Iron Stars - simon

There is a small chime on the compad of Simon Xia's, as he finishes another round of hypothetical practice questions for his upcoming exam. The tone is a bit different from a normal message- not a study friend then- but an alert. 1 new PRIORITY message

03:45

The alert dances on the screen, superimposing its alert banner over everything else on your busy compad

5

1

Simon curses under his breath. "This had better be important", he thinks to himself. His precision and recall scores had been slipping due to constant interruptions. Interruptions like this. He closes his notes and opens the message on the commpad

Mr. Xia. You have been selected for a journey of scientific discovery. The planet Thea, on our eastern border has only recently been discovered, and most of the world has not been explored. An expedition is being prepared to the planet, to supplement a small base camp there, and your qualifications match what the mission needs. 

If interested, a shuttle is preparing to leave this evening to bring you there. Your studies and other administrative matters will be held for your return, as ordered by the Director and highest levels of Greystar Confederacy Administration

Simon sighes. He's made the mistake of taking 'if interested' at face value before. He closes the message and sends out some farewells to his colleagues. As Simon stands up to leave, he grabs his backpack, filled with survival and research gear. He had been preparing to explore west in hopes of discovering new species. That trip may have to wait, but his research didn't necessarily have to pause.

15:12

(i also want to roll to see if Simon knows anything about Thea or the eastern border in general)

15:13

Simon begins preparing for his trip etc and leaves with time to spare to meet the shuttle

15:19

(rolled 10 on INT/know, used modifier of +1)

15:22

(Not sure if I need modifier of 1 or if the +1 is autocalculated by the sheet, if not it would be a 9)

(The know roll wouldn’t be necessary , but there’s the only information known and the planet map on the world anvil page, and you can search for Thea )

(the modifiers are calculated)

16:11

https://www.worldanvil.com/w/iron-stars-nekosmash/a/thea-location

Thea

(ty, sheet asked me for a modifier, I should just leave it at 0 then unless u tell me otherwise?)

(thats if i tell you like hey take a+2 or -2 or something like that. Something environmental and not within the bound of what you have as part of your actual roll or modifiers)

(ok, cool. Thanks for bearing with me!)

16:24

As the evening approaches, Simon departs for the spaceport

Six others are waiting there, in addition to the three person crew. A small base camp has already been set up on Thea near the observatory, and this group looks like extra security, and a few laborers meant to help the security forces with camp tasks. A science team is already in place there, working out of the alien building.

Simon breathes a sigh of relief upon seeing the security crew. "At least my genius won't be wasted on menial labor and violence" he thinks to himself. Simon approaches the captain of the shuttle and tells him he will be joining the science crew on Thea. He then walks over to the security team and laborers and attempts to make small talk: "Greetings fellows! It is I, Simon Xia, here to provide my invaluable technical and scientific insight!" (CHA/talk: 8) (edited)

(I’ll let you know when rolls are needed)

19:55

(This system very much doesn’t spam them for everything you do)

(ok, sounds good. He's a bit of a weirdo, -1 cha, so I wanted to capture that haha)

(right, if i dont know why the checks rolled though its hard for me to figure out what should be happening in the scene) You're met with some polite hellos and a space in the circle is made for you, as the group all looks around a holographic map set into the floor.

20:08

"Well, it seems like there isn;'t much known about the place, aside from a couple animals documented."

(yup, I got you. I will be mindful of that. Does the group look nervous about the fact that the world is unexplored?) Simon looks at the map, and then at the rest of the group. "What a wonderful opportunity!" he chimes in. "It is likely that we will be the first to discovery many species on Thea! Do you know what types of animals have been discovered? Is this why I have been asked to join you? It all makes sense now! Perhaps I can educate you all on the intricacies of xenobiological phenotype categorization during our journey!" If uninterrupted, Simon rambles on about this for some time.

