10 Ventsea Site Seeing
Plot Hook
Objective: 2 Learn the truth
Adversaries: 4 Local inhabitants
Rewards: 6 A unique item of power
Plot Hook
Objective: 5 Restore something broken
Adversaries: 5 Enemy horde or force
Rewards: 4 Support of an ally
Topic Focus
5C History (physical)
Detail Focus
QD Exotic (technical)
Koko receives a direct job offer from the researcher a few weeks later. Tracking patterns from the ruins on Stillfield they have found a similar underground site on Ventsea. The job is simple enough - open the door. But the details are less than straight forward. The site is in a hazardous thermal region populated by local family groups of Ventsea Folk and other large fauna that school around rich warm seabed vents. Koko arrives, hovering in the Hunter Platform just above the surface of the Ventsea. No splashing down this time, the boarding platforms lower into water to allow her to swim in and out freely, but the large platform is still completely unable to submerge.
Hex Terrain
Terrain: 2 Same as current hex
Contents: 5 Nothing notable
Hex Event
5 Random Event then Set the Scene
Random Event:
What happens: 7S Create (mystical)
Involving: 4H Community (social)
On the sea floor far under the platform Koko finds a group of Ventsea Folk clustered around an egg crater. Not native to the water she is spotted before she spots them.
Persuade 13 - Koko swims parallel to the cluster and waves to the Ventsea Folk. They don't seem to understand fully, but also don't seem to care. The Ventsea is full of dangerous life and currently that does not include Koko.
Hex Terrain
Terrain: 1 Same as current hex
Contents: 6 Roll a Feature
Features: 4 Strange natural feature
Away from the camp is a strange fumeurol not only is it inactive, which is unusual, but it is actually working in reverse and pulling water gently down into it.
Hex Event
2 None
Yes/No (Even)
Is the reverse vent an intake for the site?
6,2 Yes
Koko swims into the large gently sucking vent and finds a large natural material grate, clearly sentient in design it probably has been here for years and has had mineral deposits covering it over time.
Nature 12 - Koko finds the weak seam where the build up from both sides meets in the middle and clears away some of the hard build up to reveal clean dark lavender stone underneath. She is in the right place, but entering through a blocked filter pipe isn't her first choice. She notes it down and continues to sweep the area.
Hex Terrain
Terrain: 2 Same as current hex
Contents: 3 Nothing notable
Hex Event
5 Random Event then Set the Scene
Random Event:
What happens: JC Protect (physical)
Involving: 7C Enemies (physical)
doubling back in her search Koko finds the Ventsea Folk are being circled by predators. She could intervene but it's not really in her best interest and it doesn't help the mission. She lets nature take its course.
Yes/No (Even)
Do the Ventsea Folk survive?
2,5 No
Koko watches as the Ventsea Folk wave coral branches at a large armored shark like creature, the weapons are not useless and the creature bears some scars for it, but ultimately it devours the group and most of the eggs.
Animal Handling 6 - in a blood frenzy the creature dashes towards Koko. Stupid thing tracks her movement, but it can't tell she isn't made of meat.
Combat - Koko let's a single Heavy Cryo Round off into the maw of the large beast as it charges and the block of ice that forms in its throat ruptures its giant eyes cavity and likely its brain. With little of the head left in tact, Koko severs the dorsal fin and swims it back up to the platform as a trophy.
Hex Terrain
Terrain: 1 Same as current hex
Contents: 1 Nothing notable
Hex Event
2 None
Investigation 10 - Koko continues her search around to get her bearings but the sea floor is so full of vents that it all starts to blend together and they have to double back and start searching searching scratch with a proper grid system this time.
Hex Terrain
Terrain: 2 Same as current hex
Contents: 4 Nothing notable
Hex Event
6 Random Event then Set the Scene
Random Event:
What happens: AD Deceive (technical)
Involving: 6C Future Plans (physical)
Perception 1 - Koko swims by an flat section of the sea floor many times and uses it as an anchor point reference for her search
Hex Terrain
Terrain: 5 Uncommon terrain
Contents: 6 Roll a Feature
Features: 5 New region (set new terrain types)
Hex Event
3 None
Koko searches further out and finds a cave system, blisteringly hot and under immense pressure but nothing her armor isn't prepared for handling. Region Threat level - +0 , common. still Threat 3
Hex Terrain
Terrain: 4 Common terrain
Contents: 6 Roll a Feature
Features: 3 A settlement
Hex Event
3 None
Koko finds a small Ventsea Folk nest. Bundles of plants and bones left abandoned. The adults can survive her just fine but the eggs must need the cooler open waters. The nest is left abandoned now.
Hex Terrain
Terrain: 6 Rare terrain
Contents: 4 Nothing notable
Hex Event
4 None
Koko continues into the cave system and finds an active magma pool spewing out toxic elements but leading deeper in still
Con 23 - The toxins are constricting her internal sap flows as her body filters them out in every cell. Good thing she doesn't have a centralized liver or this could be dangerous. Stupid meat people.
Hex Terrain
Terrain: 6 Rare terrain
Contents: 3 Nothing notable
Hex Event
5 Random Event then Set the Scene
Random Event:
What happens: KC Transform (physical)
Involving: TH A Plot Arc (social)
Arcana 20 - Koko finds the front door, clear as day and still not at all helpful. in the magma pool she spots a transparent shimmer just under the surface, a forcefield barrier, probably dry and temperate just on the other side. Swimming through the finger width deep layer of molten rock to get past the barrier, assuming it even lets her through, would be lethal. maybe if she can drain the magma somehow or find a remote activation device. Though The Cinderwake could legitimately rely on teleportation in and out ... so this might also be a heat vent and not a door.
