| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Now that I finished up with Curse of the Crimson Throne, some space opened up for a new adventure. So the timing was perfect when the player for Dexsius from the Hell's Vengeance game I'm in invited me to a Wednesday Starfinder game. I only played Starfinder once back around when it was first published, so I'm really looking forward to this!
The Journal Document (Google Docs)
I'm not entirely sure where we'll be going with this game, but for now we're starting with Junker's Delight. After that, who knows.
Astrea is a character I've been playing for about a decade in some form or another. It's been a couple years since the story she was originally a part of ended, so I'm really happy to pick her back up again. She's a very different type of character compared to Cassius or Dominus, so it'll be interesting seeing how she comes through in journal form. Fair warning, expect it to be wordy.
22/05/01 - Session 0 - Astrea’s Journal: A New Mission
Firstday, 1st of Desnus, 322 AG, Absalom Station
Greetings, hypothetical reader! If you are currently reading, hearing, or otherwise receiving this sequence of words, then it would be reasonable to conclude one the following scenarios have occured.
The first is that you have somehow stolen or otherwise acquired this from my datapad, in which case unless I, Astrea Maerifa, have explicitly given you permission to read this (and quite frankly I sincerely doubt I did), I recommend you return it to my person post-haste, lest you incur my full and unrelenting wrath for such a flagrant invasion of my privacy.
The second is that I have made some sort of grand accomplishment worthy of archiving even my most mundane of records for future generations to analyse and pick apart. If that is the case, as flattered as I am, I would ask that you leave this particular entry out. Believe me, I know better than anyone the joy of reading every little snippet of text to gleam even the slightest bit of knowledge, but let’s be honest, this is grossly self-indulgent at this point, and there is no way I would be writing any of this if I ever thought that someone would actually read it. Better for everyone if this segment is redacted in such a case.
The third and least desirable reason is that I have somehow perished. Considering my frankly baffling habit of getting into situations that are significantly more dangerous than I have any business being involved with as a humble researcher, this is probably a more likely outcome than I care to admit. If that’s the case, then maybe there will be something useful in this datapad to serve as a warning for future researchers. I would ask that once you’ve taken note of anything useful here, you return this datapad to the Arcanamirium on Absalom Station.
Good, now that all of that preamble is out of the way, on to the actual journal!
Absalom Station is genuinely just as incredible as I imagined it. As much as I love my homeworld of Castrovel, it’s comparatively quite homogenous. In my first couple days after travelling here, I had seen members of every major pact race, and a good number of ones from races I was not previously aware of! Some of them were kind enough to answer a few quick survey questions. Others were a little less inclined to be cooperative and demonstrated a fascinating breadth of terms that were as colourful as they were disparaging. I’ve come to appreciate that my species has something of a reputation in the pact worlds, for both good and ill. Fortunately, it’s opened more doors than closed. My connections at home made it fairly easy for me to secure a position at the Arcanamirium as a part-time research assistant, which is helping me cover my expenses to some degree while giving me plenty of exposure to a large breath of technology and magic. That alone was more than reason enough to justify this journey!
Of course, I wouldn’t have moved here if my interests were solely academic. The essence of being a successful researcher is to have a good injection of practical experience. That goes doubly so for someone with an interest in applied science such as myself. To that end, I made an arrangement with a fellow by the name of Soryn. He’s a member of the Stewards, who act as something of an interplanetary peacekeeping organisation. Every once in a while, he will get in touch to have me provide my scientific and technical expertise on a mission. They even pay me for the privilege! Needless to say, it’s been an excellent deal!
Soryn recently contacted me with a new job. This one appears to be to hunt down a criminal that has fled into near-space. I’m not entirely sure why he would contact a scientist like me for a mission like this. Perhaps they simply need someone to maintain the systems on the ship for the journey. Or maybe there’s more to it… Much as I would like to spend all night speculating on all the possible reasons, I lack enough context to make any reasonable conclusions, so I will reserve my judgement for the time being.
What I do know is that I’m very excited! Since leaving Castrovel, my space travels have actually been rather minimal. There are so many things I stand to learn about the effects of prolonged interstellar travel on the psyche. I’ve acquired as many notes on the subject as possible to prepare myself. I’m still not entirely sure what I will need for such a journey, but I imagine the briefing will cover it. Not to mention the team I’ll be travelling with! No doubt they will have skills that are very different from my own, so the potential for knowledge sharing ought to be immense! I’m really looking forward to meeting these new collaborators and picking their brains!
Figuratively, I mean. At least I really hope. I may specialise in neurosciences but I prefer to study them in their natural environment, well tucked inside the cranium. Assuming that’s how their physiologies work, which may not actually be a certainty, now that I think about it…
…
I’m glad I’m getting this all out in this log, and not thinking it out loud. That would make for a very awkward trip, I imagine. I’ll just go ahead and take a note not to talk about exposed brain matter to the people I’ll be sharing a confined space vessel with for the next however long this mission will take…
I think the excitement is getting to my thought process, so best if I stop this entry here before I say anything really questionable. I’ll follow up after I’ve heard from Soryn.
END LOG.
Player's Notes: The fact that we actually started this adventure on May the 1st was a fun little bit of serendipity. Star Wars references were indeed made.
If you're wondering about Astrea, she's a NG damaya lashunta Technomancer and follower of Yaraesa. I've usually characterised her as being comparable to Twilight Sparkle or Professor X. She's a massive nerd who was socialised more by books than by people. Her greatest interest is the nature of power and how to use it responsibly. In her original setting, she was a powerful telepath who was initially terrified of her own powers, which motivated her to study psychic abilities and eventually form an organisation to help others with such powers. When I played her in a Wrath of the Righteous game, she was a sheltered Arcanist that sought to understand the nature of aligned magic and how to shield the world from corruption and manipulation. This time around, I'm playing a younger, more naive version of the character, not yet accustomed to the harsh realities of adventuring life. She's going to get a crash course on the subject, and I'm looking forward to seeing how she handles it.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
22/05/04 - Session 0.5 - Astrea’s Journal: Four Heroes on a Maiden Voyage
Seventhday, 28th Desnus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
Of the myriad of hypothetical events I contemplated encountering as part of my ongoing educational experience, watching a live human decapitation really wasn't one of them. Perhaps that was naive on my part; after all, the vast expanse of the pact worlds can oftentimes be quite brutal… Nevertheless, decapitation by ursine still seems fairly abnormal.
I suppose I should offer some context. Almost a month back, an experimental research device was stolen from the Arcanamirium. Given the sensitive nature of the research, the theft wasn't publicised, as the school wanted it retrieved quietly before any third parties got any ideas. Apparently that's why they contacted me, as a sort of liaison between the school and the Stewards. I was in charge of identifying the device and making sure it got back to the Arcanamirium in one piece.
I wasn't alone, of course. I was sent with a crew of three other "contract workers", each of whom had their own speciality.
Yaroslav was the first one I met. He's a vlaka, which is a canid-esque species from a planet with a dying star. He had taken a personal interest in the mission, since the device we were retrieving was a solar reactor of sorts. Perhaps he thought it might be a step towards the salvation of his homeworld. I certainly hope so, as I can think of no worthier cause than saving a planet from extinction.
As for the fellow himself, I get along quite well with Yar. He's a pleasant fellow with a good sense of humour, a kind heart, and a very intriguing accent. He follows the goddess Sarenrae, who as far as deities goes is definitely one of my personal favourites. In terms of practical skills, he is a healer, which I've come to understand is a very valuable asset to have in this line of work. He's also blind, but can utilise his combined senses to perceive just as well if not better than someone with sight. Given my field of study, this is an absolutely fascinating biological variation that I am trying very hard not to get too obsessive about, lest I come off as insensitive with my inquiries.
Vinu joined us as our bounty hunting expert. Her practical knowledge was invaluable in actually tracking down and catching the thief. At first I was concerned that her profession might indicate a certain aversion to someone more academic like myself, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that she's actually very approachable.
Her primary profession is as a musician, and she was kind enough to supply me with some of her work over our journey. It's a little too lively for reading accompaniment, but I've found it works well as a motivational track during workouts. Apparently music is a significant element of pahtra culture, so I like to think that enjoying these melodies doubles as an exercise in cultural exchange.
Oh, and I'm sure that there's a joke to be made about my first two travelling companions being a cat and a dog, but I would like to think that I'm above such reductive humour. That, or perhaps I'm less attentive to it given the last member of our group…
I had studied uplifted bears before when writing a dissertation on artificially-induced neurological evolution. The notion of inducing sapience onto a species is not only scientifically wondrous, but it also raises a plethora of interesting ethical and sociopolitical questions. Bears in particular are a compelling case to study, as they are historically recognised as being rather ferocious wilderness apex predators. Being from a planet where ferocious apex predators are common, I naturally consider myself well-positioned to engage with the subject… Perhaps “subject” is a bit too clinical here. These are personal notes, after all. He goes by the name Meved.
Meved is… About as close to the stereotype commonly associated with bears as one might imagine. He's certainly imposing, and seems to have channelled his natural endowments towards a life of aggression as a mercenary. Having now had the chance to see him work first-hand, I can confirm that he is nothing if not effective in that regard. Despite my rational mind insisting that I not give in to base fears, my instincts make it hard not to be just a little bit intimidated in his presence.
That said, our time together on the voyage to near space did give me an opportunity to overcome my initial reservations. Meved is terrifying, yes, but he is not needlessly violent nor otherwise cruel. He simply applies his skills where they are most effective, and cares little for outward perceptions. In a way, it is almost admirable to be so straightforward. The complexities of politics and etiquette seem banal compared to simply identifying an objective and pursuing it directly. I suppose this is what is meant by the common malapropism "bear necessities of life"...
Okay, even I felt bad for writing that.
So, that was our group. A lashunta scientist and a trio of fur-adorned companions, travelling through space to hunt down a tech thief. The actual events of the mission were relatively simple. Perhaps I shall commit them to record at some other juncture, but the relevant information for now is that we succeeded pretty spectacularly, and got the device back well before it could get into the hands of anyone nefarious. I would say it was a resounding success for a first outing.
Apparently it was such a success that we found ourselves called upon once again by Soryn. He was so impressed by our work that he suggested we take on another task as a group. After our long trip together I like to think we bonded reasonably well, so I agreed, as did the others. Call me optimistic, but my conclusion was that this may well be a promising alliance…
Player's Notes: A quick breakdown of the party so far, two sessions in.
- Astrea: The moral compas of the party. She's been doing a lot of the talking, despite not being quite as good at it as Yaroslav. She also holds the distinction of being the least hairy member of the party.
- Yaroslav: A bow-wielding sarenite mystic wolf-guy with a Russian accent. He's about as good natured as Astrea, though slightly less naive. He's probably the most sane member of the party.
- Vinu: A sniper-wielding operative cat-woman. She's a mercenary who's in it for the money, who also happens to be a rock musician. She hasn't done too much yet but I suspect that's because we haven't given her too much of an opportunity to get into trouble just yet.
- Meved: An awakened bear soldier. Meved is basically as close to a barbarian as you can get in starfinder, with the added bonus of being a large bear. He's here to kill things, get money, eat food, drink strong liquor. Much of the first couple sessions so far have consisted of him being an absolute menace to anything that would dare get in our way.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
22/05/04 - Session 1 - Astrea’s Journal: To Bear Down With Force
Seventhday, 28th Desnus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
[This log is continued from the previous entry]
When Soryn proposed that we work together once again, I was under the initial impression that it would be another task for the Sentinels. Interestingly, it was not, but rather a personal request at the behest of one of his associates, a fellow veteran of the Swarm Wars. This “Sully” operated a business in the Akitonian settlement of Khefak Depot, and had requested assistance in dealing with an upstart crime lord that had begun operating in the area. We were asked to be that assistance.
Admittedly, taking down crime bosses isn’t something I have any technical expertise in, but Akiton is an extremely interesting planet to study, and the Depot in question is home to one of the larger starship junk fields in the Pact Worlds, making it a very attractive site to investigate from a technological standpoint. Research merits aside, a would-be bully using their power to impose upon innocent civilians is something I cannot consciously abide either, so if I can help to curb that sort of abuse, then I am happy to participate.
The voyage to Khefak Depot gave me ample time to study up on the location. The settlement was once a ranch where the eponymous khefaks would roam, feeding on scrap to generate thasteron fuel, but when the thasteron market collapsed, the creatures were abandoned and the site eventually shifted its economy to be tourism-based. The detailed history is an interesting read, though it is not immediately relevant to our goals, so I’ll omit any further comment here, but I have taken a mental note to observe a khefak in action if I have the opportunity.
On a more pertinent note, I was able to learn from a friendly bus driver that the gang that had been moving into the area were called the True Warriors. If I’m being perfectly honest, the choice in name seems a bit odd, which would lead me to suspect that there is a deeper meaning behind it. Perhaps it alludes to a rival group of “false” warriors, or it denotes an affiliation with a strong philosophy? Surely there’s something there beyond “it sounds cool”, because, and admittedly this is entirely my own subjective opinion, it doesn’t. Not for a petty crime gang, anyway. Without something backing it up, it just lacks any sort of originality or creative imagery… I mean, “warrior” is such a generic term…
In any case, once we got to Akiton we decided to immediately head to Sully’s place of business, a restaurant called “The Admiral’s Snackbar”. I suppose it’s a reference to his past military record, though I can’t help but feel that there is a deeper meaning that I am unable to grasp here as well…
But again, not important to the story. What is important is that when we got there, the place had been vandalised, presumably by the True Warriors due to Sully refusing to pay them protection money. Oh, and let it be known for the record that when we were informed of the gang, I predicted that the ambiguous “trouble” they were causing was most likely a protection racket. So, I totally called it.
We helped Sully re-store his business (see what I did there?) and got a confirmation that the True Warriors were “shaking down” anyone that didn’t comply with their demands. For reference, “shaking down” means they use violence, vandalism, or other forms of aggressive behaviour to coerce the victim into compliance. This can include literal shaking, but that is not a prerequisite for the term to apply.
Sully informed us that the next most likely target would be Riddle, an ysoki tour guide and the proprietor of Adventures in Junk, which my brochure and the bus driver both informed me is one of the foremost junk excursion services in the city. Given the nature of the situation, we made our way there immediately.
What we found was a pair of aggressive-looking fellows blocking the entrance, apparently while their associates were brutalising poor Riddle inside. We gave them a warning, which was promptly ignored, at which point my companions jumped in to attack. As much as I might have hoped for a diplomatic solution to get the True Warriors to back down, I gathered from the others that such a solution was not likely to work here, and might jeopardise Ms. Riddle’s safety. So, regrettably, violence became the most effective outcome.
The fight didn’t take too long. After taking mental assaults and rifle fire from Yar and Vinu, Meved practically bulldozed the first guard into unconsciousness, which made the other one and their ysoki leader flee almost immediately. A couple more thugs came out and attempted to attack us, though I made sure their ability to do so was severely limited. Turns out that actually gave Meved the perfect opening and… Well, that’s where the decapitation I mentioned in the previous entry came in. As it turns out, a bear’s claw strength is absolutely sufficient to completely tear through human neck tissue. I already knew this of course, but the traumatic experience really made that fact hit home in a way that textbooks really can’t.
By the time I overcame the shock of such an abrupt dissection, the remaining Warriors escaped in a nearby vehicle. Vinu apparently recognised someone in the vehicle with them as being Tezz Tronnin, an enforcer with ties to the criminal underworld. It may well be useful to investigate that person further if we get the chance. After all, ancient military philosophy tells us that knowing one’s enemy is a key component of being able to defeat them.
For now though, we have two matters to attend to. The first is helping Ms. Riddle get back on her feet, and the second is to interrogate the one remaining gang member that still has most of his blood inside of his body.
Player's Notes: There we go. Just took one session for Meved to brutally kill someone in front of Astrea. She took it well, all things considered, but the day isn't over yet.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
22/05/18 - Session 2 - Astrea’s Journal: Guns Don’t Kill People, Bears Kill People
Seventhday, 28th Desnus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
You know, I probably should have guessed after that last incident that it wasn’t going to be my first unsolicited lesson in unmitigated violence and human internal anatomy…
After the remaining True Warriors made the very reasonable choice to flee from us as fast as possible, we helped Ms. Riddle back to her business, Adventures in Scrap. For someone who was just moments earlier nearly beaten to death, she was remarkably well-humoured about the situation. I suppose someone in her line of work would have to be good at keeping a level head in dangerous situations. I doubt that I would do so well under the same circumstances. After all, watching a man die was enough to shake me up pretty bad. I can only conclude that my lack of practical experience has left me unprepared psychologically for violence. (Edit: in hindsight, I probably should have realised how much foreshadowing I was doing with this statement…)
After paying a compliment to Ms. Riddle’s excellent metalworking skills, which for the record I did genuinely appreciate and not solely compliment because of the advice from the bus driver, she told us some interesting information. It wasn’t exactly relevant to the True Warriors, but instead involved a client of hers. An android historian from Absalom Station by the name of Vari-13 had apparently come in search of some piece of technology among the junk fields that according to them would have serious ramifications if discovered. However, Vari-13 recently went missing, and Riddle is unable to get in touch, which has put that particular treasure hunt on hiatus. Ah, that and the fact that the True Warriors have caused her to lose all of her guide employees. So, Riddle proposed that we seek out Vari-13 and take on the job for her.
Needless to say, as a fellow academic, the promise of a major technological discovery was incredibly enticing to me. I cannot say that I am familiar with Vari-13’s scholarly credentials, but if they are legitimate then it would be my duty as a scientist to assist them with this hypothesis. Yaroslav seemed curious as well, likely to find out if this technology might be of value to his own personal quest. Meved and Vinu meanwhile were happy to go along with the promise of a lucrative payout.
Ah, and as thanks for rescuing her, Ms. Riddle also provided us with an interesting device she called a “breakaway aegis”. By my estimation, it appears to function as a single-use shield to reduce the impact of oncoming blows. It’s a fairly rudimentary design, but effective, and just a little bit stylish. Given the fight we just had, it seems like something that would be worth keeping on hand. I do mean that literally, by the way; the aegis is wrist-mounted.
Given what we heard and the fact that our one captive Warrior didn’t seem like he would be waking up anytime soon, we decided to leave him for the local police and headed out to search for Vari-13. Using the rationale of starting with the most commonly frequented locations, the first place we investigated was one of the local gambling halls, called "Ka-Sino". I’m fairly certain from my study of linguistic heritage that the name is derivative of an ancient human word for a gambling hall, so I suppose the place is aptly titled.
I cannot say that I’ve ever been to a gambling hall before, but I did read that they are typically filled with sensory stimuli of all kinds to elicit excitement and by extension a lack of financial restraint. After entering the place, I could indeed confirm this account. Ka-Sino was so loud, bright, and filled with an array of smells that were at the same time intriguing and disconcerting, that I was barely able to make it to one of the servers to ask about Vari-13, and even then I could barely formulate a coherent sentence. Fortunately Yaroslav was able to handle the talking part on my behalf. We were informed by an android employee that Vari-13 may have been staying at a hotel named Ixomander's Throne. With that information, I collected Meved (and his newly purchased bottle of pure grain alcohol, which I am fairly certain is classified as a hazardous material unfit for direct consumption by most pact world creatures, but this is Meved we’re talking about) while Yaro fetched Vinu from the performance stage (where I guess she was planning a guerilla concert? I’m not entirely certain what she was going for, if I’m honest). We then made our way to the Throne.
Apparently the time we had spent with Ms. Riddle and then in Ka-Sino was enough for the True Warriors to regroup and come after us in retaliation for our earlier scrap (which I now realise is a very appropriate term to use in this city. Note to self: keep that in mind in case I need to relieve some tension with a humorous quip at some point).
The T-shaped alley could effectively be divided into two distinct fights. The first was composed of half a dozen or so True Warriors surrounding Meved in a very ill-conceived attempt to overwhelm him, while two other guys came after Yaroslav and Vinu respectively. I was somewhere in the middle of all this, which oddly enough ended up being the safest place to be.
Meved’s fight could more or less be summarised as a massacre. The True Warriors, despite their numbers, were woefully underprepared for hand to claw combat against a highly aggressive apex predator that weighs over 600 kg. One of the Warriors did try to use a pistol, but apparently either lacked the training or wherewithal to accurately shoot a literal bear-sized target at near point blank range. A few of them tried using a knife and batons, but I managed to persuade a couple of them with a little magical influence that these would not be very effective weapons. Surprisingly, the loss of understanding how to use a baton only made the one guy more effective with it, but maybe that’s just because he shifted his attention to Vinu by that point. As for the Warriors that decided to use their fists, one of them actually did surprisingly well, whereas the other one was… Well let’s just say he broke both of his knuckles while punching Meved’s armour twice in a row, and then was eviscerated with a car door. At least, I think he was the one that got eviscerated with the car door. There was a lot of death going on around Meved, so after a point it became a little hard to tell…
While that was going on, Yaro had a bit of a hard time with one particularly relentless True Warrior. Seeing as Meved had not even taken a scratch from the Warriors at this point, I tried to assist. My first shot earlier in the fight was a complete bungle, most likely because I got nervous and forgot to look where I was firing. This time though, I managed to hit my target so well that I nicked an artery. After that, Yaro shuffled the guy’s brain a bit with magic and he was out. Somehow, against all logic, I then managed to land two more consecutive shots after that. Really though, Meved, Yaro, and Vinu did the real work of taking down whoever was left. The one ysoki and the human with the gun fled and rescinded their gang, while a third one managed to make it a few blocks before Meved chased him down and amputated his foot.
My first reaction after the ordeal was to stanch the bleeding on the one guy whose artery I hit. Setting aside the fact that I did somewhat participate in the deaths of several of the people whose corpses were now littering the alley, he was the only one I really seriously wounded. I didn’t exactly want the weight of being directly responsible for the death of a sapient being on my conscience. I succeeded at least, which helped me keep calm enough to explain the situation to the police before I went to the corner to have a mental breakdown.
I feel that I should reiterate at this moment that I am, or was, an academic. My primary job is being a teaching assistant. I usually spend my days reviewing research papers and collecting sample data in a sterile lab. While I do specialise in biology, neuroscience doesn’t typically involve witnessing death, and when it does it’s in a very controlled environment. In contrast to my normal conditions, I was at that moment sitting in a dirty alleyway adjacent to a pile of multiple humans I had just witnessed being mauled, speared, and otherwise brutally killed in a street fight that I participated in. I did not take “street fighting” classes. I’m fairly certain there were no such classes in the universities I attended, and if they were, they almost certainly were not accredited. I know that I accepted this job with the understanding that it may involve violence, but this is a level of brutality I simply was not mentally prepared for. Also, the fact that the police officer that came by proceeded to execute two of the remaining unconscious gang members we had assembled right in front of me didn’t help.
So yes, my response to the situation was not exactly one of composure. Still, I would think that given the circumstances my taking a moment to hyperventilate, cry, throw up a little, and recite a few calming mantras was very much justified. In any case, I’ve come to terms with it now. The real world can be terrifying. Lesson very much learned. I’ll keep it in my memory along with all the other trauma I’ll probably go to therapy for later after we’ve finished our mission here. For now at least, I’ll be fine.
After collecting what equipment we could from the dead Warriors, we had a conversation with the last remaining one, who happened to be the same one I stabilised earlier. Our earlier estimation of him being comparatively smarter than his comrades (by virtue of the fact that he’s the only one that didn’t try to fight Meved at any point) proved true, since he understood the situation quite quickly and was fairly collaborative. Unfortunately he didn’t have much information to share. The True Warriors mainly communicate by way of datapads and their organisational structure does not do much to inform its lowest ranking members beyond their assigned tasks. We did at least confirm that they are led by a shobhad named Do’trulu and that he is supported by the powerful solarian human Tezz Tronnin, the same woman Vinu saw in the car earlier. He also confessed to knowing nothing about Vari-13, which means that either the True Warriors aren’t responsible for their disappearance, or they are and the organisation didn’t share this information with its subordinates.
After getting the information we needed, we sent the man with the other guy that Meved… de-footed (that sure is a word I just used). They’ll make their way to the Sarenite temple and then leave the city, and hopefully their bandit ways as well. Oddly enough, I wish them well. For a guy that tried to kill us, and very nearly did in Yaro’s case, he wasn’t all that bad.
Our adventure wasn’t done though. We had made it most of the way to Ixomander's Throne, but we still hadn’t gotten to our next lead. Ultimately, the alley fight was little more than a detour that didn’t really teach us much besides the fleetingness of life.
Well, I suppose I also learned that I can be a decent shot when I need to be. I’m really hoping that’s a skill I’m not going to need to use very often, but I get the distinct impression that it’s going to come up quite a few more times before this is all over. There is no way that the True Warriors aren’t going to double down on killing us after that incident.
P.S. I should also mention that the one Ysoki with the knife retrieved it from his cheek. While I had heard that ysoki do sometimes use pockets in their mouth for storage, I feel like I must point out how terrible an idea it is to leave sharp bladed objects in such a place. The unnecessary risk of dental damage is immense, and what would happen if he went to engage in a passionate kissing session and he cut himself or his partner? Not to mention if he ever actually cut anyone with that thing, could you imagine all the mouth bacteria that knife would be covered in? Shanking someone is one thing, but I am fairly certain that such an attack could be considered viral warfare under the Interstellar War Crime Accords. I sincerely hope that when he abandoned the True Warriors, he also abandoned his proclivity for orally-sheathed bladed weapons.
Player's Notes: Yes, Meved did single almost single handedly fight off about 6 people. In fairness, they mostly rolled pretty bad. The one guy who fought Yaroslav must have sapped all their luck, because for a guy only using his fists, he was dangerously effective with them. I guess that luck ended when the second bullet I ever fired with my Skipshot Pistol ended up being a crit. Considering I have a +2 to hit with that thing, it's kind of a wonder that I managed to land three solid shots in a row.
Anyway, that was Astrea's first real taste of serious combat. So far she hasn't been attacked once, and I'm hoping for her sake it stays that way (she is not nearly as sturdy as the others). I'm already having a fun time pondering how she'll overcome these first tastes and become the seasoned leader she's meant to become...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
22/05/25 - Session 3 - Astrea’s Journal: Arcs, Cars, and Khefaks
Seventhday, 28th Desnus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
Ixomander's Throne, conceptually, is an interesting place. It's a hotel made in the style of the Azlanti Star Empire. While that empire is indeed impressive in many facets, I've always found their beliefs regarding racial supremacy and slavery to be personally distasteful. I know that I shouldn't disparage other cultures, but it's rather hard when the culture in question is itself built upon disparaging other cultures…
I feared that this might bode poorly for our investigation, but fortunately the theme of this resort seems to be largely cosmetic. Except for maybe that one security guard that I mistook for the local police. He certainly did a good enough job embodying the merciless spirit of the Azlanti… Well, fortunately the clerk attending the help desk did not share that particular penchant. Instead, he simply had a very fashionable hat.
Initially, the clerk was hesitant to give us information about Vari-13, on the grounds of a completely understandable hotel guest privacy policy. Seeing as this hotel apparently boasts some research facilities, I thought to appeal to a sense of scientific unity to secure his cooperation. After all, as we are now working for Riddle and Vari did make arrangements with Adventures in Junk, we are technically their research collaborators. I also thought that I might prove my scientific credentials by providing some of my own insightful knowledge on the local fauna. At least that was the initial intent. I admittedly may have gotten carried away with my explanations…
In the end, I don’t think my appeal to the scientific spirit resonated all that much with the clerk (though it probably doesn’t help that I am a terrible liar and despite the technical veracity of my earlier statement, it didn’t exactly feel legitimate). Fortunately though, he and the hotel security were still willing to look into the matter. They determined that the last time Vari-13 had been seen, they were making their way to a local weapons dealer, presumably to acquire some personal protection. This gave us our next stop in our search: Oh’tuul’s.
I’ve never actually set foot in a weapon store before, despite now owning two small arms and a knife. The knife and skipshot pistol I both received from the Stewards when I first started doing contract work with them. It seemed appropriate that I carry at least some sort of personal protection with me, given the nature of bounty hunting work. The arc pistol, which marks my third armament, I only acquired as we made our way to Oh’tuul’s. It was taken from the assortment of weapons we relieved the True Warriors of earlier. It’s quite a bit more reassuring to have a weapon with a stun setting now, though Yaroslav did recount a rather disconcerting story about how a companion of his once used one of these to detonate a goblin’s cranium. I am still not entirely certain why he told me about that… In any case, given the voltage these things can produce, along with their chemical composition, converting one into a makeshift explosive seems unlikely, but potentially plausible… I’ve taken a note to investigate the potential repurposing of such devices for other inventive applications. That is to say, ones that do not involve severe cranial trauma, of course. Its current configuration can do that well enough, even without exploding.
Oh, but I’m losing track of the story. Oh’tuul was fairly forthcoming with information, if a little eccentric. According to him, Vari-13 had purchased some personal defence weaponry and proceeded to make their way into a nearby junkyard referred to as the caryards. Oh'tuul was also kind enough to warn us that the aforementioned caryards are currently closed due to a khefak infestation.
From my prior reading, I already knew that that the creatures can get quite aggressively territorial, and they are known to eat quite literally anything. Walking into an area like that alone, especially with an android physiology, is perhaps not the wisest choice. That said, it is one that we’re more or less going to repeat in order to rescue them. Granted, I suspect that our numbers and combat prowess will make it a far less risky pursuit. However, it isn’t completely without risk, so given that we were already at an arms vendor, we opted to stock up on ammunition, as well as offload the assortment of secondhand firearms and armour we recently came into (you know, courtesy of all the dead guys we killed). We then used the funds to improve Meved’s spear, because quite frankly investing in Meved’s lethality seems like a reliable and quite possibly necessary choice at this point.
We also fuelled up our stomachs, thanks to Yaro generously purchasing us some street meat from a local vendor. It was admittedly not the most appetising thing I’ve ever consumed, but between the tiring journey, the unfamiliar environment, and the sight of multiple men getting slaughtered, it was actually quite soothing to have something occupying my stomach again. It’s amazing how food can restore a person not only in the physical sense, but also psychologically. It’s a phenomenon I ought to make a note to look into one of these days. When we’re not trying to save an android from themselves becoming food for a bunch of scrap-eating wasteland bugs, that is.
As one might expect, given the name, the caryards has an abundance of cars. I can’t help but feel it was a little ironic that we had to make our way there on foot. There is something to be said for the eerie grandeur of the stacks of abandoned technology. It’s almost evocative of the jungles of my homeworld, in a strange way. As though the ruined machines were emulating the nature they once sought to overcome, but in vain. I even found a piece of clockwork technology among the piles of junked machines! It felt rather symbolic, as though there’s a powerful message about entropy there…
Though, whatever that message might have been was promptly interrupted by us getting swarmed by khefaks. Clearly they took our approach as a threat upon their territory and food supply. I had not expected my first encounter with these creatures to be so… Close. They’re not particularly large, but more than big enough to be disconcerting when they suddenly emerge at your feet. Compared to Meved though, I was lucky. He had practically an entire swarm surrounding him! Nevertheless, we held our ground and fought them off. Actually, Vinu, Yaro, and I all found our arc pistols to be remarkably effective at subduing the creatures. Perhaps their diet of metals had rendered them more conductive… Nevertheless, we eventually put the creatures down. I had my gun set to stun, so a couple of them were merely rendered unconscious. The rest were… Decidedly more permanently unconscious. This was considerably less morally distressing than our previous fight, given the creatures involved not being sapient, though the scent of the rapid onset of decay khefaks are known for still didn’t complement the recently consumed street meat. I am pleased to report though that with some effort, I was able to avoid regurgitation this time. It did not leave me in the best of states to help with tracking, though. That said, I’m also a terrible tracker to begin with, so perhaps that’s for the best. Vinu and Yaro were more than capable of covering that part of the mission.
We fought a few more khefaks, and also came across a pile of tires that concealed an automatic rifle. I’m not quite sure what such a firearm was doing here, especially considering it was in working order, but I suppose by scavenger’s rights it is our gain now. Not that any of us are really trained to use the weapon. Well, Meved might be, but he didn’t seem immediately interested. I suppose he is simply more accustomed to direct physical confrontations…
We followed some tracks that we assumed to be Vari-13’s all the way to a pathway that was blocked by a pool of acid, traversable only by a narrow walkway of junk. I was able to observe the composition of the acid as being a variety of different fuels and chemicals, but the exact mixture doesn’t seem immediately relevant so I shall surmise by saying it definitely counted as extremely hazardous. Definitely not something one would want to swim in. The walkway across this hazard was only a narrow improvement (see what I did there), given its questionable structural integrity. Ultimately, Vinu opted to test it out first, being the most dextrous out of us.
She managed to get across successfully. However, as soon as she did so, it awakened yet another swarm of khefaks. Fortunately Vinu immediately cloaked herself to evade detection, though it left us in a difficult predicament: we now needed to cross the bridge to join not only her, but also a big collection of aggressively territorial canid-sized insects…
If I’m being perfectly honest, my hopes for finding Vari-13 intact grow smaller with every perilous encounter we come across. My fear for what might have befallen them is matched only by my bewilderment at why they would choose to come here alone. What discovery could possibly be worth such a risky endeavour?
Player's Notes: I had most of this one done not long after the session, but then work got a bit crazy which resulted in me being too tired to properly finish it up in time, but I've finally gotten around to it. For the record, while fighting with the khefaks, our arc pistols got nat rolls of 20, 20, 18, and 16 respectively. Four shots, four hits, and all of them with higher than average damage. Not sure what was going on, but they really made an impression!
Now then, this week's post coming up shortly!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
22/06/01 - Session 4 - Astrea’s Journal: Fun Facts About Khefaks
Seventhday, 28th Desnus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
It is a somewhat obscure fact that if a khefak consumes a sufficient amount of radioactive material, there is a possibility of it mutating into a much larger and more dangerous form. This is commonly called a thasteron khefak, after the type of fuel that is most commonly responsible for such a transformation. I mention this for reasons that will become evident as I continue this log entry.
Following the appearance of the khefaks on the other side of the acid pool, Meved made his move to cross the bridge and fend off the bugs. While doing so, his weight was enough to knock over a tower of precariously stacked chairs. While unfortunately this did injure him slightly, it also had the benefit of increasing the traversable space over the acid, so at least that was reassuring. To be honest, I was not especially keen to make that precarious walk. I'm an academic after all, not an acrobat. Yaroslav went across soon after, though I waited until the way was clear before making the journey myself, opting to instead provide support fire from the other side. Guns are made to be used at range, so it seemed sensible to take advantage of that to avoid getting hit.
That was apparently a good choice for my own safety in the end, as the beasts were quite ferocious this time. Meved and the rest of us put up a good fight, but one of the khefaks was remarkably resilient. It actually managed to take Meved out of the fight, albeit only briefly. In case it wasn't obvious, we killed all of the insects in the end. Still, that was the closest we'd come to having a major casualty. I shudder to think what might have happened if things had been a little bit worse… Best I not dwell on the idea.
While we took a moment to rest, I investigated the khefaks and noticed a larger than normal level of mutation. I'm willing to bet that the particularly tough one was on the verge of transforming into a thasteron khefak (the thing I mentioned at the beginning of this log entry, as you’ll recall). Given that discovery, I came to the worrisome conclusion that there may be other khefaks here that have undergone the full transformation…
Past the pit of poorly disposed chemical waste, we found a collapsed pile of scrap that blocked our path. By my estimations, the avalanche had settled to a mostly stable position, so it was scalable. The real problem was the large number of sharp jutting pieces that could easily cause cuts (and infection, if one is particularly unlucky). There was a bright side to this: I was able to find enough useful materials to create a set of armour spikes. I took the liberty of conjuring up my tools and doing just that. Now Meved's armour is spiky enough that it should deter anyone from giving him a bear hug. Though frankly if someone ever tried to give Meved a bear hug in the first place, armour spikes would likely be the least of their problems.
As for the junk hill, having observed it carefully, I was able to climb over without injury (I was rather astonished at that; as previously mentioned, I am not an acrobat). Vinu and Yaro managed to get to the other side as well, though they suffered a few small cuts along the way. Considering that Yaro is technically blind, I'm honestly surprised he managed to get up without incurring more injuries than he did… I have no excuse for Vinu except for maybe bad luck. Oh, and Meved simply bolted up the thing like it was nothing, because he was and remains a large bear. Aside from that one khefak just before, I'm becoming increasingly convinced that Meved is nigh-invulnerable. It's a notion I hope not to find myself disabused of for the duration of our work partnership, despite its logical improbability.
Beyond the avalanche, we found a chasm with a large transport truck. Surrounding it were a few khefaks, one of which was noticeably larger than the rest. I award no bonus marks for guessing what this was. Sure enough, it was a thasteron khefak. Because of course it was. Ah, and to further cement the narrative perfection of this encounter, within the abandoned truck was none other than an android with green hair and gold circuitry (Vari-13, in case it wasn't obvious). If I were not living the experience myself, I would think a scenario like this too perfectly contrived to be realistic, and yet there we were.
Lucky for us, my earlier recollection about these khefaks was sufficient to encourage all of us to keep up our environmental filters active, so the radiation it was emitting didn't cause us any issues. The creature itself though certainly did put up quite a fight. From it’s first strike it was obvious that getting hit by something like that could quite possibly mean death in a single blow. It took a few explosives as well as a lot of heavy hits from Meved and shots from Yaro and Vinu (I tried helping, but it would seem that my skills with firearms had been depleted for the day at that point..), but eventually we (by which I mean they) killed the oversized creature. I observed that while the shell was still radioactive, it still has value as an especially durable material if forged correctly, so we brought it back with us.
More importantly though, we retrieved Vari-13 from their hiding spot on the truck. I introduced myself and my furry companions to the android, including the fact that we were recently employed by Riddle to be their junk tourism detail. Credit where it's due, Vari recovered quite quickly from their ordeal, eagerly recommending that we return to Adventures in Junk so that we might discuss their discovery. I have to wonder what sort of eavesdropping they fear that they refuse to discuss the matter here, but I was not about to object to leaving the caryards and their overabundance of khefaks at that point. 15 of the things was a more than sufficient sample size for the time being… So, back to Riddle’s we go.
Ah, there was one other thing. For our assistance with the rescue, Vari-13 gifted us a junk drone. It's a fairly simple technological device, but one that I have every intention of studying thoroughly. Who knows, it might even come in handy!
Player's Notes: Funny enough, there was nothing particularly special about that one khefak at the acid pit. It just had unreasonably high luck when it came to its attacks. It managed to avoid the bulk of our attacks and landed multiple hits on Meved (enough to deplete his hp from almost full), without much help from its buddies. He was ultimately a bigger threat than the thasteron. Well, at least we managed to keep Meved alive. Considering the player who normally plays him took the session off (Meved was played by Yaro's player seeing as "he only has two buttons"), that would have been especially rough...
Now Astrea's going to get to nerd out with a fellow scholar! This ought to be fun!
Now this is some hilarious, excellently written journal. Highly entertaining. Somhehow I imagine Astrea to look like Amy Farrah Fowler with Lashunta antennae ;-). Also one of very few Starfinder journals I've come across so far. Keep it up. Already looking forward to the next entry.
Now this is some hilarious, excellently written journal. Highly entertaining. Somhehow I imagine Astrea to look like Amy Farrah Fowler with Lashunta antennae ;-). Also one of very few Starfinder journals I've come across so far. Keep it up. Already looking forward to the next entry.
I'm absolutely flattered, thank you!
All things considered, you're not all that far off for what she looks like. This is her character image.
Having now played a few sessions of it, I quite enjoy Starfinder! It feels just close enough to Pathfinder to have not thrown me completely out of my comfort zone, while still bringing something fresh to the table. Plus the party is a fun group. For sure, if our GM offers to continue running something beyond Junker's Delight, I'll be happy to accept, in which case I'll definitely be making more accompanying journals.
22/06/15 - Session 5 - Astrea’s Journal: Better Triangulate Than Never
Firstday, 29th Desnus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
It was a big relief to finally get out of the caryards. That constant fear of suddenly being ambushed by a bunch of hungry territorial insects got old pretty quickly. Not to say that the constant fear of suddenly being ambushed by a bunch of angry territorial gangsters is all that much better, mind you. Really, this entire trip on the whole has included more bunches of aggressively territorial things than I care for. But then again, part of that is why we’re here in the first place, I suppose.
On our way back, Yaro seemed pretty eager to get some more street meat. I guess all that fighting did burn a lot of calories, though I would have thought the sight of the decomposing khefak sludge in the shells we recovered would discourage one’s appetite. Perhaps for a seasoned survivalist vlaka, that sort of stimuli isn’t as off-putting as it was for myself... Well in any case, the vendor was sadly nowhere to be found. Now that I think about it, I suppose it was rather strange that he was there in the first place, considering the closure of the caryards. For some reason, there’s a little part of me that worries that this might be an important detail, but for now I can’t exactly figure out why. Perhaps it’s to do with what Vari said about the walls having ears. I sincerely hope this isn’t the start of some sort of horrible conspiracy…
Vari’s concern for privacy seems to have infected Riddle as well, as she had us sneak into Adventures in Junk through a hidden backdoor route. Considering she was nearly beaten to death at her doorfront just a few hours prior, I can certainly understand the apprehension. I’m just glad we finally got somewhere reasonably safe to finally rest and hear about this world-changing mystery. Oh, and receiving our payment too, I suppose. In all of the chaos I almost forgot that we were also doing this for money. I’m definitely not complaining. As much as I value the privilege of endangering my life in the pursuit of scientific discovery and helping others, a bit of remuneration for our deeds is certainly welcome.
THat being said, our “finder’s fee” was nothing compared to the potential treasure Vari dropped on us. To keep things relatively simple and concise, the story can be summarised thusly: Vari somehow managed to recollect memories from their progenitor, Vari-8 (if this statement seems odd, I would recommend reading one of the many treatises on the subject of android corporeal inheritance, commonly referred to as “renewal”). This former Vari had been an engineer aboard a ship called the Stellar Flare, all the way back in the first years after the Gap (which in and of itself is a fascinating fact that I would most assuredly like to delve further into at another time, but I digress). The Stellar Flare was a research vessel working on a technology that harnesses energy in a manner similar to how Drift engines function. Unfortunately, the ship crashed on Akiton before it could complete the research.
This alone would not be especially remarkable, but the fact that Vari was able to confirm that the Stellar Flare’s transponder is still operational after over three centuries does give some credence to the idea that these researchers were on to something. If their hypothesis was indeed correct, and that research were to be completed… It would suggest the creation of a near-limitless energy source! The implications of such a discovery would definitely be as galaxy-changing as Vari stated! Harnessing that sort of power could lead the galaxy into a post-scarcity state! So many problems could be solved…
Well, hypothetically of course. I would have to look into the research more properly. After all, Meved raised a fair point: if such technology were possible, why has it not been conceived elsewhere? For that matter, how has this ship not been located in over three hundred years? There are an abundance of questions, and as it stands, we have very few answers. What we do know is that Vari-13 is quite convinced of their mission, and they have the ample funding of AbadarCorp to back their ambition. Personally, it seems rather unlikely that this will be the revolutionary discovery Vari hopes it to be, but in the spirit of scientific method, the hypothesis must at least be tested before it can be discounted. Besides, if Vari’s right, then I get to be on the ground floor of something absolutely incredible! Meanwhile the worst case is that we discover an ancient early-Gap vessel, and that could still make for an interesting subject of study…
Alright so technically the actual worst case is that we all die horribly or encounter some other sort of fate worse than death, but for my own psychological wellbeing I’m making a point not to put too much consideration into those particular possibilities.
