Five There Were [DRAFT]

# Incoming Transmission # Source Identifier: Ninth Truth, Borderlands Botanists # Destination Identifier: TE3-Firebrand#Her Glorious Command#Starlight Ebbing#Muse IX#Unquiet Journey#* # Subject: Explorers Wanted # Message Begins You know the drill by now: the Borderlands Botanists would like some help exploring some tunnels on Kylal. Events from a few months ago have opened up some new tunnels in the Pentagonal ruins that we and Zeitgeist have been researching, and we’d like to know what new insights about this mysterious civilisation these tunnels might yield. Our initial investigations indicate that there might be some danger to exploration, so we’d like some backup before we go any further. Interested participants should meet me in Kyholt for further briefing. This is Kylal: dress accordingly. # Message Ends ===== Characters ===== * delicate_harmony - Mike * gathering_flow - Phil ===== Summary ===== * The party meets in Kyholt, where Ninth Truth explains what he wants - following the events of internal_error, when Aspexx employees broke through into the gate chamber from a previously-blocked Pentagonal tunnel, there is a possibility to explore more of these tunnels and learn the mysteries of the Pentagonal Civilisation. However, there is also a distinct possibility of Aspexx still being down those tunnels, and Ninth Truth wants to avoid a Diplomatic Incident, so is hiring a party to go in first before letting any overly-keen Borderland/Zeitgeist scientists loose down there. * Ninth Truth first sends them into Kyholt to meet up with Undulating Current, a Zeitgeist scientist who has designed some experimental breathing filters which can help people avoid the horrible effects of the spores often encountered in Pentagonal tunnels - for a little while, anyway. While picking these up, the party also meet Cold Boot, a disgruntled local who's suspicious of Aspexx, and particularly suspicious of Elegant Solution, an Aspexx employee who's recently been hanging around Kyholt trying to get access to the gate - indeed, Elegant Solution also approaches the party and asks them if they would escort her through to the gate. * The party agree to this, though keeping an eye on her, but Ninth Truth is unimpressed when he finds her investigating the gate's surroundings, and promptly bears her off to his office to show her all the excellent public research which has already been done on the gate so she can read that instead. The party are shoo-ed in the direction of the tunnel they're supposed to be going down. * Inside the tunnel, all is much as would be expected by anyone who has entered a Pentagonal ruin before: it's a tunnel, cross-section of an inverted pentagon, carved out of rock. The party walk down it quite a long way before turning a corner and encountering some hostile rockwork, which attacks. Delicate Harmony is able to draw on previously-gained abilities to partially control rockwork, and they are able to disable/destroy the rockwork creatures before they do too much damage. * Another long walk further on, following what appear to be a number of footprints in the dust (though most pointing towards Kyholt, as though more people came this way than later went back), the tunnel turns again and enters what appears to be a broken decontamination chamber (similar to some previously encountered). This one also, however, contains an Aspexx-branded communicator, an Aspexx uniform jacket and a key stamped with the Aspexx logo, all apparently dropped by someone else coming this way. The party leave the communicator behind as Gathering Flow's pilot beacon is blinking - and, at the end of the tunnel, they encounter a handy 'Decay starts here' sign left on the wall by someone else - but pocket the key for later use. * ===== Aftermath ===== * Bullet points of what characters did in the aftermath of the mission ===== Consequences ===== * Breakdown of consequences for characters - rewards, effects, contacts. * Also mention any wider consequences for the world ==== All Characters ==== * Consequences ==== Character 1 ==== * Consequences ==== Character 2 ==== * Consequences Be sure to add tags for the characters