(theres an article on the world anvil for one of them, harper found it. I dont believe we made enough observations to get anything on the other) The planet being unexplored is a source of anxiety and excitement in equal measure, as this is where explorers can get fame and prestige by being the first to conquer these obstacles. The crew chief signals that the shuttle is ready, and you may board with your equipment when you are ready

Upon hearing the crew chiefs signal, Simon snaps out of his lecture and says "Well then, I suppose it's time to be going!" Simon hoists his backpack over his shoulder and boards the shuttle.

(3 days of downtime on the way there. There’s a handout near the top of Roll20 for what you can do)

(sorry forgot ooc)

Simon takes time during the trip to get to know the security and labor staff and create frontier medicine.

(What are we making ? The items are in the iron stars doc

(Taking a look rn)

03:04

(healing powder, rolling it up rn)

03:05

(also I only have 25 credits so now I am broke haha) (edited)

03:07

(Heal/INT: 12)

You are able to make a few doses of the drug on the way to your destination, arriving in orbit over the planet a few days later. The two ore rich moons in the system have been prospected for mining already, and your destination is on the surface of the world itself. the shuttle noses down, plunging into the cloud layer before the tall spire of the abandoned precursor observatory greets you, jutting out like a grey spike in the mist. Landing lights around its base click on as rudimentary efforts on the ground to guide you in commence.

Simon looks out of the porthole across the mist covered landscape then back to the spire. A sense of both excitement and dread fill him as he watches the shuttle's descent. He had always planned to travel for his research.... He just didn't think it would be so soon.

The ship sets down at the base of the tower, and the 50 other people here are all paying attention in some way. Two people break off from the group and begin making their way over to greet you

Simon notices the people approching him and looks them over, trying to determine their role at the outpost. He begins making his way towards them.

16:45

(Btw, how many doses of healing powder did I make?)

(only one since they cost 25 each)

(

)

(I'd like Simon to kind of examine the people approaching and see if he notices interesting anything about them)

They seem a mixed lot of soldiers, survivalists and scientists. None of them are sporting anything truly outlandish or strange- and are working hard to get the camp set up, and explore the observatory here now that a previous expedition has wrangled the security system and turned it to camp control

Simon approaches the two individuals who have broken off from the group and introduces himself. "I suppose you two Are my welcome party. Perhaps you can explain why I've been summoned here?"

“You weren’t given mission parameters before you got onto the shuttle?”

00:39

“I’d expect it would be like the rest of us. Scouting. Exploring. Documenting the wildlife.”

"Well, I suppose it's as good a charter as any. Who is in charge of the scientific division here? I see no sense in dilly dallying, there is discovery to be done!"

"We can do you one better. You and your newly arrived security have been assigned a patrol. Shouldn't be more than a day there and back, but we'd like you to investigate a lake to the north of here. Maybe try to document some of the fish that might be there, and since its a watering hole you'll get a chance to see other native land animals"

"Right. Perfect. Security. Is it dangerous out there? Can you tell me what we are dealing 28th and what to watch out for?"

00:53

(Once Simon gets an,answer he will go meet his security team)

“Well that’s really just it. We don’t have advice on this, this world is virtually unknown for us.

01:23

Document everything you see and how it reacts to you. Shoot in defense of yourself and your team. Firing first is justified here”

"Understood. I haven't had a chance to really test out this laser rifle but I have read the manual. This will be a simple application of theory for me." Simon finds a place to don his vac suit and prepare his rifle and scanner. After he does this he seeks out his security team and plans a route.

The security team is three soldiers, each with combat field uniforms and combat rifles. They seem eager to be out in the woods, having too much of sitting around camp doing nothing

Simon introduces himself, dons his vacsuit, readies his rifle, and says to the group "Lets be off, there are discoveries to be made". On his way out of the camp, Simon grabs an extra days worth of emergency rations for the party.