Excitement aside, there is still the pressing matter of the True Warriors. I may not have been in the contract business for long, but taking on a new job without finishing the prior one seems like poor mercenary etiquette. On the other hand, we don’t really have much in the way of leads to find their leader or do much else to stop them. It might actually be to our advantage to refocus ourselves temporarily to Vari’s contract. Having some extra credits in our pocket could be helpful in dealing with the gang. Not to mention, now that we’ve been seen with Vari, they’re potentially in danger from any members of the gang that might still want to get after us. So, as much for our protection as for theirs, we took Vari up on the offer of getting some lodgings at Ixomander’s Throne at AbadarCorp’s expense. Riddle was kind enough to offer her own lodgings for that matter, but I get the impression that the four of us, one of whom is Meved, would make things fairly cramped.
I took a bit of time that evening to talk with Vari and learn a bit more about the Stellar Flare and whatever other pieces of information they may have about their progenitor. Sadly, their memories on the matter are fragmented, but it was enough to further bolster my interest in the project. I could write some of the notes in this log, but I’ve come to the conclusion that they will be best saved for the inevitable research paper I will write on this subject. I only have so much storage space on this datapad, after all.
All of the day’s excitement did leave me a little overstimulated though, so I took advantage of the hotel’s research wing for a bit of recreational case study work. It was nice to get back into a lab after so long, and I think my contributions were appreciated by the staff. It didn’t hurt that I’m rather proficient when it comes to this kind of work; I didn’t get to become a research assistant at the Arcanamirium by chance, after all! Meanwhile, I believe Vinu chose to sample the local nightlife while Meved and Yaro unwound with some holovids and room service. All in all, it was a very productive and educational day, for better or worse.
After a comfortable sleep in a resort bed and some much needed personal grooming, I descended to the lobby to find… Hm, how should I put this. Vari-13 was missing, Yaroslav was aggressively sniffing the floor, Meved was single handedly consuming about two thirds of the hotel’s breakfast buffet, and Vinu was somehow still partying as intensely as she was when I left last night. As much as I feel like using the word “zoo” would be unfairly pejorative here, I’m having a hard time conceiving of a more apt term in these circumstances.
I consulted with the millinerily adept hotel clerk regarding the whereabouts of our new patron (to little avail, unfortunately), then I gathered up Yaro and the others. This time, I had a hunch, so we made our way to Adventures in Junk. Sure enough, there was Vari. They had spent the entire night trying to locate the Stellar Flare. It is difficult to settle an inquisitive mind on the verge of a breakthrough, after all. That said, as much as I can understand that drive, we did make a point to remind Vari that an unannounced departure in an unsafe town is very much ill-advised.
Nevertheless, we were hardly about to let their good work go to waste. I caught Vinu trying her hand at calibrating the computer’s triangulation matrix. Now, credit where it’s due, she wasn’t doing a bad job. However, we’re on the hunt for a vessel carrying what has the potential to be the greatest scientific discovery of the century. Such a task requires a specialist’s touch. Now, not to toot my own horn, but as a research assistant I take great pride in my ability to calibrate scientific equipment. So, with a crack of my knuckles and a few quick helper conjurations, I got to work.
Needless to say, the Stellar Flare was promptly pinpointed. It’s located somewhere in the Outer Junkfields. Unfortunately, according to Riddle that area is now a war zone between some space goblins and ikeshtis that both claim the territory. Neither of those species are known for having especially reasonable or tempered dispositions at the best of times, so entering such a conflict would be more than a little dangerous. “Suicidal” seems to be the appropriate word for that particular course of action. Considering that’s coming from Riddle, someone with far more expertise on the subject of Junkfield dangers, that’s quite worrisome.
But, scientific pursuits are rarely completely devoid of risk. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” and all that. Vari-13 was more than eager to entice us with funds and a stake in future profits. That was enough to sate our financially-motivated team members. Yaroslav for his part understandably wants to have usage rights for the technology to save his homeworld. As for me, my interest is first and foremost to be involved in the actual research into this supposedly revolutionary technology, including full credit on the eventual papers that will come of it. With all of those pledges made and a generous advance sum, we agreed to walk into a warzone in a scrapyard wasteland. This is unequivocally one of the best and most rational decisions any of us has ever made.
Who knows, perhaps this conflict between the goblins and ikeshtis is something we can help to resolve, in some way or another. I’m hoping this time around, it might be a more peaceful resolution than the ones we’ve come to so far. I’m not getting my hopes up of that, though. That’s why as soon as we agreed to go ahead with this dangerous mission, I used nearly all of my funds, as well as the advance on Vari’s payment, to invest in some better armour. Here’s hoping I don’t end up needing to use it. Yaraesa, I know you aren’t really one for divine intervention, but if you could arrange the quantum probabilities of the universe to make it less likely that we get blown up by goblin blasters, that would be very much appreciated.
Player's Notes: No lie, after Vinu rolled a 16 on the engineering check to triangulate the Stellar Flare's position, I quite literally pulled a "step back, I got this" and rolled a nat 20 for a total of 31 on the check. One of the most perfectly timed nat 20s I've had in a long time (and finally not for shooting something). As for that link I slipped in there... Well, I often like to put reaction gifs and video clips at appropriate moments. Vari in the morning reminded me a bit of Oobleck from RWBY, so I tried to look up a clip of him. I found this. The special guest appearance from Meved in there was completely serendipitous. I am so happy I found a video that so perfectly encapsulates this adventure.
22/06/21 - Session 6 - Astrea’s Journal: Make EMPs, Not War
Firstday, 29th Desnus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
Khefak Depot continues to be full of all sorts of fascinating features. Given that it is a tourism city first and foremost, it’s not too surprising that it is host to a variety of recreational activities. Even so, I never would have conceived of a “junk”-themed amusement park. There’s something to be said for the adaptability of sapient minds, to take what others would deem to be wasted material, and to repurpose it in such a manner. Truly, the Rust District stands well alongside the rest of the city as a testament to people’s ability to make the most of what resources are available!
I only wish that it was our actual destination. Unfortunately, our mission did not bring us -to- the park but rather, -through- it. Our actual objective, the Outer Junkfields, is significantly less peaceful and recreational. There are still plenty of opportunities for anthropological study, at least. I’m just hoping that those studies can be done not at the end of a barrel, edge of a knife, or any other precipice of lethal weaponry. Actually, let’s exclude non-lethal weaponry as well. I would be significantly happier if weaponry wasn’t part of this equation at all. Of course, that’s a big ask, considering that we’re walking into is a warzone…
In the interest of limiting my exposure to things like surprise bug attacks or concealed explosive ordinances, I decided to put the drone Vari gave us to use. It was in remarkably good condition for an amalgamation of repurposed electronics, only needing a little bit of maintenance before it was travelling right alongside us. I’ve decided to call the little guy Twitch, due to its habit of doing little jerky motions. It’s admittedly a bit of anthropomorphism on my part, but I can’t help but find my new companion rather adorable. I just hope the fact that I’ve become endeared to this robot doesn’t come back to bite me in the rear later.
As it turned out, biting was not the first concern we needed to confront on our journey to the Outer Junkfields. Instead, we would encounter a different sort of oratory peril. We came across a hole in the ground and some puddles of stagnant water that were conspicuously lacking in any insect presence. I recognised the location immediately as likely being the lair of some thastertoads, a kind of lizard (and not actually related to toads from a taxonomy standpoint; this is what happens when you let goblins name things) native to the region that have mutated a tough shell as a result of tasteron exposure. To my surprise, both Yaroslav and Meved also demonstrated impressive knowledge about these creatures! I suppose the khefak encounters yesterday prompted them to really listen to my improvised lecture on Akitonian wildlife. Whatever the case may be, I confess to being more than a little bit proud.
While my companions’ academic knowledge of the creatures was unimpeachable, what really mattered was their practical application in subduing them, since it would seem we had once again come across a group of beings with the regrettable yet unusually common characteristic of being aggressively territorial. As expected, Meved was as effective as he was unrelentingly brutal in dispatching the creatures. Meanwhile, Yaro had the misfortune of experiencing firsthand what a thastertoad tongue grapple is like, as well as the effects of static electricity on a coat of long hair (courtesy of his contact with the thastertoad as it was subjected to an arc pistol shot). Honestly, I didn’t realise just how fluffy Yaro is until I saw his hair stand on end. Considering how perilous this whole trip has been turning out, the levity and cuteness of that particular discovery was rather welcome. I just also wish it didn’t remind me of the fact that while I recognise that all of my companions are fully sapient adult beings that I must treat with proper respect and dignity, there is a part of me that can’t help but sometimes think of them as unbearably (pun somewhat intended) cute animals that I really want to snuggle and give ear scritches and belly rubs. It has been very hard not to give into that particular reflex…
[Note to self, double up the encryption on that last paragraph, just in case my companions decide to snoop through my log. They must never know.]
Before heading forward, we made a point to check the thastertoad nest hole in case we might find anything interesting. Vinu’s keen feline eyes were a great help here, as she immediately noticed a canister containing a sizeable amount of UPBs as well as a circlet. We rappelled Twitch down to collect the items, and I identified the circlet as a tool that allowed for limited telepathy. I then promptly placed it on Vinu, so that she can join Meved and I in the nonverbal communication club. I’m eager for Yaro to join that particular club as well, so that we might conduct more of our business telepathically. As much as I don’t mind using my voice, it’s just so much faster to communicate complex ideas this way. Once Vinu gets the hang of her new accessory, I’m certain she’ll come to appreciate its usefulness in that respect. Until then, we’ll need to figure out how to stop her from constantly broadcasting whatever song is currently playing in her head to the rest of us…
As Vinu and Twitch scouted ahead, they came across a curious sight: a goblin and an ikeshti engaged in what appeared to be amicable conversation. Their behaviour didn’t line up with the conflict that was mentioned to us, and what’s more, they made mention of trying to find a way into a starship. This initial information was not much to go off of, but it might just be enough for us to find some common ground.
We introduced ourselves to the two, and were met with rather surprising friendliness. The goblin, Murkk, was absolutely fascinated by the array of technological devices on my person, while the ikeshti, Qesh, was the more reserved of the pair (which admittedly isn’t saying much). I’ve met my fair share of eccentrics with difficulty focusing in academia, so I did what I could to help keep Murkk on topic (and away from Twitch, who I suspect Murkk might have dissected if she was given the opportunity).
What we learned was that the goblin “Trashunters” and the ikeshti “Unbrood” were not initially at war, and their interests in the region are mutually exclusive (the goblins want the scrap, while the ikeshti want the territory). Given that, there is actually a precedence for peace, meaning that reinstating that peace may well be possible! All we have to do is resolve whatever caused this disagreement, and then do a little diplomacy. When I write it like that, it sounds much less improbable than it probably is, but I’ll be damned if I won’t cling to my optimism for all it’s worth in this very literal garbage heap.
In any case, the current conflict originated over the death of some Trashunters near a certain starship wreck. The goblins blamed on the Unbrood, and the ongoing stubbornness of their respective leaders is preventing either side from going forward. The aforementioned wreck is known colloquially as the “Midzone”, and it has been agreed that control of the Outer Junkfields will go to whomever manages to successfully enter the vessel. The complication with that task is that the vessel in question is surrounded by a powerful force field.
As for Murkk and Qesh, they became friends after an encounter with a junk golem prompted them to work together to survive. Now, their goal is to claim the Midzone themselves and leverage that achievement to bring the feud between their clans to an end.
While it’s hard to say conclusively, there is enough anecdotal evidence to suggest that this “Midzone wreck” could be the Stellar Flare. That would certainly be convenient, as it would mean that our goal of investigating the wreck is in direct alignment with the goals of this unusual duo. Furthermore, if it is the case, then that would mean we’d need to deal with the force field around the ship, something that Murkk apparently might just have a solution for.
I use the word “might” strongly here. While the concept of generating an electromagnetic pulse (commonly referred to as an EMP) to disable the field is fundamentally sound, the methods Murkk proposed to create it are… Questionable, at best. Then again, goblins are known for their uncanny ability to make implausible technological devices function, so perhaps it is within the realm of possibility. If so, this would not only give us the key we would need to proceed with our mission and the means to bring peace to the Outer Junkfields, but it would also be an opportunity to see a goblin’s uncanny technological prowess at work!
Now that we’ve agreed to work with the strange pair, we find ourselves with some new objectives. In order to build the EMP, Murkk will require three pieces of technology: an electrolytic capacitor, a size-23 harmonic coil, and a plasma charger circuit. As luck would have it, all three of these items can be found relatively closeby. Unfortunately, all three of them will likely be problematic to retrieve. Two of them are in Trashunter and Unbrood territory respectively. As for the third… Remember that junk golem that Murkk and Qesh ran away from? Well it would seem that in the hustle they left the plasma charger circuit with it.
Given how junk golems work (they are essentially an amalgamation of electronics, scrap metal, and other assorted junk bound together with magic to create a powerful constructed creature), there’s a decent likelihood that it absorbed the part, which means we’ll have to destroy it to get that circuit back. I’ve only done some cursory research on golems, but I know enough to know that they are usually extremely tough and also nearly impervious to magic. The only way I might be able to help is by taking advantage of it’s vulnerability to acid to slow it down a bit…
Our new friends did mention a vesk by the name of Zethelred that might be able to help us in that particular fight though, so that might be worth looking into. Having more allies in a hostile place like this would surely not be a bad thing.
Before we go though, I’m hoping we might learn a bit more about the Trashuntrers and Unbrood. Seeing as we’ll definitely run into them sooner or later, it would be wise for us to understand who we’re dealing with…
Player's Notes: I won't lie, Twitch's name maaay be a blatant reference to a certain game that I work on. After giving me a drone, it was just too tempting for me not to slip in a Siege reference. For the look though, I opted to forgo the book's rendition of a junk drone. My little buddy immediately got slapped with a Wall-E profile picture.
It felt like we had more nat20s, so I did a little rundown of the d20 rolls this session, just to see what our distributions look like. Yeah, we definitely has a lot of nat20s. It's also pretty representative of our usual rolls. I almost never roll average and Meved has unusually high luck in combat. Funny to actually see it statted. I think I might try doing this again for other sessions. Perhaps I might be able to illustrate the horrendous luck that Archie has in the Hell's Vengeance game.
22/06/29 - Session 7 - Astrea’s Journal: The Goal is in the Golem
Firstday, 29th Desnus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
As mentioned in my previous log, the ongoing Outer Junkfields conflict is a product of two factions: the goblin “Trashunters” and the ikeshti “Unbrood”. Each of these factions is likely in possession of parts needed to create the EMP key that we require to open what we’re assuming to be the wreck of the Stellar Flare. Furthermore, peace between these factions will help us greatly in terms of not getting shot, clawed, detonated, or otherwise attacked while we explore the aforementioned wreck. Given all of that, it seemed cautious to learn more about them.
From what we could gather speaking to the rambunctious goblin Murkk, the Trashunters are not immediately hostile to outsiders unless they’re ikeshti or obvious thieves. Thankfully, we are neither of these things. Seeing as their interests lie in junk and technology, we might be able to trade with them for what we require. I for one am sincerely hoping we can go with this solution. I can’t imagine fighting the goblins would end well for anyone. Even if we could beat them, the risk of collateral damage is far too high…
As for the Unbrood, Qesh’s account suggests that they aren’t nearly as open to diplomacy. Their leader Asashla is also apparently well on her way to becoming a rivener. For those that are not aware, a rivener is what happens when an ikeshti doesn’t mate for a prolonged period. This causes them to become more ferocious bestial versions of themselves. This is in stark contrast to the phenomenon that occurs with other species, where prolonged periods without mating instead manifest in the form of magical powers or a strong compulsion to argue incessantly with people on infosphere social platforms. Either way, Asashla does not sound like someone we will want to mess with, mated or not. Perhaps we can bargain with a gift of territory somehow, so as to literally “give her space”?
(Note to self: the comment regarding magical powers manifesting in beings that have not undergone a successful mating cycle is in reference to common human records of the process for becoming a "wizard". However, I am realising as I transcribe these notes that accounts of this phenomenon may actually be satirical in nature. Please verify this assertion as part of the proofreading process before publication.)
While considering the ways we might appeal to these factions, we made an observation of how we could assassinate a multitude of avians with a single mineral cluster. The interests of both of the Outer Junkfield groups as well as our own converge at an interesting (and quite frankly terrifying) point, that being the site of the rampaging junk golem. A golem like that would surely have some technological components that would interest the goblins, and its removal will open the way for additional Unbrood territory. Not to mention it has the last piece we need for the EMP Key. We reasoned that if we could defeat that thing, we should have enough leverage to deal with the two factions without conflict. By my calculations, that would make for a total of three birds with one stone! Now if only that bird wasn’t giant, metal, and highly resistant to magic… Come to think of it, I also sincerely hope that the bird part of that metaphor remains metaphorical. A junk golem is scary enough, but a FLYING junk golem? That is something I would be perfectly happy to relegate to my nightmares.
In the interest of rational self-preservation, we did not immediately go after the golem, and instead sought some assistance. This involved a detour to the wreck of a Veskarium cruiser from the Silent War called the Thundering Angel. Had we more time, I would have loved to study such a vessel. It no doubt would have held all sorts of interesting insights into pre-Pact vesk technology. Granted, we would be far from the first people to have come here with a similar objective, so the likelihood of finding anything of value would be infinitesimal.
Actually, I would have preferred infinitesimal discoveries over what we did find, because what we found was a minefield. To be clear, I do mean this very literally. The pathway was rigged with pressure-sensitive explosive ordnance. If it weren’t for Vinu spotting a few of them, our next steps may well have been into oblivion! Thankfully, she did spot them before they had a chance to cause us any serious harm…
Well, that is what I’d like to say. Technically, Vinu did spot them -before- any harm was caused. However, she then accidentally detonated one of them while trying to defuse it. Then Meved took the brunt of one himself on account of his ursine gait covering a larger surface area. I tried to use Twitch to scout a path ahead, though this process resulted in yet another accidental trigger, which unfortunately also caught both Vinu and Meved in yet another blast. At the very least, the explosions didn’t do any irreparable damage, and there were no further traps triggered before we reached our destination: Zethelred’s camp.
Qesh had told us that this vesk warrior may be our best hope for some serious aid against the junk golem. He was apparently a soldier in the Silent War and had taken some issue with how it was concluded (which, being from a species on the other side of that conflict, I can’t exactly say is reassuring, but beggars can’t be choosers I suppose). However, his camp appeared to have been abandoned for months, and not in a way that would suggest a planned departure. All signs point to Zethelred being dead, either at the hands of the golem or one of the plethora of other hazards that come with living in this wasteland. At this point, I’m hoping it was some dumb unrelated accident like a junk avalance or something, because if a creature out there killed him, then chances are we’re going to have to fight it, and I’d rather not go up against something that can take down a seasoned vesk warrior…
With Zethelred being conspicuously absent, we opted to search through his belongings in the hopes of finding more information, or at least something useful for our imminent fight with the golem. We ended up finding some rather powerful weapons, as well as some heavy armour, spell gems, and a journal. We appropriated all of these. Vinu took the particularly powerful-looking pistol, Meved laid claim to the armour, and I snagged the gems and the journal. Much as I am loath to commit theft or breach of personal privacy, considering the dismal likelihood of Zethelred still being alive and our own survival needs, this felt like an acceptable exception to my moral compass. I only hope that this isn’t indicative of a deeper skew in my ethics…
Seeing as the camp wasn’t actively trying to kill us (and we had put some distance between us and the minefield that was passively trying to kill us), we opted to take a pause to recuperate. As the only two in the group that hadn’t had the dubious pleasure of receiving a very violent surprise concussive foot massage, Yaro and I took some time to tend to the others. My canid companion assisted our injured organic allies while I tended to my much less fleshy but nevertheless mangled robotic friend. After all was said and done, it took me roughly an hour to get Twitch back into working order. During that time, I played back Zethelred’s journal in audio format so that I could listen to his accounts while I worked. Efficiency aside, there is something rather soothing about listening to an audio log while working on menial tasks… In fact, it helped me speed through the repairs, leaving me some time to make alterations to Zethelred’s golemforged plating armour to accommodate Meved’s frame.
Apparently our would-be ally had indeed taken an interest in the golem. Unfortunately however, the journal didn’t provide any information I wasn’t already aware of. The golem is big, it’s strong, it can heal by absorbing tech into itself, and it’s mostly immune to magic. I did get a sense for Zethelred as a person, which was anecdotally interesting, but not especially practical for us at this moment (not to mention, it felt a little strange, reading someone else’s journal). Considering he left his weapons home, including his doshko (a weapon that holds great cultural significance to the vesk), and didn’t make a mention in his journal regarding his departure to fight, I’m holding a bit more hope for the “tragic accident” scenario. Not that that is exactly good either… At this point, whatever “got” Zethelred, I just hope it doesn’t get us as well.
I think listening to a (probably) dead guy’s journal ended up making me even more acutely aware of the potential lethality of this wasteland of wreckage… The strangest thing about it is that I’m a lot less perturbed about that than I rationally ought to be. I guess yesterday’s events have dulled the impact of life-endangering scenarios to me. I’m making a note to give myself a thorough psych-eval after this mission is concluded.
By the time I had finished refitting Zethel-I mean Meved’s new armour, Yaro had sniffed out the remaining mines (it turns out bomb-sniffing is a thing he can do; I wish he remembered that handy little fact earlier), and we were all as ready as we could be for the fight with the junk golem. We may not have found a warrior ally, but we did at least get some useful equipment.
We found the golem in a clearing devoid of most things save for a small ship command bridge. Sure enough, it was just as big, strong, and angry as we had been informed, though it didn’t immediately take notice of us. That allowed us to prepare a surprise attack. Vinu used her stealth to get to a decent vantage point, while Meved readied for a charge and Yaro took out his weapon. The intention was that I hit the golem with an opening acid blast to slow it down (fun fact: the nature of junk golem physiology means that the application of acid will limit their motor functions for a time), giving the others a chance to harass it with hit and run tactics.
The plan was theoretically sound, and going quite well right up until I hit the monster and my spell fizzled out on what was apparently a purple force field. The damn thing absorbed my hit, and with it, the potential slowing effect. I tried again a few more times whenever my allies would break the regenerating force field, but I couldn’t get a good hit on the damn goliath. Since that didn’t work, I tried a few other things. I’ve wired my mind-affecting magic to work on robotics, so I was able to try disabling it’s weapon familiarity subroutines. The damn beast stubbornly refused to comply, and ate up most of my magic in repeated attempts. I greased him up at one point, hoping that we might cause him to slip and fall, but he didn’t actually move his position for the vast majority of the fight (more on that in a moment), so that didn’t do much. I did get frustrated at one point and ran in to hit him with a spell gem of junk armour, which caused him to get more fixated on attacking Meved (which he was already doing, but at least it stopped him from chasing after me or anyone else). By the end I just resorted to providing supporting fire, which ended up being more effective than anything else I tried. Go figure. The big takeaway from this particular paragraph is that for all my strategy and planning, I was not particularly useful in this fight (except for the final blow; I did help at least a bit with that).
Fortunately, my allies more than made up for my slack. Vinu managed to use her stealth to pretty consistently drop the golem’s constantly regenerating force field, leaving it open to other attacks. Yaro used his arc pistol to provide harrying fire pretty much from the beginning, which helped with landing hits. Then there was Meved, who charged the damn thing at the start and pretty much held his ground for the entire fight. The battle played out more or less like a war of attrition between a golem and a bear (with a few helpers), and the bear ultimately had more endurance. Having seen how well Meved was able to ignore attacks from angry thugs and hungry bugs, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d be able to hold his own against the golem. With every passing moment, I find myself wondering in absolute terror if all ursine are this strong. If so, perhaps we should be more thankful it was the vesk and not them that fought us in the Silent War…
It wasn’t too hard to retrieve the plasma charger circuit after the golem collapsed. I was hoping I might find something else useful among its component pieces, or even be able to restore that force field for our own use, but no such luck. The best I managed was to accumulate a respectable assortment of mostly useless junk parts. That said, Vinu and Yaro did manage to find some grenades. I’m hoping we won’t need to use them (or at least, not for combat), but considering where we are it seems wise to keep them on hand, just in case.
So with that, we’ve got one of the three pieces we need for the EMP key. I’m sincerely hoping the other two aren’t nearly as difficult, because I am downright exhausted, mentally, physically, and magically…
Player's Notes: It took me quite a while to actually get around to finishing this one up. I chalk it up to July being a very busy month for me. That said, both this game and Hell's Vengeance are on a bit of a hiatus due to life issues on our GM's side. I honestly don't know how long it will be before we can play again. Hopefully the situation will be resolved and Astrea's descent into madness shall continue soon...
Player's Notes: Well, that turned out to be quite a hiatus, but we're back! Our GM is once again able to run games, and so the adventure of Astrea and her furry menagerie can resume. So, without further ado:
22/11/08 - Session 8 - Astrea’s Journal: Barters and Beatdowns
Seconday, 30th Desnus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
I’m not entirely certain if it’s the adrenaline wearing off from our fight with the golem or some form of stress induced time perception dilation, but I feel as though half a year passed in the span of a few minutes. Normally, such a drastic sense of temporal displacement would be cause for abundant concern, but given the intensely traumatic stimulating nature of the last couple days and our current predicament, dwelling on the matter right now seems counterproductive. Instead, I will attempt to refocus myself on our ongoing objectives.
Our current status is that we have been contracted by a researcher by the name of Vari-13 to locate the wreckage of the Stellar Flare, a vessel that had been conducting research of immense scientific importance. We located the ship in the Outer Junkfields, but it is currently protected by a powerful energy barrier.
During our exploration, we also encountered Murkk and Qesh, a goblin and ikeshti, who proposed a solution in the form of an "EMP Key" that could potentially deactivate the field. While dubiously plausible, Murkk's uncanny technical expertise suggests that this may be our best plan. In light of that, we set out to retrieve three components: an electrolytic capacitor, a size-23 harmonic coil, and a plasma charger circuit.
We've just retrieved the charger circuit from a rampaging junk golem. That leaves us with the two other items, which by Murkk and Qesh's accounts should reside in the territories claimed by their respective groups, the goblin "Trashunters" and the ikeshti "Unbrood". There is an ongoing conflict between these groups, which complicates matters somewhat.
Our logic for dealing with the goblins was quite simple. The Trashunters are technology collectors, interested in valuable electronics, and we just disabled a giant walking pile of valuable electronics. Meved was kind enough to transport the golem's body as we made our way into their territory to find someone with whom to trade. Fortunately, that didn’t take very long. We ran into a goblin and managed to convince him to take us to his companions who had recently scavenged an electrolytic capacitor. After some challenging and somewhat roundabout negotiations, we struck a deal to give them the golem’s torso in exchange for the next component of our macguffin EMP device.
With two pieces secured and our personal resources dwindling, we decided to return to Murkk and Qesh to report our progress and possibly get some rest. Murkk eagerly took (and tasted) the components, confirming their usefulness. She also helped recharge our weapons (though her methodology was more than a little bit unsafe) and made some improvements to Twitch while I was sleeping (which I did not consent to, but at that particular time was too tired to give much mind, and in retrospect her work was actually quite impressive).
I confess that prior to this voyage, I had not taken a great deal of interest in goblins as a species. Common literature portrays them as volatile pests of incidental intelligence, and I readily bought into these stereotypes. Having now interacted with some of them first-hand, I’m beginning to think that these beliefs are founded on preconceptions about intelligence that do not adequately acknowledge the validity of neuro-divergent thought processes. Yes, goblins are certainly difficult to understand and seem as nonsensical as they are dangerous at first, but upon closer observation, there is an internal consistency to their method of thinking that is undeniably effective, if a little non-linear (and definitely still more than a little dangerous). I am doing my best to disabuse myself of my preconceptions, and look forward to studying their fascinating form of technological literacy at some point in the future (behind a layer of reinforced glass; I am open-minded, not suicidal). For now, I will take my first step by being a little more open to Murkk’s seemingly insane solutions and make a personal note to download some goblin language software at the next opportunity.
We spent the night resting in a hideout made by our two junkfield allies. I am nearly 100% certain that besides Murkk “improving” Twitch without my knowledge, absolutely nothing happened except some much-needed rest. My companions, being all members of thick-coated species, helped immensely in keeping me warm in the absence of a temperature controlled environment, and therefore the “cuddle-pile” I found myself encased in was of a purely practical nature. Any allegations otherwise or suggestions that I somehow enjoyed the physical intimacy with my fluffy friends for reasons other than warmth are completely unfounded and should be dismissed as such.
[Note: Section redacted from journal entry and moved to addendums]
The next day, we prepared to tackle the last component, a size-23 harmonic coil. Qesh suggested that there might be one in Unbrood territory. Our plan was to take advantage of their interest in claiming territory to offer a trade much like we did with the Trashunters: we would give them the land previously inaccessible due to the junk golem in exchange for the coil. Qesh seemed to believe that this plan would likely not succeed, as the Unbrood by his account are not particularly inclined towards diplomacy. We did mull over some other ideas (including attempting to honour-duel the Unbrood leader Asashla for leadership of the tribe), but ultimately settled on attempting to scout the area quietly. If we run into any Unbrood, we will attempt to negotiate, but expect a fight. Ultimately, our goal is to get the coil and leave their territory as quickly as possible.
Murkk’s modifications did nothing to impede Twitch’s stealth capabilities (if anything, they were enhanced), so we managed to make good use of our little scout. Thanks to that, we were able to locate a coil among a stash of trash. This would have been ideal, were it not for that pile of trash being in the middle of a group of four ikeshti. We had come across these ikeshti violently mutilating a khefak for what seemed to be recreational purposes. If I am being perfectly honest, this sight did not sit well with me in the slightest, and even knowing in retrospect that at least some of these ikeshti were followers of Zon-Kuthon (the god of pain, among other things), I cannot bring myself to condone their actions. While I have participated in more than my fair share of violence in the last couple days, the non-consensual infliction of pain for any reason beyond self-defence seems to me a rather indefensible proposition. Perhaps it’s for that reason that when these Unbroods finally noticed us and declared their aggression, I made no effort to defuse the situation.
As per usual, my companions were more than capable of absolutely devastating these foes, though I did assist by using grease to prevent one of them from fleeing the scene. I suppose that my reasoning was that having any survivors reporting our actions could endanger the mission, though if I am honest with myself there is at least some part of me that was acting out of righteous indignation. After the fight, we retrieved the coil, looted their bodies (and found a small regenerating shield nearby), and then melted our victims to completely erase the evidence.
I am not exactly comfortable with how rapidly I was able to reconcile the death of other sapient creatures. Even if their actions were viscerally unpleasant and they did express intent to harm us, we did nothing to avoid this conclusion, and if anything actively pursued it. It’s a bit difficult for me personally to morally justify that, though I realise this is something most mercenaries likely encounter on a regular basis. I do find myself wondering if Yaraesa, in all of her wisdom, ever confronted this dilemma. Ethics is a form of knowledge after all, though it seems to me too subjective to offer conclusive solutions…
For the time being, I will try not to dwell on it, and simply focus on doing the best that I can in the circumstances presented to me. If I’m lucky, I won’t find myself faced with too many more ethical dilemmas before I have some time to sit down and process all of this…
22/11/08 - Session 8a - Astrea’s Journal Addendum: Encrypted Note
Seconday, 30th Desnus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
[Exclude following entry from any official publications]
Given the fact that this is my private encrypted log of my unedited journal, I will dismiss the highly unlikely (albeit gut-wrenchingly mortifying) prospect of this ever being read by another sapient creature and permit myself to speak with complete candour.
After spending the night embraced by them, I find myself deeply uncertain regarding my emotional inclinations towards my crewmates.
To be clear, it isn't a matter of doubt or mistrust. Over the relatively brief time I've spent with them, we've grown close and developed strong bonds. I have complete confidence in their skills and intentions and deeply value their contributions to the team, and can only hope that my own contributions in turn are valued by them.
What vexes me is more personal. I find myself speculating on the nature of our relationships outside of a professional environment. I do think of all of them as my friends, but I wonder if perhaps there is something else at play. I am admittedly a novice in romantic matters. While I have studied the psychology, biology, and culture of mating practices extensively (for purely professional reasons), I've never had the time to consider exploring these topics in any capacity beyond academically. But now that I've begun my pursuit of practical knowledge, this might be the ideal time for such explorations. Having to spend a night sleeping in such close proximity to several others for the first time in my adult life has made me acutely aware of my inexperience in this domain.
Then again, this sort of investigation might also prove damaging to our current group dynamic, which has proven rather effective. Would such a pursuit be distracting, or be seen as inappropriate given our working relationship? Even if it was acceptable, there is the matter of whom to approach with such a proposition. Certainly both Yaro and Vinu are physically and emotionally attractive candidates. Additionally their fur does make for a pleasurable tactile experience that I very much enjoy, though that may not necessarily be romantic in nature… Also, I do seem to recall there being a stigma associated with engaging in relations with animal-adjacent species, which may require further investigation (after all, one could argue that all species are animal-adjacent). Meved, while a valuable friend and trusted ally, is perhaps too biologically divergent for such a candidacy. That, and the prospect honestly feels just a little bit too terrifying to consider. Vari-13 could also be a viable option, given our mutual interests. Then again, I'm unfamiliar with Android mating habits. Or perhaps that's all the more reason to try it… For that matter does such a pursuit necessarily need to be monogamous? Paired couplings are common but by no means universal, and a larger sample size might be more advantageous for research purposes. Then there’s the matter of their own individual views on this subject, as well as logistics, and determining what would actually be included in such a relationship…
[Record auto-saved due to prolonged inactivity]
After taking a moment to collect my thoughts, I have come to the conclusion that my nervousness over my lack of practical experience and the overwhelming nature of this current voyage is overriding my rationality and I am compensating by overthinking the matter. I'll shelve the subject of romantic pursuits for the time being and focus on the mission at hand. Hopefully doing so will help me get some much needed clarity with which to move forward. Either that or a moment of extreme stress will cause my repression to backfire and lead to me taking some sort of impulsive action. I’m hoping it will be the former.
[End of excluded section]
Player's Notes: I really missed playing Astrea. Game mechanics aside, it's just so fun to roleplay a woefully naive and innocent scientist as she is thrust ever deeper into the absolute nonsense that is being an adventurer. This time around, we had a brief moment after the party slept huddled up together where Astrea woke up incredibly flustered at the implications of that (though nothing did happen). Considering how "liberally-minded" she was in her original incarnation, it makes for an amusing juxtaposition. She'll get there one day, I'm sure, but not before being a thorough source of amusement for her more seasoned companions.
As an aside, while rereading Starfinder's classes while prepping to return to this game, I came to the realisation that Astrea should realistically be a Biohacker rather than a Technomancer. I don't really remember why I didn't make her one, besides just not having a very good grasp of the Starfinder classes at the time. Maybe it's something I'll revisit at some point...
Player's Notes: Been a while, hasn't it? Apologies to anyone who was reading these and hoping for an update sooner. The long and short of it is that we had an impressive string of unavailability among our group for various reasons, including no less than two moves and one home flooding. Things seem to be back in order now though, so it is my sincere hope that we'll be resuming this Starfinder campaign with some regularity. Same goes for the Hell's Vengeance game for that matter, but there's still one other factor at play for that one so it may take a bit longer.
Anyway, on with the journal!
23/02/28 - Session 9 - Astrea’s Journal: Egregious Errors in Engineering
Seconday, 30th Desnus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
I am beginning to suspect that this sensation of time dilation may be a product of some form of either atmospheric radiation or electrical interference scrambling my neural implants. I may need to investigate this phenomenon, as these sudden feelings of prolonged sensory deprivation are deeply unsettling, to say the least. A part of me worries that it may have something to do with the Stellar Flare, though for some inexplicable reason I feel compelled to believe that it is rather the product of some metaphysical phenomenon well beyond anything that could be properly interpreted within the scope of my scientific implements.
Either way, it has not changed the fact that we have a mission to complete; one that is significantly more tangible and actionable. Having reappropriated the harmonic coil and eliminated the evidence of our intrusion into Unbrood turf, we now had in our possession everything Murkk requested for her device. All that was left was for her to build it. We called Riddle and Vari-13 to let them know we hadn’t died horribly in the vast fields of scrap as we made our way back to the goblin-ikeshti duo.
I won’t deny that the sheer absurdity of this experiment still concerned me. Murkk’s engineering methods go against every basic principle I have learned in my studies. At best, these items could possibly create a minor static interference, or more likely a small explosive reaction from the chemical components. In fact, our goblin ally did produce both of these effects during the crafting process, on multiple occasions. Even while keeping what ought to have been a safe distance, my companions and I did suffer some minor feedback in our electrical equipment. It really did a number on my neural graft, which was more than a little disorienting. Fortunately the effect was brief, but I’ve taken note to invest in some protective countermeasures, just in case someone brain fizzle boom key myself head integer++.
It took the better part of a day, but somehow Murkk did succeed at creating the device she referred to as an EMP Key. In true goblin fashion, its appearance seemed akin to a child’s rendition of what a taser might look like, complete with a single large red activation button. Nevertheless, aesthetics aren’t the important factor here. By my analysis, the device could be a passable EMP generator, absurd as that might seem. At this stage, I think I’ve learned better than to doubt the uncanny effectiveness of goblin ingenuity. Just as much as I don’t doubt the penchant for instability and volatility that goblin-made devices so often have. As such, I opted to leave the safekeeping of the device to Twitch. I would rather keep the contraption well away from my other technological devices, just in case.
As an aside, I feel it necessary to remark that the relationship between Murkk and Qesh is remarkably endearing. The excitement Qesh displayed to the possibility of uniting their feuding clans through this endeavour, and Murkk’s amused response to Qesh’s praise, gives me hope that they may well be the ideal candidates to resolve the conflict, with a little help from us, of course. Yaro expressed a similar thought, which reassured me that the thought was not simply a product of my own idealism. Also, from a purely subjective standpoint, the pair are adorable, and I want them to have a happy resolution to all of this.
Our next step was to bring the key to the Midzone and use it to deactivate the force field sealing the Stellar Flare. Of course, the problem with entering a no-man’s land during an ongoing territorial conflict is that all participating parties are sure to be alerted by it. This was no exception. Almost immediately after our arrival, the leaders of both the Trashunters and the Unbrood arrived with ample forces to potentially instigate a full-on battle. Bomguzzle and Blastube were unsurprisingly equipped with armour and weapons that seemed as dangerous for the user as they would be for the target. Asashla meanwhile perfectly fit the previously asserted description of an ikeshti well on her way to transforming into a rivener.
[Editor’s Addendum] I also noticed the goblins who previously traded with us in attendance. They were apparently punished for interacting with us by being forced to bathe. As much as I prefer them in this cleaned state, I must acknowledge that for a goblin this would be a rather cruel fate. I have taken a note to find these goblins after the situation is resolved and offer my magic to re-soil them, as this punishment was clearly unfairly given. The thought does make me wonder just how often people have thought to use Token Spell to make someone less clean. Not that I ever doubted it was ever used this way, but this is the first time I’ve truly contemplated the notion. [Editor’s Addendum End]
I did make an attempt to initiate diplomatic conversation with the clan leaders, but I cannot deny that the effort was likely wasted on these particular individuals. They made it quite clear before I could even begin to make the semblance of a cogent argument that they had no intention of making any sort of concessions, and almost immediately resorted to violence. Asashla in particular was all too eager to instigate aggressions. Once she did, there wasn’t much hope of resolving the situation peacefully. I was barely holding Meved back as it was.
Fortunately for us, despite Asashla’s admittedly impressive strength, her defences left much to be desired. Between Meved’s frontal assault and Vinu’s stealthy ambush, she didn’t remain standing for too long [Editing Note: Given the nature of Asashla’s condition, this could be taken as an innuendo. Consider rewording in case of crassness or cultural insensitivity]. Yaro for his part did a good job reminding the two other leaders why goblins have a long standing history of fearing canids. I meanwhile did what I could to restrict our foes’ combat capabilities, to moderate effect.
I confess to getting a little heated in the moment near the end of the fight. When only Bomguzzle was left standing, I ridiculed his armaments as being poorly constructed. He took it poorly enough to throw his gun at me, which promptly exploded (proving my point in the process, I might add). Fortunately the explosion was as ineffective as he was, and my allies took him down moments later. Still, he did hold the distinction of being the first foe to actually inflict some harm on me. This would be the first time I was injured by faulty wiring, but regrettably, not the last…
In any case, we did manage to defeat the leaders of both clans. Given the circumstances, I feared what the remaining members of both sides might do in response, but it was our good fortune that this was the moment that Murkk’s EMP Key was finally ready to activate.
In case it was not made abundantly clear from my earlier statements, I will reiterate. According to all known laws of electrical engineering, there is no way a combination of an electrolytic capacitor, size-23 harmonic coil, and plasma charger circuit should be able to generate an electromagnetic pulse. Those components are too incongruous to produce the necessary electric fields. This key, however, created the pulse anyway, because goblins don't care what other sapient species think is impossible.
Successfully opening the gate to the Stellar Flare was a grand enough accomplishment for our friendly duo to make an appeal for peace. It seems that without the prior stubborn leadership keeping them at odds with one another, the goblins and the ikeshti didn’t have much of a reason to maintain their feud. Of course, I strongly suspect that Murkk and Qesh having the backing of the group that managed to take down their respective leaders at the same time helped to reinforce their arguments. Nevertheless, it is reassuring to see that both of these species are not only capable of peaceful coexistence, but willingly accept it with minimal intervention. I for one am all too happy to see this debunking of leading rhetoric about these species.
In recognition of our efforts, Murkk and Qesh acknowledged our scavenger rights to the Stellar Flare. We would be allowed to enter first and claim whatever we desired. Not that I doubted the earnest pair to hold up our agreement, but it was a welcome change for things to go so smoothly. I did promise that I would find Murkk something within that would suit her tastes. I will be keeping a lookout for something “pointy, shiny, and sparky”, or at least something that is close to those criteria. Assuming the ship remains largely intact within, I have no doubt we’ll find a suitable gift. It’s only fair that Murkk be rewarded after all, considering we wouldn’t have gotten this far without her assistance.
---
From my prior research into the junkfields and the wrecks found therein, I expected the remains of the Stellar Flare to be in a far worse state than they were. On a whole, the hull’s structural integrity was impressive, to the point that my fear of the whole ship collapsing at the slightest sternutation was happily assuaged. That being said, it was also intact enough that some of the ship’s security measures were also still in place. Were it not for my noticing this, we may well have tripped a scanner that by my assessment would have triggered a defence turret. It would have been very unfortunate if all of our efforts to get here were foiled because of something so mundane as a security checkpoint! Fortunately, my skills were enough to disable the system, at least for a while.
Pushing further into the ship wa a bit more difficult. Meved and Vinu are biologically accustomed to low-light environments, and Yaro doesn’t rely on vision, but I lacked either of these solutions, and so had to resort to generating my own light. My spells were enough to account for this, but I could not help but find that it impeded my observation skills. Though I attempted to inspect the ship, I was no doubt missing various key details that would have certainly been of great help had I caught them earlier.
The first of these was the terminal for the security robot which we found. The machine immediately saw us as threats and attempted to exterminate us, so naturally my companions retaliated. I meanwhile did what I could to find a terminal to override those protocols, though I only found it just in time for the bot to be disabled. I was hoping I might be able to make use of the still functioning machine, but as it stands (or rather, doesn’t stand in this case), I’ll have to take a crack at repairing it later, which will be a fair bit harder now that it has acquired several new spear-shaped holes.
