WttSS session 25: 'We Can Do This The Easy Way Or...'

General Summary

Dana was in the shuttle. GM note: when the party started investigating the Crossroads location I forgot that Dana was still with them, so I've gone with that, after the meeting with the Xinghur, Dana went straight back to the shuttle to rest whilst the PCs had a play with the rock.  

On archaeology

  The party tried several experiments on the rock of the Crossroads, and to some degree Khalil. Some were simple, like using Dana's Portal Builder finding compass to note that the rock did trigger the compass to some degree, even if much less so than the Orb of Ghodar. Others were more-detailed experiments.   Sound analysis of the rock's song showed similarities to human vocal structure. Also, once they were free of the sound's hold (see later), a series of rounds of "does this hypnotise Khalil" resulted in the knowledge that the sound affecting the party mystics was entirely separate from the rock's pink decorations, meaning the party was free to examine the look of the rock, even if not its song.   After realising that the pink swirls, though seemingly naturally formed in the very rock face, had a certain mathematical patterning to them, Zarzur hypothesised that they may be looking at a written language of some kind. Thinking this highly possible, Khalil sent his drone to record as much of the language as a night's stay would allow.   This also let the party break the rock's hold over its mystics by having them watch the drone's camera output from the shuttle on a viewscreen. With them so engaged, Dana could fly the shuttle slowly away from the rock, until the party mystics gradually began to remember other things could affect their lives, like hunger and sleep.   Khalil then experimented with white-noise earpieces that would nullify the song of the rock and went back in with Kerman. The earpieces did work and Khalil seemed to be free to walk the rock's corridors... until he started to pick at the rock face to take a sample. At this, an energy field rose up to strike with an EMP, disabling Kerman and Khalil's powered kit, most notably Khalil's earpiece, subjecting him once again to the song.   Fortunately Kerman could easily grab Khalil and drag him out before the song once again took hold. Before doing so however, Kerman also noticed that the Orb of Ghodar responded to the energy field, if in the opposite way, by turning on, perhaps expectant of something.  

Abouelkassem facility

  Deciding that any real commitment to waking up the rock of the Crossroads ran the risk of damaging relations with the Xinghur tribes - who use the place as a meeting ground - the party left it behind, chalking it up as another 'after more pressing concerns' to-do item. After a proper night's rest they turned their attention to the dealing with the Abouelkassem spirit-research facility.   Planning discussions then resulted in an needed-equipment list. The items on it could easily be supplied by a couple of the PCs' allies and the party chose to return to Ghodar Station to gather what they needed. Since Dana didn't feel like a run on the Abouelkassem facility was something her skills could really help with, she elected to stay on the station and to help propagate the idea that the party were all waiting there whilst their ship was under repair, which also suited her longer-term ambition to have the same favour done for her when she wants to next sneak off to deduce more about her mystery employer.   Everything gathered, the party began with a quick hack on the Legion database: Zarzur planted information on a sister project to Operation Pairing, an investigation that has been outsourced to the Foundation. Flying their shuttle boldly into the Nekatra Mountains, the party then tackled the Colonial Agency's Scimitar patrols head on. Why were they flying into the Valley of Madness in breach of the Legion cordon? Because it's their mission to investigate, and no they don't wish to be put through to Hamza Niaza to discuss it, thank you very much. And with their response given by Khalil, a Zenithian scientist himself, the Colonial Agency let them pass.   The party then flew the Yazdan-household shuttle as close to the Abouelkassem buildings as they dared without triggering the facility's ability to defend itself with chain lightning. Using the Spirit Glasses retrieved from the Seeker Sanctuary they see that spirits and dark shapes reminiscent of the creatures of the Abouelkassem's Yesheriti Diri asteroid operation now freely wander the Ghodar facility.