Rations stowed, the group prepares to move out north into the possibly hostile alien jungle, out to the lake. The results of this expedition, good or ill, will inform future generations of explorers, farmers, and colonists. You will be remembered, no matter what. (d10 please sir)

(3)

The path ahead is thin forest that gradually grows thicker. This close to the activity around the observatory there are few animals around aside from bugs and rodents. They fly or skitter too quickly to get solid looks at any of them- and appear to be skittish of humans suddenly in their midst. There is a thick amount of undergrowth here. Thick leaved plants, creeping vines, and flowering bushes make up most of the greenery that isnt the tall redwood like trees of this forest zone. Animals whoop in the thick upper canopy, jumping from tree to tree.

Simon looks up to the trees, trying to catch a glimpse of the creatures

(notice/wis)

(Also, if you want another player to join your Harper is available and coming back to this planet to continue exploring as well)

(yeah that works for me, will roll when I get back to my pc)

( @Helbi Hyland We are go buddy)

((Awesome. I'll join up in a bit (edited)

(notice/wis: 4)

The thick leaves obscure your sharp-eyed view, and its impossible to get a good view of them

Simon curses under his breath and continues down the path.

((When would it be a good time for me to show up?

(any time you can work your way in is fine with me, I'll play along lol) (edited)

(Yeah now is fine Harper)

Harper follows the same path from the camp, wearing more comfortable clothing and keeping an eye out for any animals around him while he hikes. He moves at a pretty fast pace, hopefully catching up with the rest of the group before long. "Don't shoot! I'm Agent Harper" He makes quite a bit of noise and calls out to the group before he reaches them, so that he won't be mistaken for something else and shot at.

The security detail breathes a sigh of relief, seeing the branches part and sway to reveal a friendly- and a human at that- and not some jungle horror coming to feast upon their insides .

Simon looks startled and reaches for his rifle before lowering it. "Ah, yes, good. Another staffer. Are you a research assistant? I certainly hope so... So much data to process..."

“Less of research assistant, more of a plain old search assistant. By that I mean I don’t think I can help much with the science, but I can help us not get chewed on. Hopefully” He grins, and nods contentedly with the quality of the equipment carried by the security. “You can call me Harper, I look forward to working with you, Agent....?”

Simon straightens up and adopts a formal tone. "I am Simon Xia, researcher and doctoral candidate at the Acastus Institute of Technology. I am the scientific leader of this expedition of discovery."

“A pleasure to meet you Agent Simon, I’m glad you’re here to pick up my slack in the discovery part of this mission. Have you found anything of interest yet? Maybe some animals or peculiar plants?” Harper tries to match Simon’s proper posture, but gives in to his instincts to stay low and alert instead. He constantly checks behind him as well, making sure no sneaky predators try to catch them off guard, and he plans on trying to organize this team in around the same way as his original one at the observatory.

(d10 harp, we'll move on o the next spot before the lake)

((3

THe path ahead is the nesting grounds of animals that herd. None are here at the moment but you can see patches and rutting on the ground where they had once laid out, or bedded themselves in the soft under soil of the forest. A few clippings of bone have been left here, and there are fresh ruts on the trees

((Is this nest one belonging to an Octoceratops? Or something new?

(Its not something you;ve seen before, and the Octoceratops was not known to be a pack creature either, so you could rule it out with just that)

((Alright, and thanks!

21:10

Harper makes note of the location of this nest, and walks closer to examine it better. He picks up a few of the small bones to look at later, and focus’s his attention of the marks on the trees. Trying to determine what made them, or even if it was just to mark territory.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Simon appears exasperated. "To think they took me from my studies for this. Hopefully the lake we've been tasked to explore will exhibit greater biodiversity." Simon looks up to the trees, also attempting to determine their nature.

The trees are redwood sized and seem to be variants of that gene pool. The trunks are thick and the branches are broad , with thick leaves in places where there is enough room between the trees

“Most likely, and you’ll probably be able to see it better as well. Let’s move on, we can circle back here later to see if these creatures have returned”

Simon nods and prepares to continue.

The lake ahead has steam coming off its surface in the afternoon heat. There aren’t any creatures drinking out of it just yet. Clumps of pale jade sea grass sun in the shallows and close to shore

04:15

Small fish dart away sensing your shadows before you have a good chance to look at them.