My next blunder was with a terminal we had found within one of the rooms. Perhaps I was too eager to harvest data from the terminal, because in my haste I failed to notice the immensely hazardous wiring situation below. As soon as I came into contact with the device, the discharge blasted me through a nearby window. By my estimations, were it not for my having taken a rest moments earlier to restore my armour’s defensive protocols, that blast may well have killed me! Dear reader, I cannot stress enough the importance of electrical safety! Having now experienced the consequences of faulty wiring myself, I can legitimately say that it was the single most painful experience I have ever encountered. Thanks to Yaro and the lingering adrenaline from my excitement over our discovery, I was able to recover fairly quickly, but I’ve taken note to add electrical burn care and severe injury-induced trauma therapy to my increasing list of post-mission treatments. As for the terminal, it had little of actual value within, save for informing me that the most crucial data likely lies within Vari-8’s terminal, wherever it might be. It’s something, but not nearly what I had hoped for…
My misfortunes did not stop there, unfortunately. I learned my lesson from the terminal and scouted the next room with Twitch. Within, I located two creatures I was able to identify as driftdead. These are individuals who were reanimated by drift energies post-death, taking on incorporeal forms. As much as I would have loved to delve into the scientific implications of such a phenomenon, not to mention the fact that this could very well be a hint as to what might have happened with the Stellar Flare’s experiment, I was slightly more preoccupied with the fact that these beings seemed very eager to use their drift manipulation abilities to tear me apart at the molecular level. Just as I cannot in good conscience recommend being subjected to an electrical explosion, I can also say with absolute certainty that being torn apart is a thoroughly unpleasant experience. I was fortunate that Meved still had Zethelred’s flame doshko to fend the creatures off. Not as fortunate as I might have been if we had located the ghost killer hammer in the storage closet before encountering the ghosts, rather than after, but I’ve opted to consider it a learning experience on the value of using Detect Magic while investigating piles of junk. A very painful learning experience.
The physical pain of being blown up and then ripped apart was indeed immensely unpleasant, but tolerable compared to the state of the reading room in which we found the driftdead. Centuries-old pieces of literature and records that would have been priceless artefacts lay about, far too damaged or decomposed to be salvageable. The sight of a forgotten bastion of knowledge, even a small one, decayed to this state is enough to make any scholar feel a pang of regret. The thought of losing knowledge is a terrible thing. I only hope that the Stellar Flare’s research did not suffer the same fate...
Still, lingering in the misery of what was lost wouldn’t do us any good, nor would allowing my adrenaline to wear off and remind me of just how bad of a beating I’ve taken so far. We doubled back and inspected the rooms, finding a couple items (namely the aforementioned ghost killing hammer), but nothing too noteworthy. Our investigations left us with one last door to investigate, that being the one to the laboratory. We had retrieved a key from the reading room, and once we entered we found… Well, I’ll save that for my next log. There is something to be said for narrative suspense, after all!
Player's Notes: I figured it was only a matter of time before Astrea got injured, but I'll be damned if I didn't have just awful luck this session. I could not for the life of me roll above an 8 on the majority of my checks, passing a couple things only because I had such high Engineering and Computers modifiers. Fortunately Astrea still had enough resources to recover, though I fear that she's depleted quite a lot of her Resolve just before we entered a boss room...
Fortunately, we also just levelled up, and I decided to give Astrea a little dip into Biohacking. It won't help with her spell list, but it will certainly amplify her various other capacities in a pretty big way. I plan on writing a journal addendum on the subject (as well as Astrea's gradual loss of innocence), but I wanted to make sure to get this entry done before our next session at least.
Wish me luck!
23/02/28 - Session 9a - Astrea’s Journal Addendum: Introduction To Biohacking
Seconday, 30th Desnus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
As I rested up from my near death experience, I found myself thinking a lot on some of the courses I took earlier in my studies. Specifically, I considered the interconnectedness of various scientific fields. Up until now, I’ve been focusing quite a bit on the relationship between technology and magic, and how each might be used to augment the other. Perhaps that is simply due to what was most expedient to my progression in the echelons of academia, or maybe I was simply being affected by tunnel vision. It’s amusing to think that in all of this, I neglected my actual majors of biology and neuroscience, when the entire reason I started studying technomancy was to learn of its potential applications to living creatures.
Somewhere along the way, I rested too much on my scholarly laurels and forgot that science is most valuable when it is applied for the betterment of people’s lives. It is an immutable fact that as a mere scholar, I never could have survived this ordeal on my own. Even with the help of my companions, I’ve been incredibly lucky. The fact that I made it this far without incurring even a single physical injury is a statistical anomaly. From a standpoint of probabilities, that luck was bound to run out sooner or later.
Given the evidence, it’s about time I adjust my approach. If I want to not suffer a gruesome and tragic end in this wasteland, then I should take advantage of my broader knowledge alongside my broadened experience. At this moment, I am not a teaching assistant at a prestigious university. Lectures and essays will not keep me alive when a Khefak attempts to digest me, or a thug tries to threaten me, or when I am between two warring factions of scrappers, or even when I am trying to investigate a haunted vessel for lost technology. These situations are diverse, and therefore require a nuanced, multidisciplinary approach.
In a similar vein, it is obvious to me that this also goes for my philosophical approach to situations. Maybe it’s the residual effects of the electrical discharge, or the repeated exposure to traumatic stimuli getting to me, but I have come to the conclusion that I’ve been rather naive throughout this mission. Naturally, I still find violence deeply unpalatable, but on numerous occasions throughout this trip, I’ve come into circumstances where it was not only expedient, but almost necessary. Of course, there may have been other solutions available, but in the heat of the moment, finding such alternatives is not always feasible. Regrettable as it might be, sometimes you simply have to shoot the space ghosts so that they don’t tear you apart atom by atom. Ideals are valuable, but cannot always override what is practical. Of course, I’m not about to abandon my values because I got injured, but it has become clearer to me that I cannot afford to be inflexible, and my hesitation if left unchecked may get me killed.
As I’m writing, I’ve procured a few lingering pieces of technology to reconfigure my scanner for more practical applications. It is fortunate that the Stellar Flare was a research vessel; there is no shortage of salvageable equipment to be found, even if it is a little dated…
Player's Notes: The little bonus entry to commemorate Astrea's dip into Biohacking, as well as a recognition of the fact that she is finally coming to terms with the fact that panic attacks may not be the healthiest way to process all of these life or death scenarios she's been running into lately.
To be perfectly honest, the hiatus kinda messed up my pacing for the transition, so I'm not sure if it feels as organic now as it ought to have. Perhaps now that we're back in the swing of things with some regularity, I'll be able to strike a balance. Even if we're nearing the end of the Junker adventure, I know that our GM has plans for a continuation, so we'll see...
23/02/28 - Session 10 - Astrea’s Journal: Scavenger’s Rights
Thirday, 31st Desnus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
In my last log, our group had just managed to enter the laboratory of the Stellar Flare. Based on our search up until that point, it stood to reason that this is where we would locate the drift engine. As it so happens, we did. However, it was not the only thing we found.
Emerging from nearby was a creature I had not seen before. In fact, despite my newly augmented chemical composition scanner, I could not immediately identify the creature. This being had the unmistakable characteristics of an undead, including an exposed skeletal structure and a deeply unsettling presence. However it also possessed clear technological components. My first guess would have been that this is some sort necrograft-technological hybrid, but nothing in my database, including among the Eox-based records, could identify this particular entity. My next guess would be that the experimentation with the drift engine led to a breach that resulted in some sort of spacial anomaly…
Under normal circumstances, the discovery of a new entity like this would be cause for excitement and thorough investigation. That being said, the goblin viscera strewn about the room and the fact that the entity was wearing their flayed skins like a crude cloak suggested that this would not be a friendly encounter. Well, to be more accurate, there might have been some other circumstances, such as it being especially hostile to goblins, but the fact that it acted hostile towards us almost immediately made any further specification largely moot. Thankfully, our group was a little more prepared for such an encounter.
Only moments after seeing it take action, I understood why the goblins didn’t stand a chance. The entity’s scariest feature, even more so than its intensely menacing claws, was its regenerative powers. This, along with its toughened exoskeleton, made it very difficult to subdue. I tried to do what I could to mess with its combat protocols, though its particularly unique blend of necrotic technology made it difficult to affect. My allies had better luck with brute force and electricity, despite the tough armoured casing. Meved managed to land a powerful strike that launched a fragment of it near where I was standing. I tried analysing the metal chunk and determined that the nature of its regeneration had a weakness. The metal alloy that the entity was composed of, while naturally capable of regeneration, would become inert if exposed to certain acidic compounds. Additionally, the regeneration could not reassemble components that were wholly separated from one another. This meant that it could be countered through the use of strong acid or a sufficiently strong explosive blast.
Perhaps I was a bit hasty in sharing this information, as Meved responded almost immediately by lodging a fragmentation grenade inside of the entity and holding it close, presumably to prevent escape and to minimise collateral damage. In retrospect, I appreciate the consideration, given that I otherwise would have been directly within the blast radius. Thanks to that particular move, I only suffered minor injuries while trying to take cover under a nearby desk. It was a risky tactic, to be certain, but ultimately I find it hard to argue with Meved’s combat effectiveness. That remains one field in which I am all too happy to defer to the expertise of my companions, so long as they don’t blow me up in the process.
Almost immediately after we detonated the mystery creature, its components began to decay at an alarming rate. My attempts to collect any samples was for naught, so now the only remaining data is what little I managed to record during the fight. I sincerely doubt it will be enough to make any breakthroughs, though perhaps I will be able to cross-reference what we experienced with some more esoteric records once we return to Absalom.
Once the clear and present danger was no more, we were a little more at liberty to examine the prize we had actually come here for. The drift engine is indeed a marvel to behold. It would take a great deal more investigation on my part to fully determine just how this literal miracle of technology functions, but one truth remains indisputable: it does function. The engine, despite lingering in this junkyard for centuries, has managed to produce a steady output of considerable energy. Quite simply put, it defies our current understandings of laws of conservation of energy in a way that, if harnessed correctly, could revolutionalise science and society as we know it!
The engine alone would have been a significant discovery, though the true treasure was the android-compatible computer we also managed to find in the room once we started looking around. The device had some security measures, but nothing so secure that I couldn’t crack it. My hypothesis that this belonged to Vari-8 was correct, and within was enough data to make an entire engineering faculty salivate. The engine proved that the technology was possible, but with the data stored within this computer (and now also my own), we had the means to recreate it!
That being said, there is a caveat. It’s clear from the crash, phantoms, and whatever that skin-wearing creature was that the technology used here still needed some tests before it could be applied. While looking through Vari-8’s notes, I determined that their safety protocols, while not entirely nonexistent, were not up to modern standards. Given that we don’t have the ship’s blackbox, and the records are mostly limited to the engine itself, it’s not exactly clear why the Stellar Flare crashed, particularly whether it was the product of their experimentation or some other factor. While the technology may indeed be safe, there’s no guarantee that it wasn’t the cause of this accident. It would be unconscionable to move directly into mass application without first confirming that. I will have to make that point abundantly clear to Vari-13, lest they make the same mistake that pervades most science-fiction accounts of supposed “infinite energy sources”.
(For those who are less prolific consumers of such media, the insinuation is that these energy sources often involve drawing from unknown or poorly understood sources, only to awaken some sort of malevolent creatures in the process. These stories typically follow a rescue crew investigating the disappearance of the initial research or excavation crew only for it to turn into a survival horror scenario as they must escape the fearsome entity that was awoken by their greed and hubris.)
Unfortunately for us, the ethical applications of a potentially groundbreaking technological discovery would not be our next most urgent issue. As soon as I had gotten in touch with Riddle and Vari-13 to give them the news, they in turn gave me the considerably more worrisome news that Do’trulu, the leader of the True Warriors, had somehow found out about our location and was on his way to hunt us down and take whatever was in the Stellar Flare for himself. I’m having a hard time imagining how he managed to find out about our endeavour, but investigating the encryption of our comms would have to wait. Our best bet for surviving a focused onslaught from an entire gang would be to utilise the ship’s defences to our advantage…
Our first step was to inform Murkk and Qesh about the situation. Naturally, it would be unreasonable to request their assistance when they only just concluded their previous feud, so really this was just to ensure they would steer clear of the area to avoid any possible collateral damage. I also made sure to keep my promise and gifted Murkk a size 24 harmonic coil I found among the ship’s scrap. She seemed pleased enough with the gift. For their part, Qesh and Murkk wished us luck, but also provided us with some healing serums and the remnants of the EMP key, which could now function as a rudimentary explosive charge. Once this is all over, I’ll be sure to find them again and thank them properly for all their help.
Our defensive strategy was quite sound, if I do say so myself. Between all of us, we scavenged more than enough scrap to build some respectable barricades and traps. While Meved and Yaro focused on blocking off several paths to funnel our guests into firing lanes, I set to work using my engineering knowledge to arrange some less than pleasant surprises. My first project was restoring the security turret at the entrance to the ship. That ought to slow them down a bit. Next was fixing the security bot we previously destroyed. It’s not quite as sturdy as it once was, but “Roomba” should be more than able to do some damage.
While working on the repairs, I had something of a breakthrough. With a bit of rewiring, I rigged the security charging station and the remaining storage computer to produce a detonation similar to the one that nearly killed me earlier. There would be a certain poetic justice in weaponising my prior mistake against these thugs. Beyond that, we set up a couple explosive traps (using Meved’s remaining grenades and Murkk’s explosive key) at chokepoints, and broke some glass along one of the routes.
The plan for our defence was simple. Yaro and I would remain near the entrance to the laboratory while Vinu and Meved held either end of the corridor, with a full line of sight down each lane where they could unleash hell with their long-range weapons. Once the enemies pushed in enough, we would retreat into the laboratory and funnel any remaining enemies there, where I could use my remaining spell gem to fortify our position. All the while, Twitch was strategically hidden near the entrance of the ship, so that I could monitor the True Warriors as they entered and warn our vanguards of the routes they were taking.
It wasn’t long after we had finished resting and setting up our defences that Do’trulu and the True Warriors arrived. Do’trulu sent us a demand of surrender and did what I assume was his best to scare us. I’m uncertain if he is unaware of what happened to his goons the last time they came after us, or if he is simply underestimating us. I did what I could to educate him of his very poor probability of success, but if being a teaching assistant has taught me anything, it’s that a student that is unwilling to listen will never learn.
Time will only tell how the True Warriors will do on the practical exam, but when I consider all the factors at play, I’m expecting a failing grade.
Player's Notes: Anyone who played the Junker adventure may have noticed that Astrea's creature description for what was in the lab wasn't quite the same as what's in the book. That's because our GM replaced it with a homebrewed Flayed One from Warhammer 40K. For those of us in the party that were familiar with 40K lore, this was more than a little concerning. Given that I know some of the other creatures our GM has been statting up, I fear that our continuation past this adventure may end up being necron themed. I honestly can't say I know what to make of that, truth be told, though I'm sure it will be as fun as it is traumatising.
Oh, and I feel as though I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the fact that I got two nat20s in a row that night. The first was to rig the EMP Key to the entrance to the lab as a bomb, and the second was for Twitch to hide near the entrance as an observation drone. It was a good night for my rolls, I must say.
23/03/28 - Session 11 - Astrea’s Journal: Siege of the Stellar Flare
Thirday, 31st Desnus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
It seems as though aeons have passed since we first landed on Akiton, but as I recall the original purpose of our visit was to investigate and if at all possible end the tyranny inflicted on the local populace by the criminal organisation known as the True Warriors. Their exact crimes were numerous, though those we were personally privy to included racketeering, intimidation, and assault. I have no doubts that there were many other crimes perpetrated by this group that we had not witnessed, but this was enough to make the need for our intervention evident.
Of course, actually taking down a gang is usually quite difficult. Normally, the bulk of the gang is composed of disenfranchised youth that are led to a life of crime due to a variety of socioeconomic pressures, usually further catalysed by an influential leadership that is able to appeal to their particular issues. As such, the best ways to deal with a gang are to either improve the living conditions of the affected populace, or to remove the key leadership that hastens the issue. The former is an incredibly slow and difficult process fraught with political strife, whereas the second is difficult because leaders rarely make themselves easily accessible targets. Or at least, the smart ones do.
As it turns out, Do’trulu, leader of the True Warriors, was not a very smart individual.
I suppose it shouldn’t be all that surprising, given their name, that the True Warriors were a group that preferred to tackle challenges to their influence through direct conflict. We anticipated as much when we learned of their imminent approach, and made a point to booby trap just about every cubic metre of the Stellar Flare, and back up those traps with our own ambush tactics.
When Do’trulu sent in his first grunts, they almost immediately set off two of our traps. I was able to watch through Twitch’s camera stream as one of them was eviscerated by the front gate’s defence turret, and then heard another die to an explosive charge in the storage closet. Those that remained continued further until they ran into Vinu, who for what may have been the first time on this journey demonstrated the deadly precision of her Diasporan Rifle. Frankly, I don’t know why she doesn’t use it more often; it completely decapitated a human male with a single shot. She repeated this feat a couple more times over the course of the battle, which reminded me that Vinu is in fact quite a deadly agent.
The remaining Warriors had enough sense to attempt to flee, but were gunned down by their compatriots outside as soon as they reached the exit. I was well aware that gangs often employ intimidation tactics to keep subordinates in line and prevent departures from the organisation, but such an excessive response seemed as inefficient as it was needlessly cruel. Regrettably, it also meant that persuading any subsequent pushes would likely be ineffective so long as Do’trulu remained to punish desertion.
The second wave of Warriors did make it somewhat further, thanks in part to taking the time to deactivate the turret at the front gate. Still, they did not account for every trap, nor for Vinu and Meved raining fire down upon them as soon as they pushed further into the ship. Their attempt to push through was ultimately another failure for the True Warriors.
We did have a brief respite after that. Presumably, Do’trulu and his remaining gang members had come to understand that we would be putting up far more of a fight than some local civilian business owners might, and that gave them pause. I took advantage of that to attempt to restore the turret at the front gate while Meved recovered from his injuries.
Do’trulu personally joined the third attempt, along with his subordinate Tezz Tronnin (the Solarian woman we had seen at the end of our last run-in with the gang) and another small host of lesser members. Being a shobhad, Do’trulu cut a rather immense figure, at least comparable to Meved, though he had two pairs of arms, wielding a flame doshko and a massive crossbolter in each respectively. Perhaps it is only natural that large creatures tend to favour more simplistic weaponry that complements their physical strength. Do’trulu certainly demonstrated his when he smashed the defence turret in a single strike. After all the effort I had put into restoring it, I couldn’t help but feel a little offended by that…
By the time Do’trulu pushed through, many of our traps had already been triggered, and he had enough strength to break down the barricades Meved and Yaro had set up. That led to us falling back to the laboratory to funnel them through the narrow passageway, where we had also left Murkk’s explosive gift. That was supposed to be the plan at least, but it would seem that in all of the commotion Meved had been surrounded, and was now fending off the entire push pretty much single-handedly.
Well, with the exception of Do’trulu himself, who instead decided to chase after Yaro. From what I know about shobhads, they are typically very honour bound. I did try to use that to taunt him after he saw fit to ignore our strongest combattant in favour of the rest of us, but that didn’t seem to phase him. If I’m honest, I didn’t expect it to. Most of my taunts were meant to lower the morale of their remaining members by suggesting that their big tough leader was actually a coward who was scared of a fair fight. I had hoped that since Do’trulu was now otherwise preoccupied, they would not necessarily need to fear retribution for fleeing. Unfortunately, my words were an insufficient motivator. At least I was able to contribute by slowing Do’trulu’s chase with a couple Grease spells.
Vinu, Yaro, and I sealed ourselves in the laboratory, and I reinforced the door to delay the entry while we set ourselves up. This did manage to keep Do’trulu out (during which time he did trigger the EMP key, though it was admittedly less effective than I had hoped), but the effectiveness of our barricade was perhaps too great, since Do’trulu simply abandoned the breach attempt in favour of going after Meved. Once I confirmed with Twitch that all that remained covering our exit was a single soldier, we opened the gate and prepared to push through to help our ursine companion.
Dear reader, if you have read my accounts up to this point, then you are likely well aware that Meved is a very powerful individual. On a physical level, he towers over us, and is capable of feats of strength and endurance that few sapient creatures could match. Given that, it should come as no surprise that despite being left alone with no less than four gang members and Tezz Tronnin for almost a full minute, he was very much holding his own. Now granted, he had been injured quite severely by this point, but this only seemed to make him all the more ferocious. The idiom “poke the bear” comes to mind, and feels apt, given the circumstances. Let it be known that poking Meved is not a wise decision under any circumstances.
Tezz Tronnin learned this the hard way when Meved quite literally ripped her in two. As it so happens, I was able to view this event as it occurred through Twitch’s camera. I had thought that my prior experiences and the fact that this was through a screen might harden me to this display. It did not.
Or perhaps it did, I was able to keep my composure for at least the remainder of the fight before having to find a quiet place to dispose of my lunch.
In any case, the two remaining True Warrior grunts decided that the bifurcation of their second in command was sign enough that they ought to abandon the fight. That left only one lower ranked officer and Do’trulu to contend with. I believe the combination of traps and various injuries had already weakened Do’trulu by this point, which meant that when Yaro finally reached him and used his Mindthrust spell, it was all that was needed to finally end the gang leader. Frankly, I’m quite thankful that his mask bore the brunt of his cranial detonation. The writhing half-body crawling across the floor screaming in agony more than satisfied my gore quota for the day (for the record, that quota is usually “none to very little and preferably in a clinical environment”, despite recent events suggesting otherwise).
The last True Warrior remaining completely broke rank once there was no rank remaining. Personally, I would have been happy to allow her to flee and hopefully reconsider her life choices, hopefully to take a path that involved less crime and conflicts with angry bears. Meved had other ideas though, and eventually the “conflict with bear” mistake proved to have permanent consequences. By this I mean he chased her down and threw a spear through her torso, just in case that wasn’t clear. I cannot say that I condoned this particular action, but I didn’t get much of a chance to convey my disapproval. Even if I had, given everything Meved just went through, I’m not certain that my words would have persuaded him. Either way, she will absolutely not be making that mistake ever again.
Following that series of events, something tells me that the few surviving members of the True Warriors have been dissuaded from retaliating or ever reviving the organisation. As such, I am confident in saying that we have accomplished our mission. Both of our missions, actually. The Drift Engine remains secure, and following an update with Riddle and Vari-13, we should be able to retrieve the technology from the wreck for further study and research. I personally look forward to these investigations, though with perhaps a little more caution in my optimism for the potential for this technology. I can only hope that through my personal involvement, I will be able to steer things in a safe direction.
But for now, my first concern is getting out of this junkfield and taking a very long warm bath after a brisk cold shower.
Player's Notes: Well, the fight didn't quite end according to plan, but frankly, the way it played out still feels appropriate to our group. It seems only natural that things would end up with Meved surrounded single-handedly taking on everyone while the rest of us picked things off from the sidelines. Personally I didn't do all that much besides provide intel through my Twitch stream (heh, I didn't actually name Twitch with that joke in mind, but it totally works and I love it) and save Yaro from taking another hit from Do'trulu, but I'm okay with that. I had enough moments to shine in the session before while setting up all the traps that definitely did help during the fight.
Now, if I'm not mistaken, that's the last fight in the Junker's Delight adventure, which means we're fast approaching whatever our GM has planned for us next. I'm not sure what that might be, but I'm excited!
Oh, and one other thing, I felt the need to point out Vinu's effectiveness during this fight because she had some ridiculous luck that night, at least for the first half. In her 21 total rolls, there were 3 nat20s (including her first roll of the night), and one instance of a 16, 20, 20, and 18 in that order (so yes, to 20s in a row). For a while, her roll average was 14.4. Considering this was the first time she mainly used her sniper instead of her pistol, it felt fitting that it proved so effective. If my own experiences have proven anything, it's that the dice gods at my tables really seem to like strong single shot guns...
23/04/04 - Session 12 - Astrea’s Journal: So Long Akiton
Thirday, 31st Desnus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
Given how much of a thorn in people’s sides the True Warriors were, I might have hoped our triumphant return to Khefak Depot might have been met with a little more fanfare. Then again, it’s not as though all that many people knew what we were up to or what transpired out in the Outer Junkfields, so I suppose it would be unreasonable to expect anything on that front. We didn’t take on this task for fame, after all, but rather for the satisfaction of making the world a little more safe and just. That, and financial compensation. Well, mostly for financial compensation.
That isn’t to say we didn’t receive appreciation for our deeds, of course. Our first stop upon returning to Khefak Depot was to The Admiral’s Snackbar. Sully was pleased to hear that we rid him of the gang, and provided us with a desperately needed hot meal, by which I mean one that is not primarily composed of dehydrated nutrient paste. The last time I endured the displeasure of prolonged flavour deprivation in my caloric intake was when I was still writing my thesis while subsisting solely on the university’s cafeteria offerings. I would have been perfectly content not to relive that particular experience, though I will admit that it made Sully’s wraps all the more satisfying. The old adage that absence makes the heart grow fonder is indeed true, or at least it certainly is for the palate.
While we rediscovered the joys of taste, I got in touch with Soryn to relay the news that we had completed the objective he had sent us here for. He was naturally pleased to hear the news. I also reported our secondary mission of retrieving the Stellar Flare’s Drift Engine, our arrangement with Vari-13, and the appearance of the hostile robotic undead we encountered. He was understandably less pleased about that news. I imagined that the Stewards might share my concerns about the safety risks at play, and if Soryn’s reaction was any indication, then I was very much correct. He agreed that disruptive and potentially dangerous scientific breakthroughs are probably best not left solely in the hands of corporate interests.
Our next stop was to Adventures in Junk. It may have only been three days, but it had felt like a lifetime ago since we first set foot in Riddle’s establishment after the vicious mauling of her assailants. Previously, I might have thought it silly for someone to feel nostalgia after such a short period of time, but I would have difficulty finding a word that would more aptly describe my emotional state. This leads me to believe that the intensity of activities during the elapsed period is just as impactful if not more so than the duration of the period itself. In other words, time flies when you’re repeatedly fighting for your life.
In any case, I was quick to give Vari-13 the full report on our discoveries. They were pleasantly understanding of our concerns about handing over the research exclusively to AbadarCorp without some form of oversight, and following a swift discussion with Soryn an agreement was reached: the research would be conducted by Vari, myself, and a team of researchers funded primarily by AbadarCorp, with security and supervision provided by the Stewards. The precautionary arrangements seem reasonable enough that we should be able to avert the terrible follies that plague the realms of fiction. At least, I sincerely hope so. If not, then I expect this journal will instead serve as expository knowledge for the unfortunate heroes that must clean up the results of our hubris in the second act of some horror survival tale.
With that arrangement settled, our business on Akiton was done. While bidding our farewells and concluding our brief employment with Riddle, we made a point to suggest that there are some goblins and ikesthi in the Outer Junkfields that may well prove useful pools of potential recruits for her newly reopened business. I regret not staying long enough to make the introductions myself, but hopefully the reference of our names will be sufficient to catalyse a very productive relationship. I’ve had my fill of Akiton’s arid climates for now, but I wouldn’t mind coming back to see the results of such an alliance, and perhaps even take some time to enjoy the genuine recreational activities Khefak Depot has to offer.
For the time being however, we had a new task to undertake. Vari-13 would need an escort back to Absalom Station to report to their superiors, and we just so happened to be heading the same direction…
Player's Notes: We ended Junker's Delight and almost immediately hopped into our next adventure, so I broke this particular entry into two separate parts. This one conclude's Starfinder Astrea's first adventure. Having not touched Starfinder since it first came out, I was pleased to see how much I enjoyed the system this time around!
The next adventure I believe is a homebrewed story. I'm used to having an idea of what to expect, so this will be a fun mystery for me. The only thing I know is that it will be involving Necrons (as in the ones from a certain grimdark setting), hence the Flayed One cameo in this adventure. I'm not sure to be excited or terrified, but I expect that the answer is both...
SF2 - Necrons
23/04/04 - Session 12 - Astrea’s Journal: Drifting Into New Adventures
Seventhday, 4th Sarenith, 322 AG, Unknown, The Drift
Though I will be the first to acknowledge that my sample size is very limited, I am beginning to think that the life of a bounty hunter adventurer has a disproportionately high correlation with severely misfortunate events. Of course, this is to be expected to some degree, given that the nature of such a profession will inevitably lead to encounters with those who operate outside of the law. That being said, I would submit that this correlation goes beyond these expected parameters. Unless there is an external metaphysical force at play (which, I admit, is a distinct possibility), the sheer number of seemingly random events rooted in pure luck and serendipitous (or hapless, as the case may be) timings is uncanny.
I realise that in my rambling, I have neglected to contextualise. This started when our group, consisting of Yaroslav (a vlaka soldier and mystic of Sarenrae), Vinu (a pahtra musician and operative), and Meved (an uplifted bear mercenary and brutal force of nature), was escorting an android named Vari-13 from Akiton to Absalom Station. We had just completed a mission on Akiton, and through a series of coincidences ended up working with Vari to retrieve groundbreaking research on ways to utilise the Drift to generate almost infinite energy. This alone was a rather extraordinary adventure, which I have already documented in full.
While heading back, we heard some reports of ships disappearing under mysterious circumstances. This was concerning to say the least, but without any further details there was little our group could do. Besides, we had also learned that the Iomedaean fleet had sent one of its own vessels to investigate. Our hope was that this matter would be resolved without our involvement in any capacity.
Given my prior statements, I expect that it should come as no surprise that mere moments later, our own vessel would become the next victim. Our ship was struck with a massive tether, and before any of us could so much as hope to mount a defence, our electronics were disabled and the cabin was filled with an incapacitating agent.
When we woke up, we found ourselves in the holding area of a pirate ship, which we learned from our captors would be bound for the Azlanti Empire once it had amassed enough cargo. There is sufficient documentation on the Azlantis that I will not elaborate too much on them here, but I will summarise that as non-Azlantis, our fate should we reach our destination would be to live out our remaining days as slaves. As you might imagine, dear reader, we were not particularly fond of this outcome, and so we set about changing it.
Meved’s prior experience as a ship guard granted him enough familiarity with these types of containment fields to seek out a solution. He wasted no time finding and dismantling the electronics, disabling the force field and leaving the unfortunate guards at his mercy. I should note, for those unfamiliar with my previous reports, that Meved’s mercy typically comes in the form of a slightly swifter death with only a moderate amount of mauling. After several deeply traumatising first hand observations, I can in fact assure that, relative to the alternative, this is indeed merciful.
Vinu’s feline flexibility allowed her the mobility needed to escape her own cell and free Yaro as well, while I used my engineering expertise to disable the field while the guards were distracted. The pirates may have gotten the upper hand with their ambush, but they folded rather quickly this time. We took one pirate captive, retrieved our gear, and freed the other prisoners. Unfortunately, both my drone Twitch and our ward Vari were missing among the gear and prisoners respectively.
We knew that more pirates would soon be upon us, since the alarms were triggered during our fight, so we began preparations for our plan of attack. It’s at roughly this moment that our pirate captive’s communicator alerted us of a breach in the ship.
I should mention at this point that during our adventures on Akiton seeking out the previously mentioned Drift research, we came across a very peculiar creature that did not appear on any of the archives in my xenobiological database. It had the signs of both an undead as well as a technological being and was extremely hostile, very difficult to kill, and overall deeply unsettling. We dubbed it a “Flayed One”, due to its particularly macabre aesthetic. We had no idea how this entity came to be in the wrecked vessel where we discovered it, but signs pointed to it having come from the Drift.
My hypothesis, which my companions shared, was that the pirate ship’s prolonged time in the Drift may have caused these creatures to appear. I sincerely hoped it would be disproven.
As you might be able to surmise, dear reader, it was not.
Player's Notes: One adventure ends, and just as suddenly, a new one begins. This is the start of a homebrew adventure made by our GM. I don't know what to expect, save for the fact that we'll be up against Necrons. Here we go!
23/04/08 - Session 13 - Astrea’s Journal: We’re Not Here to Flay
Seventhday, 4th Sarenith, 322 AG, Unknown, The Drift
When we escaped from our cells in the pirate ship, I was all too ready to fight the slavers. As a scientist and a scholar, I put a great deal of personal importance on the concept of free will and personal autonomy. The removal of one’s agency in any form, save to directly limit one’s ability to harm another’s agency in turn, is to me one of the greatest anathemas imaginable. Given my own moral code, slavery is something I simply cannot abide.
The fact that they not only sought to ply their heinous trade on me, but also to do so when I was en route to starting what may well be the greatest scientific endeavour I might ever have the privilege of participating in, did not help to garner them any sympathy.
Nevertheless, when faced with an unknown force of incredibly resilient beings that seem intent only on wholesale slaughter and mutilation of all living things in sight, even the most ardent foes can be made temporary allies. After all, the pirates at least have shown some capacity for communication and empathy.
It was with this in mind that we made a deal with our captive pirate. Tibbers, the pirate in question, would be allowed to accompany and guide us through the ship and assist us against both the unknown aliens and the other slavers. In exchange, we would not feed him to Meved (I mean that metaphorically, mostly). He was amenable to our terms.
In retrospect, I’m thankful that he was. As soon as we proceeded into the next part of the ship, we encountered a group of pirates fighting more of the “Flayed Ones” we had fought in the wreckage of the Stellar Flare. Most of the pirates didn’t survive, but did manage to hold the creatures off for some time while our group did our best to put them down. Once the situation was dire enough for us to give Tibbers a gun, he turned out to be a very good shot. He was also wise enough not to point it at our backs.
That being said, the Flayed Ones were not easy foes. It took a great deal of ammunition and resources on our part to put the creatures down, and even then we needed explosives or acid to keep their regeneration from bringing them back. I have my acid spell at least, and Meved has a few grenades, but beyond that none of us have much in the way of tools that are effective against these creatures.
There was also the matter of one particularly heavily armoured pirate by the name of Marcus. Initially, his heavy firepower was an appreciated tool against the undead robots, but it didn’t take long for him to start firing indiscriminately. Granted, he wasn’t present when we agreed with the slavers to focus on our common enemy, but one would hope he’d at least think not to draw our ire as well in all of this. For a while, I held him off with a wall of scalding steam (which also proved effective in keeping some of the remaining Flayed Ones from fully regenerating), then dropped it in time for our team to get some retribution. It was unfortunately insufficient to stop him (and by extension getting access to his impressive armaments), but at least it got him away from us for a while…
There was a brief lull in the fighting at this point, so we took the opportunity to look around. Vinu checked the fallen pirates for any useful equipment, while Yaro managed to find Vari-13 in a separate holding space. He also found another Flayed One in a separate room.
Meanwhile, I checked the computer room nearby to see if I could find anything useful, but the terminals seemed to be of a purely recreational nature. I made a point to insert some malicious code and leave behind some tracers, just in case these pirates somehow make it out of this situation. I then went to check on the armoury, but barely made it a step into the corridor before yet more Flayed Ones appeared on the opposite end.
Whatever these creatures are, they are absolutely terrifying, and entirely too plentiful…
Player's Notes: With this, I am up to speed. Our first big encounter against the Necrons was difficult, to say the least. These creatures have a shaken aura that last crazy long, hit pretty darn hard, and have regeneration that's very strong AND hard for us to turn off to boot. We used more than a few of our resources in that fight, even though we started the session reaching level 5. Considering the sheer number of additional flayed ones we saw just before the session ended, I'm genuinely wondering if the solution here will just be to escape. Still, there are enough captives for us to rescue to make that a hard sell... Well, here's hoping we can manage this...
23/04/11 - Session 14 - Astrea’s Journal: Bold Actions
Seventhday, 4th Sarenith, 322 AG, Unknown, The Drift
In the short time after our mission on Akiton, I decided to further develop my combat capabilities, so as to have a more versatile toolset to address the increasingly dangerous scenarios I had encountered. After all, Meved won’t always be available to help me deal with the various hostile entities the universe has to offer. My available study time was brief, so I focused on three primary subjects to begin with.
The first was enhancing my Communalism Graft. I had originally gotten the implant to help me understand the hive-minded societal approach of the Shirren, and how an increased neural connectedness with others might improve collaborative endeavours. I sought to expand that ability to not only apply to myself, but so that I might also confer these benefits to others, who might have a greater need for it in difficult situations.
The second was to improve my ability to dampen spells. Magic is a powerful tool, and should be used responsibly. Though our last mission did not involve much in the way of adversarial arcane forces, I recognise that among our group it is a field in which I am uniquely trained, and so it seemed appropriate to maintain a certain level of expertise in this subject, just in case it were to come up.
The third and last of my studies was to find a new spell that might be of use in combat scenarios. Up until now, I have focused on abilities that mitigate enemy combat capabilities. This is fine while in the presence of my more martially-inclined companions, but I would prefer to be self-sufficient if possible. Still, I did want to retain some level of general utility as well with my magic, so I settled on downloading the parameters for a spell that generates a wall of steam. It has duration, range, and both damage and utility, making it a very multipurpose resource.
During our first encounter with the undead robots on the slaver vessel, I had tested some of these new capabilities. They were still a bit difficult to use effectively, though their potential did become immediately apparent to me. That initial field data was invaluable in helping me with the situations I encountered soon after.
In my last journal entry, I had just begun progressing to the ship’s workshop, which should also contain the armoury. It was situated on the other side of a long corridor. It just so happened that this corridor contained several more of the “Flayed Ones” we encountered earlier. As the rest of the group was preoccupied, I would be dealing with this situation alone, at least for the time it took for the others to rejoin me.
Thankfully, my Wall of Steam spell is well-equipped for putting pressure on a long narrow corridor, and I still had enough magic to manifest it again.
Now, the steam was certainly an effective means of dealing some sustained damage to these creatures. However, their regeneration was also quite rapid, so left alone I would be unable to take them down. Certainly not before they would be able to run through my steam and vivisect me as they had already done to much of the ship’s crew. It was a stroke of good fortune for me then that some of the aforementioned crew in the area had not yet been entirely exterminated. At the far end of the same corridor I had doused with steam was a pair of pirates that were doing their best at holding the flayed ones off.
I suspect that the flayed ones saw these men as the more immediate threat, and that is why they ignored me to pursue them. Personally, I saw no reason to dissuade them from that decision. Perhaps it is a moral failing on my part, but I did not feel especially inclined to actively invite near certain death in order to potentially protect criminals who until moments ago had every intention of selling me into a life of slavery.
While I focused on maintaining my steam, most of our group (including Vari-13 and Tibbers) joined me and provided assistance, mostly in the form of additional firepower. The pirates did eventually succumb to the creatures, but they dealt sufficient damage to temporarily disable some of the flayed ones, while the others remained only barely operational.
The one problem was that without some form of corrosive or explosive damage, their regenerative technology would eventually restore them. Meved was the only one among us with grenades, and he was the one member of our group who had not joined us near the corridor (as I would later learn, he was otherwise preoccupied with a flayed one in the ship’s bathroom). That left only my energy magic as a means to permanently disable these threats. I would only need to hit the creatures once, though hitting them was already difficult, let alone while more of them were approaching to presumably convert me into so many small cubes of organic matter.
Nevertheless, the necessity of the endeavour for our continued survival outweighed the dangers, so I made the decision to risk it. Once I stopped maintaining my steam, I had 24 seconds before it would fully dissipate, during which time I as well as the flayed ones would continue to suffer from the scalding heat. I rushed forward and with Yaro’s support through my Communalism link, I was able to strike one of the flayed ones that was still disabled, causing it to disintegrate.
As expected, the two that were still standing made their way to me, though fortunately they were unable to get close enough to strike just yet. This would have been very bad for me, had it not been for the help of Yaro, Vinu, and Tibbers firing on my pursuers. Their strikes combined with my steam were just enough to disable these machines as well, which allowed me the time needed to carefully apply my acid to them as well.
Thanks in no small part to all of my allies and a couple pirates, my admittedly very dangerous plan was successful. I was able to clear the path to the workshop with only some minor self-inflicted burns. It is in some ways amusing to think that I would never have done something so rash and foolhardy even just a couple weeks ago. Despite not having yet had the opportunity to conduct a psych eval on myself, my hypothesis is that continued exposure to life-threatening situations has deeply affected my ability to conduct risk analysis and has generally improved my focus during fight-or-flight decision making.
Speaking of risks, I had recently been becoming more aware of the dangers one must consider in team-based operations. Splitting up a group can be useful in some circumstances, but also comes with risks, especially if any member of that group is solitary. In my case, I am confident that I only survived due to the presence of the pirates and the swift response of my friends. Meved meanwhile was not afforded these privileges. Perhaps our prior experience in the Stellar Flare had led us to think that Meved is simply undefeatable, but this is not an assumption we ought to make, especially when facing creatures as stubbornly resilient as these. While the rest of us had been preoccupied with clearing a path to the armoury, Meved had sustained serious wounds in his fight.
As soon as we had come to realise the situation, Vari-13, Vinu, and eventually Yaro would return to the washrooms to provide assistance (I was still dealing with the last of the disabled flayed ones at the time, and Tibbers remained to cover me). Fortunately with their support, Meved recovered enough that he and Vinu were able to drop the remaining flayed one, and Meved used a grenade to prevent it from restoring itself. I should note that while I have informed him that grenades are meant to be thrown once activated, Meved still seems to prefer holding onto the devices as they detonate. Perhaps he simply distrusts his ability to throw them accurately and fears wasting what has quickly become one of our most valuable resources. In the event that this is the case, I have taken note to investigate possible alternative distribution methods that might allow for less collateral damage.
Once the immediate threats in our vicinity were cleared, we took a moment to check our surroundings. There was little of note for the most part, save for a couple important discoveries. We first checked the engineering bay to the aft of the ship, finding the ship’s primary systems to be in a rather sorry state, though mercifully lacking in additional mechanised undead activity. Perhaps my recent success had emboldened me, but I immediately took charge of the bay. I suppose the engineers were either too dumbfounded or exasperated to stop me, since none made any real attempts to do so. Either way, I used the computers to divert all power from non-critical systems to stabilise those we would really need. Perhaps it is because of my education with technological systems affording me a greater insight into such matters, but the manner in which they had calibrated their energy outputs was laughably inefficient. Now at least we could remain reasonably confident that we wouldn’t find ourselves depressurised because 20% of the ship’s fuel was being spent operating an unoccupied power armour charging station.
I also took the liberty of disabling their harpoon and gave myself complete administrative access, just to ensure the pirates would not be too much of a problem once the undead robots ceased being the most immediate threat. As Marcus so rudely reminded us, our mutual enemy does not necessarily make us allies.
Our other worthwhile discovery was the escape pods. Surprisingly, Tibbers was the one to suggest we help the prisoners escape before continuing. Furthermore, he offered to stay and support us, instead of making a clean getaway. It is still difficult to say that I trust him completely, but he showed a remarkable understanding of our ethical prerogatives. Perhaps, under the right conditions, rehabilitation is not out of the question. I’ve taken note to observe his behaviour further so as to build a psychological profile. Assuming this was indicative of a genuinely good nature, and not part of a ruse, perhaps I will be able to make a case to the Stewards for leniency once we return to Absalom Station.
After weighing our options, we determined that the safest course of action would be to evacuate the captives from this deathtrap sooner rather than later. This proved fairly simple, as we encountered no opposition. Perhaps we could have escaped as well and left this ship to its fate, though doing so now seemed the wrong course of action. We would either be leaving several people to likely die (even if they are pirates, they do deserve a proper interrogation and trial, not a gruesome death at the claws of horrific undead murder machines), or we would be leaving a group of pirates damaged but otherwise unchecked. Neither outcome seemed ideal given that we had the potential means to stop it. Most importantly however, we still hadn’t found Twitch. After everything we had been through, I had come too far to abandon my precious little drone.
