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Please let me know if anyone has anything on their sheets that needs to be modified, or if anyone has trouble accessing them. I have also reported the sessions, please check your details! Jheaman, it didn't auto fill Vitellius' name so I just wanted to make sure everything was ok with you in particular. Also, #5 is a Haunted hospital dungeon crawl!
You load Olem Darvis into the rear cargo area of one of the buggies, bound with supplies located in the camp. The journey back through the forest to Elkrius is without additional incident, Vitellius and Antethriss performing their usual navigation duties - made easier by your tracks in. When you arrive, Dr. Tevurda is extremely pleased and goes off to reacclimate the mistuors to their enclosure without so much as a wave goodbye or a thank-you. As you haul Olem out of the buggy, he calls out to Tevurda's back. "Traitor! You ruined my life!". To this Dr. Tevurda stops, approaches close enough to whisper something inaudible to Darvis, then leaves—causing the already angry dirindi to become even more enraged. Security guards under Genayvin's command bring Darvis inside, placing them in repurposed animal holding cells until the authorities arrive. The head of security is much more sociable, offering you thanks for bringing Olem in while handing you credsticks. When she turns to head in, you are left to your own devices outside of the research facility - free to return to the society or continue looking for other opportunities.
Olem pleads the 5th and remains silent. A quick search of the area reveals a tented area in the center of camp covering three cages, two containing the mistuors and a third partitioned to contain various other local small animals. A patdown of Olem yields keys to the three cages. The small animals happily flee back into the forest, and the mistuors are carefully loaded into each trailer on your buggies.
Vitellius storms past Olem and fires the door open to reveal te inside of his trailer. Darvis Olem’s trailer serves as the base of operations for the camp as well as Darvis’s living space. Within, it stinks of tobacco and alcohol—a sign of Darvis’s recent victory celebration. It contains a bathroom, kitchen, sitting area, and sleeping area, all stocked with simple furniture and basic sundries. You also spot a footlocker in front of the bed. Antethriss' stunt doesn't quite catch Olem of guard, but the knife finds purchase in Olem's side and he howls with pain. The remaining poacher has lost all conviction to fight. He calls out to Olem. "You're on your own! This wasn't part of the deal!" and he bolts past Saratur. Olem watches the remaining Poacher flee and calls out "Coward!' but as he sizes up the remaining opposition, even he can see that the fight is useless. "Ah, hell..... alright...it's over.... He drops his hammer and raises his hands in surrender.
Kiikarah lashes the remaining poacher who calls out in pain. His eyes flash around to the two opponents closing in on him, to his rifle on the ground, and to the small knife he is welding. Finally his eyes look to the forest, where his associate fled earlier. Meanwhile, Olem takes his hammer and attempts to knock the microphone out of his face, at the person holding it. "No questions!"
Vitellius, always trying to get the scoop, parries with his microphone around the wildly swung hammer. Initiative - bold may act!
Antethriss slashes out at Olem again.
But misses. The remaining poacher drops his rifle now that he is surrounded and draws a knife, slashing out at Saratur.
Initiative - bold may act!
Initiative - bold may act!
The poacher in Saratur's reach stares up at his attacker in terror and steps away. "This don't pay enough to deal with this, I'm outta here!" He turns and runs out of the camp, dropping his rifle as he does so. The remaining poacher calls after his associate. "Hey, get back here! don't leave me with them! He chooses to remain in the fight and fires again at Kiikarah.
...but the situation seems to have gotten the better of him. His nerves cause him to miss. Initiative - bold may act!
Saratur lands a deviating strike on the poacher he has approached. As the giant Morlamaw towers over him, his eyes go wide with panic. It looks like he's ready to flee. Kiikarah just connects with the other. Olem recovers from the slash of Antethriss' knife and draws a large hammer from his belt to retaliate.
The hammer connects, dealing a massive blow to the draelik. Initiative - bold may act!
"Don't you know who I am? Hello--journalist! Duh! You can't shoot at me!" Olem is a litle rattled by this. "You... you came racing in here! what was i supposed to do!"
Antethriss climbs out of the parked buggy and races over to Olem, attempting to slash at him with the knife while he is startled by the journalist.
As this happen the remaining poachers contine firing at the second vehicle.
Both land well aimed shots despite both their targets having some form of cover in the vehicle. Initiative - bold may act!
As the lead buggy races out of the dim light towards the buildings, Olem raises his rifle at the driver. He can barely be heard over the roar of the engines "They're coming for the mistuors!"
