Session 1: Endless
Possibilities Aboard an unnamed Federation
Cruiser, five individuals casually board the FSC Cadet; a small refurbished
mining ship recently acquired during a training mission. Their destination is
the planet Eritos where the biggest party in the Galaxy is currently underway.
They have been given the mission of investigating a possible disturbance of
immeasurable scale involving the Cult of Quingaul; the primary religious organization
on Eritos and the source of the planet-wide festivities. Gill,
the pilot, enters first to prepare the ship for departure followed by Northorn
the lizardman pyromancer. The next to enter the ship are Amballa a half-elf
telepath and sharpshooter, and Corvus a practiced biomancer and former
gladiator. Finally, the team’s leader Seth, another half-elf and self-professed
Precognitive, traverses the loading ramp and gives the order to launch. As the
ship slowly departs the cruiser’s hangar, the newly minted Captain performs a
final inspection of the ships cargo and settles in for the long trip. The
journey took two weeks to complete; a week shorter than anticipated, but a long
time to be stuck on such a small ship. From orbit the team of Federation soldiers
can already see the planet is swarming with activity. Millions of beings from
nearly every planet in the galaxy have come to enjoy the celebration. The
locals celebrate every year, but the true festival happens only once every half
millennium. The ridiculous amount of activity seen from orbit marks the event
as the five hundredth year since the last Harvest Festival. As Seth
searches the directory for possible berths, Gill points out a listing that
screams ‘Union’ operations. With a nod from Seth, the pilot sends the proper
requests and the ship descends toward the planet. As the ship approaches the
planet’s surface the capital city of Oman grows in the viewscreen until, even
at this height, the edges of the city can barely be seen. As the dawn light
shone across the planet’s surface, a single immense edifice could be singled
out from the sprawling city-scape; The Cathedral of Quingaul. The
people of Eritos are a short statured lizard race who favor intricate
headdresses to indicate social status. The dock supervisor that greeted them
upon landing was a typical example of the species. Standing just under five
feet in height, his head-piece made him appear to be almost the equal to Seth,
the tallest of the ship’s crew, at nearly eight feet. After receiving the
appropriate docking fees, the robed lizard welcomed them to the city and due to
a modest gratuity volunteered some helpful information. A few
hours later, the crew found themselves quartered in a pair of conjoined suites
in a decent hotel. As there were only four rooms, Seth waived his right to a
bed in favor of the couch. After getting settled, the five comrades came
together to discuss their mission. The plan was to act as tourists for the
first few days and use the time to observe the surrounding area and collect
information. Having set his crew to their tasks, Seth sat down at an
info-terminal to see if he could procure an air ship for the purpose of aerial reconnaissance.
Unfortunately, there were none available for the entirety of the festival. Now
after midday, Seth headed down to the hotel’s restaurant for something to eat.
While at the bar he overheard a group of individuals discussing their plans to
use an air-barge to experience the full range of festivities during the
festival. Seth commented on his intention to do the same, lamenting his
inability to acquire such a craft. The spokesman for the group offered Seth a
solution; provide liquor for the party and the Captain and his crew could join
in the festivities. Returning
upstairs, Seth informed the crew of the evening’s activities and placed the
order for the required entry fee. Having a few hours before they were to meet
the party goers on the roof, Seth retreated to one of the rooms to meditate and
familiarize himself with the astral energies of the surrounding area.
Initially, he could only sense the general celebratory feelings of the festival
participants. As he drifted deeper into his inner self, a sense of dread began
to emerge. Focusing on that feeling, a vision of the air barge and its
occupants slowly formed in his mind’s eye. The vision was unclear but as he regained
consciousness the memory of each being on the barge suffering a slow death
still remained. As the
time to join the party goers on the roof approached, Seth briefed his crew on
the potential for danger. He admonished them to stay alert during the
proceedings and to keep an eye out for foul play. Seth also explained that the
lack of their presence on the barge did not dismiss the event and allowing it
to happen could hinder their investigation. Each of his crew agreed to the plan
and promised to stay alert for the source of the danger. As it
turned out, the danger’s author was to be quite obvious. As the barge prepared
to launch a beautiful young woman with silky wings landed on the deck amidst a
fanfare of fireworks and hoots from the occupants. To Seth’s eyes she was
clearly a demon and based on the nature of his vision, he assumed, a succubus.
As the barge lifted from the roof of the hotel, Seth shifted his perception to
observe the astral energies around the newcomer. As he suspected, tendrils of
energy leaving the bodies of each of the beings she approached and joining with
her own aura. Keying
his communicator, Seth informed his crew of the danger and each of them shifted
their attention to the young woman. As time passed and the barge followed its
course through the skies over Oman, Seth’s mind was turning over the
possibilities as to how to remove the demon from the barge. He was startled
back into the present when Amballa approached the woman and offered an
introduction to her brother, nodding in Seth’s direction. As the
woman approached, her attitude changed from graceful and out-going to
submissive and fearful. She presented herself to Seth, eyes downcast, and asked
if she had overstepped her bounds. He claimed to having no rights to make
demands of her, but it would be his preference if she would abstain from her
feasting while in his presence. The demon nodded her agreement and launched herself
into the air, quickly disappearing into the night. Few of the party goers were
interested in her departure and the evening proceeded as intended. Some
time later, the barge had another demonic visitor. The new visitor exuded power
and authority and upon landing, immediately approached Seth and requested he
attend him in the back where some privacy could be had. Once removed from the
others the newcomer explained that he had been informed of my presence by the
previous visitor and wished to make an introduction. The conversation was vague
and filled with inuendo, but in the end the demon expressed an interest in
speaking further at some future date and departed in the same fashion as the
other. Amballa
excitedly informed Seth that the individual that had just departed was the
subject of one of her investigations earlier in the day and suggested that we
take him up on the invitation to meet more privately. Evidently, he was the
head of an organization that was in opposition to the Cult on Quingaul and
might provide some assistance in our investigation. The rest of the evening
past with no further unexpected visits. * * *
* * The
following morning, Seth left the hotel with Gill and Northorn to meet with a
merchant to sell some of the ore stored in the Cadet’s hold. Amballa and Corvus
were to meet him after his appointment at the temple where the second visitor
from last night held office. After concluding his business, Seth received a
message from Amballa that they had already met with the Speaker and he had
agreed to assist. A temple representative had been assigned to work with us and
he would meet us at a location of Seth’s choosing. Upon
arrival, Seth was surprised that Amaballa and the representative had already
arrived, despite having come from across the city. Corvus arrived a few moments
later and they all sat down to discuss the terms of the assistance each party
would provide. After some posturing between Seth and the temple representative,
the conversation began in earnest. Once completed, Seth had agreed to have his
crew investigate the acquisition of a massive cargo ship by an unknown party,
now located in the Swamp of Quingaul, and the temple would use their
considerable influence to investigate the possibility of the sun going
supernova.
Once
the terms of the agreement were set, food was provided. Seth sampled a few of
the dishes and dismissed himself to plan their next steps. He was uncomfortable
with the idea of working with demons, but there was no immediate threat he
could sense and the mission appeared to be going forward smoothly.