Our next destination was the workshop. The initial reasoning for heading that way was to find something, be it weapons or tools, that might help us deal with the undead machines. Now, there was another factor to consider. Earlier, while I was dealing with the flayed ones in the corridor, I had briefly noticed another creature outside of the ship through the windows. It had the same basic physiological structure as the flayed ones, but seemed to be carrying a rifle of a design I had not seen before. I witnessed it tear through the flesh of a pirate with a single blast of that gun. A week ago the sight surely would have made me lose my lunch on the spot. I’m a bit more acclimated to brutal violence now, but the psychological impact of such a fearsome weapon was still significant. The last I saw of that creature, it had entered through an airlock that to my understanding connected to the workshop.
Sure enough, when we got to our destination, we encountered the gun-wielding machine, as well as another that matched the “flayed one” template we had been growing uncomfortably familiar with. We took on a standard formation for our group, which can be roughly defined as “Meved gets up close and personal at the front and the rest of us support him”. It’s a good thing we had taken the time to prepare ourselves, as the gunner’s weapon was indeed nothing to be trifled with. A single blast only grazed Yaro, but left a sizeable bullet hole in the wall behind him.
Though we have not yet ascertained anything about the culture of these creatures, we can extrapolate some conclusions if we consider known data on various sapient creatures across the pact worlds. Just about every species that developed advanced technology also had a period during which they fought amongst themselves. As such, they will inevitably create weaponry capable of harming their own kind. Offensive measures statistically develop more rapidly than defensive ones, so it’s quite rare for a species to be entirely immune to their own weaponry. If we assume that these creatures followed a similar developmental trajectory, that this would apply to them as well. Perhaps this was the case, or it was simply coincidence, but sure enough when I quickly studied the weapon’s damage profile, it was a mixture of highly corrosive acids conducting a strong current of electric power. This fact was one we could use to our advantage to more reliably address their regenerative properties.
That was the hope at least. As soon as the gunner was disabled, Tibbers made an impressive dash through the combat area to grab and discharge the weapon point blank into the machine. This had the desired effect of completely disabling it, but this triggered yet another measure of theirs. Just as all of the flayed ones we’ve encountered so far have dissipated with alarming speed as soon as they were fully deactivated, so too did this one start to disintegrate. More distressingly, so did its weapon.
My running theory is that this particular phenomenon is a technology they have developed in an effort to prevent their enemies from scavenging or studying them after defeat. It would certainly be a way to deny the enemy precious information and tools, so it would be a logical development for creatures with such a hostile predisposition. Nevertheless, such a phenomenon is not without its countermeasures. Though this particular ability is completely absent from my interplanetary codex, the underlying physical principles at play are universal, and through those I was able to determine roughly a means to negate it. The effect relies on technomagic and can therefore be disabled with something like a strong electromagnetic pulse, or by dispelling the magical energies used in the effect. I may not have an EMP Key like the one we used to gain access to the Stellar Flare, but I do have some limited capacity to disrupt magical energies. As soon as the rifle appeared as though it would start to dissipate, I took action.
Astonishingly, my attempt was successful! Though I lacked the power to completely cancel out the disintegration effect, I could sever the weapon’s link to its original owner, thus sparing it from the effect. Tibbers found himself able to wield the gun for the remainder of the fight with the flayed one that was still present.
[Note: Paragraph redacted from original log]
Almost if not more shockingly, Tibbers’ immediate reaction to my cancellation of the effect was to rush over and kiss me. I remain unable to completely comprehend this particular course of action, save as an extreme representation of gratitude. Given that this was my first kiss, I found myself experiencing a rush of very perplexed emotions. I have taken note to attempt to process these emotions at a time when our lives are not in immediate danger.
[Note: End of redacted paragraph]
In any event, with the other flayed one eliminated, we could take stock of the workshop to equip ourselves and then plan our next move. It would be best if we continued as quickly as possible, so that [Warning: heavy editing detected; memory allocation for further edits limited] we can resolve the situation before any distractions arise.
Player's Notes: There's something really satisfying about finally making use of the your abilities to come in clutch during an encounter. Between the steam wall and acid rays putting down all the flayed ones in the corridor fight (I even got to slip in an acid pun finisher; Astrea was feeling pretty vitriolic about that fight after all), getting a nat 20 in the engineering room to fix the critical systems, and then pulling off the dampen spell to keep the gauss gun from disintegrating, Astrea had a lot of moments to shine in this session. Meved had a rougher time than usual, mainly due to unlucky rolls and the fact that we accidentally split the party pretty badly (plus the flayed ones are just crazy tough in general). Lessons to be learned.
There was one other very shocking event at the end of this session which will be getting its own addendum entry, because there's no way Astrea wouldn't have a small meltdown over suddenly getting her first kiss stolen mid-combat.
23/04/11 - Session 14a - Astrea’s Journal Addendum: On The Subject of Spontaneous Affections in Intense Environments
Seventhday, 4th Sarenith, 322 AG, Unknown, The Drift
[Exclude following entry from any official publications]
Given recent rather unexpected events I find myself in need of a moment to process my current situation, more specifically regarding matters of romantic entanglement.
Following my previous close encounter of the aggressively snuggly kind I did take note that I possessed a certain personal desire for physical affection. This I attributed to dire circumstances and lack of standard creature comforts in combination with my prolonged exposure to my compatriots and their admittedly very pleasant fur coats, rather than any explicit romantic intentions on anyone’s part. At least, that was my running hypothesis until such a time that I could observe my mental state while in more neutral conditions.
Of course, almost immediately following the conclusion of our previous dire situation we have found ourselves in another. High intensity situations are naturally stimulating and trigger a large number of strong chemical reactions within an organism’s body. If this is maintained for a prolonged period of time, these imbalances can cause a wide variety of unusual behaviours. These behaviours may very well be out of character for the subject in question, or alternatively they may be actons that the subject desired to perform and may now do so when their inhibitions are weaker. It is difficult to determine which of these is truly the case without performing a more thorough neural diagnostic.
Naturally, self-analysis is difficult to conduct objectively, especially when the purpose is to ascertain my levels of objectivity. Perhaps Tibbers would allow me to scan his brain. He’s been fairly cooperative for the most part… No, wait. That would be a strange thing to do.
In any case, it is not so much Tibbers’ sentiments that are the subject of my disconcertion as it is my own. The embrace was a spontaneous and unsolicited action. However, I am having difficulty determining whether I approve. I hardly know enough to judge my overall impression of Tibbers, let alone as a potential romantic candidate. Naturally the circumstances of our encounter and his current profession paint him in a very poor light, though his repeated actions of loyalty, attentiveness, and care for others are not altogether congruous with my initial impression. I am not entirely under the impression that he is a “bad” person. He’s also quite competent with a firearm and not altogether unattractive from a physical perspective, so perhaps…
Still, it is entirely possible that this was a spur of the moment response to heightened excitement and I am reading entirely too deep into this. I don’t even know if the emotions I am currently experiencing are rooted in love, lust, or outright bewilderment.
I can however confirm that kisses are a pleasant sensory experience at least.
[End of excluded section]
Player's Notes: Alternatively titled "Astrea got kissed and freaks out about it". I'll be honest, I've been uncertain of whether I was going to have Astrea pursue anything romantic in this game. I've kinda left it as her being generally easy to fluster on account of lack of experience, and then maybe I'd have her spontaneously kiss someone after achieving some great victory or getting rescued in a clutch moment. I figured a good opportunity would happen eventually and I'd go for it then, probably with Vinu or Yaro. I wasn't really expecting her to end up being on the receiving end of the "my hero" gambit, but I can't deny that it fit the moment.
Now, whether Tibbers, with his cockney accent and mutton chops token is really the kind of thing Astrea would go for... Eh, who knows. Astrea in other settings does have a track record of being pretty open-minded when it comes to her romantic inclinations. If nothing else, it will probably be funny to have play out.
23/04/18 - Session 15 - Astrea’s Journal: No Easy Way Out
Seventhday, 4th Sarenith, 322 AG, Unknown, The Drift
The workshop, despite having a variety of equipment well suited to the production and dismantling of equipment, regrettably wasn’t all that useful to us given our circumstances. While I do certainly have the technical skill to produce some serums, I was lacking in that most fundamental of resources: time. Synthesising even a single serum would take hours, during which the necrobots (I have chosen this designation for the undead machines until we can ascertain their actual identification) would likely overrun the entire vessel. I also considered dismantling the mysterious rifle that I managed to preserve, but doing so would not only be time consuming, but also deprive us of one of our few weapons capable of negating their regenerative capabilities.
Fortunately, we did not leave the workshop entirely empty-handed. Aside from the various materials we collected, Meved also managed to find a large supply of decoupler grenades. The nanites contained within those devices are known for their corrosive effect. By my estimation, that should effectively counteract the regenerative properties of our aggressors.
From there, we determined that our next destination would be the bridge. From what we’ve observed, these beings are emerging from somewhere within the Drift. Given that, there is a high probability that the longer we remain within the Drift ourselves, the greater the likelihood that more of these machines will appear. In medicine, when suffering from an open wound, one of the most important steps is to cauterise or otherwise seal it so as to prevent infection. In this metaphor, our exposure to the Drift is the open wound. The sooner we get out, the sooner we can stop worrying about additional reinforcements while we focus on the ones presently on the vessel.
The route to the bridge was long and lacking in any immediate threats, which gave us the opportunity to speak a bit more casually with our newest “ally”. Tiberius "Tibbers" Slayton is, to put it quite simply, not a particularly upstanding individual. From our discussion, we determined that he was born in the Diaspora and sought the life of a pirate ostensibly for money and to cure his boredom. From what I’ve studied on the subject, this is an all too common life story for those of the Diaspora, and certainly not warranting of moral judgement. One cannot fault a person for the circumstances of their birth. Or at least, in my opinion one shouldn’t; I am well aware that there are many across the Pact Worlds do not share my stance on this matter.
That being said, one can fault a person for the choices they make while pursuing their career path. Pirates come in many forms, and while the profession is a criminal one by definition, that is not to say that all crimes are equal in severity (or at least, I do not personally consider them to be). I might have forgiven thievery, smuggling, or other crimes directed at monetary goods as the unfortunate actions of those suffering from social inequality. Abduction and slavery are not nearly as easy to forgive in my eyes, as they are direct attacks on the agency of other living beings. Even if Tibbers was not engaging in the act himself, he was complicit.
As we asked him about his choice of working for Marcus (who we learned was in fact the captain of the ship), he was largely unrepentant, acknowledging that while Marcus was a “dick”, he did pay well, as though this would be enough to justify the crime of slavery. Yaro shared my exasperation at this particular response. Still, he demonstrated at least some awareness that enslavement is not something to revel in or actively promote, which is something at least. It is my hope that with time and exposure to more constructive environments, Tibbers may come to share my perspective and recognise the repugnancy of his former trade. If all goes well, perhaps he might even develop ambitions that go beyond the acquisition of material wealth at the expense of innocent people’s freedom. I will do what I can to assist him in these efforts. After all, it is my firm belief that no sapient being is completely beyond redemption.
[Paragraph redacted from original log]
Also, it goes without saying that following the kiss incident, I will not be considering any sort of romantic entanglements with Tibbers. At the very least, not until our moral compasses are more aligned… And he trims his facial hair and takes a much needed shower. Even then, such a development is by no means a certainty. At this stage I have an equal if not higher probability of seeking out a relationship with Yaro or Vinu… Wait, nononono I definitely should not include this.
[End of redacted paragraph]
When we reached the bridge, it was completely devoid of living or unliving organisms beyond ourselves. While somewhat worrisome, it did make our next tasks easier. While Vinu and Tibbers debated over who got to steer the ship out of the Drift (hopefully while also preserving the structural integrity of the vessel), I investigated the rest of the ship through the camera feeds. The upper levels, where we had remained up until now, were clear of any threats. The lower levels however, were a different story.
To give some credit to the combat capabilities of the pirates, they did not completely buckle under the assault of the necrobots. Marcus and the remaining soldiers on the ship had taken a defensive position in the cargo bay and had even managed to destroy some of the necrobots. There seemed a chance, albeit a microscopically slim one, that the pirates might successfully repel the invaders.
That chance was dashed when a new figure appeared in the cargo bay. This necrobot carried a disproportionately large battle scythe and had ornate markings that lead me to hypothesise that they were a commanding officer of some sort. With what looked to be minimal effort, this new figure eviscerated Marcus, then vanished (again, using the same teleportation technology that the other necrobots used to appear on the vessel), leaving behind three more flayed ones. Vinu expressed annoyance at being denied a chance to get revenge on the pirate captain, and while I can understand her sentiment to some extent, I was far more concerned with the terrifying implications of this new entity. If even more powerful forms of these necrobots exist, then the Pact Worlds may well be on the verge of an existential threat the likes of the Veskarium Invasion or The Swarm. I did what I could to save some of the video files to my personal device as evidence. As soon as we return to Absalom Station, we will absolutely need to bring this to the Pact’s attention.
Of course, to inform anyone of the threat, we would have to survive it ourselves, a feat more easily said than done. After I diverted some additional power to the ships engines, Vinu and Tibbers did fortunately manage to shunt us out of the Drift, placing us somewhere between Akiton and Absalom. One of the ship’s arms did take some serious damage as a result, though the larger structure remained whole enough to spare us the need for an immediate evacuation. It also gave the necrobots enough time to finish off the remaining pirates in the cargo bay. At this point, I activated the ship’s distress beacon including a warning about the necrobots, just in the small chance that any wandering starship might investigate. I sincerely hope that message does not end up being my last…
With the ship running on minimal energy supplies, our remaining options were to remain in the ship until we are rescued, or to procure the smaller landing craft docked in the cargo bay in the hopes of using it to escape. Activating a self-destruct protocol on the ship would endanger us as well as the surrounding escape pods, and leaving the ship in the necrobot’s hands and/or claws was also not an option, so one way or another we would have to eliminate the remaining creatures. Given that I’ve exhausted much of my magical power, we are all quite tired, and we are severely outnumbered by technologically superior foes, I am deeply concerned about our probabilities of survival. That being said, our track record has actually been quite positive overall, so we do retain a modest chance of success.
There is one additional factor in our favour. While looking through the camera feeds, I was able to locate Twitch, in the cargo bay of all places. I am confident that my commitment to retrieving my drone will be strong enough that a few undead robots with giant claws and disintegrating beam guns won’t be much of a hindrance. [Editor’s note: I am being facetious; those things would almost certainly kill me if the others can’t hold them off. I am just trying to encourage myself through positive reinforcement so as to avoid contemplating the absurd amount of danger we find ourselves in.]
Player's Notes: A pretty short session overall, but we got some good roleplay in. Tibber's got his own NPC statblock now and is officially a NE human male Exocortex Mechanic 3 (we're currently level 5, for reference). Astrea is a bit more grossed out by him now that she knows how unrepentant he is about his old job, but maybe someday he'll redeem himself in her eyes. For now, Astrea has decided to mess with him by feigning ignorance about human expressions of referring to people as pieces of anatomy. Besides, we have other priorities right now.
As a somewhat but mostly unrelated project, I recently updated an illustration of my favourite nerd OC (in mundane human form) with a vast multitude of facial expressions based on a few different settings (6 eyebrow options, 6 eye options, and 7 mouth options, for a total of 252 possible variations). I, being the unreasonable fellow I am, then turned all of these into individual images I can now use as reactions for just about any conceivable situation that occurs in our game. I already put in the work, so should you have an interest, behold.
23/04/25 - Session 16 - Astrea’s Journal: Railings and Railguns
Seventhday, 4th Sarenith, 322 AG, Unknown, The Drift
It hasn’t quite been a week yet since we found ourselves preparing to fight a large group of incredibly hostile individuals. Last time, we had the advantage of being able to prepare the battlefield, and our enemies, while aggressive, were still beings capable of fear and rational self-preservation. These were not advantages we would get to enjoy against the necrobots.
We also would not get to enjoy the privileges of an oxygenated environment, nor gravity.
When we diverted power to the engines to get us out of the Drift, we had to sacrifice most of the remaining energy on the ship. That included life support and gravity systems. Fortunately, it’s standard for suits to come with basic life support systems, so we wouldn’t have to worry about a lack of oxygen for a while at least. The lack of gravity meanwhile was not exactly ideal, especially when we were about to enter a combat situation. Meved may have his natural climbing ability to lean on, and Vinu is quite graceful, but as I have previously asserted, I am an academic, not an acrobat.
That’s to say nothing of poor Yaroslav. Being sightless, he usually relies on his other senses to navigate. By turning the ship into a vacuum, we’ve effectively removed his most important senses. Given that it is common for Vlaka to be born without eyesight and to choose to remain that way for cultural reasons, I have to wonder how their species typically tackle the challenges of space. Such an investigation could be interesting and may yield some interesting and creative solutions, but our needs were a little more pressing.
We ended up building Yaro some simple magnetic fasteners to help him remain grounded. Between Tibbers’ jury-rigging skills and my understanding of neurotechnological implant systems, we were able to install it without too much trouble. Then, I tethered myself to Yaro to help guide him along. I had functionally turned myself into a seeing eye Lashunta. It was a little awkward both physically and psychologically at first, but all things considered, it worked reasonably well. I’m thankful it was Yaro of all people that I ended up tethered with. I imagine the arrangement would have been significantly more difficult with Vinu or Meved…
When we spotted Twitch on the ship’s cameras, it was along an end of the cargo bay catwalk, near the aft of the ship and not too far from the shaft that connected the bridge to the rest of the vessel. That made it a fairly clear first objective for us. Compared to just about everything else we’ve had to do so far, retrieving Twitch turned out to be one of the easiest, though certainly not without its perils. The sudden rush from opening the doors from the elevator room to the cargo bay very nearly caused some of us to be violently pulled into space. This was because a large portion of the ship’s rear end was now missing, leaving instead a massive gaping hole into the void of space that could have very easily been used as a crude metaphor by a more uncouth chronicler. Nevertheless, thanks to my brave companions, Twitch was returned to me safe and sound.
Well, relatively safe, given the circumstances. Turning back in towards the rest of the cargo bay made it clear that we remained very much in danger. The slaver pirates that were our initial enemies were all dead, the victims of our new, considerably more frightening foes. There was a mix of flayed ones and rifle wielding necrobots, but all of them shared the common trait of being exceedingly hostile to any living creatures in the immediate vicinity, which at the time consisted exclusively of us.
Our battle tactics were fairly well established by this point. Meved rushed ahead on the catwalk to directly engage with the first creatures he could reach. Vinu held back and used her pinhole rift rifle at long range to great effect, while Vari provided assistance to her in the form of reloading her weapon and giving her healing injections as needed. Tibbers pushed up after Meved, using his new gun (which he has named “Veronica”, by the way) to fire on the rifle necrobots that Vinu was engaging until he reached the frontline. Meanwhile, I helped Yaro carefully move ahead so that we could eventually join in and provide support.
The zero gravity conditions clearly affected out combat capabilities, to the point that our greatest challenge was actually managing to hit the necrobots. They on the other hand didn’t seem to have much trouble. It stands to reason that these beings were configured not only for terrestrial combat, but for space combat as well. Nevertheless, by keeping our efforts mostly concentrated, we could eventually surmount their reconstructive capacities, at which point the decoupler grenades we found in the workshop did wonders putting them down for good. Tibbers did suffer a serious injury and was briefly knocked unconscious, but fortunately Yaro and I arrived in time to help him recover, and soon after our combined efforts were enough to handle the necrobots that remained on our side of the catwalk.
Now that I mention it, there was also one instance where gravity did work in our favour. Near the latter portion of the fight, one of the rifle necrobots from the other side of the catwalk did attempt to float over to our side to engage us more directly. Though under normal atmospheric conditions I would have been unable to do much about this, in this case I was able to leverage the lack of friction to make surprisingly effective use of my psychokinetic talents. With a quick shunt of some nearby materials, the necrobots trajectory was rerouted to a collection of barrels of what I would later learn contained large amounts of Vesk paint thinner. It took a few seconds for the collision to occur, during which time the necrobot managed to land a devastating shot on Vinu. Thankfully Vari was able to heal Vinu quickly enough that she was ready to fire on the barrels as the collision occurred, effectively immersing the necrobot in highly corrosive chemicals. Given how effective this ended up being, I’ve taken note that such materials may be an invaluable resource against the necrobots in the future. Hopefully the Vesk need to thin a lot of paint…
By the time we finally defeated the last of the necrobots and started making our way to the scouting shuttle, we were all exhausted. I had used up nearly all of my magic (the last of it had served to limit the combat effectiveness of the remaining necrobots, to admittedly minimal effect) and most of my energy, as had Yaro, and though Meved, Vinu, and Tibbers were mostly healed thanks to Yaro’s talents, they weren’t exactly in peak condition either.
So naturally, it’s at this exact moment that the entire cargo bay was immersed in a bright light that I could only sincerely hope was a rescue craft…
Player's Notes: You know those days when the dice just really aren't in your favour? That was us for the vast majority of this session. Most of us, especially Meved, had a hard time rolling anything above an 8. Meanwhile the enemies landed a lot of quite devastating hits. That one shot on Vinu I alluded to was not only a crit, but 2 points away from maximum damage. If Starfinder worked that way, it would have brought her down to something like -28. I should note that at the time he was suffering from a cumulative -10 penalty for a total of +2 to hit. I also hit several of the necrons with incompetence, but then they proceeded to roll 18s so consistently that my debuff just didn't really do anything. Pain...
I know at least that our GM isn't evil enough to make us go into another fight right after that gruelling ordeal, though the way he put it, we might only be spared from "land" combat, which means a ship battle isn't off the table. Hoo boy...
Also, the whole seeing-eye lashunta situation ended up being pretty amusing, though it seems like the ordeal convinced Yaro that maybe he ought to go buy himself some implants. A shame, I thought it made for a cute little tag-team situation.
23/05/12 - Session 17 - Astrea’s Journal: Familiar Territory, Unfamiliar Foe
Sixthday, 10th Sarenith, 322 AG, Absalom Station
Prior to enlisting for contract work with the Stewards, I believe the most relieved I’ve ever felt was when I received an approving nod from Professor Tethys after defending my thesis on the comparative psychological impacts of mechanical versus organic neurological implants. At the time, I recall comparing the sensation to immersing myself into a steaming herbal bath after a month of intensive labour, or consuming an especially tasty strawberry cheesecake while reading an engrossing novel.
The elation I felt when the vessel that appeared in our proximity was revealed to be a Knights of Golarion cathedralship here to respond to our distress signal was of a comparable level.
Would that it had lasted long enough for me to actually relax, but the universe seemed determined to make every step of our journey as difficult as possible.
Knight Commander Barrett of the Nerosyan barely had time to reach our comms before the cathedralship was struck by a greenish laser that all but annihilated their shields. I believe by this point it would be unnecessary to elaborate on the identify of the offending party, but in the interest of complete clarity, it was the necrobots. A large necrobot carrier appeared almost spontaneously (and very curiously, not from the Drift), intent on attacking not only our rescuers, but also the escape pods. The Nerosyan and the necrobot ship scrambled their fighters into an all out dogfight while we were given the simple task of escaping from the collapsing slaver ship (named the Kagekumo, by the way; it occurs to me that I’ve never included that bit of information, likely on account of the relentless onslaught of life-threatening scenarios that have been occupying the majority of my concentration for the last several hours).
We immediately made our way to the remaining shuttle in the cargo bay. I had intended to make some repairs to it before we departed, lest we die horribly on the very last leg of our journey due to some unaccounted structural weakness, but Tibbers seemed all too intent on getting us moving immediately, risks be damned. Given the situation, I could not exactly blame him, and he was admittedly very dextrous when it came to manoeuvering us through the floating vats and debris (nearly as much as Vinu was when she wrestled the helm from him afterwards). That being said, I was not exactly pleased about our decision when one of the engines later malfunctioned. Besides one moment I dedicated to securely onboarding some civilians from a damaged escape pod, the majority of my time was spent attempting to keep our collapsing shuttle from falling apart before we could reach the Nerosyan.
It is fortunate that our team had a decent amount of experience working together by this point. While Vinu piloted (with Tibbers’ assistance) and Meved manned (beared?) the guns, Yaro kept the passengers stable and I did the same for the machinery. It is thanks to our combined efforts that we made it through the skirmish, even helping some of the Knights and civilians make it through. It was more than a little precarious at times, in no small part due to the fearsome firepower and technology the necrobots were leveraging against us, but we managed to escape with only a few casualties. Admittedly, that there were any casualties at all is a distressing fact, but having seen the horrible brutality of the necrobots first-hand, I’ve come to appreciate the merits of a passing grade. As one Nerosyan crew member so aptly put it, when the enemy can survive a direct hit from a nuclear warhead and blast your shields apart in a single shot, just be thankful you made it out alive. At least our escape and return to Absalom Station would allow us to warn the rest of the Pact Worlds of this threat. I have no desire to even consider the impact were the galaxy to face more of this sort of threat without any warning.
Given that the Necrobots seem to have a stronger command over the Drift than us, Knight Commander Barrett deemed it a prudent strategy to avoid Drift travel altogether. Six days journey in a cathedralship is a small price to pay for not having to enter another skirmish.
I chose to channel my emotional turmoil into reverse engineering the necrobot rifle we managed to preserve. Tibbers was in no position to object to my use of “Veronica”, as he spent the duration of the voyage in the brig (he was still technically a captured pirate, after all). Following a multitude of examinations, I can only conclude that the rifle’s construction goes well beyond the definition of “unconventional weaponry”. The mechanisms by which the device propagates its charge defies our fundamental understanding of the conservation of energy. I’ve shared my findings with some trusted peers at the Arcanamirium for further study, but I strongly suspect they will tell me my data sets must be incorrect, as there is no way that this gun should function. Had I not witnessed the phenomenon personally, and had I not also recently experienced a goblin defying the laws of physics in a similar manner, I might have thought the same thing. The single usable piece of information that I’ve gathered is that the gun is designed to draw power through a pseudo-symbiotic link with the wielder, who presumably possesses their own technology to generate that power. By severing the connection with my magic, I was able to preserve the structural integrity of the gun, but without a necrobot from which to supply energy, it’s unlikely that we will be able to recharge Veronica beyond its capacity at the time of its severance.
While I focused most of my time on studying Veronica, it was not my only subject of interest. Following our recent encounters, I’ve observed an alarming change in Meved’s physiology. When exposed to certain stimuli, Meved’s epidermis undergoes a mutation that renders it increasingly mechanical in nature. I was able to isolate the phenomenon and found it to be similar to the properties of the necrobot tissue I briefly studied. My current hypothesis is that prolonged exposure to the drift and the necrobots has caused an evolutionary leap within his already heavily modified awakened bear genome. I am continuing observation of this phenomenon to ensure that it has no detrimental effects, particularly at a psychological level (the last thing we need is a rampaging cyber-bear necrobot), but for the time being the adaptations seem to be largely beneficial. The nanomachines that are now inherent to Meved’s physiology are doing little more than hardening in response to physical trauma, which may prove a boon in future combat situations.
I also observed a change in Yaroslav, though this was of a more emotional nature. The last encounter on the Kagekumo has clearly left him shaken due to his relative helplessness. I know from my own studies the detrimental effects that sensory deprivation can have, so a certain degree of trauma is to be understood, but I believe Yaro’s distress goes beyond just that. Being helpless is on its own a damaging experience, but to be helpless in a situation where others are potentially relying on you all the more so. I sensed from my time working with Yaro that he is used to being a reliable member of the teams with which he collaborates. To then transition into being the one in need of support on account of his disability would deprive him of not only autonomy, but a sense of his responsibilities to his companions.
Though I did attempt to reassure Yaro that we did not see him as a burden, and that our tethering solution did ultimately allow him to be an integral part of our success, it’s clear that this alone would be insufficient. I suspect that he is strongly considering ocular implants to grant himself vision. This is not an unheard of practice among the Vlaka. Even on the Nerosyan, another member of his species recounted how his deafness caused the accidental death of a crewmate, which encouraged him to undergo surgery. I’ve offered my full support to Yaro, whatever his ultimate decision is. If he chooses a technological solution, perhaps he may accept my assistance with the procedure, as I have some knowledge about technorganic implants (I did successfully defend my thesis, after all). It would be the least I could do, considering how many times he’s saved me in the last month or so.
Given the changes my other companions are going through, I did think it prudent to check up on Vinu as well. She appeared to be perfectly fine, and in fact has been taking the time aboard the Nerosyan to regale the crew with her musical talents. She was also kind enough to provide me with some of her new musical material, which I am presently enjoying as I write this log entry. The rhythms have proven to be quite complementary to my work tempo.
---------------------------
Our return to Absalom was not met with any particular fanfare, which admittedly felt anticlimactic after all of the perils we had just endured. However, a lack of climactic events was something of a welcome reprieve at that point. Given the dangers we were aware of, a part of me could not help but consider just how much longer we might benefit from this relative peace. I’ve had to keep myself in check to ensure that such trains of thought don’t become fixations. Perhaps as a form of coping mechanism, I’ve noticed I’ve developed an occasional proclivity for sarcasm. I suspect that this may well be akin to the “sardonic shift” often encountered with more grizzled adventurers and combatants, though I do not believe I’m quite so far gone. However, given my recent rate of exposure to absurdly dangerous scenarios, I may get there yet. If so, I hope I live long enough to see it, if for no other reason than to fully document the progression.
Naturally, our first destination upon our arrival at Absalom Station (excluding an excruciatingly needed ablution) was to speak with our Stewards handler Soryn. To give him credit, he took my explanation of the situation quite stoically (by which I mean he at least waited for us to leave his office before dramatically shattering his glassware). Considering Yaro compared the situation to the Swarm Wars (of which, I will remind the readers, Soryn is a veteran), I was genuinely impressed at his composure. Perhaps if the Pact Worlds leadership is similarly disciplined, we might be able to calmly mount a defence capable to holding off the necrobots. I say that with admittedly very little confidence that the Pact World leadership actually is composed of such individuals. Nevertheless, I am still attempting to remain at least somewhat optimistic despite the disconcerting probabilities.
Thankfully, Vari-13 had come to meet us after our report with some much needed uplifting news. AbadarCorp was indeed grateful for our contributions to their employee’s continued existence (in opposition to the myriad of khefaks, gang members, pirates, and robotic undead abominations that have recently become acquainted with them), and chose to compensate us generously for our efforts with a large sum of credits (35000, to be exact).
In addition to this, Vari informed us of their impending plan to create a vessel using the experimental Drift engine as the primary means to study this new power source. Given that we had more or less already agreed to this plan prior to our departure from Akiton, it was a simple conclusion that we would all join in as the ship’s crew. Tibbers would also be extended an invite, though this would have to be contingent on him being successfully released after his trial for piracy (a trial we were subpoena’d for). Setting aside the hypothetical necrobot threat for a moment, the technology does remain extremely promising, so there is some value in continuing this plan.
That being said, my previous concerns were brought back to mind by something Soryn pointed out. The Drift engine had remained dormant in Akiton’s wastes for centuries, potentially guarded by that single goblin skinner. The necrobots were entirely unheard of until mere days after our discovery of the drift engine, and their attack did occur on a vessel we were occupying. There is a distinct possibility that the attack on the pirates was not a result of their prolonged time in the drift as we suspected, but rather that WE (as in the finders of the Drift engine) were the targets. Their attacks may be aimed in a manner to prevent us from uncovering this technology, or alternatively they may be targeting us due to us having successfully defeated one of their kind. The others who have suffered as a result of these attacks may simply be collateral damage from them not wishing to leave witnesses.
For the time being, this remains speculation. It’s still difficult to say just what the intention of the necrobots is exactly. They are clearly intelligent, but have shown no interest in communication (that we know of; perhaps we’ve missed a crucial detail in that regard). If we are the ones being targeted, then the necrobots may simply be satisfied with hunting us specifically, in which case the Pact Worlds may not be under an immediate existential threat as we fear (though that is still not exactly reassuring news for us specifically). Alternatively, if their intention is to wipe all evidence of their existence, then our warnings may well have been a damning act that has put millions of lives at risk…
As with my other troubling ruminations, I will do my best to keep this one in check and focus on the known variables of the situation. Dwelling on possibilities without a means to validate them will not be much help, so I’d rather focus my efforts in places where I can help.
The next of those is the trial of one Tiberius “Tibbers” Slayton.
Player's Notes: With this session, we marked the end of the prologue to our new adventure. It started off strong, with a skill challenge to get to the Nerosyan in one piece (a challenge that saw an unusually high quantity of nat20s and nat1s, including a nat20 on Astrea's part to rescue the escapees in the broken escape pod, and soon after a nat1 to instruct the passengers on how to properly conduct an emergency crash landing, thankfully saved due to Meved jumping in the way to act as a giant air bag). Then we levelled up (for anyone wondering, Meved's shifting into Evolutionist; that's where the mechanical mutations are coming from from a mechanics side of things). Then we got to retell our story, and finally we finished off with a big paycheck and a carte blanche to build ourselves a spaceship.
When I last played Starfinder way back when it first came out, ship rules weren't quite ready (namely, there were no ship statblocks for us to use), so I never got to play with those mechanics. I'm looking forward to trying them out this time around!
23/05/17 - Session 18 - Astrea’s Journal: Quiet Nights Before the Everdawn
Sixthday, 29th Erastus, 322 AG, Absalom Station
When I consider my previous commentary on time dilation (from while we were exploring the wastes of Khefak Depot’s Outer Junkfields), I have to wonder if the last month and two thirds (approximately) have been some sort of cosmic rebalancing of that phenomenon. I feel as though the days since we’ve returned to Absalom Station have progressed in the proverbial blink of an eye. What’s more likely is that this distortion is simply a cognitive illusion brought on by the relative intensity of our circumstances. That is to say, time flies when you aren’t in near constant imminent mortal danger.
That being said, the time since our group returned to Absalom Station has been far from idle.
Perhaps the first and most noteworthy event was Yaro’s request to craft and install a pair of ocular implants. I suppose it shouldn’t have come as a surprise, as I did offer to provide assistance, and he genuinely seemed to be leaning towards seeking out a cure for his blindness… Still, it did strike me as odd that he entrusted me not only with their creation, but also their installation. It’s not as though I don’t have the necessary training to conduct bio-technological interfacing surgeries (I do), but I am not exactly a surgeon by trade…
Creating the eyes ended up being quite a fun endeavour. Yaro only requested that I keep the eyes aesthetically true to those of a natural vlaka, so I made them a stunning shade of pale blue. I also took the liberty of including sensors beyond the common spectrums of visible light. It seemed only logical that if Yaro feared that his lack of vision might impede his ability to support others, I should ensure that his vision would never be lacking in any capacity.
As for the actual surgery… Extracting Yaro’s vestigial eyes was as unsettling as one might imagine plucking your closest friend’s eyeballs might be. They didn’t exactly come out smoothly, which I attribute mostly to my own nerves. Thankfully the only thing damaged was one of the already nonfunctioning eyes. The installation process went a lot more smoothly, and Yaro didn’t ask to look at his old eyes, so any evidence of my miscalculation is now fully expunged [Editing note: Remove mentions of this detail, just in case Yaro ever reads this].
I couldn’t help but feel a warmth at seeing Yaro using my creations. Entrusting one’s senses to another requires a great deal of faith in them, so I was genuinely elated to have achieved such spectacular results. I will confess to a certain degree of pride in my work as well. Yaro has always been a handsome individual, in a rugged canid sort of way, and I am of the (admittedly somewhat biassed) opinion that the striking effect of the implants complement his visage quite well. My initial surprise at his new gaze resulted in me completely missing an opportunity to ask him his opinion of my own appearance, as the first person he’d ever seen. I am a little disappointed that the notion evaded me; I’d have been curious to know his thoughts… Purely for academic purposes, of course.
The success with Yaro’s implants persuaded me to continue with some other crafting tasks. One could say that he got the (eye)ball rolling, and as an object in motion is predisposed to stay in motion, so too did I continue with my momentum. With Yaro’s assistance and the funds gained from our recent adventure, I generated a few new tools to help us, should we find ourselves in dangerous situations once again (a likely outcome, I suspect). For myself, I took advantage of the Arcanamirium’s easy access to hybrid technology to boost my mental faculties and to improve my magical synergy. I also built myself a new weapon better suited to both administering serums and fighting necrobots, should the need arise. Yaro and Meved paid me visits as well for assistance with a few upgrades of their own, though in Meved’s case his evolutionary adaptations already did most of the work.
Meved’s biotech transformations remain an anomaly. Over the course of my observation, the rate at which his ursine physiology has adapted to the advanced technological elements inside him is truly astounding. I remain of the opinion that this is in some large capacity due to his inherent genetic malleability as an uplifted creature, though I cannot help but wonder if there are any other factors at play. For now, I am allowing myself to be satisfied with the fact that Meved is fully embracing his technologically augmented status without compromising his psychological profile. That said, I do wish he would compromise on accepting the living quarters the university alloted for him in exchange for his collaboration as a research subject. His obstinancy in continuing to claim a particular bench in Jatembe Park as his den has caused no small amount of complications with local law enforcement…
Speaking of law enforcement, another task Yaro and I set ourselves on was Tibbers’ release. Yaro spoke to the priests at the Sarenite temple, who are known to assist with rehabilitation initiatives, while I spoke to Soryn to see if the Stewards could provide any assistance. Fortunately, our connections were potent, and Tibbers found himself released as a provisionary member of the Stewards without even a trial. Despite taking the time to prepare a testimony, that may have been for the best, as even I would have had difficulty rebuking his many faults. I’ve taken advantage of Meved’s unused residency to shelter the former pirate until such a time that his bail is repaid in full. While I did warn him not to try anything questionable during his time at the Arcanamirium, the majority of the students and professors are capable technomancers, so that warning was more for his safety than theirs.
In exchange for my hospitality (and mostly because I didn’t offer Tibbers an opportunity to object), I took a few dedicated weeks to conduct a second more thorough round of inspections of Veronica, this time with the assistance of one of my senior professors. Despite numerous hours of testing with some of the Pact World’s most advanced equipment, the data we uncovered was once again frustratingly limited. We were at least able to determine a few details regarding the weapon’s method of generating energy, however. Contrary to my original understanding, the symbiotic link with a wielder isn’t so much a means of generating energy as it is a breaker on the circuits that allows the device to trigger. The actual flow of power comes in the form of an energy output spontaneously materialised through a gate-like mechanism, which is then filtered through a focusing crystal of unidentifiable composition to turn the energy into a molecular destabilisation beam. In layman’s terms, the gun teleports an unknown energy type and sends it through a mystery rock to turn it into a laser that breaks things down at the atomic level.
We still don’t know where the portal is linked to, what the energy is, or what the crystal is made of exactly, as these details continue to defy conventional measurement techniques, but it’s a start. This unique form of teleportation could explain the sudden appearance of the necrobot ship without any prior detection. Likewise, the Enigma Core (my new placeholder name for the generator technology Vari-8 initially developed, as we are becoming increasingly uncertain of its actual association with the Drift) is likely operating on a similar technology. I intend to conduct some additional tests on the energy itself, but based on my examinations so far, I believe we can definitively conclude that Veronica’s technology is in no way native to the Pact Worlds or any known and documented extrasolar society.
Besides my research and experimentation, a great deal of my time was spent helping Yaro acclimate to his new sense of vision. As someone who has been accustomed to being blind from birth, there are a great many things Yaro would not be familiar with. Fortunately, I am in the business of education, so I took it upon myself to instruct him not only on the proper use of his eyes, but also a few basic vision-based concepts. Yaro is thankfully a very attentive student and a quick learner, so he’s already picked up the basics of reading and colour theory. I am also gradually introducing him to the aesthetic wonders around Absalom Station, which has proven to be a uniquely rewarding experience, given that I hadn’t had many opportunities to explore them myself. As thanks, Yaro was kind enough to gift me a beautiful turquoise aeon stone. Its natural light emission makes it an excellent night light, which has proven an excellent addition to my evening reading sessions.
Vinu resumed her work as a musician during our downtime, and as I understand it her band has been rapidly gaining popularity. She seemed eager to invite us to one of her concerts, which I was all too happy to accept, though I feared that Yaro may not be sufficiently attuned to vision for the technicolour onslaught of a high-impact sensory-core synthwave dance party. Fortunately, sensory dampeners are a thing, so we managed to make it work. I confess, dance clubs are not really a kind of environment that I am accustomed to, though I nevertheless managed to enjoy myself. It only took a brief period of observation to realise that the combination of audio-visual stimulation and alcoholic beverages means that any given individual is unlikely to be noticed, regardless of their lack of dancing experience, which was reassuring. I could have done without having to get a very drunken Tibbers back to the dorms afterwards, but that’s what I brought the inebriation inhibitors for. I just hope he made it to the washroom before their effects wore off…
On the subject of Vinu’s band, I also had the privilege of meeting Vinu’s band-mate and companion Madeci. I say companion because I am admittedly uncertain of the exact nature of their relationship. I was told that they are roommates, but there is an abundance of rumours and behavioural patterns that may suggest a more intimate bond. Then again, these ambiguous cues may simply be due to their more outgoing natures, and some biases owed to the general reputation of those in the musical profession as being promiscuous. Whatever the case, Madeci seems a perfectly affable individual with a personality as colourful as her appearance. It was my first time meeting a moyishuu, so it was interesting to see the manifestation of her emotional energy first hand. Almost as soon as I met her, I felt at ease, as though meeting with a long time friend I could trust. I imagine such an ability must be quite useful for an entertainer, though I cannot help but be concerned at the avenues for abuse such an ability can also provide. Emotional influence aside, I still believe Madeci is a trustworthy individual. She is Vinu’s friend after all, and a friend of Vinu’s is a friend of mine.
I conclude this entry with the note that tomorrow we will be viewing the ship Vari-13 commissioned for us, which we have dubbed “The Everdawn”. I can’t wait to finally see it!
Player's Notes: A downtime session to conclude our escape from the Kagekumo and usher in the start of us having our own ship! We actually found out that the intent was to have us take one of the ships the slavers had captured for our own, but our choice to take the Kagekumo out of the Drift messed with his plans. Now we get to have a cool custom ship with a super crazy energy source (the Enigma Core gave us 300 power for ship building).
I'm quickly coming to the conclusion that Astrea is developing a crush on Yaro, and ever so slowly I'm building that into her logs. As the only other sane and morally upstanding member of the party, it kind of makes sense that they'd gravitate towards each other, and all their time together I think has brought them pretty close. I look forward to seeing how things play out. It'll be nice to have something cute on the side of the mess that is the necrobots.
As one additional thing, both Yaro's player and I added "Fun facts about character" sections, which I won't post here but I will keep in the appendix of the Google doc (link in the first post of this thread), in case anyone finds themselves curious to know some trivia about some of our adventurers.
