit has a cut-throat air about her that may vaguely remind you of another ysoki in a suit that you've encountered. "Oh, look, more Starfinders," she groans to her associates (lackeys). She then turns her conversation toward you. "Listen, you guys really need to convince Sarmak to back off of this whole exploration of the Wreck of the Returned - stupid name, by the way. You don't know how dangerous it is. We've had a ton of teams going through there, and have lost many of our front-line agents. We've got the capacity to absorb that, of course ... but you want Sarmak just throwing your lives away like that? For what? We haven't found anything useful or interesting at all."
Rounds 2/3
Round 1
Round 2
Sarmak gathers you together. "Wow, you have done an excellent job helping up. Why don't you all go ahead now and talk to some of the delegates?"
Round 1 You approach the izalguun First Seeker, who sees you and waves with one of his arms. "Greetings. Always nice to meet some of the new recruits. I hear you are all being quite helpful ... which is great, because I could use some help. Turns out I had a few tasks I wasn't quite able to finish up, but I need to focus on talking with the delegates myself. We need some help with the anti-scrying ward security, some additional entertainment of the attendees, and storing up some equipment. Also, um, would any of you have any experience with holographic work? My graphic design skills are okay, but my presentation could use a little polish."
During the 10 minutes that Doctor Killik is humming, the others are able (without incident) to search the area to their satisfaction that no other drones are hiding around here. You proceed several minutes to climb up the footpath, finding a pre-fab building that has been assembled for the purposes of the summit. As you enter the building ... A conversational din dominates a room crowded with colorful delegates and their entourages. Numerous beings mingle, exchange pleasantries, and trade information, promoting a dynamic, collegial atmosphere. Most gather around a well-stocked bar topped with numerous food options, including an impressive fondue fountain. Tables and chairs arranged around the room allow for discreet discussions. A stage rises in the room’s southwest corner equipped with holoprojectors and vid-screens to facilitate communal presentations. As you enter the room, Zizenzi is standing at the doorway greeting entrants, and seems excited to see you all. "Oh, excellent, you're here ahead of schedule. Thank you so much for sending that information from your patrols! I dispatched an engineering team to check on that undermining, and it turns out there was a khefaks tunnel in this region, as well. Fortunately, you gave us plenty of warning and they've been able to put in some reinforcement supports, so ... potential crisis averted!" He points out the three groups of delegates, and First Seeker Sarmak. "I'm sure you've already read the dossiers. (Slide 11) Our schedule is tight. You are all scheduled to meet as a group with each of the delegates . Remember, your aim is to convince the delegates to share information and work together. Be sure to use what you learned from the dossiers to help make a good impression. Oh, and Sarmak also wanted to speak to you, when you have a chance." They wave you into the room to begin being diplomatic.
Round 1
Round 4
Yjun stays where he is but peers around. Unfortunately, from his vantage, he sees no remaining drones.
Shadir moves around the rock formation. As he is walking, a pulse of warped reality flashes out from a corner of the rocks, altering the landscape and creating obstructing sand formations. From his new position, he sees the drone ... but is out of actions. With the clue of where it is hiding from the warped terrain, Cyprium is thinks he can make out the hiding drone.
Round 5
The two Kasathas look around for the remaining target but see none. With no enemies in sight, you have to decide if you are going to keep looking around the area or move on to the summit. GM screen:
Round 4
Round 5
If you Seek and your Perception check is 15 or higher:
If your check was less than 21, you definitely found nothing. If the Seek and your Perception check is 21 or higher: Put a box on the grid in the square you are searching. I will let you know if you find anything in that spot ... so hold off on future actions (or give me options in spoilers).
The red drone was within reach of Shadir, but still hidden to him. Since it was hidden (behind rock) at the start of its movement in Shadir's threatened space, he is off-guard when it made that movement. I thought reactions don't trigger when off-guard, but I'm having trouble finding that officially spelled out in the rules for off-guard or reactions. Is that everyone else's understanding?
The red drone darts from its cover, lights flicking, then fires at Shadir.
GM Screen:
Round 3
Round 4
GM screen:
Cyprium flies above Shadir into the photon field. Everything outside of the field is concealed to him now by the hazy shell of light ... and though he can see well inside the field, he cannot yet find the well-hidden tiny drone hiding among the big rocks. He has no reason to think that it's moved from its previous location, though.
As Shadir gets 30 feet away from the red drone, reality ripples out around it, deforming the ground in uneven mounds and spikes. Fortunately, due to the speed increase from Stellar Rush, he is still able to reach the location he was aiming for.
Round 2
Round 3
Round 2 Secret stuff...:
Though initially the rest of you cannot see what is happening with Cyprium due to the rock formations, the drone responds to Cyprium's assault by floating away from the dragonkin ... which brings it out from behind the rocks, and into clear line of sight to you all. Yjun, prepared for this, fires his arc pistol narrowly past Shadir's head at the drone as it enters his line of sight, but misses ... both Shadir and the drone in the distance. The drone fires a laser beam toward Cyprium, then pivots and fires toward Shadir.