The shot strikes the window in front of Vitellius off-center. Initiative - bold may act!
The lead vehicle speeds off towards the camp with a roar. The second buggy doesn't have time to fully absorb what's happening for a moment. As Vitellius crosses the line of the trap identified by Kiikarah, it detonates. Dirt is sent flying in all directions as the ground seems expand from the blast.
The buggy rocks and the trailer leaves the ground for a moment before slamming back down on it's wheels. Vitellius keeps it pointed right for the centre of camp. ahead of you, the tent structure appears to be covering 3 large animal cages. The nearby buildings are a sudden flurry of activity. Lights come on and figures appear in the doorways. Straight ahead of you appears a male dirindi who matches the description of the exiled researcher - Darvis Olem. You think anyway, you're going pretty fast.
GM Stuff:
Shots ring out as the poachers are alerted to your presence from the exploding trap. Darts strike the driver's side of the lead buggy, missing Vitellius. On the passenger side Antethriss is struck by a dart as he passes by a poacher leaving his bunkroom.
Initiative - bold may act!
Bounty #3 has been reported, let me know if there are any issues. I'll prepare the chronicles when I get the ones for #4 ready if that's ok with everyone. I really like this scenario, probably my favorite so far. What you guys are coming into is some of my favorite kind of gameplay, a sandbox to play in.
It's hard for you to get to much detailed information from this range. The building to the north west looks to be the largest structure, The building in the center looks to be a tent covering a few smaller structures, and to the north east there seems to be a generator running. The drone of it's combustion engine carries from the encampment. You can see various overhead wires running to each of the modular structures, but Kiikarah also notices another wire leading away from the encampment. Perception DC15:
Following this other cable with your eyes, you can see it leads to a small cleared ring surrounding the whole encampment. At various points along the perimeter there are small detonators concealed - it looks like a sonic blast trap to alert the camp to trespassers. You suspect had you shown up any later it may have been to dark to notice. The rest of the buildings appear to be very similar is size and shape and it's difficult to discern any kind of purpose to each.
Perception in the clearing because noone has Life Science, DC13:
There are some apples hanging on branches here. Working together, you haul the logs off the path with no time wasted. You have been an unstoppable force pursuing these captured animals. As you keep moving along the sun is nearing the horizon, and you begin to see some lights ahead through the trees. You slow your vehicles for a closer look. Ahead of you - hidden amongst the trees - are several scattered modular buildings that looked to have been dragged or dropped here as a makeshift camp. As dusk approaches you can see the flickering of exterior and interior lighting.
Vitellius not only keeps the buggy from getting stuck in the rough terrain, but Cambot also captures some of the most dramatic crossings. With Antethriss pointing out the clearest path, and Vitellius bringing the lead buggy safety through, the going is steady. You move along this way for a few hours until you come to find you are following another set of tires tracks through the wilderness. As you Snake along with the tracks you come screeching halt. Felled trees cross your path - they look to have been cut down intentionally. As you get out to examine them you find yourself in a small clearing. Life Science DC13:
You notice three akren apples, a delicious fruit with healing properties. Doubling back could lose you valuable time, and lose track of the tire tracks. The quickest way may be through.
Antethriss has an almost supernatural instinct on finding a path through the the fallen trees and thick underbrush. He points out any opening he can spot to help bring the buggies through. The going is rough, and the rain makes the ground slick and muddy. It will take careful driving to keep the buggies from getting bogged down in the mud, or hung up on a log.
Knowing that tracking these creatures is a time-sensitive matter, your team wastes no more time and mounts up on the pair of buggies. Elkrius is nestled among trees on the fringes of a lush forest. When you first leave the facility, it’s raining outside, and the sound of thunder rumbles in the distance. It’s mid-afternoon; and you are aware that the sun will set in a few hours. Together, the forest canopy and the storm block sunlight, lowering the light levels from bright to normal light despite the hour. At first you follow along a muddy path, but it slowly tapers off into wild overgrown trails. While you are sure you're headed in the correct general direction with the tracking device, you will have to navigate the steadily increasing foliage.