23/05/20 - Session 19 - Astrea’s Journal: Return to Khefak Depot
Fourthday, 3rd Arodus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot
We chose the name “Everdawn” for our ship for a few reasons. The “Ever” component is an allusion to the original intent of studying what I am now calling the Enigma Core: a potentially infinite source of energy. This was also a hidden reference to Vari-8, the original scientist working on the Enigma Core (8 rotated 90 degrees is an infinity symbol; I thought it was a clever detail). As for “Dawn”, Yaro gets principle credit for that element. In addition to being a reference to his patron deity Sarenrae (also known as the Dawnflower), it also alludes to the ship’s primary weapons system: a heavy solar cannon. I am quite pleased with our naming scheme for the ship. It evokes a certain beauty and hopefulness that seems appropriate for our mission. Would that its appearance matched that messaging…
I only know of vermeliths from textbooks and video-documentaries (and in this particular instance, I am all too happy for that to remain the case), though it is a well-documented fact that their carapace makes for an excellent starship frame. Their natural resistance to electromagnetic, gravitational, and radioactive energies are valuable defensive properties, especially in light of the dangers we might face. From a purely academic standpoint, our choice to use one as the base of our ship was a logical one. Still, I cannot entirely get over the fact that the Everdawn does appear, in a very literal sense, monstrous. Perhaps it is a fault in my personal aesthetic sensibilities that I will eventually overcome, but for the time being I do feel a degree of unease at the idea of navigating through space in a giant worm carcass.
At least the outer aesthetics were not also incorporated into the interior of the vessel. Being the most familiar with starships, Yaro and Meved saw to most of the Everdawn’s design based on our team’s requirements, though Vinu and I did contribute to the overall layout. The general distribution is simple and I would think relatively standard: navigation and overall command occupies the top level, while crew quarters and general needs are covered by the middle level, and finally cargo and engineering occupy the lowest level. The Enigma Core is housed in a dedicated subsection of engineering, further reinforced and isolated for safety purposes. We thought it would be best to make sure not to repeat the mistakes made on the Stellar Flare. The last thing we would want is a necrobot emerging from the Enigma Core and having full access to the remainder of the ship.
Though the Everdawn is primarily a research vessel, we made a point to include at least a few recreational features. We are likely to be spending weeks to even months at a time on the ship, so we invested a bit more to ensure that we would all have comfortable lodgings with personal hygiene facilities. The hydroponic garden also ought to allow us the means to keep ourselves fed with something other than dehydrated nutrient paste, which is a very welcome addition. The holographic amusement chamber was another surprise. I’ve had the pleasure of using a HAC at the university, though it was limited to a few preprogrammed settings. I look forward to seeing how I might program this one for optimal reading environments…
The last notable addition that we made was the inclusion of a virtual intelligence. VIs are common both at the Arcanamirium and among the various universities on Castrovel, so it is not as though I am unfamiliar with them, but much like the school HACs, the university VIs were always a little lacklustre. Naturally, we will all have to come to some sort of agreement regarding the personality we will configure it with, though I’ve taken the liberty of looking up a catalogue and configuration guide to help us with that process. Crafting our virtual crewmate will no doubt occupy a fair amount of my leisure time for the next few months.
In the interest of records-keeping, I’ve included the floorplan schematics for the ship in this journal. These exclude sensitive data, so their inclusion shouldn’t pose any security risks.
Upper Level
Middle Level
Lower Level
Setting aside the Everdawn for a moment, I was able to conduct some further investigations into the unique energy signatures we’ve identified in both the Enigma Core and Veronica. Though our initial hypothesis was that the energy was originally tied to the Drift, that is seeming less and less likely. Yaro proposed his own theory from a more spiritual perspective, that this form of teleportation may be the product of a wildly different interpretation of the Signal (the message delivered by Triune that revealed the secrets behind Drift engine technology). There is perhaps some validity to that idea. After all, I see no reason that the Signal could not have been broadcast to a plane or dimension beyond the scope of our awareness, and it would not be unreasonable to assume that such a plane might have a different understanding of the physics involved. If this is in fact true, it would raise a myriad of very interesting questions.
Another key factor to this mystery lies in the focusing crystals. While we were able to reproduce the Enigma Core with familiar materials, it clearly lacks the efficiency of a device like Veronica. Vari proposed repurposing Veronica’s crystal for our research, until such a time that we can find or create one ourselves. There is an aspect of uncertainty that I don’t like in this approach. By adding in an element we don’t fully understand, we are creating several unknown variables. However, I cannot deny that it also has a chance of greatly accelerating our progress. Seeing as Veronica already has only a limited number of uses remaining, we agreed that it might be best to move forward with that idea, though not before discharging one last shot from the gun, this time thoroughly measured.
I gave Tibbers the honour of firing the last shot, and even acquired some of the nuclear engineering department’s waste as a target; it does seem, after all, to be an effective means of safely disposing of such materials. By looking at every filter on every conceivable scanner I could requisition from the Arcanamirium, we determined conclusively that the signature is not Drift energy. It didn’t correspond to any other energy signatures we could detect either. That being said, by identifying the trace energies generated as a byproduct of the effect, I was able to use a subtraction method to create a sort of detection model. Much like that one Veskarium holovid explaining guided missile technology, we will be able to identify instances of this mystery energy because we’ll know what it isn’t.
With that, we exhausted the resources I could muster at the Arcanamirium for the time being (I’ve already had to call in several favours to borrow such a large quantity of lab equipment at once without divulging the full nature of my research). We collectively decided that our next step should be returning to Akiton to reinvestigate and also deactivate the original Enigma Core on the Stellar Flare (just in case it might be functioning as a beacon to the necrobots). We also opted to use sub-light travel for the journey. The justification for that choice is simple: I don’t believe any of us are eager to potentially relive the Kagekumo incident.
Upon our arrival, Soryn went to visit his old war buddy at The Admiral’s Snackbar, while Vari, Tibbers, and Madeci remained on the Everdawn. The rest of us set out on the mission proper.
It may have simply been relief to find that it had not been destroyed by a sudden necrobot invasion, but it was oddly comforting to find that Khefak Depot had not changed significantly in the couple of months since our last visit. Well, that is not entirely accurate. The town seems to have embraced goblins and ikeshtis as part of their general populace, which could certainly be counted as a significant alteration. I would be very interested to conduct a thorough study of the sociocultural influences such a large and sudden migration has had, though such an investigation would have to wait until our primary objective was complete.
Prior to our departure back into the Outer Junkfields, we made a stop at O’Toole’s weapon depot so that Meved might acquire the free bandolier of grenades he earned with his loyalty points (that store’s business model continues to baffle me), and then at Adventures in Junk to visit our friend Riddle. The visit was short and consisted mostly of us summarising the harrowing incident of our previous departure. I feel bad about dropping such terrifying news on Riddle’s proverbial lap, but it seemed important that she be aware for her own safety. I fully intend to take a moment to catch up properly after we check up on the Stellar Flare. Almost as soon as we landed, I felt an uncomfortable sense that it was necessary we make our way there sooner rather than later.
As luck would have it, Riddle had preserved the motorcycles we reclaimed from the True Warriors, so we were able to make the journey quickly. Vinu had such a difficulty containing her excitement that she simply didn’t, and promptly rode off before we even confirmed that we had Riddle’s permission to use them. It is fortunate that Riddle was so understanding of our resident pahtra’s excitability, or that might have been an awkward situation. Nevertheless, with Riddle’s blessing, we set off on the two remaining bikes. Yaro, despite his newfound vision, had not completed any vehicle training as of yet, so he rode along with me, which was a perfectly cosy experience.
Our arrival into the midzone came with a few surprises. The first was that it appeared to have been abandoned, which could have been explained by the former residents migrating to Khefak Depot (at least, this is what I hope to be the explanation, and I have seen no indication to the contrary as of yet). The second was that the wreck of the Stellar Flare was considerably more intact than it was when we left it. I barely had a moment to examine the repairs before the likely cause manifested itself and we were attacked by several small swarms of scarab-like microbots. The surprise attack was the third surprise, incidentally.
These robots bore many familiar necrobot traits, though rather than regenerating, they appeared to instead manually repair each other, which leads me to believe that they are perhaps a larger iteration of the nanobots that induce the necrobot regeneration we’ve witnessed. They also didn’t disintegrate upon death, which allowed me to collect a few samples (I did not dare try to capture one alive, as I doubted that I had an effective means to contain it). Overall, they were still a threat (I personally was scratched and bit several times, though fortunately it was nothing Yaro couldn’t fix), but not a significant one. Most of our weapons were not particularly effective, save for grenades, but we had an abundance of those. Yaro’s new disintegrator cannon also did wonders at clearing the bots away, while Meved’s new augmentations seemed to make him more resilient than ever before.
Despite this initial success, I worry that this is an omen of what we might yet find within the Stellar Flare…
Player's Notes: Yep, two posts for the price of one! We were supossed to resurrect our Hell's Vengeance game on Saturday, but a miscommunication left us GM-less, so we pivoted to an improvised Starfinder game instead. Props to our GM for coming in clutch with an on the spot session.
I had a lot of fun setting up the ship's layout. I actually did that on a page of our loot document (just set all the row and column lengths to 30). It's amazing what graph tools can do. I'm not also in the process of building the entire thing in Minecraft because I'm a maniac. I'll be sure to include some images in a future journal post when it's done.
23/05/20 - Session 19 - Astrea’s Journal: Return to Khefak Depot
Fourthday, 3rd Arodus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot
We chose the name “Everdawn” for our ship for a few reasons. The “Ever” component is an allusion to the original intent of studying what I am now calling the Enigma Core: a potentially infinite source of energy. This was also a hidden reference to Vari-8, the original scientist working on the Enigma Core (8 rotated 90 degrees is an infinity symbol; I thought it was a clever detail). As for “Dawn”, Yaro gets principle credit for that element. In addition to being a reference to his patron deity Sarenrae (also known as the Dawnflower), it also alludes to the ship’s primary weapons system: a heavy solar cannon. I am quite pleased with our naming scheme for the ship. It evokes a certain beauty and hopefulness that seems appropriate for our mission. Would that its appearance matched that messaging…
I only know of vermeliths from textbooks and video-documentaries (and in this particular instance, I am all too happy for that to remain the case), though it is a well-documented fact that their carapace makes for an excellent starship frame. Their natural resistance to electromagnetic, gravitational, and radioactive energies are valuable defensive properties, especially in light of the dangers we might face. From a purely academic standpoint, our choice to use one as the base of our ship was a logical one. Still, I cannot entirely get over the fact that the Everdawn does appear, in a very literal sense, monstrous. Perhaps it is a fault in my personal aesthetic sensibilities that I will eventually overcome, but for the time being I do feel a degree of unease at the idea of navigating through space in a giant worm carcass.
At least the outer aesthetics were not also incorporated into the interior of the vessel. Being the most familiar with starships, Yaro and Meved saw to most of the Everdawn’s design based on our team’s requirements, though Vinu and I did contribute to the overall layout. The general distribution is simple and I would think relatively standard: navigation and overall command occupies the top level, while crew quarters and general needs are covered by the middle level, and finally cargo and engineering occupy the lowest level. The Enigma Core is housed in a dedicated subsection of engineering, further reinforced and isolated for safety purposes. We thought it would be best to make sure not to repeat the mistakes made on the Stellar Flare. The last thing we would want is a necrobot emerging from the Enigma Core and having full access to the remainder of the ship.
Though the Everdawn is primarily a research vessel, we made a point to include at least a few recreational features. We are likely to be spending weeks to even months at a time on the ship, so we invested a bit more to ensure that we would all have comfortable lodgings with personal hygiene facilities. The hydroponic garden also ought to allow us the means to keep ourselves fed with something other than dehydrated nutrient paste, which is a very welcome addition. The holographic amusement chamber was another surprise. I’ve had the pleasure of using a HAC at the university, though it was limited to a few preprogrammed settings. I look forward to seeing how I might program this one for optimal reading environments…
The last notable addition that we made was the inclusion of a virtual intelligence. VIs are common both at the Arcanamirium and among the various universities on Castrovel, so it is not as though I am unfamiliar with them, but much like the school HACs, the university VIs were always a little lacklustre. Naturally, we will all have to come to some sort of agreement regarding the personality we will configure it with, though I’ve taken the liberty of looking up a catalogue and configuration guide to help us with that process. Crafting our virtual crewmate will no doubt occupy a fair amount of my leisure time for the next few months.
In the interest of records-keeping, I’ve included the floorplan schematics for the ship in this journal. These exclude sensitive data, so their inclusion shouldn’t pose any security risks.
Upper Level
Middle Level
Lower Level
Setting aside the Everdawn for a moment, I was able to conduct some further investigations into the unique energy signatures we’ve identified in both the Enigma Core and Veronica. Though our initial hypothesis was that the energy was originally tied to the Drift, that is seeming less and less likely. Yaro proposed his own theory from a more spiritual perspective, that this form of teleportation may be the product of a wildly different interpretation of the Signal (the message delivered by Triune that revealed the secrets behind Drift engine technology). There is perhaps some validity to that idea. After all, I see no reason that the Signal could not have been broadcast to a plane or dimension beyond the scope of our awareness, and it would not be unreasonable to assume that such a plane might have a different understanding of the physics involved. If this is in fact true, it would raise a myriad of very interesting questions.
Another key factor to this mystery lies in the focusing crystals. While we were able to reproduce the Enigma Core with familiar materials, it clearly lacks the efficiency of a device like Veronica. Vari proposed repurposing Veronica’s crystal for our research, until such a time that we can find or create one ourselves. There is an aspect of uncertainty that I don’t like in this approach. By adding in an element we don’t fully understand, we are creating several unknown variables. However, I cannot deny that it also has a chance of greatly accelerating our progress. Seeing as Veronica already has only a limited number of uses remaining, we agreed that it might be best to move forward with that idea, though not before discharging one last shot from the gun, this time thoroughly measured.
I gave Tibbers the honour of firing the last shot, and even acquired some of the nuclear engineering department’s waste as a target; it does seem, after all, to be an effective means of safely disposing of such materials. By looking at every filter on every conceivable scanner I could requisition from the Arcanamirium, we determined conclusively that the signature is not Drift energy. It didn’t correspond to any other energy signatures we could detect either. That being said, by identifying the trace energies generated as a byproduct of the effect, I was able to use a subtraction method to create a sort of detection model. Much like that one Veskarium holovid explaining guided missile technology, we will be able to identify instances of this mystery energy because we’ll know what it isn’t.
With that, we exhausted the resources I could muster at the Arcanamirium for the time being (I’ve already had to call in several favours to borrow such a large quantity of lab equipment at once without divulging the full nature of my research). We collectively decided that our next step should be returning to Akiton to reinvestigate and also deactivate the original Enigma Core on the Stellar Flare (just in case it might be functioning as a beacon to the necrobots). We also opted to use sub-light travel for the journey. The justification for that choice is simple: I don’t believe any of us are eager to potentially relive the Kagekumo incident.
Upon our arrival, Soryn went to visit his old war buddy at The Admiral’s Snackbar, while Vari, Tibbers, and Madeci remained on the Everdawn. The rest of us set out on the mission proper.
It may have simply been relief to find that it had not been destroyed by a sudden necrobot invasion, but it was oddly comforting to find that Khefak Depot had not changed significantly in the couple of months since our last visit. Well, that is not entirely accurate. The town seems to have embraced goblins and ikeshtis as part of their general populace, which could certainly be counted as a significant alteration. I would be very interested to conduct a thorough study of the sociocultural influences such a large and sudden migration has had, though such an investigation would have to wait until our primary objective was complete.
Prior to our departure back into the Outer Junkfields, we made a stop at O’Toole’s weapon depot so that Meved might acquire the free bandolier of grenades he earned with his loyalty points (that store’s business model continues to baffle me), and then at Adventures in Junk to visit our friend Riddle. The visit was short and consisted mostly of us summarising the harrowing incident of our previous departure. I feel bad about dropping such terrifying news on Riddle’s proverbial lap, but it seemed important that she be aware for her own safety. I fully intend to take a moment to catch up properly after we check up on the Stellar Flare. Almost as soon as we landed, I felt an uncomfortable sense that it was necessary we make our way there sooner rather than later.
As luck would have it, Riddle had preserved the motorcycles we reclaimed from the True Warriors, so we were able to make the journey quickly. Vinu had such a difficulty containing her excitement that she simply didn’t, and promptly rode off before we even confirmed that we had Riddle’s permission to use them. It is fortunate that Riddle was so understanding of our resident pahtra’s excitability, or that might have been an awkward situation. Nevertheless, with Riddle’s blessing, we set off on the two remaining bikes. Yaro, despite his newfound vision, had not completed any vehicle training as of yet, so he rode along with me, which was a perfectly cosy experience.
Our arrival into the midzone came with a few surprises. The first was that it appeared to have been abandoned, which could have been explained by the former residents migrating to Khefak Depot (at least, this is what I hope to be the explanation, and I have seen no indication to the contrary as of yet). The second was that the wreck of the Stellar Flare was considerably more intact than it was when we left it. I barely had a moment to examine the repairs before the likely cause manifested itself and we were attacked by several small swarms of scarab-like microbots. The surprise attack was the third surprise, incidentally.
These robots bore many familiar necrobot traits, though rather than regenerating, they appeared to instead manually repair each other, which leads me to believe that they are perhaps a larger iteration of the nanobots that induce the necrobot regeneration we’ve witnessed. They also didn’t disintegrate upon death, which allowed me to collect a few samples (I did not dare try to capture one alive, as I doubted that I had an effective means to contain it). Overall, they were still a threat (I personally was scratched and bit several times, though fortunately it was nothing Yaro couldn’t fix), but not a significant one. Most of our weapons were not particularly effective, save for grenades, but we had an abundance of those. Yaro’s new disintegrator cannon also did wonders at clearing the bots away, while Meved’s new augmentations seemed to make him more resilient than ever before.
Despite this initial success, I worry that this is an omen of what we might yet find within the Stellar Flare…
Player's Notes: Yep, two posts for the price of one! We were supposed to resurrect our Hell's Vengeance game on Saturday, but a miscommunication left us GM-less, so we pivoted to an improvised Starfinder game instead. Props to our GM for coming in clutch with an on the spot session.
I had a lot of fun setting up the ship's layout. I actually did that on a page of our loot document (just set all the row and column lengths to 30). It's amazing what graph tools can do. I'm not also in the process of building the entire thing in Minecraft because I'm a maniac. I'll be sure to include some images in a future journal post when it's done.
23/05/23 - Session 20 - Astrea’s Journal: Where It All Started
Fourthday, 3rd Arodus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
The last time we were in the Stellar Flare, it was not in the best of states. Even before our impromptu standoff against the True Warriors, centuries of neglect following the ship’s crash meant that the hull was structurally questionable at best. I distinctly remember mourning over just how much was unsalvageable, nearly as much as I was surprised by how many things still functioned (and how most of those things were of a lethal variety).
With our second visit, I was surprised once again, but this time for a different reason.
The reconstruction of the Stellar Flare was almost frighteningly impressive. While I don’t have the original schematics to compare, based on what I had already witnessed, the ship appeared to have been restored almost perfectly to its original factory specifications (missing half notwithstanding). I do not say factory specifications lightly, for that matter. The interior of the ship was devoid of any extraneous features, and by that I really do mean any. All that remained were floors, walls, doors, and ceilings. Previously, the Stellar Flare was littered with debris, broken terminals, malfunctioning security systems, shattered glass, damaged furniture, and what was likely enough tetanus samples to satisfy the Arcanamirium’s immunology department for the next decade. This time, the interior was so thoroughly emptied and sterilised that we could have conducted surgery on the hallway floor (which fortunately did not turn out to be something that was required).
Based on a cursory microlab analysis of the insectoid microbots and some samples of the Stellar Flare, I believe it is valid to conclude that those creatures were responsible for the repairs. Much like every other tech associated with the necrobots, their capabilities far surpass anything I have witnessed. Between their restorative technology and the Enigma Core, I find myself wondering what other proverbial philosopher’s stone of technological advancement the necrobots might be in possession of. The positive impacts they could have if they applied their tech constructively are astronomical, so much so that it makes it all the more heartbreaking that their only interests so far have been of a hostile nature…
Speaking of, the Stellar Flare was not entirely emptied. In fact, the Enigma Core’s room proved to be more occupied than any of us might have cared for. In addition to a couple scarab swarms and a small company of rifle-wielding necrobots, there were also two individuals with distinct appearances that led me to believe they were of a minor commanding rank. The Enigma Core, for that matter, had distinct modifications to it, though I was unable to make a full assessment of the extent of those modifications in the moment.
Even more shocking than the necrobot’s use of traditional military command chains was the fact that the officers spoke! Prior to this encounter, the necrobots had not to my knowledge expressed any sort of communicative capabilities. As one might have expected, the couple of sentences the officers uttered were not in a language I was familiar with, but I’ve studied the idiosyncrasies of enough forms of communication to be able to at least infer the probable meaning. By my estimations, one officer said to the other, “go back, we’ll handle things here”. This alone will not be enough to decipher their tongue, but it’s a start. I’ve made a point to document the words I could remember phonetically, so as to start the creation of a decryption key. With enough snippets, we might yet be able to understand the necrobots, which could open up a great number of avenues to us moving forward.
Following through with my understanding of the officer’s orders, the other officer and some of the necrobot riflemen travelled through the Enigma Core while the remaining necrobot soldiers turned to fight us. The use of the Core as a transportation device is something I considered to be within the realm of possibility, considering our newfound understanding of the inherent portal technology at play. Given the cautious way in which the necrobots safeguard their technology, I suppose it should have come to no surprise that the officer’s first priority was to sabotage the machine. As frustrated as I might have been with that turn of events, there wasn’t much we could do to halt them, save to kill them first, and as we are well aware by now, necrobots are very hard to kill. In fact, I came to learn in this fight that in addition to their myriad of defensive properties, they are also immune to the concept of fear. I say this while accounting for their mechanical nature, as this is a property I am otherwise able to bypass. This seems an odd redundancy, but given their inherently frightening nature, perhaps this is a psychological immunity generated by overexposure, or intentionally included as a defence mechanism against themselves.
We prioritised the (heavily armed) officer. Fortunately, it was better at dealing damage than receiving it, and our experience in dealing with necrobots made it a comparatively quick fight. Less fortunately, I attempted to disrupt the magical energy to keep its rather impressive weapon from disintegrating, but was unsuccessful. I made up for that by dismantling the remaining riflemen’s weapon use protocols, which adjusted their accuracy to what one might expect from the generic soldiers of a fictional evil intergalactic empire.
The scarab swarms were a more problematic element, due largely to just how distracting it can be to be covered in them. Even if we had not encountered them outside of the Stellar Flare moments earlier, being a Castrovellian Lashunta, I have at least some basic education on the dangers and tactics of swarm-like insectoid creatures. I determined that the scarabs exhibited no form of intelligence beyond seeking the nearest organic lifeform and attacking it in the most direct manner possible. I used this fact to our advantage and drew them towards me for as long as I could while the others finished off the remaining riflemen. In retrospect, it was a very dangerous, but ultimately successful gambit, and not one I wish to attempt again anytime soon. I now have the distinct displeasure of being able to add “being nearly eaten alive by robot insects” to my list of personal experiences that I never expected nor desired to have. I cannot say that I would ever recommend it, save perhaps to a follower of Zon Kuthon, though even then, I might suggest one proceed with caution.
After a final barrage of explosives and fully automatic weaponry, the room was secure enough for us to tend to our wounds and investigate the modified Enigma Core. The damage dealt by the officer made it very difficult to reverse engineer their exact modifications, though it was easy enough to tell that the result was a significantly increased power input and an expanded containment field. This would explain its earlier application as a teleportation device. Scientifically, this is as fascinating as it is militarily terrifying, as this form of rapid transportation suggests a mobilisation capacity that could far exceed our own.
In addition to a slightly greater understanding of the engineering applications of an Enigma Core, I was also able to salvage a small fragment of necrobot technology. From a cursory analysis, I cannot ascertain any practical use for it, but I am hoping that further study will change that. We concluded our visit by completing our original intended objective, that being to shut down what was remaining of the Stellar Flare’s Enigma Core.
Unbeknownst to me (which admittedly came as some surprise, though I find myself becoming increasingly desensitised to the necrobots subverting my expectations), the Enigma Core was apparently also functioning as a long-range signal jammer, preventing any contact between us and Khefak Depot. We learned this because as soon as we deactivated it, our comm units revealed several urgent attempts to contact us. The first messages didn’t provide much in the way of details about what had transpired, but it was evident enough that it was nothing positive…
Player's Notes: In case anyone is wondering, why yes, I did happen to roll a nat 20 on Culture (which incidentally is Astrea's second highest skill after Life Science; which you probably wouldn't think considering how often she ends up stuck as the team's engineering expert) to decipher what the necrobots were saying. I have a strange habit of rolling 20s on the most narratively appropriate times. It is a gift I quite enjoy.
This ended up being a pretty short session that consisted almost entirely of a combat encounter. This was the first time Meved and Yaro really got to test out their new builds, and I can honestly say the Evolutionist is kind of terrifying when put into the hands of an experienced Barbarian player, and a well placed line gun is definitely nothing to sneeze at.
It became clear after a point that my actions would be best served keeping the swarms at bay while maybe using my enhanced communalism to ensure that their hits landed. I'm glad to see Astrea finding a niche for herself in combat as a support character, considering how limited spells can be in this system. I intend to take Unionist to really double down on her "Make sure our DPS hits and theirs doesn't" angle.
That being said, I'm also really eager to see what Starfinder Enhanced will bring as far as options go. I can't wait for October to roll around!
Oh and unrelated to this, but if anyone reading this cared about my Hell's Vengeance game, well, I have some good news! There'll be an update to that real soon (we already played the session; I just need to write the entry)...
23/06/06 - Session 21 - Astrea’s Journal: Dread at the Depot
Fourthday, 3rd Arodus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
When I studied anthropology, I naturally was taught a great deal about first encounter scenarios, as well as the concepts of raids and pillages. Though I abhor the idea of violence, especially between sapient creatures, from that privileged position of cool detachment I could at least understand some of the reasons behind these actions. Be it for survival, or the acquisition or protection of important lands and resources, or even as a preemptive strike to dissuade further aggressions… There was a certain objective sense there that I could appreciate, even if I personally had a distaste for it.
If this past month has taught me anything, it’s that it is immensely difficult to maintain a sense of objectivity when you are directly affected by such horrors.
Despite several encounters now, we still are completely ignorant of the necrobot’s intents. I’ve tried to speculate, to understand them through analysis. I’ve recently begun my project to deconstruct their language so that I might find a means to communicate with them. Admittedly, neither they nor we have made any real attempts to interact through any means other than violence… In many ways, we are very much in alignment with a great number of the first encounter horror stories I’ve read about. I remember thinking on many occasions that were I in such a situation, I would have done things differently. We did not.
After seeing the pillars of smoke rise from Khefak Depot, and the eviscerated and disintegrated corpses in the streets, I cannot bring myself to retain my objectivity. I finally understand the fear and hatred so many species must have felt when faced with armed barbarian raiders, or a colonial superpower claiming every territory they can march over…
The necrobots are more advanced militarily and scientifically to us. They grasp technologies that defy our understanding of the properties of the world, and to our perception bend the very nature of reality to their whims. They clearly have an understanding of hierarchies and social reasoning, at least in the context of military strategy. With all of this knowledge, the necrobots ought to have the wisdom to understand how one might peacefully approach an alien nation. Normally, this is where I might infer that they either have an unknown reason that justifies this hostile response, or they are a collection of beings that somehow developed access to these technologies while avoiding or losing a sense of pacifism. Normally, that would be something I would find disconcerting, but still interesting to ponder.
In the face of this devastation, I found myself having difficulty feeling any desire to seek out answers to those questions. Instead, all I found myself caring about was how to get rid of these wretched things before they could hurt anyone else, and how to rescue as many of our people as we can in the process. With this attack, the necrobots inspired feelings in me that defy rationality. I was terrified and disgusted, but most of all I was inconsolably angry.
By the time we had reached the Admiral’s Snackbar, any sort of contemplation of my emotions was well and truly compartmentalised, replaced with the need to defeat the modest force of soldiers, swarms, and commanders assaulting Soryn, the Admiral, and a pair of local security guards. Meved drove directly into the host, crashing into them before joining the battle as only Meved can. Vinu, Yaro and I took point on the other side, blocking the necrobots in and unleashing everything we had to disable and destroy these enemies. Soryn and the Admiral demonstrated martial prowess that one might expect from a pair of disciplined fighters. The guards did what they could, but despite their efforts to fight back and Yaro’s to preserve them, they succumbed to the swarms and lasers in fairly short order.
Had it not been for Yaro’s timely intervention, I would have likely joined them. Even with the adrenaline of my fight or flight response, I am not nearly as well attuned for combat as the others. It only really occurred to me after the fight just how close I came to death when all the pain of my injuries rushed back to me.
By the time the fight was over, we had won, but we had also lost two people. In exchange, I managed to preserve two of the commanders’ electricity throwers. I might have been pleased at this success, had the cost not been so high.
Whatever grief I experienced, I know it was even worse for Yaroslav. Yaro is a doctor, a person who places a great deal of importance on the responsibility he has for safeguarding others, and above all, someone with an immensely compassionate heart. For someone like that, the loss of two people, standing right next to him no less, would take an immense psychological toll. I tried to console him with the fact that he had done all he could, that this was not his fault, and that his efforts would be best placed helping those that remain. It was a cold and rational reassurance. I very much wished I could grieve with him, or express a heartfelt understanding of his feelings, or even give proper thanks for the fact that his actions are the only reason I survived. These are the responses I should have given. However, I suspect that if I had acknowledged any of my own sentiments then, I might have just broken down.
I could not afford to do that while there were still necrobots attacking the town. Not while Riddle and the other residents were still in danger. Not while Tibbers was still madly attempting to dogfight with the necrobot fighters in the Everdawn overhead…
My emotions would just have to wait until after all of that was settled.
Player's Notes: I genuinely got poked by our GM after he read this to check if Astrea is ok. I ended up writing this with the thought in my mind that this was effectively her first experience with a military attack on a civilian settlement. If seeing a bloody fight between Meved and some thugs gave her a panic attack a month ago, I imagined that the senseless loss of life on a scale like this would be ten times worse. The other difference is that now Astrea is trying to suppress her trauma so that she can focus on solving the problem, which isn't exactly healthy either. I expect that at the end of this she's going to have a deeply emotional moment, and from there she'll gradually work her way towards finding the right balance in the face of adverse conditions.
I've gotta say, it's fun exploring the psychology of a character I've known for a decade in a brand new context. That, and rolling the shiny math rocks. I like it when mine land on the big numbers.
Oh, and as promised, my Minecraft rendition of the Everdawn. It's still a work in progress, but I was pretty pleased with the result.
23/07/03 - Session 22 - Vari-13 Captain’s Log
Fourthday, 3rd Arodus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
-Captain’s log, Arodus 3rd, 322 AG-
Our visit to Khefak Depot has abruptly changed to a combat mission. Though my previous visit to this den of ruins and rubbish had also been fraught with perils, the nature of the dangers we are encountering this time is of a much more dire nature than mere bugs. The necrobots, as we have designated them, have made a surprise attack on the town, exterminating anyone and everything in the area with extreme prejudice.
This included the Everdawn, occupied by myself, as well as Tiberius, Medici, and the ship’s AI, which the crew have taken to calling Vanessa. The Everdawn’s primary contingent was on an away mission on the ground at the time of the attack, and as such was unable to regroup before we found ourselves pursued by two necrobot fighters, small but fearsome adversaries with manoeuvrability and weapons that rival if not exceed our own. Tiberius took the helm while Vanessa was designated to the weapons post. I initially took the position of Captain, as is to be expected, while Madeci took on the responsibilities of Science Officer. However, once we had sustained damage, I took it upon myself to see to the ship’s engineering bay, leaving the musician to the role of maintaining morale as acting Captain.
As the primary stakeholder of this ship, I deemed it my personal responsibility to ensure that the ship’s proprietary “Enigma Core” remain unharmed. From the attacks of the necrobots, I am led to believe that they wish to destroy the core specifically. In the interest of our scientific pursuit and protection of AbadarCorp’s intellectual property, I could not allow this to stand. Fortunately, Tiberius is a pilot of adequate skill, and Vanessa’s targeting systems are the best that credits can buy, though the voice modulation that Tiberius has configured for the system is questionable at best.
Nevertheless, our engagement had not yet been concluded when we were contacted via comms to inform us that our enemies’ weapon systems had a notable cooldown period. As such, we have decided to take advantage of our superior speed to lure them away from the town, bait their attacks, and then double back to retrieve our away team, so that they might further assist us in managing the ship’s systems. The Everdawn’s potential is limited by the current skeleton crew, and I am confident that the addition of our contracted agents will bring out its true potential and swiftly resolve this situation.
At least, they damn well better! It is what I paid them for, after all!
23/07/03 - Session 22 - Astrea’s Journal: Pot Shots and Parking Lots
Fourthday, 3rd Arodus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
While we were dealing with the necrobots at the Admiral’s Snackbar, we caught glimpses of the dogfight taking place overhead. It is more than a little worrying, knowing that the Everdawn is fighting without us. Of the crew, only Tibbers has much of any sort of combat experience, though I’m hoping that Vari and Madeci can manage along with Vanessa, at least until we can find a way to help them…
That is, of course, assuming we can find a way to do that. Soryn noticed that the necrobot fighters pursuing them are slower and have a fairly long cooldown rate on their weapon systems, so he suggested that they fly out of town and double back as a feint so that we might get some time to board the ship and help. It’s a bold strategy, but we’re somewhat lacking in options at the moment.
It’s at about this point that our team split up from Soryn and the Admiral. They went off to clear a landing space in the coliseum, while we decided to make a detour to retrieve Riddle. She responded to my messages, which thankfully means she’s still alive, but I have no idea how long that will last. The necrobots are all over town, and I’m doing my best not to count the number of casualties I’ve seen so far. Even thinking of doing so makes me keenly aware that due to the nature of necrobot weaponry, many of the deceased will be little more than piles of ash, quite easily missed among the dirt and rubble. The thought makes me sick to my stomach, which isn’t really something I can afford.
Our route to Adventures in Junk took us through a parking lot. I hardly recognised the area after all the damage done by the necrobots. I remember thinking in the past that the repurposed junk made the area seem decrepit. That thought feels all the more foolish and condescending when I see it in this ruinous state. There is an unmistakable difference between the product of constructive efforts to make use of available materials, and the product of a destructive conflict. As with many other things I’ve learned in the last few months, my academic understanding of this fact did not prepare me for its practical application. Just like those other lessons, it is one I desperately wish I didn’t have to learn.
Another experience I could have done without is the feeling of absolute dread that comes with seeing a large target on your person. I managed to recognise it as being an operator’s death mark, and immediately rushed for cover. Had I not done so, I would have certainly died. The bullet hole left in the metal panelling I hid behind was mere centimetres away from my cranium. Meved, who charged ahead of us, took enough shots that anyone other than him would have been reduced to a fine mist.
We’re outnumbered and outgunned. I only have a single spell left and I’m cowering behind a small pile of rubble. Meved is barely clinging to life. Soryn and the Admiral aren’t around to help… It is all I can do right now to keep my composure, in the hopes of surviving this ordeal…
Player's Notes: We did a bit of a split for this one. First half was starship combat with our B team, and latter half was back to our party.
Having now played a bit of the starship combat, it's a very front-loaded system that takes a fair bit of getting used to. Certain roles and skills have a lot more to do whereas others really are just a simple skill check, and it had a fair few complications if you don't have the right skills on hand. The fact that our GM once again had unfortunately good luck with rolls meant that we were having a pretty rough time. Maybe the system will grow on me with practice and a stronger crew, but for now I'm kind of lukewarm on it. I felt like I was spending more time doing actions because I had to (namely patching systems due to critical damage) rather than making interesting choices in how to affect the battle. A fair bit of my experience with Starfinder has been a bit like that though...
As for the land fight, yeah not gonna lie, going into another combat with only one spell didn't feel great, and Meved eating two crits in the first round even less so. I'm hoping that Yaro's healing and Vinu's sniping might help to get us back on track, but it's clear that with how tough these enemies are and our luck with dice, this is going to be a very difficult fight...
23/07/11 - Session 23 - Astrea’s Journal: Picking Ourselves Back Up
Fourthday, 3rd Arodus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
There have been numerous moments in the last few months that I might have described as stressful if not downright traumatic. As a scholar who was (woefully) ill-equipped to deal with the hostilities of the world outside of academia, I anticipated that there would be some measure of acclimatisation needed, but that a steady gradual influx of experience would allow me to comfortably absorb and adapt to more practical circumstances. The risk I took was calculated, and if my grades were to be believed, I am a capable mathematician.
After finding myself cowering behind a thin barrier of concrete to protect myself from a squadron of xenomorphic death robots and an invisible sniper that could very likely disintegrate my entire being with a single blast, I am beginning to wonder if I brought an algebra textbook to a quantum physics class…
There is no doubt that I owe my life to my teammates many times over at this point. Had Meved not taken that initial volley with his aberrantly resilient physiology, or if Yaro hadn’t managed to catch up to us to restore most of our vitality, or even if Vinu hadn’t circled around to cause a diversion… I would rather not linger on the likely outcomes of our situation. Meanwhile, the best I could muster with my single spell was a smokescreen, and even that was just a minor inconvenience for the necrobots. Recent conflict situations have made it increasingly clear to me that on my own, I am not at all useful in a fight.
However, as I’ve come to accept that theory, it’s opened my mind to an alternative approach. In my career as a teaching assistant, my role is to enable others and maximise their potential. This principle can effectively be applied outside of the classroom as well.
In this case, application took the form of me pushing towards the enemy first. The intention was to move between cover and get in close enough that I could provide fire support for Meved and Yaro. Instead, I ended up putting myself in the sniper’s direct line of fire. For the second time in the span of a minute, I felt the death mark appear on my chest.
My response was to run right past the sniper, taking advantage of its unpreparedness to take cover behind a thick wall. That distracted it enough so as to not notice Meved bursting past my steam wall (which had just dissipated at that precise moment) and charging it. This would mark the start of Meved’s rampage as he tore through one necrobot after the next. I simply followed behind and used a combination of covering fire and telepathy to improve his lethality (though his increasingly concerning robotic mutations were the much larger factor in that equation). Once Meved had gone into motion, he very much stayed in motion, to a point where the sheer momentum of his assault could not be opposed.
I would like to say that I could take credit for this as some sort of genius plan, but to do so would be disingenuous. I was too terrified to think and was mostly acting on impulse.
My survival can primarily be attributed to Meved functioning as a barrier for most of the fight. Vinu, who as mentioned had taken a back route to flank the enemy, did not enjoy that privilege. Roughly halfway through our rampage, we heard her get severely injured by the necrobots positioned in a nearby building. If Yaro hadn’t risked himself running through the parking lot to rescue her, there is a distressingly high likelihood that she would not have survived. That alone was a deeply frightening experience I would like to never repeat.
Of course, my personal preferences regarding traumatic experiences is hardly the measure by which the universe allocates them. Just as the fight was almost done, we had a second near death experience. Meved and Vinu were finishing off one bot in a nearby building, so I joined Yaro in the parking lot to help him with the last remaining soldier. Just as I got to him… The necrobot’s aim was deadly accurate… It was a direct hit to his vital organs.
Yaroslav, who had up until now been the stabilising force that kept us not only alive, but sane. My anchor in all of this madness… When he was laying there in my arms, he looked so ragged. He had spent every part of himself keeping us alive up until now, so much so that he couldn’t even help himself. And all of this, the shot… He was hit the very moment I had come up behind him to provide support. There’s a part of me that can’t help but think that if I hadn’t distracted him in that one instant…
It was the height of fortune that I still had some of the healing serums I had made during our time on Absalom. I specifically developed some countermeasures to the atomic decay factor inherent to necrobot weaponry. It wasn’t much, but it was just enough to prevent the wound from becoming lethal. I thank my lucky stars for that, because if Yaro hadn’t made it. If he had died in my arms in that moment… I’m not sure that I could have handled that…
I’m reminded as I recount this, all the things I didn’t say to him before. Everything I’d still like to say… I need time to process my feelings, but now I’m terrified of not getting the chance to express them. I can’t afford to lose Yaro. Really, I can’t afford to lose anyone, not now…
Which brings me back to why we had made this detour in the first place. We found Adventures in Junk in ruins. Riddle was alive, but pinned under the rubble. I offered what suggestions I could to safely remove the chunks of metal and concrete without causing a collapse while the others did the heavy lifting and Vinu snuck through to get Riddle out. All things considered, a broken leg is a far better fate than we might have hoped for. That at least we could fix with some time on the Everdawn’s medbay. In the meantime, we made do with a splint. I’m still impressed that Yaro could dive right back into being a medic despite having very nearly died just a few minutes ago. The resiliency of combat medics is something else…
Moving on, Khefak Depot was not yet liberated from the necrobot attack. Up to that point, we had largely opted not to dwell too much on the giant alien pyramid that occupied what was previously Ixomander's Throne (the same hotel we had briefly occupied during our last stay in town). My best hypothesis was that the new structure was some form of necrobot dropship or control centre. Either way, we lacked the means to deal with a structure of that scale on our own. It was a strange bit of serendipity then that the town had another powerful ally poised to provide some assistance.
I acknowledge that in the past, I have not had the highest opinion of O’Toole’s… Unique enthusiasm for combustibles and disregard for basic safety practices or common sense. Under most circumstances, my objections would stand, but as it turns out, a store run by a madman equipped with a small scale ballistic missile can be quite a useful asset for a town being invaded by a legion of undead robots. We did not go to investigate the impact site directly, but given the scale of the explosion and the subsequent lack of a pulsating green pyramid on the skyline, we assumed that the intended effect was accomplished.
On the subject of incredibly powerful allies, we arrived at the Arena just as Soryn and the Admiral were finishing up a fight with a necrobot larger than any I had seen. It seemed similar to the officer variants we had previously encountered, but heavily modified with a floating platform in place of legs and several weapons integrated into its physiology. Under other circumstances, I might have been curious to study a being that had so thoroughly altered itself for combat purposes, but in this case I simply joined the others in applying enough acidic compounds to its regenerating body to ensure that it wouldn’t reanimate. As much as I lament putting scientific interests as a secondary priority, survival seemed a valid reason.
It wasn’t long after that that the Everdawn circled back and we boarded. At the time, we had no idea how many survivors were still left in Khefak Depot, or even how many necrobots still roamed the streets. That would be a concern to raise after we had dealt with the two fighters still chasing after our ship.
Player's Notes: This session sure ended up being a roller coaster of emotions! We started dire, then when Astrea ran past the sniper just in time to tell him he's looking the wrong way as Meved dashed through the dissipating steam, then going after each one hitting them with the ol' harrying fire + helpful telepath combo as Meved's evolution points just kept increasing his damage... And then Vinu getting downed on the other side of the map because she went on a solo flank, then Yaro blitzing across the open parking lot to get her while Meved and Astrea kept wiping stuff, all culminating in that last necrobot getting a crit on his last attack, bringing Yaro down while he had no Resolve left... Never mind the skill challenge to save Riddle or the "I can't believe it's not Mr. Torgue" giant missile moment...
Lots of highs and lows. But, we ended on us hitting level 7, and that means some fun new options are coming our way! I for one am looking forward to being able to reliably land harrying fire shots from here on out, and saving my resolve for casts of "Edit Code". But we won't really get to enjoy all of our new toys just yet because ship combat is up next.
Also, emotional heart to heart with Yaro after this fight is done is all but assured at this point.
...I'll stop now. I'm a bit scatterbrained. It's been a long day.
23/07/25 - Session 24 - Astrea’s Journal: Ships’ Launch
Seventhday, 6th Arodus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
When the Everdawn ascended out of the Arena, I only briefly caught a glimpse of the pillars of smoke rising from the city skyline before I had to rush to the science station. A quick look at the ship’s scanners told me that there were no significant necrobot signatures in Khefak Depot besides the two fighters that were just now catching back up to us. I suppose between us and O’Toole’s missile, the land assault was halted. There was some solace in that. It meant we could focus our attention entirely on these remaining vessels and hope that with that, we’d finally end this nightmare.