“Woah, this is really beautiful. Any idea how we can get a look underwater Simon?” Meanwhile, he takes a peek around for any good stakeout spots, feeling they might be able to see more creatures come here throughout the day.

There are some thick trees nearby, surrounding the lake where you could set up a ladder and build a stand

((I don’t have a ladder with me, and if the security and Simon don’t have one either, then I think climbing up with some rope and finding some sturdy branches to sit on could work as well

(that works too, you could make one from the foliage too, lashing branches together, ect)

Simon strokes his chin "Hmmm. Perhaps these vaccsuits would work under water? In theory they should..." Simon begins to consult the manual

“Alright, I’ll get to work on a platform in the trees, and you see if we can find a way underwater” Harper gets to work collecting branches for a platform, and finding a good spot up in the trees. One with a view of the lake, and branches strong enough to support their weight.

(Fix/int for Harper. Simon, they’d work but checks and any combat would have some penalties attached under water)

(Fix/int 10)

Harper is able to fashion together a ladder and ropes from down branches and vines. They seem sturdy enough to hold your weight and support you. The branches will also be enough to hold their shape without splintering (edited)

Simon is going to attempt to test his vac suit solution at the edge of the water and also look around under water and see if anything sticks out. He also pulls out his survey scanner and scans the water itself

The survey scanner doesn’t reveal the presence of minerals in great enough concentrations to be noteworthy. It’s fresh and slightly acidic, not enough to burn through your suit. It would be like a chlorinated pool.

From up in the stand, Harper can see the trees across the lake swaying, opposite the direction of the breeze

Simon dunks his face plate under the water to get a look around. (assume he can't see the trees moving?)

(Not from under the water no, but Harper can)

06:38

Looking underwater you can see bright sea grasses growing in tall stalks up from the bottom of the lake. Dark fish dart between them though they’re out in deeper water. Theyre long shapes, reminiscent of river fish oddly enough

06:39

Guppies are closer to shore though haven’t adjusted to you being in the water yet and have not returned

“Alright, maybe someone’s coming here for a drink” Seeing as it’s on the other side of the lake, he feels confident enough in taking a bit to fish out his binoculars and peer across the water towards the suspiciously shaking trees.

The size of a small horse, the yet unseen and unnamed creature has blood on its snout and front laws. It lazily carries a bone in its mouth, no doubt the source of the grisly ornamentation on its muzzle

2

17:58

You’re downwind and it hasn’t noticed you

“Interesting” He assumes that the nest they found earlier belonged to this creature and their kin, based on the bone it has and his own knowledge of similar predatory animals. He keeps an extra vigilant eye out for any more evidence of more of these, the last thing he wants is to be ambushed by a pack of hungry animals.

Simon steps back out of the water and shouts up to Harper "There are fish in here. Do you have anything to fashion a net with? Do you see anything up there?" He also pulls out his scanner and scans one of the stalks of grass.

The grasses nearby could be woven into a net, or a return trip with requested supplies from the camp could also allow you a look at some of those fish

07:38

The grasses around the lake are otherwise “ordinary” in the sense that while they’re unique to this worlds ecology, they’re not useful as anything besides food for the herbivores living here.

Simon, not wanting to waste any time, begins to fashion the nearby grasses into a net and attempts to catch a fish

“Nothing for a net, sorry, but I do see a wolf-like animal across the lake. That nest we found earlier belonged to them, and I’m pretty sure there’s more of them around here, so keep an eye out” Harper keeps scanning the edges of the lake, and also looks around the nearby trees and at the base of the one he’s on.

(Fix/int or survive/wis Simon. Let me know what you pick) Harper doesn’t see any of the trees moving any closer than the last group was.

“Looks clear for now, what kind of fish are you seeing? Nothing too huge I hope”

"I can't get a good look... Hopefully we can take a closer look in a moment..."