Genayvin sighs. “That is Darvis Olem. They’re a scientist we fired a few weeks ago. Escorted them from the premises myself. Caught them trying to smuggle data and genetic samples out of the building. Olem’s a thief, plain and simple. I warned Dr. Tevurda they might try to escalate things.” At that, Dr. Tevurda shifts uncomfortably. “Bad publicity can ruin research facilities as easily as they can ruin corporations. Better to handle these things quietly, when possible. I didn’t think Darvis would resort to something this bold. They were a friend, once. Clearly I underestimated their anger. They were… less than pleased when their employment was terminated. Darvis is cunning and an excellent hunter. Don’t underestimate them.” As you speak, Dr. Tevurda and Genayvin begin leading you to the facility’s front entrance. Genayvin withdraws a small electronic device from her armour. "As far as tracking, these devices should make that simple. The mistuors each wore a tracking collar. After a recent security breach, both animals were additionally injected with a subdermal tracker. The tracking device shows that the collars are offline, but the subdermal trackers are intact." she hands over the devices, as well as a pair of keys. "You're welcome to take our buggies. Each tows a cage which can carry a single mistuor if... when..." she corrects herself in from of the doctor .. you recover the animals, so they can be brought back here." Dr. Tevurda speaks again. "I trust that with this equipment you should be able to locate the animals quickly. Time is of the essence here. We can offer you each 240 credits, as well as the eternal gratitude of Elkrius"
The off-road buggies appear to be a regular commercial design, and on the live security feed you can also see two buggies outside of a similar make. The reporter knows to follow his gut.
Sense Motive, DC15:
While reviewing the security footage, both Genayvin and Dr. Tevurda seem surprised. Genayvin shakes her head in disdain and scoffs while Dr. Tevurda looks agitated and upset. It’s likely they recognize one of the poachers.
Perception,DC15:
The lead poacher is a dirindi with blue skin. They moved efficiently and navigated the facility with ease, traveling directly from the entrance to the mistuor habitat despite the twists and turns down similar hallways required to get there. It’s clear the leader was familiar with Elkrius’s layout. Kiikarah stretches out his wings after watchin the video. "What can you tell us about the Mistuors? Apart from their rarity, is there anything about them that would be especially desirable to poachers? Do they have any special needs?" Dr. Tevurda turns to answer Kiikarah. "They are quadrupedal herbivores that went extinct due to overhunting. They have antlers that absorb electrical energy from Arkanen’s atmosphere. Mistuors use this energy to enhance their bodies, granting them sudden bursts of speed or strength. When scared or angry, they emit this energy as electrical discharges channeled through their pelts. Keep them calm and try not to electrocute yourselves.” "As far as their value, before the Gap, mistuors were an important part of Arkanen’s northern forests. Their extinction was due to interference, not due to inability, and was a severe blow to the health of local ecosystems. There are few on Arkanen who care much for our flora and fauna— our orbit and storms are of more interest to most — but it’s our belief at Elkrius that Arkanen’s astronomical eccentricities rely on its unique biodiversity to function. Genetically re-engineering the mistuors was done not only to save them, but to revitalize the local ecosystems. From a corporate standpoint, mistuors have unique adaptations. If these adaptations can be studied, they can potentially be re-engineered, perhaps into new biotech augmentations or as technological devices. This is a secondary concern, of course.”
Awesome! Thanks guys. I've skipped a small introduction part of this module and went straight to the briefing. If anyone wants to make small talk and introduce your character to the clerk, go right ahead, but I think we all know who your characters are by now!
Antethriss spends his time on the return trip taking some much needed bed rest. While there are a few days they begin to feel worse, a good night's rest keeps them from progressing to far into sickness. Before the freighter docks once again at Absolom Station, Antethriss emerges from their quarters completely healthy. As Vitellius hands in his latest report, a hot tip lands in his lap. Breaking news from the Liavara moon Arkanen. He knows who to call immediately. Arkanen:
As the moon Arkanen orbits Liavara, it continually bleeds off its atmosphere in a comet-like trail. Fortunately, the moon’s eccentric and highly unusual orbital pattern causes it to dive through Liavara’s atmospheric layers each year. The journey through Liavara’s atmosphere produces massive electrical storms and enables Arkanen to capture enough air to sustain its inhabitants for the year to come. This unique phenomenon defies all known astronomical models and draws the attention of researchers and arcanists from throughout the Pact Worlds. Equipped this time with a drift-capable shuttle, you once again find yourself in orbit of Liavara. The trip this time takes less than a day before you find yourself on Arkanen, in the spacious waiting room of the research facility Elkrius. Otaia Nuvith, a female dirindi clerk summons you to follow her after a short wait. as she takes you into the heart of the facility, you find Dr. Tevurda pacing outside of an indoor animal habitat with glass walls. One of the panes of glass that circles the habitat is shattered, granting access to the humid, forested enclosure, although the glass shards have already been cleaned up and cleared away. Beside Dr. Tevurda is a security guard whose nametag reads “Genayvin.” Genayvin is a towering female lashunta who regards you skeptically but offers a firm handshake amd speaks respectfully to you. Dr. Tevurda is worried and frustrated. He speaks in a commanding manner, straight to the point and with little room for interruption.