The laser beam at Cyprium connects, lightly scorching the finish on his skyfire armor, but the one at Shadir hits the sand a couple of yards in front of him.
* Killik - greater cover, delayed - Let me know where you want to drop into the initiative order for your next action
Round 3
As Cyprium approaches, there is some sort of strange shimmering pulse ... the ground ripples. Spikes of solid sand begin protruding from the ground around it.
Cyprium flies over the transformed terrain and swings at where he suspects the nearest robot is.
The powerful blow cleaves through a chunk of rock, which crumbles away to reveal the hidden blue drone to Cyprium. It orients toward him, lights flickering and the wide lens on the front of the drone rotating and extending slightly. Despite lack of technical acumen, Cyprium gets the distinct sense that the drone is recording him.
Secret stuff:
Though Shadir thinks he knows roughly where a couple of the drones may be, as he peers ahead he gains no additional sight of them. Round 2
Killik - greater cover
Killik and Cyprium inform the others of robots up ahead, and then duck behind large rocks. You see some glints of metal and flashing lights ahead as the drones move dart between rock formations, but find it difficult to identify their exact positions. GM screen (fun with Stealth rolls):
◆ ◆ Record Video ◆ ◆
◆
Round 1/2
Killik - greater cover
Just because it might be relevant in this encounter (since the robots are using stealth) and some people might not be aware of all the mechanics, here are some relevant action/condition descriptions and links to Archives of Nethys pages (which often cross-link other useful terms). ◆ Point Out:
You indicate a creature that you can see to one or more allies, gesturing in a direction and describing the distance verbally. That creature is hidden to your allies, rather than undetected. This works only for allies who can see you and are in a position where they could potentially detect the target. If your allies can't hear or understand you, they must succeed at a Perception check against the creature's Stealth DC or they misunderstand and believe the target is in a different location. Undetected condition:
Hidden condition:
From the high vantage points, you quickly map paths through this area and are able to scout to your satisfaction that there are no additional threats in the area. Having completed all of your scouting activities so efficiently, you are able to move on to the summit with a bit of time to spare.
You park your d-vees back into the garage, submit your reports to Zizenzi (including information about the undermining you discovered), and then proceed on foot. Occasional dust devils swirl across this rugged area pocked with craters and gullies. To the south, an opening within a wall of jagged rock begins an uphill footpath to the summit.
GM screen:
As you approach the rock formation, Killik (and, shortly after, Cyprium) see the glint of some metallic creatures, perhaps drones of some kind, up ahead. Of course, given the technical expertise of this group, for all you know these are vacuum cleaners. Round 1
Killik
You successfully navigate the potholes and loose soil of the North Quadrant, feeling comfortable that the area has been fully patrolled and is secure. Round 5: East Quadrant You proceed on to the East Quadrant, finding several rocky outcroppings, hollows, and rifts requiring up-close investigation and manual exploration. Killik quickly identifies some formations that have color gradients in the stone rather than hollows, avoiding the need for exploring one of the cliff faces.
None of you have any idea what that strange bit of technology was. Round 4: North Quadrant After a half hour of exploration of the North Quadrant, you're making some progress, but it's clear that this is more of a challenge than the previous two quadrants. You have reached about the halfway point of your time before heading to the summit.
Responding quickly, with the natural abilities of the native Akitonian Kasathas (and Doctor Killik's extensive emergency preparation research), you deftly get around the sandstorm with no injuries. When the storm passes, you discover a half-uncovered technological component sticking out of the sand.
Continuing clockwise around the map, you move on to the North Quadrant. Round 2/3: North Quadrant This quadrant is littered with hidden potholes and deposits of loose soil which make navigation challenging.
Indeed, having encountered the native fauna of Akiton once before, Doctor Killik has taken it upon himself in recent weeks to make a study of them. He easily recognizes that these instabilities were created by khefaks, but notes that strange trench marks and plasma burns suggest the khefaks making these tunnels are atypical of their species and possibly the product of some further bioengineering or mutation. Round 2: West Quadrant Having completed an efficient and thorough scouting of the South Quadrant, you move on to the West Quadrant on your maps. As you drive through the wind-hewn hills, however, a sandstorm rapidly rises up and strikes your area.
Shadir realizes that khefaks, arthropods once bioengineered to help mine thasteron, created the undermining tunnels. When the thasteron market on Akiton crashed after the advent of Drift travel, the corporations mining thasteron for starship fuel abandoned their facilities and the khefaks. The neglected khefaks thrived on their own, spreading across much of the planet.
Killik knows that eons of wind and ice erosion have carved crags and fissures in the Sloughscar Hills. He also knows that the Starfinder Society has established a new lodge in the area to study the Wreck of the Returned, which crashed some distance away ... which he of course knows, as he has been at this lodge for some time, and has helped establish it. With Killik and Yjun driving the d-vees, you move into the south quadrant.
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