Despite being a skeleton crew, Tibbers, Vari, Madeci, and Vanessa (I’m starting to think Tibbers has a particular fondness for “V” names) did a good job of keeping the Everdawn intact. That being said, for all their skill, they lacked the manpower to fully exploit all of the resources our ship could muster. Tibbers is a capable pilot, but Vinu’s… Unorthodox techniques kept us one step ahead of the enemy ships the entire fight. Incidentally, I’m forever grateful we invested in inertia dampeners; the whiplash from Vinu’s constant shifts between forward and reverse thrust would have surely caused more than a few injuries otherwise. Yaro’s mystical aptitudes ensured we’d have a further leg up on the necrobot fighters, saving us on a few occasions with his foresight. Riddle was initially handling the engines while I managed the targeting systems, but when it became clear that Riddle’s tasks would put too much strain on her leg, I handed her my control module for the scanners instead. She did an excellent job keeping us locked onto the enemy weapons systems. For the bulk of the fight, my attention was spent entirely on pushing as much energy into the rest of the ship’s systems as possible.
Actually, my initial intention was to repair some damage done to the power core, but in the time it took for me to inspect it, the Enigma Core actually appeared to have partially restored itself. I wasn’t exactly in a position to take the time to study the nature of this phenomenon, but it seems likely to me that this was akin to the same self-restorative system we’ve seen manifested by the necrobots. If that is the case, then the technology we’ve reproduced here is all the more exceptional, and will require a more thorough examination.
Not to belittle the remainder of the crew’s efforts, but our weapons operators deserve special praise. I’m told that Vanessa was an excellent shot with the ship’s solar cannon. I don’t doubt this, since we did invest in her for just such a purpose (among others), but I have to wonder how her computational ability compares to the instinctive skill of hardened soldiers. I’ve known Meved to be a ruthless fighter on land, but it was a little surprising to see how effectively he manned a turret. Then there’s Soryn… There is an expression about not underestimating an older individual in a profession where premature death is common. That adage rings very true for our commanding officer. Despite still suffering from numerous serious wounds and “Captain” Vari’s persistent “encouragement” (or perhaps because of it), Soryn’s aim was frighteningly deadly. It took only a couple shots for one of the ships to be destroyed, and the second was thoroughly disarmed before it managed to flee.
Besides effectively concluding our fight for Khefak Depot, two things of note occurred during our aerial combat. The first was that before shooting down the first fighter, we managed to remove its primary gun. Surprisingly, it didn’t disintegrate with the rest of the ship. We would later retrieve it, and in the process find our old friend Murkk helpfully guarding it from looters. Honestly, I was more glad to learn that Murkk and Qesh had survived than the weapon.
The second detail was that the vessel escaped did so not by entering the Drift or by using any conventional methods of propulsion, but rather through teleportation. The energy readings had the same signature as the necrobot weapon systems or the Enigma Core, and I’m confident that it was the same method used by the larger ship that attacked the Nerosyan when we were fleeing the Kagekumo, or how the necrobots seemingly appear out of thin air. That suggests that this manner of spacial displacement is not only highly scalable, but also that the necrobots have a thorough understanding of how to utilise it. If that’s the case, their tactical mobility far outclasses the Pact Worlds, and stresses the need for us to reverse engineer their technology, lest it become our downfall. Our research is no longer a matter of discovering infinite energy so much as it is a matter of overcoming an existential threat.
We had successfully repelled the necrobots from Khefak Depot, though even setting aside the terrifying thought that they might reappear anywhere at anytime and we would have no way to prepare for it, the damage they had already done was significant. Even if I wanted to, tallying the death count would be difficult with the necrobot’s penchant for disintegration. Homes and businesses were reduced to rubble, and I can only begin to fathom the psychological impact on the survivors… I offered up as much of my time helping around town as I could muster, but I only have so much energy, and some of it needed to be dedicated to furthering our research to ensure a tragedy like this would never happen again…
By studying the nanobot samples I had retrieved along with my existing samples of Meved’s mutations, I was able to synthesise a few new forms of technomancy. The first was a rudimentary version of the regenerative factor applied by the necrobots. So far, I can only make it function on subjects with preexisting technological implants, but in these cases I can synergise the nanobots with their biological functions to effectively accelerate their natural healing processes. It did enough to keep Soryn from being completely bedridden for the next several weeks, which given the state he was in was no small accomplishment.
My second development was a weaponised version of the nanobots that alter water vapour into a corrosive acid, essentially a reversal of their restorative function. The corrosive effect should be quite effective at causing intense and persistent damage to necrobot targets.
My third discovery was more of an investigation into the combat routines used by the necrobots. By combining my pre-existing knowledge of how to temporarily inhibit motor functions linked to weapons use with my telepathic combat support techniques, I’ve figured out a way to scramble the programming used by necrobots to hinder their ability to perform most actions, if only for a limited time. It’s rather resource-intensive, but may serve well in a situation where we need to prevent a necrobot from acting, such as to prevent them from landing a final critical shot on my best friend right at the very end of a conflict…
To help with my investigations, I also invested in getting some Akashic support magic. The necrobots don’t seem all that susceptible to slippery surfaces, so it seemed a more useful use of my magical energy than Grease. Likewise, some of my other revelations necessarily replaced a few of my spells that have proven less applicable to our particular circumstances.
Aside from my own research, I took some time to brief Riddle and Murkk on the specifics of necrobot technology and our terrifying situation. Given what they had just experienced, it seemed only fair to fill them in, at the very least, and I could use the assistance. For now, Riddle’s business isn’t in much of a state to return to, and Murkk’s unique understanding of engineering and physics may be exactly what we need to decipher the contradictions of necrobot technology. Either way, it would be nice to have some more company in the lab.
While I was focusing on providing medical support and conducting my nanobot experiments, apparently O’Toole ran a sale in recognition of his contribution in the fight for Khefak Depot. Meved and Vinu seemed to have eagerly taken up the offer, especially after Vari wired us a generous amount of funds for our contributions towards preserving AbadarCorp’s assets. For my part, I bought some materials to boost my cerebral enhancement and to improve my speed and stamina, along with some toolkits and a very nice new custom labcoat that ought to boost my telepathic capabilities somewhat. I had not expected to be using a paycheck for such martial ends, but recent encounters have made it clear that I will almost certainly find myself in a battlefield again, and I can’t afford to be so vulnerable when that happens.
Vulnerable…
I found myself feeling remarkably vulnerable on several occasions recently, but one case keeps returning to my mind. The sight of Yaro so close to death in my arms has left a deep imprint on my psyche. I’ve stated it on several occasions in this journal, but he’s consistently been my bastion of sanity in all of these insane situations. I’ve frequently found myself being pushed to my emotional limits these past few months, and each time, he’s been there to support me. Having seen him work, I’m certain he would have been just as supportive to anyone he felt needed it. I can’t even begin to quantify his kindness and earnestness. Each time I go to administer treatment to the scar in his torso, I’m reminded that it’s a direct product of his attempt to ensure the safety of the rest of us at great personal risk. If he hadn’t absorbed some of our own wounds onto himself… If he hadn’t used all of his healing magic on the rest of us… If he hadn’t rushed into the line of fire to keep the necrobots from overrunning us... His strength of character is exceedingly admirable…
Though my own feelings go beyond admiration. It may well be that what I feel is simply the strength of bonds one feels from shared trauma, but I firmly believe there is another form of attraction there. Even beyond his exemplary personality in times of difficulty, we share many common interests and sensibilities. He’s also quite handsome, and somehow the scars on his incredibly soft and comforting fur only help with that... There is a lot that would lead me to believe that we are compatible… From an analytical perspective, I’ve concluded that my attraction is not only emotionally cogent, but also rationally so. The only variable I’m missing from the equation is his feelings towards me… It’s a very disconcerting variable to lack…
I’ve resolved to talk to Yaro at some point before we set off for our next destination, wherever it might be. After all, I have no idea when or even if I might get another chance…
Player's Notes: After a second attempt at starship combat, I will say it's a lot more fun once everyone gets used to the mechanics and you have a party of skilled characters that can actually reliably pull off their actions. Generally speaking in fact, Starfinder seems to really ramp up after level 6. It's like a more severe version of the curve that exists in Pathfinder 1e. Makes me wonder how things will play out once we start hitting level 12 or so...
I ended up retraining several spells with our downtime (our GM lets us retrain as per the P1e rules). Grease and Wall of Steam didn't end up being nearly as useful as I had hoped for area control, and School Spirit is useless considering our GM made the necrobots immune to fear, so they've been replaced with Akashik Download, Caustic Conversion, and Edit Code. I also added Biomechanical Symbiosis to give me some healing potential, plus all of these fit a bit better with the campaign. Now I've got a nice variety of support and damage to go along with Unionist + Helpful Telepath + Communalism. I'm hoping that will give me a good reliable role in combat from here on out.
I've now also pretty firmly established with Yaro's player that they're going to have a personal talk at some point before or at the start of the next session. I'm going to try and convert that into an entry log so that I can share it as well, because I'm sure it'll be adorable!
23/07/25 - Session 24b - Letter From Dr. Tethys
Thirday, 9th Arodus, 322 AG, Khefak Depot, Akiton
[The following correspondence was received by digital mail, addressed to Astrea Maerifa by way of her university account]
Dear Astrea,
Hope this letter finds you well. Heard about that nasty business on Akiton. There were videos and posts all over the extranet. Glad to hear you and your friends made it through safely. As always, as your mentor, I am here to talk if you need to (though admittedly, combat related PTSD is not exactly my area of expertise).
I am reaching out to you to bring something to your attention. I am sure you remember Dr. Afasha’s lectures on the nature of The Drift and the barrier that exists between it and all other planes. Well I was helping him perform some study and I came across a paper I thought you might be interested in. I have attached a copy of it from the university’s document repository for your convenience, but I will summarise it here as well.
The paper goes over the nature of how magic could be blocked from crossing a planar boundary but technology would allow that veil to be pierced. More specifically, it discusses the event known as the Failed-Gate in some detail. I knew such a thing existed, but was unsure of the details. Given what you have been involved in recently, I thought it might be of interest to you.
Apparently the Failed Gate experiment was conducted by a group of Elorituans in approximately 189 AG who tried to link an artefact here on the Material Plane with one of the Drift Beacons placed by the priests of Triune within the Drift. The artefact, or “Dolmen Stone” as they referred to it, consisted of a crystal of unknown origin and composition that they found while in the drift. The paper references a journal from one of the Elorituans who describe where they found the stone. See the excerpt below:
…… passed through the doorway into what could only be described as a tomb. There were corpses of what appeared to be a large number of inactive necrografted robotic organisms scattered around the entire ziggurat. They all bore similar markings unlike anything we had ever seen. Tatrelfad documented the markings meticulously and has been working on translating them. His preliminary analysis seems to suggest they are some sort of clan or perhaps religious meaning. It is unclear at this time.
The structure itself was centred around a singular large coffin and within was this stone. Everything around it was defunct and clearly lost to the ravages of time and the drift, but this stone still pulsed with energy unlike anything we had ever seen. Virfnegtrolkanst noted the stone seemed to react positively and its energy output was amplified as we approached the drift beacons to bring us out of the drift and back to the material plane …….
(Interesting side thought, the name probably comes from the pre-gap Tian Xia regions of Ancient Golarion and refers to a sort of tomb wherein the lids would often rot away well before the stone walls and leave just an exposed skeleton inside. Perhaps they were referring to the exterior as the “Dolmen” for the necrografted robotic organisms?) Given other descriptions in the journal and what we discussed the last time you were at the university, I thought this would be of interest to you.
To me, the stone they describe seems to match the description and pictures of the fragment you sent recently, and they even detail some of the processes that you re-created within the “enigma drive” to capture the energy output from the drive. Moreover their description of “Necrografted robotic organisms” certainly seems to fit the description of your “Necro-bots”.
I have no idea where this is going and am honestly a bit overwhelmed by the entire situation. I just know I promised I would keep my eyes and ears open for you so here we are. As always I am only ever a vid-call away if you need to discuss anything or just as a sounding board to bounce ideas off of. Stay safe out there, the university simply wouldn’t be the same without you.
Respectfully,
Dr. Helio Tethys
Asoc. Dir. Arcane-Neurotechnology Interaction
University of Qabarat
Player's Notes: This was given to me as a handout right after the previous session to help us along with the next plot point. It felt relevant to include it here since I mention it in the subsequent entry. That said, it's actually only one of two entries made between sessions. 24a is a cleaned up transcription of an RP done between myself and Yaro's player covering their private conversation that leads into the start of the next entry. It gets a little spicy at the end (but not outright explicit), so I excluded it from here, but I did have a lot of fun writing it, so feel free to check it out in the Google Drive document if you're interested (link is in the very first post on this thread).
Now, the actual session post.
23/08/01 - Session 25 - Taking a Qabaratical
Seconday, 15th Arodus, 322 AG, Qabarat, Castrovel
Since my last journal entry, there have been some… Developments, on the Everdawn. Well, one development, mostly. I had a conversation with Yaroslav and… Let’s just say one thing led to another, and our relationship has now evolved into a romantic one. I had hoped to keep the matter private for at least a little while, but circumstances have resulted in the entire ship being aware. Apparently I underestimated Vinu’s interest in the crew’s recreational activities, as well as Meved’s… Sense of smell. I am thoroughly mortified, but at this point what’s done is done, so I will simply have to overcome my immense embarrassment.
Fortunately, Yaro has been incredibly supportive. Neither of us is especially familiar with this sort of relationship, so we’ve been taking great pains to ensure our mutual comfort as we find our bearings. I cannot help but feel that even in this respect, he is the more stable of the two of us, able to accommodate my lack of experience and my um… Eccentricities. He’s been unerringly patient as I try to navigate these new circumstances, and I find myself all the more fond of him for it. As for public displays of affection, I’ve tried to restrain myself… Mostly.
My personal situation would have to take a backseat however, as there was still a galactic crisis to avert. Professor Tethys sent me a message informing me of a curious excerpt that might provide a lead to better understanding the necrobots. An expedition log tied to the infamous Failed Gate experiment made mention of a piece of technology called a “Dolmen Stone” whose description closely matched the piece of technology I had recovered from the Stellar Flare’s destroyed Enigma Core. It also referred to technologically enhanced undead residing within a tomb-like structure, very much in line with the necrobots.
Given the account, it seems clear that the expedition had come across the necrobots over a century ago, but found that group to be dormant or deceased. Unfortunately, very little else is known about the Failed Gate experiment. We know that it was an attempt to create a portal into the Drift using magic, and that the experiment failed catastrophically due to the Drift’s natural incompatibility with the metaphysical properties of magic, resulting in the deaths of all of the researchers, but that’s about it. The experiment was conducted by Elorituans, who closely guard whatever additional details they might know, if any (see previously mentioned lack of survivors). Even as a professional scholar, I have few connections that would grant me the means to gain privileged information from the Elorituans. My affiliation with Yaraesa wouldn’t help either, given our faiths’ conflicting views on the dissemination of information. Elorituans value secrecy, so they likely wouldn’t take kindly to revealing confidential information to someone who believes in the open sharing of knowledge…
Instead of devoting ourselves to the unlikely chance of persuading the followers of the “Hidden Truth” to unhide their truths, we decided to try and work around the information we could gather. This meant that we would have to travel somewhere that would not only have an immense repository of knowledge, but also enough proximity to a major site of Eloritu’s faith that some of their records might have bled out. As it so happens, my home city of Qabarat fits both of these descriptions, so I contacted my parents and we set course.
We opted to use the Drift to travel to Castrovel. Given that the necrobots have already shown the ability to appear on the Material Plane without prior Drift interference, it seems unlikely that travelling in the Drift would bring much more of a risk to us than there already is. That prediction seemed to be validated, as we didn’t encounter any giant necrobot warships waiting to tear us apart this time. We did however identify one necrobot-like signature on our scanners, though it was a great enough distance from our intended trajectory that we thought it best to maintain course and gather more information before pursuing. For all we knew, we could have been running into something far more dangerous than a warship.
It had been roughly four months since I last saw home, but the feeling of nostalgia gave me the impression that it had been much longer. Not long after my sister and I both left home, my parents moved into a smaller apartment that I’d never visited before, so even the term “homecoming” felt like something of a misnomer.
My parents were the same as ever at least, welcoming me and my companions with a level of familiarity that might have even been too enthusiastic. As a student, my dedication to my studies left me a bit isolated, so I rarely ever brought friends over. Perhaps they were simply compensating for that scarcity. I suppose it was better than the alternative, but still… They were practically treating Yaro like he was already their son-in-law, which I have no serious objection to but… It was rather abrupt. It nearly gave me the impression that they were desperately waiting for me to find a partner…
I hope Yaro wasn’t unsettled as a result, though if he was, he showed no indication of it. Rather, he seemed endlessly enthused at newly discovering the various mundanities I’d grown accustomed to in my youth. There was something immensely endearing about that, which makes me wonder how I’ll seem if I ever visit Lajok. I only hope my attire is a little less comical than Yaro’s choice of “hot weather” clothing. Perhaps being blind for most of his life has left Yaro with a diminished sense of colour theory, but even factoring for that I wouldn’t have expected such a fondness for absolutely garish tropical t-shirts. The straw hat and sunglasses did complement his colourful wardrobe though, I will admit.
I tried not to linger too long with my parents before leaving to the universities to conduct my research. Yaro joined me, though the others opted to take some much needed shore leave. Vinu sought out the local nightlife (something my mom of all people was best equipped to inform her about), while I called in a favour with my sister to take Meved on a jungle expedition. Aphaea’s always been my polar opposite in terms of personality, so it didn’t come as much of a surprise when I found out that she and Meved got along like a house on fire. Fortunately there were no houses in the jungle to set ablaze in this case, though the excursion did apparently result in a notable decrease in the local megafauna population…
Qabarat’s libraries are reputed to be some of the finest in the world, full of just about every facet of knowledge there is to find. I’ve always adored spending time in them. The peace and quiet, save for the occasional page turn or rhythmic taps on a computer terminal, interspersed with the errant gasp of realisation or inquisitive sound when someone is on the verge of an “interesting” discovery… Oh, and the scent of aged paper and preservative agents… Not to mention the taste of a hot aromatic spiced beverage and pastries from the local coffee shop and the very caring boyfriend that generously retrieved them. It was all just how I remembered it. Well, save for that last detail. That’s a pleasant bonus.
Enjoyable atmosphere aside, the subject matter of my visit was considerably more difficult to research than anything that had previously brought me to such hallowed halls. I started by looking into the Failed Gate and the Elorituans directly, but there was little more than the paper Professor Tethys shared with me and some other papers referencing it while offering wild speculative theories. “Dolmen Stone” yielded little more than references to a region of the lost world of Golarion, but with few other connecting factors to suggest any deeper connection there. The necrobot marking that we’ve encountered on their technology did almost lead to an interesting trail, but that ended up being another dead end.
It took a few days, but ultimately I did manage to find something that may be of use. By cross referencing reports of the Failed Gate incident and scientific expedition records with ship manifests and travel logs from the space port, I was able to narrow down the list of destinations that were likely visited by the crew that found the “Dolmen Stone”. The first was a massive ship graveyard in the Drift known as the Heap, which supposedly even contains ships of unknown origin. The second destination was called the Adamant Fragments. Also located in the Drift, these were the interspersed ruins of a long lost civilization. Further investigation into this revealed a few documents about the civilisation, including descriptions of symbols that match the ones found on many pieces of necrobot technology! If that’s true, then it might even be possible that the Adamant Fragments are what remains of the necrobot’s original civilisation!
In either case, the Heap and the Adamant Fragments both present possible means to learn more about these mysterious entities we call necrobots. The problem lies with the fact that both reside in the Drift, so none of the recorded coordinates would still be useful to us today. Furthermore, both sites have been exceedingly hard to find, with only a few accounts of anyone successfully reaching them. Our best hope is that our sensors keyed to the necrobot energy signatures might give us enough of an edge to seek them out…
Even if we do, we still have no idea what to expect. The knowledge we gained from researching is regrettably still too vague to actually prepare us for whatever we might encounter. The Elorituans who found the Dolmen Stone noted that the beings they found were either deceased or dormant. I fear we might not be so fortunate…
Player's Notes: If I'm being honest, I never actually expected us to go to Qabarat in this campaign or to visit Astrea's family, so I wasn't super prepared for how they would be. I kind of defined a bunch of things on the fly, drawing some elements of Astrea's parents and sister from the original setting I created them in and mixing it with a few other elements. The result was something approximating "the Addams Family if they were nerds instead of goths". We ended up kind of glossing over Yaro meeting them in the actual game, so there's a chance Yaro's player and I will end up roleplaying that separately like we did Astrea and Yaro's conversation. It's proven to be a good way to further some character development without taking up too much time at the table.
23/08/08 - Session 26 - Drift Discoveries
Fifthday, 25th Arodus, 322 AG, Bulwark, The Drift
Before we set off into the Drift to single-handedly seek out what may well be a stronghold of hyper-deadly undead robots, I thought it might be a good idea to at least try to get in touch with the Elorituan Church to see if they wouldn’t be willing to offer at least some measure of collaboration. Even if historically they’ve remained deeply committed to preserving the secrecy of their knowledge, a part of me still hoped that they might recognise the importance of the threat we were now facing.
Regrettably, they did not. In fact, they were rather rude about it, which seemed wholly unnecessary. Perhaps it is cultural ignorance on my part, but I have a great deal of difficulty appreciating why they would be so inflexible even under such dire circumstances. It’s not as though I don’t understand the value of secrecy and the risks of sharing sensitive information, but no principle exists entirely within a vacuum. They are necessarily shaped by context. I believe in the power of science, but I would be a poor scientist if I did not recognise the limitations of what it can explain. The fundamental concept of the scientific method is that it is a perpetual exploration, which implies that there is no point at which our understanding of the universe is wholly complete. Likewise, to conceal knowledge solely for the purpose of concealing it, without appreciating that there are times when sharing it might be better…
Sufficed to say, my interactions with the Elorituans have reminded me of why I did not affiliate myself with them during my time in Castrovellian academia. At best, they are grossly underestimating the danger we could be facing, and at worst, they are arrogant to the point of being willing to doom many innocent lives in the name of a principle that serves absolutely nobody, including themselves.
Frustrating as my experience might have been, it has at least shown me the value of having a partner. Yaro’s been invaluable as both a sounding board and venue through which to vent my frustrations and stress, not to mention his fur is incredibly soothing to run my fingers through… [Editor’s Note: DEFINITELY remove this part from any publicised versions.]
The fact I am not the only one in our group trained in psychotherapy has been a boon not just for my own wellbeing. While I was preoccupied with my research, Yaroslav had been making the rounds across the ship’s crew. Tough as each of our companions is, when dealing with persistent high-stress environments like this, it’s important to keep checking in. For the time being, I’m comfortable leaving that task in his very capable hands. [Editor’s Note: Maybe rephrase that last line. It occurs to me that it might be a little suggestive… Not to say that it is inaccurate (because it isn’t), but I don’t need the scientific community making inferences about my boyfriend’s proficiencies besides his professional ones.]
After ensuring that our data was properly backed up and shared with our beneficiaries at AbadarCorp, we set off for the Drift on the 15th of Arodus. We were able to still detect the signature we had found before, this time at a roughly 12 days distance with our superior propulsion systems. Fortunately, I had plenty of ways to spend the time… [Editor’s Note: NO]
The nature of the Drift makes it a bit of a mess to traverse for long periods. Though we had the necrobot energy signature as our guiding star, the Drift’s ever-changing spatial configuration means that we had to perpetually recalculate to ensure that we wouldn’t suddenly find ourselves completely off track and quite possibly lost in the immense void of space. Quite honestly, as fascinating as space and the Drift are, there is a reason I focused my studies more towards the biological and sociological. The scale of astrophysics is… Daunting, to say the least. As someone who is constantly seeking out stimulation, dealing with that much emptiness is uncomfortable. [Editor’s Note: I am really not helping myself…]
Given that we couldn’t exactly just put ourselves in cryostasis for the journey, we mostly had to rely on each other and whatever recreational materials we brought with us to keep us entertained. For the most part I bounced between reading, studying the “Dolmen Stone”, conducting routine exams on the crew, and spending some quality time with Yaro and the others. Prolonged isolation with only a few individuals has been known to be psychologically taxing and a serious test for most relationships, but fortunately all of us have spent enough time growing comfortable with each other that this did not prove too stressful. Even Murkk has become somewhat easier to manage, now that she’s had her fill of tasting every part of the Everdawm… Well, mostly.
Even so, it would be disingenuous of me to assert that boredom was not starting to set it after about a week. It made the sudden hail from another vessel quite an exciting event. What made the encounter all the more noteworthy however was what the vessel and its crew actually were. The ship identified itself as Horizon’s End, and the symbol that adorned it was unmistakably that of Weydan, the deity of discovery, equality, exploration, and freedom. Within the first few words exchanged between us, I recognised that Horizon’s End was nothing less than an Avatar Ship. That is to say, the crew of the ship was composed entirely of fragments of the very same deity. Their mission statement, as they told us, was to explore the Drift and make as many discoveries as possible. A simple yet ambitious task.
Though not a follower of Weydan myself, I sympathise with a great number of his philosophies, and took a certain interest in them during my time studying sociology. Under other circumstances, I would have loved to probe the crew for their insights into having such a unique and intimate relationship with their deity, but it seemed clear that they had little interest in lingering any longer than would be necessary before setting off in search of new things to discover. It was a bit easier to accept their staunch adherence to their guiding principles than it was with the Elorituans, but nevertheless a bit disappointing.
I offered my academic synopsis of our accumulated knowledge of the necrobots as a show of good faith (filtered to exclude any proprietary details of course, lest I incur any breach of contract with our dear employers at AbadarCorp), and in return asked if they might have any knowledge on either the Heap or the Adamant Fragments. They confirmed the existence of the Adamant Fragments, as well as their connection to the necrobots. They too encountered the place just as the Elorituans did, and similarly, it appeared to be dormant during their visit, though this was long ago. One additional detail they offered was a symbol. This symbol was similar to what I’ve come to recognise as a sort of standard necrobot insignia, but with a few key differences. It was fortunate that I had already pulled up my records to share them, as it only took a brief search to confirm my recollection: the symbol they showed us was identical to the one worn by the scythe-wielding leader that killed the captain of the Kagekumo.
The exact significance of this detail is still uncertain, but my current hypothesis is that this is a sort of factional emblem of sorts. That, or it could be an indicator of rank or authority… Or a billion other things. No amount of anthropological training can extrapolate fully coherent meaning from such a limited data set. It is a start though, and one we might be able to build on with future data.
That being said, this was not the only knowledge that Horizon’s End offered to us. They also gave us coordinates to a landmark in the Drift they had recently visited, suggesting that we might find something of use to us there. Perhaps they sensed my disappointment or desperation. It has been nearly three months now that I’ve fully committed myself to the study of the necrobots and their physics-defying technology, with very little to show for it. Whatever the case may be, the gesture was greatly appreciated. Though I remain loyal to Yaraesa’s teachings, I hope that I can offer my thanks to Weydan with the affirmation that despite my setbacks, I will continue in my pursuit of discovery and understanding.
When Horizon’s End set us on our slight detour, I was uncertain of what we might find. I tried not to speculate too intensely, though I will confess to some flights of fancy. None of the ideas that came to my mind quite approximated the large golden atmospheric orb we ended up finding at our given destination.
Initially, we were uncertain as to just what it was exactly, until we were hailed. Bulwark, as it is apparently called, is nothing less than a small piece of the Heavenly Plane! The golden orb was in fact an atmospheric bubble made to house a port city of sorts. As Yaro aptly pointed out, the name may have something to do with the Empyreal Lord Arqueros, the Golden Bulwark. If this place truly is associated with the supposed Guardian of Heaven, then we truly have both figuratively and literally struck gold.
After so many days in the void of the Drift, dreading our impending encounter with a necrobot settlement, this particular discovery is an incredibly welcome one. Maybe, just maybe, they will be able to help us where so many others have been unable…
Player's Notes: I ended up being a bit late to write this one on account of various things happening at once. A major career milestone, an anime convention, and finally me catching a cold. But, I managed to get it done just before today's session at least.
Astrea being a bit insatiable has become something of a meme at the table. It's not something I started or even intended, but frankly it kind of fits so I'm rolling with it, and playing around with the notion that she's still trying to figure out what the appropriate level of openness about it is. As time goes on she'll figure out a comfortable medium, I'm sure, but for now she's still routinely flustered by how badly she's hiding her attraction (the routine teasing from the rest of the crew isn't helping with that).
As for Bulwark, it's a neat little Easter egg for some of our players. If I remember the story correctly Yaro's player once played a paladin of Arqueros in a Wrath of the Righteous campaign our GM ran. In an amusing full circle moment, apparently our GM is now playing the Wrath video game and made Meved as a character (or animal companion, I'm not sure). He's still as terrifying in the game as he is in ours, which seems fitting.
23/08/15 - 27 - Helping Heaven
Fifthday, 25th Arodus, 322 AG, Bulwark, The Drift
Being a literal fragment of heaven, Bulwark’s atmospheric composition held certain unique properties. Conventionally, this is referred to as “planar alignment”, and it is most commonly associated with the Outer Planes. The phenomenon is sufficiently well documented to be generally understood, though only a few ever have the chance to experience it directly. The effect manifests a bit differently for each plane and each person based on their own moral attunements. For example, Yaro and myself felt a similar experience of mild congestion and stiffness upon entry into Heaven. Vinu appeared to experience a similar sensation, though with slightly more unease…
Meved and Tibbers meanwhile were the most severely affected, demonstrating notable discomfort once we entered the heavenly atmosphere. This was bad enough that they opted to remain aboard the Everdawn and spend our time docked “self-medicating”. As the ship’s scientist and the principle user of the synthesis laboratory, I cannot entirely condone its use for unsupervised recreational narcotics production, but as their doctor, I will admit that their choice of medicine is actually a reasonable one, given the circumstances. Either way, so long as they don’t resort to anything actually illicit and clean up after themselves, I’ll let this slide.
Vinu also remained, though I think this was more out of interest in partaking in their “meds” and a general disinterest in Bulwark’s “orderly” society. This reduced the away party to just Yaro and I, which was not entirely unwelcome. It made for a very memorable date location (though I’m not entirely certain if I’d qualify our brief expedition a date, per se).
We were met and escorted by a trumpet archon named Sondrya. She brought us through a portion of the settlement to an official administrative office, but on the journey did entertain several of my inquiries. I’ve compiled some of my more noteworthy learnings here:
- - Bulwark was once a portion of the heavenly domain known as Threshold. The name of their settlement does indeed come from Arqueros, their former Lord.
- - They do not know when exactly they were separated from Heaven or how, though they estimate that it transpired roughly 300 years ago. I strongly suspect that this could be attributed to the Gap.
- - Bulwark has not had any contact with the rest of Heaven since entering the Drift.
- - Though isolated, Bulwark’s technology is still quite modern, albeit perhaps lacking in cutting edge discoveries due to their limited capacity for regular trade.
- - Militarily, Bulwark is fairly developed, in keeping with their heavenly origin. This is in part to defend themselves against outside threats from the Drift, but also a fundamental part of their culture that they take quite seriously.
- - Though they have attempted to exit the Drift, creating gates has proven problematic. They’ve theorised that a sufficiently strong propulsion system may allow them to move the entire floating landmass, but they are uncertain if this would also move their atmosphere as well. It is an interesting idea that I am regrettably unqualified to provide greater insight on at this time.
- - Socially, Bulwark most closely resembles a self-sufficient socialist commune, in which each member contributes in whatever manner they are able, and all residents are seen to in accordance with their need. Given their society’s heavenly influence, greed and corruption do not seem to be significant social problems. Naturally, I cannot completely confirm this from a single visit and the accounts of a local authority figure, but I do trust that Sondrya at least believes this to be true.
- - Though it is an isolated community, Bulwark’s mortal population is sufficiently large that it does not suffer from a lack of genetic diversity, though this is monitored to avoid any potential complications.
- - While the native residents of Heaven do not require sustenance, an expansive array of nutritionally balanced crops are produced from Bulwark’s agricultural zone in order to supply for the needs of the settlement’s mortal populace. Their staple dish is a small maize-based flatbread folded over an assortment of grilled and fresh vegetables, seasonings, and sauces. The dish, which they call "tah-kos" is highly customisable and at once crunchy, soft, sweet, sour, savoury, and can even be made a little spicy. It has a refreshing flavour profile that feels somewhat reminiscent of lashunta dishes, though some of the ingredients used are not native to Castrovel. I’ve taken some notes to see if I can reproduce this dish once we have returned to the Pact Worlds, as it is (if you’ll pardon the pun) absolutely divine. I’ve also procured some samples to bring back to the rest of the crew, though we’ll have to make sure we adequately compensate Bulwark with some goods of our own.
Once we arrived at our destination, we refocused on more serious matters. I shared with Sondrya my condensed file on the necrobots (which she absorbed immediately) and declared that we were seeking aid of any sort to help us in our investigation of the Adamant Fragments, be it military aid, information, or whatever else they might be able to provide.
The nature of the necrobots was clearly distressing to the archon, and she expressed a desire to provide some measure of assistance, though her body language also suggested a reluctance or inability to do so. As we would learn, there were two factors that would pose a problem. The first is that the angelic and archonic residents of Bulwark were unable to leave the atmospheric limits of Bulwark. More accurately, doing so completely stripped them of their inherent powers, rendering them extremely feeble and vulnerable. This would indeed be a major disincentive to ever push beyond their boundaries.
The second was that Bulwark had recently suffered an attack at the hands of cultists of the Devourer. One of their commanders had been abducted, and was being tortured by the cultists who demanded armaments, ships, and other goods from the settlement in exchange for his return. From one image Sondrya provided, these cultists were well armed and had already severely maimed the commander.
My knowledge of the cult of the Devourer is limited to my studies of religious zealotry from when I took my bachelors in interstellar anthropology, but even now, the images of the gruesome atrocities they commit might reemerge from my nightmares. If the commander was still alive, no doubt he was suffering immensely at their hands, and while Bulwark may have a respectable military presence, they lacked the capacity to properly retaliate. Personally, I would hate to have to deal with such an unpleasant foe, which as one might expect is exactly what was then asked of us. Sondrya requested the Everdawn’s assistance in retrieving their commander and exterminating the cultists.
Frightening as the Devourer cultists might be, it would be unconscionable to deny this request. The cultists, by Bulwark’s account, are a fairly small group, well within the means for us to handle. If we had the ability to help, then we could hardly refuse the call. As such, I presented the offer to Soryn and Vari, requesting that we accept the task. Soryn didn’t take much convincing, while Vari acquiesced once I explained that the mission was on a quid pro quo basis. Agents of Heaven are not the sort to default on a debt, after all.
Partially in thanks for our aid and to help us in the fight to come, Bulwark supplied us with upgrades to our arms that would infuse them with Celestial energy. Given the necromantic elements of necrobot physiology, these upgrades may even serve us against them…
But one terrifying enemy force at a time. For the next few days at least, our focus would be on the cult of the Devourer…
Player's Notes: This was a short session, so we ended up doing some joking around. I ALSO did a couple more 1 on 1 RPs with Yaro's player to further establish their relationship. I won't add them here, but you can find 26a and 27a in the drive link at the top if you're interested in a nerdy girl and a dog boy being adorable at each other (I'm still working on 27a so that one will show up a bit later).
23/08/29 - 28 - Into the Devourer’s Waiting Maw
Seventhday, 27th Arodus, 322 AG, Vanguard Station, The Drift
Respiratory congestion is one of those effects that is often underestimated until it is alleviated. I was reminded of that fact as we resumed our travels. Between the residual effects of Bulwark’s planar atmosphere and the vast propagation of medicinal fumes within the Everdawn, it took a few filtration cycles before I could fully appreciate my olfactory senses once more. Considering our destination and the nature of those we’d be facing however, I almost wondered if I’d have been better off not being able to smell.
The voyage to the coordinates Sondrya gave us was mostly uneventful. The members of the crew that remained on the ship enjoyed the abundance of food Yaro and I brought back from our visit to Bulwark, and I spent most of my time studying up on the cult of the Devourer and examining the celestial fusions we had been given. The properties of heavenly energy are fairly well documented, but hard to come by through conventional means. Looking at things I could easily cross-reference made for a pleasant change from necrobot tech. It was reassuring to know that despite everything, I still had some competence.
I suppose there was one event of note that transpired. Yaroslav came to speak with me, primarily to discuss concerns regarding the conflict that was to come. I initially mistook his concern as fear for my psychological wellbeing given my less than stellar prior record with instances of extreme violence. My instinct was to reassure Yaro that this concern would be unnecessary. My time with this group, though brief, has resulted in me rapidly developing adequate coping mechanisms to process such situations. It’s not exactly a skill I had any desire to develop (violence was always more my sister’s domain of expertise), but I did start this journey knowing I would have to brace myself for the unexpected. Besides, for all their brutality, the pathology of the Devourer cultists was less unnerving to me than other foes we’ve faced. I could write an entire thesis on the reasons for this, but it can be adequately summarised thusly: the psychology of a cultist is knowable, and relatively simplistic. I’d take meathead nihilists over an enigmatic hostile robot empire any day of the week.
That being said, Yaro’s actual concern was more deeply rooted in the risks that come with the unpredictability of the cult and the implications for our metaphysical souls should we fall prey to their ritualistic predations. Really more than anything, he was scared that he wouldn’t be able to protect us adequately. It was difficult for me to entirely refute that concern, given that the nature of our mission would necessarily involve risking our lives. Nevertheless, I did what I could to reassure him and promised that we would collectively be prudent. I wish I could do more to assuage his concerns, but without knowing exactly what we’d be up against, it would be disingenuous to offer any sort of definitive affirmations.
Instead, I took the opportunity to discuss a different topic. As it lies beyond the scope of relevant subjects for this journal (and I have come to learn that invading my personal privacy has recently become one of the Everdawn crew’s favourite pastimes), I will simply say that we affirmed our commitments with regards to our relationship, and determined that a long-term continuation was in our mutual interest. Nothing further need be said on the matter, so Vinu you can stop spying on my reports now. You won’t find any “juicy details”.
[Editor’s Note: Do not add any “juicy details” to these reports from here on out. I’m an adult woman, not a lust-fuelled teenager fawning over their first crush in their diary. I should know how to keep my reports and romantic life separate!]
[Also, do not UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES let ANYONE find out about my diary.]
The last stretch of our journey was spent strategising our approach. Rescuing the hostage was our top priority, which made a direct frontal assault a nonviable tactic. Given that the cult was resorting to ransom, we instead considered using this to our advantage. Our plan was to bluff that we were there to capitulate to the cultists’ demands, and use this to board their vessel and get in contact with the archon. From there, we could attempt to secure the hostage, eliminate the cultists, and return to Bulwark. It was far from an ideal plan, especially considering there was no telling how willing the cultists would be to agree to our conditions.
We would soon find out, as we approached the coordinates of the cultists. The ship that attacked Bulwark was designated “Omega-Zed”. We found this ship… Moored to a space station. Interestingly, it was identified as “Vanguard Station”, a well known Pact World stronghold that saw action during the Silent War, but vanished under mysterious circumstances during the conflict with the Swarm. Given its new aesthetic, I believe it is safe to say that in the time since it’s disappearance, it has become a hub for the cult of the Devourer in the Drift.
My scans of the station made it clear that our initial estimates of the cultist forces were well below the reality. Unless the cult of the Devourer was in possession of a particularly large supply of livestock or prisoners (which admittedly, albeit distressingly, was a distinct possibility), then we could be facing a force roughly 50 strong.
Before we could reconsider what we had gotten ourselves into, we were hailed by what we assumed to be the captain of the Omega-Zed, a rather fearsome looking individual titled “Long Teeth”. The label was as apt as it was unsettling. Cosmetic dentistry is hardly a novel concept, but even at a glance I could tell that this particular type of procedure would have been extremely impractical, and likely excruciating. It does leave one to wonder about the psychological disposition of someone who would undergo such a procedure.
As it turns out, Long Teeth did have an almost surprising measure of rationality for a follower of a nihilist deity. Less daunted than the rest of us to interact with the Devourer cultist, Meved took over negotiations. Ultimately, the cultists agreed to accept a single member of our crew aboard to visit the archon, though they explicitly demanded that the member in question not be “the bear”. I made some disparaging allusions to their bravery in the hopes that questioning their dedication to the eradication of all things would provoke them to be more reckless, but Long Teeth was remarkably steadfast. Ultimately, we accepted the offer. They further insisted that we dock at the upper levels of the station, as far as possible from the Omega-Zed. This was presumably to prevent a quick getaway. Despite our ploy ostensibly working, the cultists were more cagey than I anticipated.
That only one of us would be entering the heart of enemy territory left us with the difficult decision of whom to send. Collectively, we settled on Soryn. Barring perhaps Meved, none of us could handle themselves in combat as effectively as the Vice Admiral. He agreed. In fact, he almost seemed excited about it. Yaro suspected as much, and I know him to be sensitive to people’s emotional states. It may be pure speculation on my part, but perhaps for a veteran soldier like Soryn, the familiarity of a battlefield makes it a place of comfort for him.
Of course, we weren’t about to send Soryn in alone without some protections. Yaro established a psychic link so as to be sure of his condition at all times, and I provided a few contingency serums. We had considered sending Vinu or Twitch to follow after him, but given the density of the enemy forces, it seemed more of a risk than a boon. Instead, we decided that our primary combat squad (meaning Meved, Vinu, Tibbers, Yaro, and myself) would wait on standby to push in as soon as Soryn secured the hostage or some other incident occurred. As soon as one of those things happened, our mission would be to open a path for Soryn, rendezvous with him, and then bring the archon back to the Everdawn.
The rest of the crew would remain on the ship, ready to disengage if the cultists decided to go after it while we were busy elsewhere on the station. Murkk offered to help us by constructing something. The group was hesitant given the potential volatility of whatever she might make to help us, though admittedly I don’t think we’re giving her quite enough credit. As chaotic as Murkk’s process might be, she’s been consistently good about not causing any serious damage to us or the ship. Admittedly that’s at least partially due to my occasional interventions, but even then it’s never been for anything severe. I told her that she is welcome to come up with something to help that we might keep in reserve, in case the cultists have a trick that we aren’t ready to deal with. Perhaps a bit of chaos will be just the trump card we’ll need against such a chaotic foe. Still, hopefully we wouldn’t need it.
The station’s landing zone that we were directed to was a simple affair. Just a cargo bay with little in the way of features. What was more impressive was the force that we were met with. Long Teeth came with what was practically a small army of combat drones, armed cultists, mechanics, and heavily armoured warriors. As we watched Soryn be escorted, I took stock of the remainder of the soldiers. All of them displayed fairly basic physical conditioning and armaments that one might expect from combatants, but little more. That’s not to say that this wouldn’t be a problem, but it was a bit of a relief for my scanner not to pick up on any “unidentified nanobot activity” or “regenerative protocols” or “adaptive biomechanical tissue”. It was just a bunch of regular mortal flesh and bone fanatical religious soldiers.
As I write this, I am more than a little disconcerted that I find myself in a position where this would be a relief…
Player's Notes: I was a bit late finishing off this one. The last couple weeks have been a bit hectic. First I had the massive entry that is 27a to finish writing, then it was a major milestone in my career (If you know what Rainbow Six Siege is, the newest operator Ram was the first one I designed), then it was my birthday... So yeah, not a lot of free time to write game journals.
