L1.2: Peacekeeper Academy - Challenge 2

This is an opening arc / one-shot for a group of three to five level 1 characters.
It is written with D&D 5e in mind, but should be playable with many TTRPG frameworks. Feedback towards helping achieve a framework agnostic approach would be gratefully recieved.
It leads on from L1.1: Peacekeeper Academy - Challenge 1 and is part of the same one-shot, so if you haven't already, read that one first.

Challenge 2

The second challenge arrives in the form of another message to their Wristassist.

HyeStoKriAkLH2

This is another message in PA Standard Commands, with the exception of LH2, which means Lecture Hall 2. It translates to:

Help Stop Conflict Peacekeeper Academy LH2

They need to find Lecture Hall 2 and stop whatever conflict is currently happening there.

The aim of this challenge is to give them the opportunity to do conflict resolution in whatever form feels most natural for their characters. It is also an opportunity for them to interact more with other groups of NPCs. If you have already introduced a group or two to your party, it might be a good idea to have some of them arrive in Lecture Hall 2 either just before or just after the party does, depending on what you'd like to achieve.

Decoding the Clue

This shouldn't be a difficult task, because after the first one they are already familiar with PA Standard Commands. However, they might fall over on LH2, as that is not defined anywhere.
A low to mid level intelligence or investigation check will allow them to deduce that LH2 is probably a location on campus.
A mid to high level intelligence or investigation check will allow them to realise that LH2 is Lecture Hall 2.
If worse comes to worse, if they are nice to DATA (the A.I. in the Data Center) then it will help them out.

The Conflict

The conflict is staged for the purposes of the challenge to first years. They want to see who goes straight for violence and who aims for communication and negotation. They also want to see whether or not there is a leader appearing in each of the groups.

Arriving at Lecture Hall 2

Lecture Hall 2 looks a lot like the outside of Lecture Hall 1, the rounded building with mirrored walls. Except in this instance the mirrors seem to be tinted greens and yellows, refracting the light across the paved walkway which leads you to the stairs to the large rounded door.
The door itself is made of metal, approximately 10ft high and 6ft wide, with two small white squares on either side of it, which you recognise as check-in docks, which will pair with your wristassist as you enter.
You are two steps from the top when the doors crash open and a Vkan boy runs out past you. His paw-like hands are over his face, and he seems to be crying. There is blood dripping between his fingers. He's certainly shaking and not really paying attention to where he's going as he trips slightly over his own feet and shoulder checks [insert the name of one of the player characters] as he darts passed. The rest of his group, another Vkan and a few Pachian, appear behind him.
"Ihpinnitohi, wait!" one of them cries, as they all run down the stairs, ignoring you as they chase after their team mate. Their footsteps fade and there is a moment of quiet as you turn back to the door which is once again closed.

This is an opportunity to amp up the tension a little bit and prompt additional character interaction. Here are some useful questions. They are all optional, but I've added what impact each question could have.

• What is your character thinking at this moment?

Allows for internal characterisation and gives you an idea of what they might do next. Should also give you an idea of what you can lean on to make the next section more dramatic.


• How is your character feeling at this moment?

Also allows for internal characterisation but on a deeper level. It can also show whether they are excited, nervous etc. and will help you play the next section.


• What would you like to do?

Gives them the opportunity to have a discussion before entering the lecture hall. They may want to chase after the people who have just left. They can do this, but I would make it difficult for them to do so, simply because I think it's more interesting for them to experience it for themselves first.

Meeting the Players

As you make your way up the steps and push open the wide metal door, you find yourself in an eerily quiet space. To your right, rows and rows of chairs and perches and other seating equipment stretch up and back in ever growing semi-circles, following the curve of the building. To your left, the wall bulges outwards, and you realise that the green and yellow mirrors are semi-translucent and you can see the sway of trees in one of the campus parks.
In the middle of this amphitheatre of learning, on the stage where you would expect to see an educator lecturing, is a table with two people sat opposite each other, staring at one another.
The first, looking towards the rows of seating, is a Pachian man. From his stern countenance he looks to be Primian and probably in his mid-fourties.
The second, however, facing towards the windows, is a Terror. His face is also harsh, his beak and furrowed eyes making him look agressive. He is 9ft tall, so a little short for a Terror, but the Pachian opposite still has tilt his head all the way up to look him in the eyes. The Terror has a blue-skinned face, with ruddy feathers poking out at all angles, and as you watch he tilts his head ever so slightly to the right, studying the man opposite him.
Between them, in the middle of the table, you can see a Fraga, a delicious and very expensive Primian dish made of a large cut of ikkne steak topped with a fruit and ikkne fat gel.

The Primian's name is Peacekeeper T'Lanit and the Terror is a rumbly groan with a screach at the end of it (but he'll respond to Steve - or any other easy to pronounce name you'd like to choose). Peacekeeper T'Lanit has brought his friend a delicious Fraga, but the Terror is refusing to eat it.

The Terror cannot eat the steak. They can only eat leaves because of their digestive system. The Primian is insulted that his friend won't share a meal with him.
The key to solving this is getting both parties to eat together.

The Terror won't be very forthcoming with what the problem is, and the Pachian will be extremely angry about what's going on. Both men are stressed and insulted by what's going on - the Terror because he feels that his friend doesn't know anything about him, and the Pachian because his friend is rejecting his expensive gift. It can easily escalate to violence, if prompted by the party.
Once both men have had a bite of something, they will break character and turn to the party.

"Well done," the Pachian man says. He taps his wristassist. "Your next challenge will be with you shortly."

See 'L1.3: Peacekeeper Academy - Challenge 3' for the next part of this session.

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Related Articles

Organisations	Peacekeeper Alliance, Peacekeeper Academy, Peacekeeper Diplomacy, Peacekeeper Efficiency, Peacekeeper Integrity
Culture	Peacekeeper, PA Standard Commands, Categorisation of Peacekeeper Planet Types, Wristassist
Territories	Peacekeeper Territories, P'Ache Solar System
Other	Terror, Foods and Delicacies From Across the Territories

Plot type

Campaign Opening / One Shot

Related Organizations

• Peacekeeper Academy

Related Locations

• P'Ache Prime

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Key

Provide to players in whatever form you'd like

Read aloud to players

Character action prompts

Puzzle solutions

GM tips, variations and customisations