Beetle Drive

>>> Incoming Transmission
>>> Source Identifier: Ninth Truth # Kylal Botanists
>>> Destination Identifier: TE3-Firebrand#Her Glorious Command#Starlight Ebbing#Muse IX#Endeavour#Unquiet Journey#*
>>> Subject: Beetle Drive
>>> Message Begins

Explorers, scientists, and combat-capable individuals sought for an expedition into recently charted tunnels on Kylal in order to round up cave beetles that may serve as a major food source as well as a degree of pest control. Combat experience is essential. Beetle-fighting experience is a bonus. This is Kylal: dress appropriately.

Respondents should meet with Ninth Truth at the surface-side Primary Access Outpost on Kylal two days from now for orientation and briefing.

>>> Message Ends
>>> End Transmission

• Gathering Flow - Phil
• Budding Leaf - Alex
• Mossy Hollow - Joseph

• The party are tasked by Ninth Truth with retrieving the BeetleVac Mk I which has been lost in the tunnels of Kylal in order to use it to build a better Mk II to trap Honey Beetles.
• Cautious, the party head into the tunnels and after fighting off some Cavern Worms and Paddlers find themselves with Captain Dark Ice, the explorer assumed dead that was working with the Mk I.
• Dark Ice explains that they've devised an improvement on the BeetleVac's filter based on Honey Crystals and sets the party on the task of stealing them from Honey Beetle nests.
• With that done, they return to Ninth Truth who works with Dark Ice to create an upgraded BeetleVac Mk II based on an autonomous drill unit which the party escort into the ice.
• On the way they discover more stone guardians like the sort Flow and Leaf had found previously in the tombs. With an Intervention from Endeavour, Flow enables some communication with them and they convince the Crypt Guardians that they are lost and are let go on their way.
• One Decay Tunnel later, the party breach the Beetle Nest and start sucking up Beetles. As soon as they're done, there's a roar and with another Intervention called by Flow to get them out there the party find themselves on Endeavour. With the Beetle Queen.
• The close quarters fight is intense and sees both Flow and Leaf severely injured, but the Queen is subdued and the party is able to claim its rewards.

• Flow connects with linguistic researchers aboard Endeavour and the Mystics aboard Her Glorious Command to inform them of what she learned about being able to communicate with the Crypt Guardians on Kylal. With Mystic Sanction, a research committee is formed to start work on trying to communicate with the Crypt Guardians but without a live specimen it's slow progress. She notes that the Guardians respond better to 5-limbed creatures.
• Budding Leaf notes that there are some Crypt Guardians not too far into the tunnels which aids some research but the lack of a live specimen still holds progress here.
• Leaf devotes time to assisting with the study of the Honey Beetles and Rock Beetles. Quickly, agricultural research is able to find a sensible way to store Worker Honey Beetles and pheremones are extracted from the Queen that make it easier to herd them around. With the additional scanner data from Leaf, the Soldier Beetles are quickly weeded out of the batch of jarred beetles, and a farm is set up on the surface of Kylal.

• Endeavour is now studying the anatomy of the Kylalian Queen Honey Beetle.
• Kylal has access to a source of food from the Honey Beetles returned to its surface.

• 5 Clout with the Borderlands Botanists OR 3 Clout with Endeavour

• Severe Injury - you have been brutally attacked by the Honey Beetle Queen and this has left its mark on you, making your bones sticky. Whenever you suffer a BREAK on a limb, that limb is unable to move for the duration (meaning you cannot move your leg from the spot if taking a BREAK LEG).

• Severe Injury - you have been brutally attacked by the Honey Beetle Queen and this has left its mark on you, making your bones sticky. Whenever you suffer a BREAK on a limb, that limb is unable to move for the duration (meaning you cannot move your leg from the spot if taking a BREAK LEG).