As of me writing this, we did already have another session wherein we started fighting the cultists. There's not quite enough to merit a journal yet, so I'm going to collect the notes and do a joint entry covering multiple sessions.
To make up for the delay, here's a doodle of Astrea and Yaro I did for funsies. It's not my best work (honestly I kinda suck at drawing animals), but I thought it came out kinda cute nonetheless.
23/09/05 - 29 - Entering and Breaking
Seventhday, 27th Arodus, 322 AG, Vanguard Station, The Drift
Of late, I’ve often found myself in situations where I would be anticipating imminent conflict. The Akitonian junk golem and the True Warrior assault on the Stellar Flare were perhaps my first experiences with that particular sensation, though the return to Khefak Depot while it was being attacked by necrobots was perhaps the most severe. It’s a certain type of anticipation not unlike what I felt while waiting to defend my thesis, but still altogether distinct. With time though, the nausea and general feeling of dread that accompanied it have noticeably diminished. As of yet, I am uncertain if this is the product of our prior experience or because of the particularly unpleasant nature of our enemies. I still very much abhor violence, but knowing of the cruelties practised and endorsed by followers of the Devourer, my conscience was less troubled at the thought of putting an end to their operations.
Even so, I consider my response a somewhat troubling shift in my empathic principles, and one I need to observe carefully. Moral justifications for violence can be a starting symptom for many misanthropic conditions, including the infamous psychological disorder commonly found in mercenaries and “adventurers” colloquially referred to as “murder-hoboism”. Incidentally, that term strikes me as a very derogatory way to refer to a serious psychological condition, though I suppose given how the symptoms typically manifest, I can understand the stigma surrounding those that suffer from it…
In any case, we didn’t have to wait too long before Yaro sensed a change in Soryn’s vitals that suggested he had entered combat. It was not the signal I was hoping we’d receive, but it was one we were prepared for. Our strike was swift and largely effective. Meved punched a hole through the enemy formation while the rest of us softened up the remaining footsoldiers and drones. Tibbers even managed to hack one of the drones, which proved rather helpful in evening the odds.
Vinu slipped ahead of us, being the nimble operative that she is, though when Meved tried to push up after her into the next room, he encountered tenacious resistance. Presumably the welcoming party didn’t consist of the station’s toughest defenders. Based on my readings, I believe there was even a creature of the abyssal genus present, but it was soundly crushed and shot into oblivion before I had a chance to study it. As much as I am committed to the pursuit of knowledge in all things, I am a bit glad I missed this opportunity. I cannot quite explain why, but the notion of encountering a demon is wholly unappealing to me in an unusually visceral manner.
One of the soldiers succeeded in fleeing combat and descended a nearby ladder, which based on the configuration of the ship I suspected led to the area where we would find Soryn and the captive archon. Yaro’s last check indicated that while Soryn was still very much alive, he was injured. I took that as a sign that we ought to push through to rendezvous with him as quickly as possible, even if it means leaving a few cultists to chase after us. Of course, the cult of the Devourer would object to that plan with all of their might…
Player's Notes: I decided to write a separate entry for the session after all. After the super long bonus entries, it was nice to have a kind of short one. The entire session ended up being combat which didn't go much further than two rooms. I fully realise on my side that game logic would dictate that we'd be better off killing all the cultists before we push on to the next area, but given that we know Soryn is injured, I had a hard time imagining our party wouldn't try to get to him first, even if it meant kiting a whole bunch of enemies with us. I guess we'll see how that turns out...
Oh, and as for the tongue in cheek comment about demons, I'll just say that I've played Astrea in Pathfinder twice. Both times, it's been in a Wrath of the Righteous campaign. Fair to say she's seen her fair share of demons...
23/09/26 - 30 - Shots and Ladders
Seventhday, 27th Arodus, 322 AG, Vanguard Station, The Drift
When the one cultist managed to evade us and flee down the shaft, presumably to alert Long Teeth about our unsolicited embarkation, Meved was the first to take action. Perhaps the grunt thought the chute and his allies above buying him time would mean he’d be safe. Clearly, he underestimated both Meved's doggedness (pardon the expression Yaro) and climbing ability. To his credit, the cultist made an impressive attempt to escape his pursuer, but that didn't stop or resident ursine from doing his best impression of the fearsome "drop bears" of Akitonian myth. I’d almost feel sorry for the guy, if he weren’t a devout worshipper of one of the worst gods imaginable.
Figuring that this was our best opportunity to move forward and get to Soryn, the rest of us booked it for the ladder. I took the initiative, risking a hit from the nearby heavy. Fortunately, the breakaway shield Riddle gave me back when we first visited Akiton took the brunt of the hit. I’m thankful that after all this time, I didn’t forget about it! Doubly so considering I doubt I would have survived that manoeuvre otherwise. I’m an academic after all, not an acrobat.
Tibbers followed my lead, then Yaro, though both got a few more solid shots in on our pursuers before getting to me. All the better, I would think, since we’ll no doubt have to fight our way through them again on the way out of here. That just left Vinu on the top floor. I might have feared for her safety alone up there, but no sooner had the thought coalesced in my mind that she took out one last cultist above, then dropped down the shaft faster than even Meved. I suppose there is something to be said for the adage that pahtra always land on their feet, though I don’t imagine that expression expected the pahtra would be wearing a jetpack.
Those of us who didn’t have the foresight to acquire a dorsal aerial accelerator had to go about things the long way. I was unable to ascertain if this station had any elevators, but if this is truly the only means of ascending or descending, then I would have to question the architect’s reasoning. A single point of navigation is bound to cause bottlenecks and traffic jams. An example of just such an incident came to pass (in every sense of the term) when a door opened next to me while I was descending. The pair of cultists apparently took exception to my occupancy of the ladder, and attempted to remove me from the equation. I was lucky that the first one clearly had no regard for proper firearm maintenance and ended up with a blast of hot plasma to the chest for his troubles. If it weren’t for that, then the second cultist’s shot may have put me in a seriously compromised position, because that one definitely hit the mark. I didn’t get much of a chance to see what he shot me with, and by the time it reached me, I was in far too much pain to care.
Given my brand new bullet-induced injury, my desire to remain at my current elevation was at an all-time low, so I opted to make use of my glitch protocol to descend as quickly as possible. Not wanting to leave our trail completely open however, I set up a grease trap at the top of the ladder. Anyone hoping to come down after us would be in for a nasty surprise.
Speaking of nasty surprises, as soon as I made my way down, something appeared in my former position on the ladder, apparently eager to strike at Tibbers above. I recognised it as a babau, which for the sake of brevity I will define as a type of assassin demon. Something about seeing one of the creatures in person for the first time made me viscerally sick to my stomach, as though the creature was an affront to my very being. I suppose that given its designation in the greater planar ecology, that is technically accurate. Nevertheless, that particular feeling seemed more personal than was perhaps warranted. It’s yet another thing I’ll need to evaluate in the future.
Normally, the appearance of a demon would be a grave situation. However, for a second time this did not prove to be the case. Tibbers responded to the sudden appearance pretty much how one might expect, and kicked the babau several times in the face. As it turns out, a boot to the head is a remarkably effective way to dislodge a demon and send it plummeting to the floor below. All it took was the cost of the demon taking Tibbers’ boot with it. Furthermore, it would seem that falling demons lack the “drop bear” instincts that make a falling Meved rather deadly. Meved’s lethality meanwhile remains a universal constant regardless of whether he’s on the “dropping” or “dropped on” side of the equation. What I mean to say is that the babau’s ambush attack was a failure and it did not survive very long afterwards.
It’s at about this point that we finally received a transmission from Soryn. He’d managed to secure our rescue target and had locked himself in the cockpit to buy himself some time. It was obvious from the sound of his voice that he sustained some injuries. For all his combat experience, Soryn is still only a single lashunta, and this was an entire base of heavily armed murderous psychopaths who follow a deeply violent philosophy. We had our doubts sending him in on his own before, but in retrospect it really was a positively ludicrous plan. It was already well in motion though, so all we could do was get to him as quickly as possible. Soryn was the entire reason we could get that far, so the onus was on us to finish the job.
While most of us were still contending with the obstacle that was the ladder, Meved was having his own troubles at the bottom of the shaft. Several more heavy cultists had appeared and were wearing him down. For all of his strength and speed, ursine are not known to be persistence hunters, so their endurance has its limits. I feared that Meved was reaching his. I was definitely pushing mine already.
But that’s why we have Yaro.
I’d be lying if I said my partner’s dramatic leap down didn’t stir something in me. There was something almost angelic in him suddenly landing from above to protect his allies. Then again, some of my perception may have been coloured by the euphoria of his healing energies reaching me as well. The hits I had taken earlier almost certainly had an impact on my mental faculties by that point, after all. Even so, I will state for the record that his stunt was objectively very cool.
It was also very practical. The sudden wave of rejuvenating energies gave us all a second wind. Given everything we’d still have to face to get to Soryn, we would certainly need it.
Player's Notes: Been a hot minute, hasn't it? This was the entry for the last session we had before our GM lost their computer, but now that they're back up and running, our game should be resuming next week.
There's a slight reference in this entry to Astrea's uniquely strong aversion to demons. That has to do with the fact that Astrea has also been my character in Wrath of the Righteous twice. The first time the game went on perma-hiatus about midway through book 3, and more recently I brought her back to join a game (with a couple of the same players) that was on the tail end of book 3. Sadly, that one also went on perma hiatus just before the holidays, shortly after we arrived in Alushinyrra.
I had a journal for Wrath as well, but at a player's request I haven't shared that one publicly, which is a bit of a shame, since it would have shown a very different version of Astrea that contrasted amusingly with my Starfinder version. That Astrea is an aasimar Sarenite scholar that works in the libraries of High Ninshabur and had an academic interest in the mechanisms of redemption, particularly when it comes to redeeming evil outsiders. Naturally, she was extremely interested in Arueshalae, and travelled to the Worldwound with Sarenrae's blessing to provide support to the crusaders and record their achievements for Nirvana. There was a lot I wanted to explore there when it came to her philosophy and perspective as a being from the outer planes. But alas, it was not to be. Or maybe it will be; there's always a chance the game will come back. I can still hope...
Anyway, as far as Starfinder goes, barring some unexpected hiccup, the entries ought to resume their weekly schedule soon. :)
24/01/16 - 31 - What a Thrill
Seventhday, 27th Arodus, 322 AG, Vanguard Station, The Drift
The last time I seriously experienced the phenomenon of meta-temporal displacement, our group was in the isolated reaches of the Outer Junkfields, having just fought a golem made of scrap. We were facing off against something powerful, hostile, and alien, while having little to no support to save us in the event that things went sour. It was easily one of the most frightening experiences I had experienced at that point in my life, which is an amusing notion in retrospect, but I digress.
By comparison, the bout of temporal displacement I experienced while descending the ladder of Vanguard Station’s corridor shaft was even more severe. Previously, I might have attributed this to stress factors like the ones I listed during the golem incident, but considering the fact that this would not even come close to the levels of stress we’ve experienced in other combat situations, I must conclude that something else was at play. It may have been indicative of my lack of concern that while descending I couldn’t help but think of the famously long ladder scene from that one well-established vidgame franchise the name of which is escaping me at this moment (not that I know much about vidgames myself, though I do try to keep abreast of popular cultural touchstones). [Editor’s Note: Look up the name of that vidgame to reference it correctly later]
[Editor’s Addendum] As has become distressingly routine of late, I also feel obliged to acknowledge that this situation was only less stressful by virtue of its comparison to other combat engagements we’ve found ourselves in over the last couple months. That is to say, the bar being so high that even being in a station teeming with Devourer cultists is tolerable is a problem in and of itself. Speaking in terms of psychological stability, we definitely should not be as acclimatised to this sort of thing as we are… [Editor’s Addendum End]
For most of our descent, the combat was occurring at the landing, near the access port to the Omega-Zed, which was the ship Soryn and our rescue target were currently bunkered in. Meved, Vinu, and Yaro preoccupied themselves with clearing the enemies away while Tibbers and I finished our much more cautious descents. I offered a bit of fire support from my elevated position and even took a few shots against the babau that had fallen previously. Turns out it was still alive, albeit weakened enough that even a shot from my Caustoject was enough to prompt it to flee the fight. As we would later find out, it choose to teleport to the medbay to restore itself, only to find Soryn there. Needless to say, the babau did not receive any medical care. Quite the opposite, in fact. It was promptly killed, in case that wasn’t clear.
Some of the cultists from the floors above continued attacking us, to varying degrees of success. The enthusiastic cultist with the poorly maintained gun from before dove from their floor and struck at Tibbers. It was a nasty hit, though it would be the only one that cultist would get; Meved saw to it that they landed directly onto his spear. Between the splash of Tibber’s blood spilling down directly onto me, or the sound of the cultist’s bowels being forcibly perforated, I’m still not entirely certain which was the more unpleasant experience…
That wasn’t the only enemy from that floor however. The technomancer and the cultist that shot me earlier were both still there and took some additional shots at Tibbers. I assume their focus on him simply had to do with him being the closest available target, which I must admit made me a little thankful that I opted to go down the ladder first. I almost certainly would not have handled all of those attacks nearly as well.
In fact, Tibbers managed to prove himself a very capable combattant. Despite his injuries, he pushed back the technomancer with a grenade, descended the ladder while returning fire, and hacked a turret (which, as his convention dictates, was swiftly dubbed “Vesper”) which he used to knock the remaining cultist down into a waiting Meved. For all his faults, combat prowess is not one of them. Having him at our flank was a big help.
That help was invaluable for me personally. Midway through the fight, a cultist mechanic decided they’d flee from the fight into the Omega-Zed. Vinu chased them, but they managed to seal the gate before she could reach them. It’s only because Tibbers was covering my rear that I could rush down and help unseal it. I’ll give the mechanic some credit, the security measures they set up on the door were quite competent. Anyone else might have had trouble getting it open as quickly as I did. [Editor’s Note: That statement may be a little bit conceited. Still, as our resident technical expert, it feels nice to acknowledge my skills sometimes. The others get plenty of recognition for their combat ability already.]
The mechanic was the last obstacle between us and our objective, and as soon as I got the door open, Vinu and Yaro solved that. Thankfully, we found both Soryn and the rescue target in the medical wing of the cultist ship. We were all together, safe for the time being, though we’d still need to get off the station.
Considering the cultists were now fully alerted to our presence, that may still prove a difficult endeavour…
Player's Notes: With this, we resume our Starfinder adventure, back in the middle of our fight with the cult of the Devourer. It was pretty much entirely a combat session and a decent amount of us trying to fiddle to remember how our characters worked (well, mostly me; Astrea's got a lot of mechanics). Still, it was a good time.
Now that we don't have to worry about getting to Soryn, we can focus on mounting a much more aggressive response to the cultists.
Oh, and maybe we'll figure out the name of this rescue target we've been looking for all this time. It's a little embarrassing that we all collectively forgot that detail (GM included)...
24/01/23 - 32 - Better Safe Than Soryn
Seventhday, 27th Arodus, 322 AG, Vanguard Station, The Drift
Our group is no stranger to carnage and corpse piles. Several of my self-evaluations touch on this fact, to the point that a sizeable portion of these journals are simply a documentation of my gradual desensitisation to extreme violence. This process started involuntarily of course, but has been steadily more self-inflicted as time has gone on. Prior to boarding Vanguard Station, I even exposed myself to compilations of Devourer cultist footage, with the specific intent of preparing myself mentally for whatever gruesome sights we might see. I was beginning to think that nothing could shock me anymore.
In that respect, I am thankful to be mistaken. That being said, I think the bulk of my surprise had more to do with the nature of the carnage than the gore itself.
As a Devourer cult vessel, I imagined the Omega-Zed might have an assortment of macabre ritualistic ornamentation. Something to suggest their parasocial devotion to their deity of choice. Well, upon our arrival, we did find a sizeable number of deceased organisms… That is to say, dead cultists. Without getting into too many details, I suppose I can summarise my thoughts retroactively as follows: Soryn may very well be a more vicious warrior than Meved. Anyone who has followed my transcriptions should realise the severity of that statement.
Given the Vice Admiral’s track record, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. We’ve seen him in action before, so it’s not as though his combat prowess was unknown to us. That skill is the entire reason we sent him alone in the first place. However, it’s another thing to see the aftermath of his battle. It’s not as though it was all that much compared to what our group has seen or even done in the past, but most of the time that was caused by a group of several individuals performing a coordinated assault. This was a single person. Just one very angry, very determined lashunta. I have to think that even my sister would have been impressed.
Of course, we couldn’t afford to spend much time in awe of Soryn’s martial skill. Despite his progress, he didn’t wipe out all of the cultists in the Omega-Zed, so we still had work to do.
The mezzanine we occupied was blocked by several cultists of varying skills. Meved knocked one off to the floor below simply by entering the room, then he and the rest of us focused our energies on the others up there with us. The positioning was not ideal, as it left us exposed to a few flanks from the rear. Tibbers and Yaro took the brunt of these surprise attacks. Fortunately, the cultists were not nearly as threatening as the necrobots, and we had weakened the forward force enough by then to allow us to fend these ambushes off.
I’ve seen Yaro using his disintegrator cannon to rather great effect previously, so it came as no surprise when it swiftly incapacitated several of the cultists, but what I hadn’t seen before was the weapon Meved brought out. The rifle had an organic structure, but clearly influenced by the nanobots that I’ve observed as part of Meved’s mutations. It emitted an electric blast that absolutely devastated everything it came across. The potency reminded me quite a bit of necrobot weapon design. I was aware that Meved was doing some tinkering on his own time, but to think this was the result… I immediately noted that I would ask him about the weapon when we next found ourselves with some free time. Until then, I opted to remain a healthy mix of impressed and terrified, which seems to have been the theme of this fight.
While Yaro, Meved, and Tibbers finished up the combat on the mezzanine, Vinu and I made our way to regroup with Soryn on the floor below. Vinu naturally made it first, swiftly enough to offer some assistance to our Vanguard commander, though if I’m being perfectly honest, even then it hardly seemed like he needed it. I barely made it to the bottom of the staircase before he finished off the last of the remaining cultists on the floor. Upon closer inspection, it was obvious that he had in fact taken a beating, just enough to have sustained some minor wounds. Fortunately, it was nothing our resident medic couldn’t fix.
What was considerably more dire was the state of the celestial being with him. The angel Rasiel (whose name was omitted from these logs until now for reasons I won’t get into) was, in no uncertain terms, in very poor condition. A more thorough examination would be needed in the medbay for a proper diagnosis, but at a glance I could tell that he had several broken bones, deep lacerations, likely infections, planar disjunction… To say nothing of the amputated wings. I would be lying if I said the sight didn’t stir a certain primal rage at the cultists in that moment for committing such an atrocity to a living being. I can only imagine what Soryn, who we all know to have an exceptionally strong sense of justice, might have thought when he first found our rescue target… I imagine the answer to that lies somewhere in the mounds of cultist and demon bodies strewn about.
Whatever righteous indignation Soryn still felt, we soon had the opportunity to see first hand. Rather surprisingly, our male companions managed to finish the fight upstairs by convincing the last couple of cultists to surrender. Not that I am ever one to doubt Yaro’s devotion to Sarenrae’s principles, but I wouldn’t have expected followers of the Devourer to ever consider the notion. If they could be reasoned out of fighting, perhaps there was hope for them yet. However, that didn’t change the fact that they willingly participated in the crimes committed by the cult, and by the rule of law deserved to pay for those crimes. By the Steward code, the punishment under such circumstances is immediate execution.
I’ve rarely seen Yaro and Soryn so tense. As a psychologist, I recognised it as the very logical conflict between to ideologies encountering a fundamental impasse. As a friend and companion though, it left a very uneasy pit in my stomach. As much as I adore Yaro, he can have difficulty expressing himself when emotionally charged, and Soryn had just experienced more than enough of an ordeal to explain an unwillingness to entertain mercy. When it seemed like Yaro’s attempts at negotiation were going poorly, I tried to appeal to Soryn’s sense of pragmatism. Living cultists could perhaps be of use to us by providing information and accounts to prevent future cultist activity. That seemed enough to stay his hand, at least for the time being. Our new prisoners, Paul and Karl, were placed into one of the containment cells while we attended to our last major obstacle: Long Teeth.
Well, there was one other problem that also needed resolving. Riddle and Madeci lost track of Murkk. At least the goblin was still responding on comms, but without knowing her actual location, that was a whole other variable to worry about…
Player Notes: Pretty simple fight all things considered. Not a whole lot to say, other than we'll be building up to the end of this mission pretty soon I think. No idea how tough Long Teeth will be, but it'll be nice to fight something organic again.
24/03/06 - 33 - Cutting One’s Teeth with Cultist Culling
Seventhday, 27th Arodus, 322 AG, Vanguard Station, The Drift
While Soryn returned to the docking port to fend off any unwelcome guests, the rest of us prepared for our confrontation with the apparent leader of the Devourer cultists. There was something quite ominous about Long Teeth waiting for us in the cockpit of the Omega-Zed. As their leader, I might have expected that he would fight alongside his minions, or at least let his presence be known to them during the fight. Instead, our group hadn’t seen nor heard him since he first escorted Soryn to Rasiel. By Soryn’s account, they had fought and in the process Long Teeth did sustain some wounds, so presumably he took refuge to recover and perhaps bolster himself. If that was the case, then there was no telling what might emerge when we opened the doors. Those were the thoughts filling my head as we prepared for the engagement.
In a sense, I suppose some of that concern was warranted. The brutish cultist leader was anything but “weakened”, so whatever damage Soryn did must have been repaired in the interim. The mystic accompanying him was the likely culprit of that particular development.
Meved probably came to the same conclusion. His opening gambit was to charge directly forward, largely ignoring Long Teeth (who sidestepped the charge) to crash directly into the healer. Vinu similarly positioned herself to go after the lone subordinate. Tactically speaking, it was a sound move. If the mystic was anything like Yaro, their presence could render the fight into a battle of attrition, and Long Teeth was obviously strong enough for that to be a highly undesirable prospect.
Still, I was a little less enthused by the fact that this left Long Teeth in between Meved and the rest of us. That sentiment was further compounded when Long Teeth made his way even closer to Yaro, Tibbers, and I, rather than engaging with the rampaging ursine. By my scanner’s assessment, Long Teeth had hill giant ancestry, which explained his immense stature and apparent propensity for hurling miscellaneous objects as a combat tactic. I also musn’t neglect to mention his kishaxe, a weapon that could best be described as an amalgamation of metallic slabs formed roughly into an axe shape. Despite it’s crude construction, such a weapon, especially in the hands of someone with Long Teeth’s specifications, was sure to be extremely deadly, especially to someone as lacking in defensive measures as I. In summary, being face to face with Long Teeth is how I imagine many of the cultists might have felt when face to face with Meved.
Fortunately, I still had enough magic left in me to beat a hasty retreat, and to hit him with a dose of acid. I tried interfering with his combat comprehension for his weapon of choice, but that ultimately proved ineffective. My neural algorithms likely aren’t well attuned to handle such an uncommon specimen. Giant heritage aside, Long Teeth hardly seemed neurotypical. Then again, in a universe as absurd as this one, I find myself less and less certain that “neurotypical” could even be considered a valid concept anymore.
After some hasty repositioning, the rest of the fight followed a relatively simple formula: Meved and Long Teeth took turns beating each other senseless, while the rest of us offered whatever additional firepower or support we could. Soryn meanwhile managed to ensure that this fight would only consist of us and the cultist leader.
[Editor’s Note: For anyone wondering what happened to the other mystic after I said that Meved crashed into them, I invite you to use your imagination. By this point, I’ve written more than enough about the bear’s battle tactics for the outcome to be very easily deduced.]
Our additional numbers would ultimately be a deciding factor in the equation. Long Teeth was incredibly strong, and his determination allowed him to even get a few unlikely strikes through Meved’s armour, but without any support, he wouldn’t be able to take on all of us working together. In keeping with that theme, the final blow actually came from Vinu, who (with a bit of guidance from yours truly), managed to lodge her kukri into a vulnerability in Long Teeth’s armour. The giant was so focused on the ursine in front of him that he completely neglected the feline at his rear. The lesson is one I’ve learned from experience: Vinu, if left unattended, can be quite dangerous.
In the end, our only casualty of the fight was the robot Tibbers hacked earlier, which at one point was thrown at Yaro in irritation for his restoration techniques. Yaro actually provoked Long Teeth a couple times, mostly through his religious affiliations. I suppose that isn’t much of a surprise; I doubt that a deity of black holes and destruction would have much affection for one of the sun and healing. That said, I believe Yaro also did provoke Long Teeth on more than one occasion with the intention of deterring our foe from going after me. Admittedly, I was not exactly making concerted efforts to dissuade the cultist’s aggressions, but I wasn’t exactly inviting myself to be targeted either. In that sense, we were fortunate that Long Teeth wasn’t more accurate with his strikes, and was mostly distracted by Meved’s presence.
The situation begged the question of whether my presence on the battlefield might hamper Yaro’s focus. Self-sacrifice has been in his nature as long as I’ve known him (it is one of the things I deeply admire about him), but I feared that our relationship might be heightening his protective instinct, and if left unchecked, it could have terrible repercussions. As our medic, it is arguably more important that he remain out of the line of fire. Should anything happen to any of us, it’s him we would be counting on the most. Not to mention, I have a strong personal bias to not wish to see him come to harm, especially for my sake…
But that discussion could wait for after the mission. We still had a job to finish.
A short conversation with the Omega-Zed’s… Interesting VI “Victor”, and a brief check-up on the comms, we determined a few key pieces of information. The first was that there were likely no other prisoners aboard Vanguard Station. The second was that Murkk had managed to find herself in the station’s engine core. Given these details, we came up with a plan.
First, we would leave Tibbers, Soryn, and Rasiel on the Omega-Zed and find a way to decouple it. The ship was in fine enough condition to be flown, and using it would save us from having to transport the injured Rasiel back to the Everdawn.
Next, we would rendezvous with Murkk and see about rigging the station to explode. As much as I abhor destroying a historically significant relic, after everything the cultists have done, it’s likely no longer worth the effort of salvaging. This way, we could at least guarantee that the Cult of the Devourer wouldn’t be able to use it for further operations.
Finally, we would return to the Everdawn and both vessels would make their way to Bulwark.
Then, just maybe, we could get ourselves some much needed rest before returning to the looming matter of the necrobots…
Player's Notes: Bit of a hiatus there, but this one was largely my doing. I was on a rather significant business trip/vacation (if you know who I am, then you likely know what I'm talking about). Anyway, we're back in the action, and moving quite close to the grand conclusion of this epic sidequest.
I do wonder if this rush strat of ours will lend itself to us getting a good amount of loot from this mission. The completionist in me is hesitant to get through this without checking each and every room of the station thoroughly, but in character that seems a tough thing to justify... I guess we'll see how it plays out.
24/04/02 - 34 - Vanquished Vanguard
Seconday, 29th Arodus, 322 AG, Bulwark, The Drift
In theory, our plan was sound. Decoupling the Omega-Zed was trivial, leaving only our team and the Everdawn to worry about. Even then, we didn’t expect much trouble traversing the station. Most of the cultist forces had either been weakened or eliminated by our initial entry, and we had left enough countermeasures behind to ensure that they couldn’t mount a significant threat beyond a few isolated hostiles.
Meved happened to run into just such a hostile as he took point for our ascent back up the station’s main shaft. The cultist surrendered, and Meved reluctantly respected Yaro’s wishes by accepting. Why the man immediately attempted to shoot the person who granted him mercy in the back is beyond me, but it should come as no surprise that it went poorly. Our resident ursine was less forgiving the second time. I suppose the cultist was truly devoted to his faith’s principles. That, or adrenaline impeded his reasoning skills very severely. Either way, it was an unfortunate incident. Hopefully Yaro won’t take it too hard. The fact that he managed to take any prisoners during our mission is itself a genuinely impressive feat.
Based on my previous outline, the next step was to rendezvous with Murkk. When I last spoke with her, she was in the engine room. The idea was that we would secure her, rig the station’s engine to blow, and then leave before detonation.
Upon reaching the engine, we learned that our goblin companion had skipped a few steps. The reactor was already set for imminent meltdown, and Murkk herself was in the process of riding an escape pod into the Drift much like one would ride a beast of burden.
[Editor’s Note: This choice of words was deliberate. I feel as though it is important to stress for accuracy’s sake that Murkk did not pilot the pod from within, as would be its intended method of operation, but was in fact holding onto it from the exterior. I have come to suspect that these sorts of eccentricities are central to goblinoid culture, and therefore should be acknowledged to give a proper picture of what one might expect when including a goblin in one’s crew.]
In retrospect, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that things would not play out as planned. Nothing involving Murkk ever seems to line up with expectations…
This meant we would have to focus all of our immediate attention on the last step: escaping the station before it explodes. Meved and Vinu, with their privileged modes of accelerated vertical movement, had little trouble returning to the Everdawn in short order. That left Yaro and I to find a solution for ourselves.
Perhaps we would have had enough time to climb up the rest of the shaft and join the others, but given the nature of the sabotage, a more expedient method seemed preferable. Fortunately for us, the escape pod Murkk commandeered was not the only one left.
These were the events that led to Yaroslav and I watching the detonation of Vanguard Station from the confines of a rather cramped escape shuttle while we waited for the Everdawn to collect us. It was perhaps not the most comfortable solution, but there are far worse people to be stuck in a pod with.
[Editor’s Note: I must dispel any rumours that this situation was a deliberate choice on my part. I didn’t have time to properly check the structural integrity of multiple pods, so it was simply logical that we share the first one I confirmed to be safe enough to use. It was also more efficient, since it would reduce the time needed for the Everdawn to retrieve us both from individual shuttles. There were absolutely no ulterior motives at play.]
[Editor’s Note: Vinu keeps suggesting that I include details about how Yaro and I spent our time in the pod to make this entry more “spicy”. The flavour profile of my written reports aside, these are meant to be professional accounts of our missions, not some kind of torrid romance novel. I realise my writing has become less formal of late, but surely I still have some scientific integrity left in my authorship…]
[Editor’s Note: For reasons completely unrelated to the previous note, consider future investigation into the psycho-hormonal impacts of near death experiences and prolonged intimate proximity, and how to reliably recreate these hypothetical effects. Additionally, include a search for “flexibility training” to my bookmarks for further study.]
Our return trip to Bulwark consisted mainly of tending to Rasiel’s wounds, both physical and psychological. Naturally the exact nature of my treatment is subject to patient privilege and will not be disclosed, but sufficed to say that the disjoining of a celestial being from their natural environment is a deeply traumatic experience. The symptoms are comparable to the loss of a major sensory faculty, and in combination with the torture and mutilation he suffered, Rasiel will likely require intensive rehabilitative care beyond what we could provide on the Everdawn. Nevertheless, he has shown remarkable resilience, and is doing far better than one could expect, given the circumstances.
The two cultist prisoners have been moved to the Everdawn as well, and are remaining in confinement in some of our unused crew rooms. We’ve occasionally checked up on them, and I’ve noticed no problematic developments so far. In fact, they seem quite content with their lodgings, which is understandable, given that these quarters are designed with comfort in mind. I imagine we will have to figure out what to do with them eventually, but I suspect it is an awkward conversation that Yaro and Soryn are all too happy to put off for now.
There was actually another new addition as a result of our mission: we’ve inadvertently acquired a new chef. “Jean-Philippe” was operating out of the Omega-Zed, and seemed to have little interest in our conflict or even who was operating the vessel. In fact, he didn’t seem to demonstrate much interest in anything other than preparing food. Since our departure, he appears to have migrated to our kitchen without much prompting, and only acknowledges our presence to refuse any sort of interference on our part. Besides that, Jean-Philippe has shown no signs of overt hostility, so we’ve elected to leave him be.
This particular development is… Perplexing, to say the least. Then again, it’s not significantly more enigmatic than Murkk, and overall less intrusive. In fact, his food is actually quite enjoyable and nutritionally balanced, if a little unsettling at times.
Among those unsettling foods is “Eoxian gumbo”, a dish Jean-Philippe has on numerous occasions lamented his lack of ingredients for. A cursory search into this dish indicates that what makes it unique is the use of an extract from the Eoxian nettle, which has a mild paralytic agent that creates a numbing feeling and temporarily impedes sensory input. This can then be paired with potent flavour profiles that gradually emerge during consumption as the nettle’s poison subsides, giving an impression that the taster’s senses are “returning from the dead”. While I was initially hesitant at the notion of consuming anything from Eoxian cuisine, this phenomenon does sound rather intriguing as an experience. I’ve already taken note to look for Eoxian nettle when we next visit a world with an active spice market.
Beyond tending to our new passengers, I also took some time to investigate the Omega-Zed and gather a bit more information about the Cult of the Devourer’s operations. Previously, I hypothesised that they might have some sort of interaction with the necrobots, or at least awareness of them, given their occupation in the Drift. This was confirmed when we learned that the Omega-Zed had necrobot materials aboard.
The Omega-Zed’s “Victor” VI is somewhat cumbersome to interact with, but I was able to learn a few worthwhile details. By the ship’s account, a few weeks ago they ran into what appeared to be a scuttled or damaged pyramid-like vessel in the Drift. On approach, the pyramid fired on the Omega-Zed, which retaliated in kind. Initially the pyramid seemed indestructible, but the cultists managed to shut the ship down by destroying the damaged crystal near its summit. This allowed the cultists to send in two parties to salvage whatever they could from the stalled ship, one from without, and one from within.
The crew tasked with salvaging exterior components managed to take away several layers of the pyramid’s outer hull, which is what we found in the Omega-Zed’s storage bay. The crew that entered the ship never reemerged. They were considered lost and left for dead.
After reviewing the footage and account of the incident, I believe we can say with confidence that the pyramid ship the Omega-Zed encountered is the very same one that attacked Khefak Depot. Based on the damage profile on the pyramid and the relative time markers, this scavenging operation also transpired very shortly after O’Toole’s “ordinance drop”.
This tells us three very important things. The first is that a direct strike from a fully armed ballistic missile is insufficient to completely destroy a necrobot pyramid ship. The second is that the crystal structure at the summit seems to not regenerate, and can be destroyed with enough concentrated firepower, making it the vessel’s weak point. The third, and perhaps most worrisome, is that that necrobot ship is still out there somewhere…
Given how much time has elapsed in combination with the necrobots’ regenerative capabilities and technology, it would be hard to say if that ship is still disabled, or if the necrobots were able to retrieve or restore it. However, knowing about such an important structural weakness is definitely valuable tactical information…
Player's Notes: We're back! Well, kinda. We've had a lot of skipped sessions on account of scheduling issues. We actually had this session a while back, but I'm only finishing it now in anticipation of what I hope will be our next game this Tuesday. I guess we'll see!
Jean-Philippe is a weird little (or not so little; he's a huge frog/tentacle creature) joke character, and I doubt he'll end up being significant in any way. But then again, who knows...
24/05/14 - 35 - Archon Without an Anchor
Fourthday, 31st Arodus, 322 AG, Bulwark, The Drift
My previous log entry surmised my conclusions regarding the necrobot pyramid ship, but there is one detail that I neglected. In all of the recent chaos, it must have slipped my mind, but thankfully Yaro reminded me when I went over my report with him.
A few weeks ago, when travelling to Castrovel, we identified a necrobot signature in the Drift. At the time, we opted to avoid it, playing it safe. Later, I would speculate that the signature might have something to do with the records of the Failed Gate experiment that mentioned an ancient dead city in the Drift that matched necrobot descriptions. At the time, I had no reason to believe that the pyramid ship had survived O’Toole’s bombardment, much less that it would be in the Drift. Knowing this now and correlating the Devourer cultist salvage mission with the necrobot signature’s coordinates, it would track that these would match.
All that to say that we’ve effectively solved two mysteries: the location of the pyramid, and what lies at that lingering signature. It doesn’t exactly make the prospect of investigating it any less terrifying, but at the very least it means we are likely dealing with only an isolated vessel, rather than something more severe. At least, I sincerely hope that’s the case.
After reporting the findings to the others, we decided that it would be best for everyone if after our stop into Bulwark, we investigated the pyramid and neutralised any remaining necrobots before they have a chance to hurt anyone else. If we could communicate or learn something more about them, that would be ideal, since our understanding of this enigmatic species is still limited at best. The necrobots have shown themselves to be intelligent, advanced, and ruthless, so any means to deter further aggressive actions from them would be worth pursuing. I’ve done some research to help with that, which I’ll disclose later.
Seeing Bulwark again was a welcome change. Our encounter with the Devourer cult may have been brief, but I feel like even after numerous ablutions the stench of death and cruelty still lingers. It may not have been as horrific as the worst depictions I’ve seen, but that’s a very low bar, and holovid gore is never quite the same as seeing it in person. Stepping onto the heavenly island by comparison felt like the first time in a while that I was truly safe, mild discomfort from the lawful planar energies aside.
Over the course of our two days of travel, Rasiel’s condition improved greatly. Permanent injuries notwithstanding, he was in good enough form to walk unaided. He bid us thanks and farewell before setting off on his own, leaving us to report to Sondrya. In my brief time with him, my impression of Rasiel was that as long as he managed to find an outlet for his frustration and a means to not feel helpless after his injuries, he would eventually make a full recovery. However, his reaction upon returning to Bulwark’s atmosphere showed clear signs of emotional distress. I initially thought it might be some form of survivor’s guilt or shame at his capture, but his comments made it clear that his reaction stemmed from the fact that his severed connection with Bulwark’s planar energies did not come back upon his return.
Admittedly, I am no expert on the planar attunement properties of archons. Perhaps with time the attunement would return, but even so, I would not be surprised if such a process was a long one, even for an extraplanar being. I don’t know that I have the ability to relate to such a feeling, but if I had to guess, feeling intrinsically disconnected from your home must be incredibly lonely and disheartening…
As for the rest of our time in Bulwark, Sondrya was quick to thank us for our aid, and provided us with ample resources to prepare for our upcoming mission. The Omega-Zed was dismantled and used to further improve the Everdawn, and our crew went about seeking out some upgrades to our equipment. Meved also had the cultist leader’s armour adjusted and retrofitted for his own use. Personally, I had my devwear improved and commissioned a very fetching plush toy with the few remaining credits. Much as some of my companions might tease me for it, they cannot refute the scientifically proven therapeutic benefits of snuggling an adorable fuzzy creature.
While docked, I also took some time to revisit my academic training to perhaps further assess how I might best be able to deal with the upcoming dangers. The result of this investigation is that I’ve repurposed my cache into a converter of sorts. To put it succinctly, I’ve given myself the means to access and reproduce spells outside of my normal repertoire more easily. It should give me the means to better adapt to sudden situations more effectively, in case we should find ourselves in a surprise situation.
I also took some time to put the finishing touches on a project I’ve been conducting on the side. Ever since the first time I was able to disrupt a necrobot’s death protocol (through which we acquired Veronica), I’ve been looking for ways to more reliably reproduce that effect, and perhaps even counteract the unique necrobot form of teleportation altogether.
The result of my research is a spell somewhat akin to the well documented counterspell form of “Dispel Magic”, with a few particularities to account for the unique quantum forces applied by the necrobots. It will take some field testing to know if the spell, which I am dubbing “Quantum Tether” is truly successful, but for posterity I’ve taken the liberty of publishing my research on the extranet. If for whatever reason I am unable to continue work on it myself, then perhaps others might be able to pick up where I left off. I doubt Vari will be happy, and it took some work to find a way to skirt the legal loopholes of my contract with AbadarCorp to share this information, but the safety of Pact Space should supercede any profits or accolades we might receive from hoarding this knowledge. Copyright infringement will be inconsequential if we are all dead or enslaved.
Before our departure, Bulwark had one last surprise for us in the form of a new addition to our crew. Rasiel asked to join us in our mission against the necrobots. I suppose given his circumstances, leaving with us may indeed be preferable to staying in Bulwark. Furthermore, while most residents of Bulwark would be unable to leave for fear of losing their attunement, such a concern no longer existed for Rasiel. While I feel a certain apprehension at taking away such a capable soldier from the stranded piece of Heaven, I cannot deny that he would likely be a big help.
I mean that in the most literal sense. I never knew shield archon armour to be quite so massive. In fact, it’s more akin to a piloted mech suit…
Player's Notes: With that, we've hit level 8! In-game, this was basically a shopping session and levelling up session, which frankly was welcome after so long. I'd been sitting on a plan to tweak Astrea's build a bit for a while now, since I wanted to do it during a level up. I've given her the Magic Academy Student archetype (honestly in retrospect, she should have had it since the start; it even brings her closer mechanically to her original Pathfinder 1e build as a Magaambyan Arcanist). The new level also means I'll be able to give her two spells that are signature "Astrea" powers: Hold Person and Dispel Magic. The Quantum Tether spell is something our GM gave me as a bonus on the grounds of all the research I've been doing into the necrobots. It's basically a reaction spell to negate the teleportation and "disintegrate on death" abilities that the necrobots have.
As for Rasiel piloting what is basically a freaking Gundam... I have no comment other than it's pretty cool. Not sure how that will translate in the game mind you.
24/06/04 - 36 - Into The Crypt
Firstday, 4th Rova, 322 AG, The Drift
If our plan to infiltrate Vanguard Station unsettled me, this one fills me with outright dread. The vessel bears far too many similarities to records of ancient Osirian tomb structures for my liking. As much as I appreciate the discipline of archaeology, the pervasive media trope of ancient vindictive beings emerging from crypts to unleash their wrath upon unsuspecting explorers is one I’ve never wished to live first hand. I can’t even chalk my concern to an irrational fear of fantastical monsters, because we all know full well that in this case it is very much a reality. The necrobots are still in there, and they will almost certainly not be friendly.
That expectation was proven out almost immediately. Meved hardly got his paws through the door before a group of undead robot soldiers started firing upon him. Fortunately Meved, being what he is, wasn’t affected enough for this to be an immediate problem. He pushed in to fight, and the rest of us filed in after him.
During the encounter, the necrobots spoke in their language. In fact, it was perhaps the most I’ve heard them speak thus far. I activated my interpretation spell as quickly as I could, hoping that their words might hint to some avenue of diplomatic recourse. Unfortunately, the soldier’s speech amounted to little more than assertions that they would destroy or dominate us all. A disappointing outcome, but still useful. I took note of the words to add to my growing lexicon. We’re still far from deciphering the necrobot language, but every little snippet helps. I just wish I could learn their words for “peace” or “diplomacy”...
We finished our first encounter without too much trouble, all things considered. I am still uncertain if it’s because the necrobots were weakened by the damage inflicted on their ship, or because our recent experiences have made us more effective combatants, but they seemed less fearsome than they had in the past. It’s still a far cry from anything approaching pleasant, but the notion of fighting them is ever so slightly less terrifying than it once was…
Of course, given how these situations typically play out, I fully expect some new surprise to thoroughly dash that impression of mine very shortly.
Noticing that we hadn’t been immediately set upon by additional waves of security forces, we opted to take a moment to catch our breath. Needing a bit less respite on account of being a less active participant in the last skirmish, I used the time to study the trails on the floor of the vessel. In total, I was able to identify 8 unique humanoid dna signatures. Presumably, they were signs of whatever was left of the Devourer cultists that attempted to scavenge the ship. The fact that there was a blood trail at all was an unsettling discovery. Up until now, the necrobots have been content to disintegrate their foes, with the exception of the necrobots that made a showing of wearing flayed skins. It feels distressing to say, but I almost hope that’s all this was. I shudder to think of what other uses the necrobots might have for humanoid tissue…
While the rest of us were preoccupied, Vinu decided to scout ahead. In theory, it was a sound plan. Vinu is a capable scout, and it would be helpful to know what we might be getting into…
Unfortunately, the element of surprise can apply to both sides of a conflict, and our arrival was not exactly discrete. While Vinu made her way into one of the adjacent rooms, she ran into two enemies that had likely noticed our arrival and prepared an ambush. Vinu for her part attempted to evade the two new necrobots, but even with her considerable acrobatic skills evading them both proved too much, and she was severely injured.