Hex Terrain
Terrain: 6 Rare terrain
Contents: 4 Nothing notable
Hex Event
2 None
Investigation 9 - Koko is starting to run dry in ideas and paths forward. But continues to circle the area for anything she missed
Hex Terrain
Terrain: 6 Rare terrain
Contents: 6 Roll a Feature
Features: 1 Notable structure
Hex Event
3 None
Investigation 3 - Following the shape of the barrier Koko finds a smooth black lavender wall. She briefly considers blasting it open but then remembers how little an entire cruiser crashing into the other site did.
Hex Terrain
Terrain: 4 Common terrain
Contents: 5 Nothing notable
Hex Event
2 None
Back into the cave and finally out of the toxic magma chamber Koko finds ... cave. The magma chamber is clearly connected but not a clear entrance. She returns to the surface to search for other clues of infrastructure
Hex Terrain
Terrain: 2 Same as current hex
Contents: 6 Roll a Feature
Features: 6 Dungeon Crawler entrance
Dungeon Entrance:
Dungeon Theme:
How it looks: TS Specialized (mystical)
How it is used: 6D Harm (technical)
Location: 1 Typical area
Encounter: 3 Hostile enemies
Objects: 4 A useful tool, key, or device
Exits: 2 additional exits
PoI +2, rare. total Threat level 7.
Koko returns to her anchor point the large flat area. It opens up and swallows her into the structure. she is now in an otherwise dark room surrounded by horrors: salads and kelp bars prepared by drifting plant materials sucked into this automated kitchen. She shivers, it's disgusting when food eats plants. It's just ... Wrong.
Combat - Koko is attacked by stone floating kitchen drones with sharp knives and a directive to make salad. Trying out her specialized bursting round she is quite pleased when 3 of the 4 never make it to her and her Cryo Shield freezes off the knife arms from the last one when struck. Rendering the drone mostly harmless. She doesn't have a lot of munitions for the specialized rounds, but she is quite pleased with their efficacy.
In the chassis of the burst drones Koko spots an intact RFID tag, nothing so fancy as the drone itself but it should let her move around the facility. At least in as far as the drone could travel.
Dungeon Crawler
Location: 4 Working or utility area
Encounter: 3 Hostile enemies
Objects: 5 Something valuable
Exits: 4 1 additional exit
In the next run over she finds a utility room. Repair drones hover over kitchen drones and other repair drones, keeping the facility running. Unattended, hopefully.
Combat - The mechanical repair drone crawls along the floor wielding 5 separate wrenches at least and flailing around violently. Clearly not built for combat this drone is still deadly if not dealt with carefully so Koko slips in and drives her shadow blade deep into it's chassis in a risky gambit that pays off
In the utility room Koko finds an advanced armor generator. An otherwise small but heavy energy puck that can extend an energy barrier weave like chain mail to fit around the form it's attached to. Fascinating stuff but still heavy hard light that doesn't fit her quick movements and fighting style... yet?
Dungeon Crawler
Location: 2 Transitional area
Encounter: 5 An obstacle blocks the way
Objects: 4 A useful tool, key, or device
Exits: 5 2 additional exits
The hall opens up into a split junction to the left is the back of Koko and to the right is the back of Koko... this area isn't blocked off by doors but a spatial Mobius strip.
Perception 13 - Dex 14. The hallway's physics are fascinating but to put an extra layer of No on top the architects put in a powerful acid shower as a trap.... or maybe decontamination? Rocks people are weird. Either way Koko dives out back to the utility room just in time to slam the door shut and explore other avenues.
Dungeon Crawler
Location: 4 Working or utility area
Encounter: 1 None
Objects: 5 Something valuable
Exits: 6 2 additional exits
Going below the kitchen room she finds a graveyard of uneaten salad decomposing away. With no one here to eat these grotesque meals are being generated and discarded with no purpose.
Dungeon Crawler
Location: 2 Transitional area
Encounter: 5 An obstacle blocks the way
Objects: 3 An interesting item or clue
Exits: 2 Dead end
One end of the conveyor belt of rotting death is a dump into magma. technically an exit, not a viable one. though it does help her orient.
Dungeon Crawler
Location: 5 Area with a special feature
Encounter: 4 Hostile enemies
Objects: 1 Nothing, or mundane objects
Exits: 2 Dead end
on the front end of the conveyor belt are far fresher giblets of kelp posing as a meal. two large bipedal drones with tongs stand ready to disassemble any plant needed to lay them out to decompose. Koko wants to murder them on the principal alone, but she is also a walking salad to them so the feeling is mutual.
Without going through the loop room Koko has now completed her options to find the way out. She returns and tries to disable the spray system using the long arm of the kitchen bots like a stick with a knife on the end... which it is.
Slight of hand 14 - The acid spray is coming from a small stone recess in the wall, she doesn't know how to stop it but she just closes the panel and other than acid leaking out of the wall it's totally fine.
With the acid solved she has proper time to investigate the looping hallway properly and eventually finds the controls built smoothly into the wall. She pokes her head out of the structure after pressing a few buttons and finding the equivalent of 'surface' in the strange glyphs. She can see the portal clearly from the sea floor and with the radio tag she can now clearly see it and has the 'door open' for the researcher. Mission completed, she swims to the surface to return the key and collect her reward