Hey everyone - just wanting to check in with everyone to see how everyone's bandwidth is with Gameday games starting in September. I know some of you may be GMing or playing various games. If everyone is ok to roll onto the 4th and final (for now) Bounty, let me know and I will begin in the morning. If it's going to be too much for anyone we can discuss options.
You pass on Quibell's demands to the Councillor who accepts them without question. "This can only be an advantage to promoting tourism in Thamal. We can embrace more green spaces and attract environmentally conscious visitors. Thank you so much for a job well done." Satisfied with your performance, she arranges the 200 credits to be transferred to your credsticks. As you take your leave of the planet to head back to Absalom, you have a few days to rest aboard the transport.
Slowly and carefully, you collect a few gallons from the collected puddles into the empty containers and drain it back into the reservoir untill it appears in the sight glass. With that done, the control module, control arm and wiring harness slip easily into place. With that complete, you press the start button and the machine guns to life again - free of it's backlog of magical energy. The lights around you come to full power instead of the dim backup lights. Satisfied you are done, you make the short journey back to Thamal to report to Councilor Kirslin Auganir. "Hello again, Starfinders! I see the power grid has stabilized, wonderful job! What did you find?"
A quick patch is all that is required to repair the damage to the pipe in the main entryway. Knowing where the electrified puddles are keeps everyone safe during the work, but the floor is still slippery with the pooled liquid.
Kiikarah inspects the area around the generator, his eyes are drawn to the pipes supplying the unit with oil. They run up overhead, and through the wall into the entryway, where they appear to have been clawed by the scrap rats and spring a leak onto the floor.
Cambot records Vitellius' exclamation, and captures Antethriss in the background sensing and pulling at the magical currents that have blocked the generator from restarting. Where he sends them is anyone's guess, but it's also a safe bet it's not going to to end well wherever it goes. Kiikarah identifies that you have located 2 of the 4 components of the generator. You carefully spread through the rest of the facility and discover the unexplored rooms to contain more overgorwn plants and gardens. You stumble across the missing wiring harness fairly easily, but can't locate any remaining oil reserves.
Just to clarify - Quibell was "shocked" by the traps in the entrance that you have already discovered, and not by anything new in the generator room. Just having a little fun. Also, there are no boons for these bounties, unfortunately.
Quibell turns to take her leave. She exits through the doors to the south, but stops in the large room there. A large, circular generator sits dormant in the center of the room filled with plant life. Vines curl up and around pipes and wires, ferns hang from ceiling lights, and thick, gray moss covers the walls. She putters around in the room for a few moments, physically collecting the moss on the walls, and waving her hands about in the room as of she is collecting the magical energy there. Once she is finished whatever she has done to the room, she leaves again to the doors to the south. My own dumb jokes:
"Do watch out for this electrical danger in the oil here. I'll do my best to remove it .....aaanhhhhh!" she call out as she is zapped. "I tried, you're on your own! DC15 Computers or Engineering to inspect the generator: You inspect the hydro generation equipment and discover two problems that must be resolved: magical energy from Qhibell’s long term occupation has built up in the reactor and must be flushed from the system, and four of the reactor’s components need to be replaced. These parts include a control module, control rod, a heavy-duty wiring bundle, and you also see that the oil reserve is empty.
As the implication of violence washes over Quibell, and some perspective on how her actions have affected the regular people of Thamal, the Hesper relents. "Very well, I do not wish there to be any more trouble here. If you agree to my terms I will take my leave, and restore the reactor. Bring these conditions to Thamal’s city council; my plants inside Station Green are replanted outdoors; and that I am granted dominion over a new green space powered by the same reactor; and a portion of natural habitat in and around Thamal is preserved from development. Will you agree to do this?"
"Are you bound to this station or to this planet? Or am I misunderstanding?" asks Kiikarah. "The Station... The power here in this reactor, and the energy that flows from it into this place. Can you feel it? The magical energy that I have brought to it that sustains the new plant life here." she muses. Vitellius mumbles under his breath, "What a twist!" With a wave to Cambot, he clears his throat and approaches the green-skinned woman. "Good day, Quibell. I'm Vitellius Kalepopolis, Absalom Station News Network. Your work here is fascinating, and I know my viewers will be intrigued to learn more! How would you respond to critics who accuse environmental activism like your own as limiting energy resources for a developing economy?" "I hadn't considered their economy. My only concern was for the destruction of the landscape here. I hope your... Viewers.. can understand that."