03:48

(fix/int 9)

You’re able to fashion a net together from the vines and more pliable grasses you find

Simon casts out the net and tries to catch a fish

3

16:33

Dozens of the small minnow like fish flail in the net as its dragged from the water , gasping for breath

They flap and flop about in the net. The bioscanner says they are safe to eat, but there is little else known about them. They are an entirely uncatalogued species.

"Excellent! It appears that these are a new species!" Simon holds on of the fish over his head, beaming with excitement

06:49

(i think I have a character goal abt this)

(Yes for 3xp, go ahead and claim that)

12:54

(Also you guys can name it, and I’ll make a world anvil article crediting you both when you do) (edited)

Simon looks to Harper "What do you think? I was thinking 'Simon's guppies' or 'Xiafish'. Obviously I will credit you in my research as well!"

Harper thinks back to the creature he named, and reminisces about his naming process, or lack there of. “I think ‘Xiafish’ is a pretty cool name, this planet is turning out to be incredibly colourful. I’ll have to show you a little bird-creature that’s being kept at the observatory, which just so happens to be something else that might be of interest to you” (edited)

The wolf creatures at the other end of the lake are drinking now under the watchful eyes of their alpha. They haven’t scented you, the wind is still in your favor

“Alright, some more wolf-ish creatures on the other side of the lake now. Is there anything else you’ll need from the lake? I’d rather not stick around for too long in case they catch our scent”

https://www.worldanvil.com/w/iron-stars-nekosmash/a/xiafish-species

Xiafish

((happy New year guys, will be back in earnest tomorrow))

1

(sounds good!)

It seems like withdrawal for tonight makes the most sense, as the wind is beginning to turn against you, and if those creatures end up being hostile, leaving now affords you some distance toward camp you might not be able to make up in the dark

(sorry for the delay folks, I'm back)

01:06

Simon, exhilarated have found his first species, looks up to Harper. "Perhaps we should make camp, there is much study to be done on this new creature..."

“Great idea, a speedy return to camp is a great idea. Let’s get going” Harper climbs down from his perch, and gets back on the trail to lead them out of here, and preferably towards more open ground.

(So we can try to fortify a spot nearby and hope we don’t have trouble during the night, or we can try to push it to make it back to the safety of the observatory but some of the navigation will be in twilight )

((I vote for going back to the observatory

(its been about a day, so we're going to go with that in order to keep the thread going. A survive/wis please, as we navigate back in partial darkness)

((Survive/wisdom 14

1

Harper remembers the route, light or not. Avoiding getting lost and nightime hazards, the group arrives safely back at the observatory an hour after dark, with canteens full of the small Xiafish

((Is the little flying rodent guy still there?

((Oh, and slightly more important, Harper would update the turrets targeting systems if they hadn’t already been updated

(he is still there!)

2

Harper brings Simon and the guards through the observatory, listening carefully to see if the scientist has any observations about it. “Pretty strange, huh? So far all I know is that it’s studied some nearby mineral rich moons” Once they’re all in and safe, he sneaks away from the others to go feed and water the little flying creature, even sticking his finger in and wiggling it around. “You’re just adorable, hey?”

The creature makes a very tiny squeak but makes no attempt to fly off or escape. It seems to enjoy not having to forage for its own food

2

(oh and for surviving that mission, 3xp, 5000 credits each)

((Awesome!

(Up to you guys on what we want to do now, i know the wider galaxy situation has changed somewhat since we came out here)

((sorry guys, I was totally swamped at work and didnt have time to post. Apologies))

23:27

((Are we in the observatory now?))

23:29

Simon looks exhausted after the trek. He turns to Harper and says "Interesting... Do we know who the creators are?" (edited)

23:30

(also I think I leveled up a couple of times from this haha, do I just send u the updated sheet?)

(Yes we are in the observatory. Post your changes here but you do need to update the sheet too

(hey guys hate to have dragged this out so long but I really thought I would have more time to play. This year has been crazy and I'm going to have to take a hiatus from this for a bit)

((No problemo, hope you figure it all out