The rest of us weren’t too far, so we immediately jumped into action. Yaro retrieved Vinu to get her to safety while the rest of us took up defensive positions en engaged the assailants.
The necrobots Vinu encountered were unlike anything we had seen before. In place or torsos, these constructs had elongated spinal columns that gave them serpent-like mobility. Even more notable however was their means of phasing through solid matter. One of the pair moved through the wall on our side to flank Tibbers, much to his distress.
I was able to identify the phasing tech as being similar to that which the necrobots use to teleport, albeit in a more limited capacity. Actually, it was very similar to a more advanced version of the technology I adapted for my own “glitch step”. That knowledge ended up being critical later.
While Yaro held the front, protecting Vinu and myself, Meved held off the flanking foe. Tibbers meanwhile provided rather sporadic “covering fire” (I’ve come to discover as a result of this situation and his emotional distress after the fight that Tibbers may suffer from acute phasmophobia, though a deeper psychological evaluation will be needed before I can make a conclusive diagnosis).
After managing to assess the vulnerabilities in the phasing patterns used by these necrobots, I used my calibrations to fire the finishing blow on the flanking necrobot. Not long after, as the other one was on the verge of using its phasing tech to bypass Yaro’s shields, I interrupted it, just long enough to prevent the hit, and giving the others the necessary opening to finish it off.
Admittedly, it’s the most effective I’ve been in a fight in quite some time, perhaps ever even. I am usually perfectly content to use my skills to improve the rest of our team’s efficiency. If I had to speculate, seeing Vinu injured was a motivating factor. Seeing Yaro nearly killed back on Akiton shook me deeply. That is not something I ever wish to experience again.
If that means I’ll need to step up my aggression against this ship full of warmongering undead robots, then so be it.
Player's Notes: Here we go, new dungeon time! The first fight might have allowed us to get comfortable (though it was still definitely a challenge). Perhaps too comfortable for Vinu. Some of that was just unfortunate dice rolls, though Vinu might not have been as careful as she ought to have been when scouting. Perhaps it will be an important lesson for the player about being prudent when moving through rooms. I guess we'll see. Either way, it's fortunate that we weren't too far away taking our rest when it happened, or that could have been bad...
Astrea suddenly kicking ass was an amusing surprise. I almost always use harrying fire to support Meved's attacks during combat, but in this case the necrobot wraith was pretty low so I decided to go for broke in the hopes that it would free Meved up to come to the frontline, and sure enough, I had a rare spurt of luck. Then right after, the bot would have gotten a devastating melee hit on Yaro, but a well-timed cast of Edit Code made the difference. It reminded me of my DnD 5e version of Astrea, who has certainly come in clutch with a Silvery Barbs here and there.
One detail I didn't include in the journal was Tibbers trying to flee the ship after the wraith fight, and Astrea and Meved threatening his physical and reputational wellbeing to keep him in check. Seems the guy draws the line at ghost robots. Heh.
24/06/19 - 37 - Pest Control
Firstday, 4th Rova, 322 AG, The Drift
Given the harrowing events of our last encounter, we opted to take some time to rest. Fortunately for us, the necrobots didn’t seem intent on actively patrolling their ship, despite our less than subtle infiltration. Perhaps their lack of pursuit was telling. Given that their ship was adrift, it would be reasonable to assume that they are functioning off of auxiliary power. Under such circumstances, it is common both for organic and synthetic beings to limit their consumption of energy. I speculate that in the case of the necrobots, their response might simply be to bunker down save for a few select troops.
The respite gave us time to inspect the room we found ourselves in. The exact mechanisms of the obscure device that occupied the room were unknown to me, but given its dimensions and structure, I surmised that it was likely a designated charging station for the scarab-like creatures we’ve previously fought. The device seemed to be connected to various parts of the ship by way of a network of pipes, which in my estimation are the means by which scarabs are sent to different parts of the vessel to perform maintenance. It’s a logical setup which takes full advantage of their highly mobile repair drones.
Yaro corroborated my findings with a discovery of his own. His keen canine ears picked up on buzzing sounds from the room adjacent to us (“north” of us according to my relative spatial render of the vessel), sounds which I had completely missed during my fixation on the room’s device. It remains a true blessing that I have such reliable companions with me, otherwise I would surely find myself at the mercy of countless ambushes. Quite honestly, I doubt I could survive a single ambush. I am not built for combat situations, despite repeatedly finding myself in them as of late…
We took ready positions at the door and I used some magic to open them remotely. Sure enough, what greeted us on the other side was an assortment of multiple scarab swarms and another creature we had not encountered before. The simplest way to describe the massive entity would be to liken it to a giant robotic spider. The room, based on its layout, I would have guessed to be its “nest”.
Yaro and Meved took immediate action, using their large effect radius weapons to deliver as much lethality to as much of the swarms at once. That took care of most of the swarm clusters, but still left a couple, along with the spider, and two additional footsoldiers that had been deeper in the nest room.
While the larger foes focused on Meved, the remaining scarabs ignored our frontline and instead went after the rest of us. Yaro and Tibbers had the worst of it, with some of the creatures even making it into Tibbers’ skin. The ordeal was traumatising to witness, let alone actually endure, which compounded with his prior psychological scars from the earlier phasing necrobots (which I’ve decided to designate as “wraiths” for ease of documentation). Given that, his attempts to flee were understandable. I will almost certainly need to conduct routine psychological evaluations for the poor man after this mission…
We eventually took down the smaller hostiles, leaving us with just the spider. Throughout the fight, the spider managed to restore the necrobot soldiers, even from apparent death, and generated more scarabs as well. It would be reasonable to conclude that this was some sort of support drone, almost like a scarab carrier vessel.
For any military personnel that might be reviewing these records, I recommend focusing on these spider entities first, as our failure to do so likely significantly prolonged our fight and cost us in time and resources. While I recognise that the explicit targeting of medical personnel is both unethical and in breach of several conventions, I feel it relevant to point out that during my diagnostics, I detected no indications of sapience from the creature. To the best of my knowledge, the spider was a drone operating off of standard routines, not a living being. If at any point we should find evidence to the contrary, I will naturally revisit my recommendation in accordance with galactic laws of warfare and my own ethical code.
This being said, the spider’s ability to restore the necrobots did appear to have a limit. A more thorough assessment would be required, but based on the data collected, the spider did not seem able to heal the soldiers more than a few times before it showed signs of depletion. I remain at this time uncertain of exactly how its resources are managed, but recommend that anyone unfortunate enough to encounter one try to keep track. It could be vital information.
In our case, Tibbers managed to land one final blow on the spider to destroy it, but not before it released one more swarm of scarabs… Which immediately went after Tibbers. I find myself wondering if that was purely a case of the drones choosing to target the one that destroyed their carrier, or if Tibbers has some sort of innate property that makes him more attractive to them. At least this time, Yaro was able to wipe out the swarm before they could do any serious damage to anything other than Tibbers’ sense of dignity.
The fight was a harrowing ordeal to say the least, but it left us with yet another room to investigate. One that was equal parts fascinating and deeply unsettling…
Player's Notes: Both this and my Hell's Vengeance campaign are composed of most of the same people, and so both suffered from the same bout of scheduling conflicts, but we got there eventually!
This is actually the recap for a session from a couple months back (as the title indicates). I saved writing the detailed version until we knew another session was coming to help me remember the session.
I'm currently writing the log for the more recent session, though it's proving to be a bit longer given that there was a bit more to say in that one.
24/08/13 - 38 - No Dolmen Stone Unturned
Firstday, 4th Rova, 322 AG, The Drift
Our second rest in the pyramid (or third if you count the one that was interrupted by the wraiths) gave me some time to study the spider drone’s nesting room. In there, we found two things worthy of further study.
The first of these was a pile of corpses in the northern section of the room. The dead bodies themselves were hardly a surprise, given what we knew about the Devourer cultist expedition. What was noteworthy however was the state of the bodies. A quick diagnostic check performed by Yaro and myself determined that the corpses had unusually low yields of several essential minerals. For instance, the minuscule amounts of remaining blood had only trace amounts of iron. It led us to conclude that somehow, the necrobots were harvesting the metals from these bodies. It’s a pragmatic means of recycling, albeit a very disturbing one.
I might have wondered if such resource collection was part of the necrobot’s goals, but that would be incongruous with their methods elsewhere. My best hypothesis at this time is that this particular instance of harvesting was to make up for them being adrift. Still, to have the means to extract minerals in such a way would imply that this is something they’ve done before… It’s an avenue of thought that I’d rather not pursue, despite my morbid curiosity.
The second noteworthy feature of the room was the large gateway that occupied the southwest corner. The structure seemed very similar to that of the elven aiudara (what is conventionally known in the Pact Worlds as “Elf Gates”). However, just as the aiudara have eluded our academic understanding since before the Gap, I lack the means to fully comprehend this portal. I nevertheless documented what I could from my analysis and have included them in my records for future study.
That being said, I was still able to determine some information. The nature of the energy it exuded was unmistakably that of the mysterious power used by the necrobots, and given the emission patterns of that energy it seemed likely that the other side of the portal was a fixed location containing immense amounts of it. The closest comparison I can make would be to say it was equivalent to a portal to the negative energy plane. I would hazard a guess that the destination of the portal was to whatever world or plane the necrobots are natively from.
Given that information, I advised against us entering or in any way interacting with the portal. While I would have preferred to deactivate it, I doubt that I had the tools or understanding to do so safely, and a more rudimentary dismantling seemed too risky to attempt. As such, we left it alone, and hoped that in doing so, we would not be “kicking a hornet’s nest”, as the human expression goes.
With the eastern quadrants of the vessel’s lower floor explored [Editor’s Note: Starboard hardly seems apt to use until we’ve conclusively determined the orientation of the vessel itself.], we continued along the perimeter to the north-western side.
The room we encountered next was a little different from the previous ones, in that it had glowing markings on the doors. I recognised these from our previous encounters as being the symbol that the necrobots used to represent themselves or their leadership. Further inspection confirmed them to be trapped in some way. Up until now, none of the rooms have had any security measures beyond the necrobots within to guard them, so this naturally suggested a high level of importance.
We pivoted to the smaller door in the eastern corridor for our approach, and I set up a siphoning program to divert the energy embedded in the rune harmlessly. My understanding of necrobot technology may be insufficient for their more complex mechanisms, but weapons and traps at least I’ve managed to decipher well enough. A few minutes later, we were able to open the room and discover what the necrobots thought valuable enough to keep warded off.
Even if my translation program were not active or the guardians within had not stated their warning of our trespass, the structure that occupied the sealed room was unmistakable. After all, I had overseen the engineering reports for the dismantling and reconstruction of the Enigma Core, and perhaps barring a few less than forthcoming followers of Eloritu, I was at the time (and to my knowledge still am) the foremost researcher on the so-called “Dolmen Stone”. Admittedly, that is not so much an indication of my pedigree as it is a testament to this device’s obscurity, but the fact remains the same: the device within that chamber was almost certainly the pyramid ship’s primary source of energy, something that could rival if not outclass any sort of power supply the Pact World’s foremost civilizations could muster.
Much as I would have loved to have stopped everything then and there to study this marvel, we still had the matter of its guardians. The room held two advanced soldiers and two more humanoid necrobots equipped with what seemed to be a handgun paired with an energy blade. Their slightly more ceremonial appearance correlated with common traditions of designated bodyguards for high value targets, and their equipment was clearly designed to permit them greater mobility in close quarters, which was fitting given the enclosed space. Fortunately for us, Meved was more than large enough to bottleneck the doorway, meaning they couldn’t approach us directly without either going through our ursine frontline or taking a route around. Having come to that conclusion, I suggested that Tibbers hold our flank in the northern corridor to prevent that possibility.
At first, our strategy was proving effective. For all of the necrobots’ combat prowess, Meved’s advanced mutations have made him quite resilient in the face of their aggression. This was bolstered by Vinu’s impressive ability to “dropshot” our foes through the limited sightlines of the obstructed doorway. Prior to this ordeal, I would never have expected the splits to be a tactical combat manoeuvre, but given the shot’s effectiveness, perhaps my understanding of martial tactics is simply lacking. I am a scientist after all, not a combat specialist.
That fact became painfully apparent when our advantageous configuration was violently dismantled by the appearance of another wraith-type necrobot (the same kind that ambushed Vinu in the scarab charging room). This time, I was the unfortunate recipient of a particularly vicious strike. Even with all of my gained experience, the attack winded me, and it was evident that I would likely not be able to withstand another hit from this creature.
Naturally, being in the immediate vicinity of a highly lethal ghost-like robot forced us to reevaluate our tactical positioning and target prioritisation. Meved continued to focus on holding the guardian and soldiers in the room at bay while the rest of us focused on the wraith and the other guardian, which had come from the northern door to flank us as anticipated. We were effectively surrounded, with Meved to the west, Tibbers and Vinu to the north, and Yaro and I to the south. It was a mercy that no reinforcements came from the eastern door (where the corpses and portal were located), or we would have been in an extremely dire situation.
That is not to say this situation was not dire. In fact, our positioning meant that Yaro and I, while protected by direct fire from the Dolmen Stone room by Meved, were still in the range of arcing weapons. The necrobots apparently realised this, and blasted us with their arc guns. The nature of the weapon made it incredibly dangerous in such a closed space, resulting in one charge striking each of us multiple times. Had Yaro not preemptively used his magic to shield me, it may have been enough to incapacitate me right then and there.
In retrospect, that arcing strike was probably the turning point of the fight. The damage Meved, Yaro, and I incurred spurred Yaro to use his healing magic to restore us. The necrobots are a highly intelligent and ruthlessly logical species, meaning that they immediately realised the tactical value of our combat medic. The flanking guardian and the wraith reprioritised to try to eliminate our most crucial asset as swiftly as possible.
In my previous log, I mentioned the merits of just such a strategy, but pointed out that the targeting of medical personnel goes against Pact World military conventions. Given the reaction of the necrobots, it was made abundantly clear that they have no such conventions, or at the very least did not apply them to us. There was no hesitation in their instructions, and my live translation protocol left no room for error: oppositional forces with healing magic were priority targets. I mention this so that any Pact World military forces that might come across a necrobot force in the future are made aware and are given the opportunity to revise their strategies. We cannot assume that the necrobots share our morals or have any notion of “humane” treatment of their adversaries. As of yet, I have seen no mention of the concept of “mercy” in their lexicon, and I am beginning to doubt that they have one.
Though I am trying my best to remain composed as I write this, the situation that occurred during this encounter left me shaken. Tactical importance aside, Yaro is my romantic partner and a deeply valued companion. I have already seen him face a near-death experience once before at Khefak Depot, under conditions not all that dissimilar to these. Though I had largely managed to process that trauma, the sight of Yaro so severely injured brought those memories back. Had I not taken extensive measures to prepare myself to maintain composure in exactly this sort of situation… If I had slightly fewer resources at my disposal…
Well, it would not be productive for me to dwell on such a hypothetical.
My reactions were largely the product of adrenaline and conditioning. Were it not for the recorded footage from my bodycam and the accounts of my companions, I doubt that I could have recalled what occurred next.
By the time Yaro had been wounded, Meved had killed a guardian and made some ingress into the Dolmen room, leaving a gap for us to enter from. I took the opportunity, taking position in the doorway and using a biomechanical symbiosis program to jolt Yaro’s adrenal system. It wasn’t much, but it would allow Yaro a small window with which to pull back into the room with Meved while I covered his escape. Though I was still slightly injured, Yaro’s earlier healing and protective magic would ensure that I could at least do that much, giving him some much needed time to recover. At worst, he would probably be able to save me in turn from his safer position. If I am honest with myself however, I don’t believe I was making such rationalisations in the moment. My only thought was that Yaro needed to be safe.
With Yaro in a more secure position, my next priority was ensuring that the guardian and wraith did not pursue. I targeted the guardian with a “hold” protocol which I had recently adapted into my repertoire from some older arcane formulations. The necrobot put up a heavy resistance, but I supplemented as many power enhancers as I could muster to see it through, which fortunately was just enough to make the difference. With the guardian held in place, Tibbers, whose aim had been severely lacking throughout the encounter (possibly a symptom of his recent traumatic incidents), was able to land a direct hit, and Vinu was able to finish it off. For posterity, I used my tether program to preserve the body and its weaponry.
As expected, the wraith did attempt to pursue, opting to go through me. I did my utmost to physically block its path. I believe it did manage to land another blow, but I remained standing. My own fight or flight response must have allowed me to endure despite my clear disadvantage. Thinking back on it, it’s a humbling demonstration of the power of one’s instinctive biological programming. However, that hindsight also makes me wonder why I chose to target the guardian. Couldn’t the wraith have simply passed through the adjacent wall to pursue Yaro, rendering my positioning pointless? Perhaps at the time there was a logical reasoning behind my exact actions, but my memory is too addled to recollect it.
While this entire ordeal was occurring, Meved was single handedly fighting the two remaining soldiers in the Dolmen room. Our ursine enforcer has always been a fearsome combattant, but with his ever advancing robotic mutations I’ve almost come to take for granted that he is almost unstoppable. I should emphasise “almost”, because he is by no means immortal. One of the soldiers actually did manage to land several wounding strikes on Meved despite the latter’s defences, and while it wasn’t doing much damage, it was doing some. Meved would ultimately win the battle of attrition, but not without a noticeable cost to his stamina.
Meved had managed to take out one of the two soldiers by the time I retreated from the wraith to regroup with him. Yaro had recovered a bit by then and had taken a safer position further into the room, so my rather frail shield was no longer necessary. The wraith pursued, but Meved ended that threat in a single swipe, whereas the final soldier was taken out by a single extraordinarily charged blast from Yaro’s disintegrator cannon. The battle was over.
We patched ourselves up, leaving us all looking as though we hadn’t just fought one of the most harrowing fights we’ve had yet. The exhausting psychological toll was unmistakable, however. Yaro and the rest of the group took a very well deserved rest immediately, though the adrenaline crash had not caught up to me just yet, so I used the remainder of my energy to inspect the Dolmen stone before resting as well.
Unlike the fragment we used to power the Everdawn, the stone in this Enigma Core was whole. The power output from the crystal was greater than just about any reading I’ve ever seen. Much like what Vari-8 speculated in his findings all those years ago, something like this could very well be used for immense societal benefits. That such an absurd amount of power would be put towards an engine of war worries and saddens me greatly. I still find myself wondering what drives the necrobots to acts of cruelty when they are blessed with such advanced technology. I hope to understand it someday, because I still struggle to rationalise all the suffering that has been inflicted… I have no desire to believe that our world is inherently cruel, as some do.
The necrobots might have used their energy for harm, but I reasoned that this did not need to be the case. We had taken and used a Dolmen stone shard before, so repurposing a whole one seemed a logical next step. With the help of our entire group, we were able to eject the stone. The effect was immediate: the entire ship fell to auxiliary power. If any of the necrobots didn’t know we were here, they would know now. However, any additional ship defences they might have used against us were now likely gone.
We saw the first example of this with the next room we inspected, this time in the south-west quadrant. The room contained several pod-like chambers, most containing necrobots in various states of disrepair. The displays and tech readings suggested that this was a repair station, analogous to our med-bays. The lack of power meant that any repair procedures had apparently halted, which was a very welcome blessing. While many of the necrobots were nowhere near full capacity, some were distressingly close. Had we not cut the power, it might have meant we’d be facing a few more combatants. While I still had enough resources left to handle one or two brief fights, every encounter dwindled those resources, and who could say if there would be enough if a major threat arose.
No sooner had that thought crossed my mind that it manifested itself in reality. As we returned to the southern outer corridor of this square-based structure, we were greeted by a single necrobot. Though it obviously was different from other necrobot infantry, equipped with an axe and shield and composed of far higher grade materials than the more common soldiers we’ve faced, the truly frightening thing about it was where it was coming from. The necrobot was approaching us from the same entryway we came from. At the time, we did not know what that meant for the Everdawn or its other passengers. We had not received any hails or distress signals, so we hoped it was merely attempting to block our exit. Either way, a conflict was unavoidable.
Interestingly, the shieldbearer necrobot made a declaration as it approached. I am still so thankful that my translation program was still active to capture the message it spoke. Typical threats against us aside, it introduced itself as the “lynchguard tasked with protecting the Dolmen Stone”, and announced that it served the “Khalfani Dynasty”.
Given the translation of the word “dynasty”, it seems unlikely that the Khalfani represent the entire species, though just these words alone open up many questions regarding the social structure of the necrobots, and perhaps even their whole nature as a species.
The anthropologist in me would have loved to have a conversation with this person, were they not so obviously intent on killing us all.
Player's Notes: Hoo boy, this was a long one. The session wasn't even especially long, but given the nature of the significant lore drops and dramatic events, Astrea had a lot to say. How dare these robutts try to hurt her precious good boy boyfriend!
I'm sure I could say more, but I stayed up way too late to finish writing this, so I'll cut myself short and get some rest so I'm not too dead for the next session tomorrow!
24/08/27 - 39 - Who Holds Power
Seconday, 5th Rova, 322 AG, The Drift
Though a proper conversation with the Lynchguard was unlikely, I still made an attempt to parlay. Previous attempts had been fruitless, but a part of me hoped that this individual’s willingness to introduce itself to us suggested room for discussion. Perhaps it only wanted the Dolmen Stone returned. Given the necrobots’ hostility, we would hardly acquiesce to such a demand, but it would at least show us that negotiation was a possibility.
The Lynchguard demonstrated signs of linguistic comprehension at my words, even if they were spoken in Pact World Common. I am unsure if they have language synthesisers, or if they simply know Common, but refuse to speak it. That alone raises many questions, though the Lynchguard made it abundantly clear that it would not be the one to answer them.
Rather, the Lynchguard’s response, as with all other necrobots we’ve encountered thus far, expressed no desire for a mutual exchange of information. Its exact words were “Does the thresher parley with the wheat it sows?” followed by “The awakening has come and we will retake what is ours.” No further statements were made before combat ensued.
These statements highlight a few important details that I believe we can use to significantly further our understanding of the necrobots. I’ve recorded and transcribed the exact wording in the necrobot language, so as not to leave linguists with only interpreted data. I will also include my personal speculations.
Referring to us as wheat being sown suggests the necrobots are familiar with agricultural practices deeply enough to make metaphors about it, either from their own culture, or from studying us or some other organic culture. In either case, the necrobots are not unfamiliar with organic life. I also believe the Lynchguard was fully intending to convey what it believes to be the social dynamic between necrobots and our kind. In their eyes, we are essentially a material resource, rather than sapient beings. The state of the “harvested” corpses would be consistent with classification as chattel.
Othering is a common practice, especially among imperialist cultures. It allows soldiers and citizens to readily accept terrible mistreatment of foreign individuals in perceived service to the state. It’s a practice I personally find reprehensible, but with enough precedent to see a rationale in necrobot behaviour so far. They may well consider us to be barbarians occupying space and resources they wish to conquer for themselves.
This leads to the comment about “awakening” and “retaking what is ours”. The implication is that the necrobots were previously active, went dormant, reactivated, and now seek to control what was once their domain. Is it possible that before the Gap, the necrobots were a ruling species among the Pact Worlds? It’s not entirely impossible. There is a great deal we don’t know about the Gap and what came before it. The Elorituan experiment corroborated the idea of a dormant phase.
Even so, I wonder about the lack of wide-spread archaeological and historical evidence of their presence. If the necrobots once had such influence, why have we found so little? There could be many reasons, one of which simply being that the Lynchguard’s assertions were the result of an overinflated sense of property, another common trait of imperial cultures. Nevertheless, it’s worth combing historical records once more for signs of the necrobots. The past may yet help us better understand how to deal with our current situation.
[Editor’s Note: To think I’ve already written so much… I should move on with the log.]
The Lynchguard was more easily dealt with than I originally anticipated. In an attempt to incapacitate the hostile necrobot, I made use of my immobilisation spell. My expectations of success were low, but it was remarkably effective. The rest of our team took it down while it was paralysed, and then did so again when its backup shield began to reanimate it. At that point, I used the Quantum Tether formula to prevent disintegration, again to great success.
[Editor’s Note: There is a clever comment to be made here about “reaping what you sow”. Find a way to fit that in post-editing.]
In retrospect, I hypothesise that my technomancy’s potency was bolstered by the Dolmen Stone in my possession. While I have no empirical evidence of this, my magic is rarely so reliable, and I had no reason to believe the Lynchguard had any particular weakness to it (quite the contrary, in fact). Further tests will be needed to see if the Dolmen Stone has some innate synergy with magic, technomantic or otherwise. If so, we may have stumbled upon even further potential scientific breakthroughs.
On the subject of the Stone’s effects, I also noticed an increase in my physical abilities while holding it. I was able to carry the Lynchguard’s body to the shuttle largely unaided, a feat I definitely would not have been able to accomplish under normal circumstances. Though admittedly, this could also be explained by the increased flow of adrenaline in my body.
Given our own beleaguered states and Tibber’s increasing hysteria, we decided to leave immediately rather than explore the last remaining room of the vessel (which covered the upper portion of the pyramid structure). With the intact Dolmen Stone and two largely intact necrobot bodies to bring back with us, we had already found more than enough to consider the outing a success. That being said, we agreed to return to finish the investigation later.
Once back on the Everdawn, Meved transported the necrobot chassis to the laboratory for eventual inspection. I had succumbed to exhaustion while in the shuttle, so Yaro returned me to my quarters (despite my protests). Nevertheless, we both found ourselves rushing to the laboratory soon after. While Meved was dismantling the Lynchguard, it reanimated, presumably due to its regeneration protocol. My auto-dematerialisation countermeasures may have been too effective after all.
There was a brief panic, but we were able to once again deactivate the specimen, and this time I saw to the dismantling personally. The Dolmen Stone’s effects, or adrenaline, or something else may have still been lingering within me, because despite my beleaguered and rushed state, my harrying fire had remarkably managed to be effective while not damaging a single sample within the laboratory, and the dismantling went exceedingly smoothly. A very welcome surprise, to be sure.
Less welcome was Tibbers’ obviously poor mental state. He responded to the alarm holding an improvised incendiary composed of a bottle of rectified spirit and a flaming rag [Editor’s Note: Didn’t I lock up all the medical alcohol? Follow up on this]. Seeing that the situation was already resolved, he tossed the rag on the floor (Twitch is programmed to extinguish unmonitored flames, thankfully), drank the entire bottle, and fell unconscious on the spot.
I’ve previously written about the psychological impact this mission had on Tibbers. I fear that without processing his trauma through healthy mechanisms, he may engage in increasingly self-destructive behaviour that could endanger himself and the crew. For the time being, he was placed in the medical bay for detoxification, and I’ve scheduled us to go through regular therapy sessions. Hopefully, I can help him back to being at least manageably unstable.
After a very brief respite, Vari-13 called a ship-wide meeting to debrief on the mission and our findings. A rather heated disagreement broke out over what to do with the necrobot pyramid ship. Vari’s initial suggestion was to bring it to Absalom Station for study, which Soryn and myself both strongly opposed. The risks of bringing a vessel like this, let alone one with a still-working portal to necrobot-controlled space, were far too high. Soryn nearly came to blows, but fortunately we managed to diffuse the situation.
Further discussion eventually led us to a compromise: we would tow and anchor the vessel to a remote drift anchor [Editor’s Note: If we can get in touch with Horizon’s End, the vessel in service to Weydan, they might have some good suggestions for a suitable location], and then set up a research station around it. We would also establish a series of redundant failsafes to ensure that the vessel couldn’t be used for further necrobot infiltration.
The final plan requires a great deal of funding, but Vari seemed satisfied acquiescing to proper safety protocols. It can be easy to forget that they are actually quite reasonable and logical, and they are not lacking in empathy nor respect for our respective expertises either. However, they do have an extraordinary skill for phrasing their initial statements in the most inflammatory manner possible, a trait which frequently puts them at odds with Soryn.
Such disagreements are understandable. Soryn is concerned with the safety of the Pact Worlds, while Vari is concerned with progress. For society to thrive, both of these impulses must work in collaboration with each other, and it is unwise to completely neglect one side of the balance in pursuit of the other. Vari’s pursuits and support are ultimately the reason we know as much about the necrobots as we do, and without their ancestor’s research, we might have found ourselves completely unprepared for the threat of the necrobots in the first place. Their contributions in that respect shouldn’t be understated. I just wish they phrased their thoughts a bit more diplomatically…
In any case, we have our plan of action. The coming months will likely be exceedingly busy. As for the immediate future, we will finish exploring the ship tomorrow. Tonight, Yaro and I have earned ourselves a much needed shower and rest. [Editor’s Note: I probably shouldn’t mention Yaro in this context. Revise for publication.]
Player's Notes: I don't know what dice god blessed me the night we had this session, but dang... I did not expect Hold Person to work on this mini-boss, and getting a nat20 on the Quantum Tether to counterspell the auto-disintegration, then another nat20 to haul the body to the shuttle, then ANOTHER nat20 then a nat18 to use harrying fire and then dismantle the body... I guess Astrea just really had this Lynchguard's number. I made up the justification that it was the Dolmen Stone on the spot because that made for an interesting narrative as opposed to just being super lucky that session.
Though I don't use it in the journal proper, we collectively agreed that Tibbers was drinking the Starfinder equivalent of Ryncol. Our GM is a big Mass Effect fan, and I've been replaying the games lately, so it was topical. Currently I'm 1/3rd of the way into ME3 with a Sentinel Astrea Shep, and being reminded a lot that Astrea is really not that far off from just being Liara. That might not be much of a coincidence; I think I first created Astrea as an OC not long after playing ME the first time.
For the little aside about Twitch, don't forget that his character image is WALL-E, so imagine that little guy coming over with a tiny fire extinguisher to put out the flaming rag.
24/10/01 - 40 - A Glimpse of Death
Thirday, 6th Rova, 322 AG, The Drift
Before I begin, I must offer a preface. I did not sleep well after our excursion into the necrobot vessel. My biometric diagnostics confirmed as much. This was not exactly a surprise: intense exertion aside, the proximity of an active portal to what may be the necrobot homeworld would hardly be conducive to a restful slumber. As some historic cultural references put it, “you cannot sleep while there are enemies nearby”.
Likely as a consequence of this, I found myself being somewhat out of sorts. I even experienced the phenomenon of temporal distortion once again. If feels as though months have passed in a single day. I know that to be objectively incorrect, but I cannot reconcile reality with how I feel. As such, I cannot wholly vouch for the complete accuracy of my personal records at this time. However, note that any of the official transcriptions provided came from our real-time recording software. In the event of any discrepancies, know that the raw transcriptions should be correct, barring any tampering. I could not abide if my own cognitive impairment mischaracterised the truth.
As for what transpired, our day began with a second trip into the now effectively dormant necrobot vessel. The last room we had not yet investigated was the one in the centre of the structure. As we predicted, it was the bridge, or at least the closest necrobot equivalent. The ceremonial architecture and decor made it almost seem more like a dais or altar of some sort, complete with ritualistic-like imagery depicting what appeared to be a representation of a necrobot social or military hierarchy. I made certain to record footage of these depictions to cross-reference them with profile data we’ve already recorded. Perhaps we could use them to craft a more complete picture of the beings we’re in conflict with.
My decryption skills alone were insufficient to learn anything from the vessel’s command terminals or other interfaces. However, Tibbers used his own tech and piloting expertise to directly connect to the pilot’s chair, and with his assistance I was able to convert the data into something usable. His exosuit made the attempt viable, though it’s Tibber’s bravery and selflessness that pushed him to take action at great personal risk. Despite the concerns I’ve expressed for his psychological wellbeing after everything he went through yesterday, he performed admirably. We were fortunate to have him with us.
The information we collected was limited, but raises several very interesting and perhaps critical questions. From a ship status report, we learned that the “Eternity Gate” and “Tomb Mind” were offline, but that the “Tomb Gate” was online. We cannot be certain of the exact meaning of these terms, though it would be reasonable to assume that the Tomb Gate is the portal we found, as it was just about the only thing still functioning after we removed the Dolmen Stone. The other two components remain unknown, though if I were to offer an educated guess, I would hypothesise that the Tomb Mind refers to the vessel’s central computing systems, while the Eternity Gate refers to its primary weapons. I reiterate however that this is speculation on my part. Further study will be needed to determine just what this terminology actually means in context, besides sounding vaguely ominous.
In addition to ship status reports, we were also able to pull up coordinate information. The means by which necrobots calculate positions naturally did not conform to the Pact World standards, so we attempted to gather as many reference points to compare against. Hopefully, the encrypted coordinate data from the ship will be easier to decipher when compared directly against known locations. We know, if nothing else, that the necrobots have at least some awareness of our galactic geography, despite not residing anywhere near the Pact Worlds themselves.
Unfortunately, there was little else we could retrieve from the cockpit terminal. I would not be surprised if relevant data was automatically purged to avoid its seizure, much like how the necrobots decompose themselves to avoid capture and study. If that is indeed the case, then there may be a way to recover some of the deleted data, though I believe we are still far from being able to achieve a feat like that.
Alternatively, it could be that the necrobots do not keep secure data on their vessels. The highly advanced nature of necrobot technology would theoretically make it more efficient to maintain a hierarchical data structure where individual units are given only the most direct instructions while a centralised command system compiles data from all sources and controls tactical decision-making. This sort of system is common among collectives, but is usually limited by lag time in communication and the vulnerability of the central system to direct attacks. The necrobots could very well have overcome both of those weaknesses.
Still, all of this is just conjecture. As it stands, we simply do not have more data.
Refocusing on what we do have, our team returned to the medbay to investigate it further. Our previous visit had us pass through it only briefly to clear the ship of any lingering units. We confirmed that the necrobots within the medbay’s tanks were still inactive. We also noted a pool of necrobot epidermis at the base of the tanks (what my correspondents have taken to calling “necrodermis”, though I would not be surprised if such a term conflicted with some Eoxean copyrights). The quality of the samples is still quite excellent, so I believe we’ve effectively secured a viable collection of samples. I admit to some reservations at using injured sapients as test subjects, but under the circumstances I cannot argue with the tactical necessity of such actions.
That more or less encapsulated our second excursion. It was fairly brief and without incident, with most of our attention focused on collecting as much data as possible and translating it for our ongoing necrobot database.
We would later discuss revisiting our plan of bringing the vessel back into proximity of the Pact Worlds. Soryn’s concerns remain valid: even if we select somewhere that is relatively remote, there is a very real chance of us giving the necrobots a backdoor into Pact Worlds territory, something we simply cannot afford if the necrobots remain as hostile as they have.
This brought us back to another solution we discussed previously, that of sending a scout into the active gate before moving the vessel out of the Drift. It’s not an unreasonable idea. After all, our biggest apprehension was the risk of alerting the necrobots that their gate is compromised. However, this would likely happen sooner or later, so doing it while we remained in the comparative anonymity of the Drift would put only us in serious danger. Compared to endangering the entire system, that’s definitely the safer call.
The question that remains is what to send through. One approach would be for our team to go, just as we did into the vessel. It would likely be the single most dangerous thing any of us has ever done, but it’s not exactly like we’re strangers to putting ourselves in dangerous positions. Still, I personally find the idea somehow less appealing than our infiltration of Vanguard Station. At least there we had a fairly good idea of what we would find inside and how to deal with it. Despite all our encounters and studies, we’ve still only just scratched the surface with the necrobots by comparison, and everything we’ve seen so far suggests that we would not enjoy what we find if we go deeper.
We ultimately concluded that it would make more sense to send a drone through, to effectively act as a scouting probe. Between Tibbers’ remote piloting skills and my familiarity with adapting the quantum energies used by the necrobots, we might be able to keep the drone functional through the portal. If so, then we might be the very first members of Pact space to see the necrobot homeworld.
Under normal circumstances, such a monumental pioneering achievement would be cause for excitement, and I suppose I am excited to some degree. However, at present I find that my excitement is dwarfed by my terror.
Player's Notes: Normally I try to write my journal entries close to when the next session will happen, but as it stands the stars have not been aligning very well, so I figured I'd get this out while I had the opportunity. I'm sure we'll get back to it eventually and it'll be awesome though.
24/11/19 - 41 - Scarab on the Wall
Thirday, 6th Rova, 322 AG, The Drift
Repurposing one of the scarabs as a spy drone ended up taking us the better part of a day. Nearly the entire Everdawn participated, each of us contributing our technical expertise into fitting everything we might need into the scarab’s tiny frame. As our ship’s leading technical expert, I was tasked with the final assembly. That responsibility was nerve wracking to say the least, but everyone’s support made it much more manageable. In a sense, it served as an apt metaphor for our overall dynamic.
Our group of seemingly miscellaneous individuals have come as far as we have because we all elevate each other’s strengths and compensate for each other’s weaknesses, making the Everdawn’s crew far more than the sum of its parts. That’s as true in combat situations as it is outside of it. For instance here, where engineering was our main focus, the less technically adept Yaro supported us by seeing to our physical needs by way of providing food, coffee, and the joy that comes with witnessing your fluffy canid partner dressed in a colourful apron.
This information is perhaps superfluous, but I find myself needing to reiterate the importance of appreciating our diverse collaboration. The disparate nature of our capabilities and even mindsets may at times put us at odds with each other, but it is this factor is perhaps the greatest fundamental differentiator between us and the necrobots. It allows our galactic community to constantly evolve and challenge itself, finding new ways to subvert the limitations we encounter.
Despite all my fears regarding the necrobots, I still feel a certain confidence in this idea. They are clearly exceedingly intelligent and powerful, but over the course of studying them I cannot help but find a certain rigidness there. An intellectual rigor mortis, if you will. They all seem so confident in their established methods that they seem unable to account for something that challenges their base assumptions. Their code, once decyphered, is consistent, making it easy to reliably subvert, be that with hybrid technomancy, mysticism, acrobatic excellence, or a genetically mutated ursine with a pointy stick.
Still, for all of our progress, the necrobots still have a massive lead on us, which cannot be dismissed. The drone operation would be our first real foray into pure necrobot territory, so the stakes were high. We were unlikely to get a second chance to learn anything if we were detected, and that was to say nothing of the risk of drawing attention to us. So far, the necrobots have always had the informational advantage. This was a chance to close as much of that gap as we could before they become aware of us.
A few intensive optimisation passes and rigorous diagnostics later, we had a working spy drone. Tibbers was given piloting duty, while I processed the information feed. The others stood ready to support or respond should anything exit the portal. With all of us stationed there, the room which a few days prior housed a bunch of corpses now felt like a genuine command center.
Entry through the portal occurred without incident. The portal’s composition didn’t indicate any sort of energy readings that would suggest it to be dangerous, though I would need to do a more thorough examination before declaring it safe for use by a non-necrobot being. As for the destination, I had hoped that the GPS system we integrated into the drone might provide us with some coordinates, but the data was either garbled or too complex to interpret. It’s far from the first time necrobots have eluded standard measurement systems though, so I believe I may be able to solve that mystery with enough time.
The destination on the other side of the door, as best we could determine, seemed to be an operational post of sorts. The architecture was in line with necrobot structures we’ve seen, though clearly ancient in its construction. From a window in the building, we got a small glimpse of the outside. The area was vast and heavily constructed, equivalent to a metropolitan cityscape, though less populated than one might expect from such a scale. The best comparison I could draw would be that it was something like a cross between an Aballonian and Eoxian city, clearly designed for synthetic sensibilities, but with strong necromantic influences. As with many other elements of the necrobots, the landscape bears aesthetic similarities to the Osiriani of ancient Golarion, albeit in a more grim, dark, and cybernetic form. Perhaps there is a history between these cultures that was lost in the Gap, though I found no suggestion of such a link in my prior research.
One detail that seemed especially noteworthy was the sky. I had hoped to get some data on the atmosphere or astronomical profile of the location, but when we observed the sky, we could find no identifiable elements at all. My current hypothesis is that the segment we were viewing had a ceiling or other interference that masked the true sky. The sheer scale that implies is daunting to say the least, but I’m still hoping that to be the case, as the implications of the necrobots simply living under a starless sky is far more troubling…
My reasoning for giving the operational post its classification is derived from its personnel and scale. In my estimation, the structure seemed too small and lacking in features to be a major command centre, but still had enough presence to suggest its use as a strategic point for military action. The facility was patrolled by several active soldiers, and two rooms featured platoons of dormant ones. Granted, there is a possibility that these were non-combatants, but given what we’ve observed thus far, I cannot be entirely certain that the concept of civilians even exists in necrobot culture.
Besides the soldiers, we also found a room with a massive collection of scarab drones, seemingly relegated to a run down corner of the building. The way the necrobots leave these drones to seemingly operate on their own whims remains odd to me, but it served us well for our scouting mission. The service tunnels incorporated into necrobot architecture made it easy for our drone to traverse the facility without being too conspicuous. Well, mostly; our luck did eventually run out, but not before making a few more discoveries.
In keeping with the insectoid themes of necrobot constructs, the one entirely new creature we spotted during our exploration was an immense robotic centipede. We didn’t determine its purpose at the time, though its obvious weaponry suggested that it would be capable of combat, if not designed explicitly for it. That is an encounter I sincerely hope will never come to pass, though by this point I’m convinced it will be an inevitability…
In terms of structural features, we observed a few other interesting details. One room boasted a large power unit, similar to the one in the pyramid ship, but lacking a Dolmen Stone. Even so, the power output from this device was well beyond what we might expect from technology of that scale, though not beyond the standards I’ve come to expect from the necrobots. I’m certain my fellow TAs at the Arcanamirium would balk at the revised scales I use for necrobot-related calculations. I still have a hard time fathoming them myself…
Past the power unit, we spotted a room with cultural indications suggesting ceremonial import. At the focal point of the chamber was a sarcophagus, bearing the symbol I’ve come to believe is the coat of arms of the “Khalfani Dynasty”. We were unable to approach enough for me to get a proper reading of what the sarcophagus contained or otherwise what its purpose serves, though I would guess that it’s not something we would find desirable.
The sarcophagus was under heavy protection, and it was ultimately the two lynchguards standing at the base of the sarcophagus that noticed our drone’s unusual behaviour. One of the guards left their post to visit a command console we had also noticed earlier and operated it. The interaction was too rapid for me to fully interpret, but from what I could tell it seemed like it was searching through a database of scarab drones. It must have found the instance for our aberrant drone and deactivated it, as our feed died immediately afterwards.
It was not clear if this action meant the necrobots were aware of our infiltration, or simply believed the drone to be malfunctioning, but if nothing else our scouting mission did result in quite a bit of information being gained. We uncovered most of the facility’s layout and defences, along with what might be a couple points of interest in the forms of the sarcophagus and the command console…
Of course, a few minutes of video footage were never going to be a satisfactory amount of data. It became increasingly clear to all of us by the time the scarab was destroyed that we would need to go into the portal and investigate ourselves.
May our outcome be better than the scarab drone’s…
Player's Notes: This time a hiatus isn't to blame as much as my own life being too hectic for me to keep up with writing my journals. I'm trying to catch up this weekend.
Building the drone was a fun little bit of roleplay. In the end, this was basically just a simple scouting mission, but we enjoyed getting a bit more flavour regarding these "mysterious death robot aliens". Next session, we went into their turf. I'll relay how that's going so far shortly.