"I will back Vitellius here, the energy from here was powering a small planet, now living there is troublesome. Let us put it this way. Is there any way that we can restore the power generation and leave your newly improved way?" "An interesting question, but I'm not convinced yet that I should leave. The people here who are harvesting the forests would surely remove my lovely garden here. How have I made their life troublesome?"
Well, you don't have to disagree with her!
Antethriss recognizes Qhibell as a hesper, a fey sprite known for the bonds they share with starship cores or large power sources. Once merged with they form a long term bond with that source and share life energy. This bond can be severed if they form a bond with a new source.
She smiles. "Thank you for your kind words. My name is Quibell. I have been cultivating this area since I discovered the power from this reactor is being used to expand the city of Thamal into the surrounding natural environment. They are destroying the natural habitats of many living creatures in the name of their development. So I decided to take the name of this station literally, and bring it to a more natural state." She reaches out and tenderly touches a nearby plant, and inspects it as she speaks. "I am bonded to this place, but I cannot allow the destruction to stand"
You inspect the doors and move hrought them into another hallway, and being just as cautious at the next set, you open those as well. The doors open to reveal the largest room yet. The plants in this room are well-tended and lush. A mix of flowers, ferns, and vines spill from pots and rise from organized plots of dirt on the floor. The large, transparent aluminum window allows plenty of sunlight into the area. A green skinned woman clipping a bush turns and smiles. “Welcome to Station Green, my friends. Don’t you love what I’ve done with the place? Buildings like this should be part of growing new things, not destroying the old. Don’t you agree?”
There is only silence beyond the next door.
Pushing into the next room is another room that has been ransacked. The near-empty shelves give an indication that this was a supply room, which looks to have been picked over by the scrap rats for nest materials. Poking around what remains in the room you do locate a Engineering Specialty Tool Kit and a box labeled 'Control module' with a large processor board inside. The rest of the room is littered with empty buckets and containers, and not much else.
The doors are unlocked and slightly ajar. It looks as though the scrap rats had been passing through them. Beyond the first door lies a short hallway to another set of doors.
Antethriss takes a quick peek at his bite wound, it doesn't look good. Filth Fever The first rodent doesn't stand a chance. After being knocked on it's side immediately, the other two Starfinders both connect with mighty blows, killing the creature. Seeing this, it's mate turns to flee! You take a moment to collect yourself a after being attacked and look around. While everything technological in this room appears to have been bitten and clawed from it's previous position, two items in the rubble appear to be in good shape. The first is a Mk1 serum of healing. The second looks to be some kind of control rod. You can judge by it's condition that it must have been removed from whenever it was connected to before the scrap rats found it.
Antethriss steps up and Wallops the first rat, sending it against the wall and down on it's side. In response, the second rat dashes forward with a hiss and bites Antethriss for attacking it's mate!
Round 1 - Bold to act
Gm Dice:
Saratur and Kiikarah begin to poke around the debris pile to investigate. As Antethriss look on around the room for signs of any signs of wildlife, he recognizes the main debris pile as a nest. He scans about the room and picks out two rodent like creatures hiding in the eastern corners of the room amongst the electrical trash! They screech, bare their fangs and make to attack! Combat!
GM Dice:
The doors to the east open to a curving hallway. To the left, a door opens to an overgrown grassy outdoor area. Farther down the hallway, the doors are open to a large room. The skittering and squeaking you heard as you entered the main foyer can be heard until you approach the room - it drifts away the closer you get and goes silent. The original purpose of this room is unclear. What remains is a tattered mess the room's original electrical components, as well as the remains of some of the repair drones. The trash is accumulated in the center of the room almost into a structure. Light streams into though the windows, but traversing the room is still difficult over all the trash.
Kiikarah tries to look for an safe place to grab onto the sparking electrical components but isn't sure he won't get a zap in the process. You all back off from the electrified areas to avoid any more damage and assess what to do next.
Vitellius calls out the location of the electrical safety danger to the others as they move through the space. But not before Antethriss sneaks into the room and brushes through another conductive area.
Saratur moves into the room to the first door through the slick fluid across the floor, looking for traps. As his eyes are trained for traps on the door, he doesn't spot the sparking from electrical components in the fluid at his feet!
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