WttSS report: Conversations with Bakhtiyar and his household

Plot and background exposition

Written by Doctor Weather

One excitement seems to blend seemlessly into another in the Yazdan household: just as everyone was enjoying the dancing, all of a sudden attention switched to a betrayal and a chase through the corridors. For a moment it looked like this disturbance would end the evening but, as Bakhtiyar orders the spy and her conspirator be taken and locked away, word spreads from the guards to the rest of the household of the party's exploits: the heroes of Ghodar Station have already been in action here too.
Murad threw himself from a window to save the spy from falling to her death. Kerman charged blazing gunfire to get to them both and pull them to safety. And Khalil and Zarzur's mastery of tactics, stealth and non-lethal combat stopped the conspirator guard from escaping. It would seem that nothing can get out of Masruq's control, as chess pieces move quickly and efficiently to his bidding. The dancing may well be over but the time for stories is just beginning.

Exposition and info dump to keep it out of session time

There was time to talk to Bakhtiyar at the dinner before the dancing. Any PC ould rejoin the household for the storytelling part of the evening to speak to scientists, servants and adminsitrators. Also, Bakhtiyar will happily make a plan with Masruq before interrogating the spy in his staff.
That in mind, each PC could get answers to say 3 questions - or perhaps better to just share 15 questions amongst the whole party, as some characters might ask more than others who would prefer to listen to stories or quietly enjoy the moment.
If a question is "what's the full history of Ghodar and it's peoples?" then I'm thinking that probably counts as three questions in one but I'll not get hung up on working out a full question-ranking system.

Stuff I'd play out next session

...as the Dark Between the Stars may take an interest

• Interrogation of the spy and/or conspirator guard
• Khalil in the laboratories, if he wants to go

Questions and answers will be here below

1) Is he aware of how openly supporters of Abdulin are declaring against him and announcing his imminent downfall? We can provide an account of our own experiences in the marketplace, if required, where such things were openly announced in front of many witnesses.
No he isn't. He knows that Abdulin is getting impatient and there are rumours she's going to declare herself 'vizier' at the next council meeting if things don't go her way. He will take this to mean that the rumours are true.
---
2 (or perhaps 1b): is there anything he would like us to do (particularly in response to this situation and our involvement in it)?
There is but this will hopefully set up all the remaining plot in fact, so I'll do that in session.
---
3) Is there any way to reacquire items that have been claimed by Khamzi's officials (or the ruler herself)? Thinking particularly of the token for the woman on Ghodar Station, though it might very well be relevant in other ways too.
Legally reacquire? I'm afraid this would require Khamzi, Countess of the Sun to withdraw the current law against purple, which may well happen at some point but not at a predictable time.
---
4) A follow-up, then... is there any way to have things quietly dropped from the register of what has been confiscated? Or is that too sensitive a topic? Alternatively, does he know anyone that works at the pound lot he could introduce us to?
The Solar Wind could be bribed but the price for one of Khamzi's laws is high. Flip side, if the item were to go inexplicably and suddenly missing then the Solar Wind would probably deny having ever had it - safer for them that way.
---
5) I'd be interested in getting more background about the desert tribes of my people and why they are so disliked by the city dwellers.
This will connect right into the remaining plot, so we'll do a detailed discussion in game, but there's always been a fight over access to ancient sites at the heart of it. The two peoples coexisted happily when the colonists first arrived but as soon as they showed an interest in the planet's ancient science the desert people reacted badly. Tensions have gotten worse and worse since.
---
6) The monkeys, are they a new invention of yours, or something found here?
They were biosculpted in house. The strange atmosphere of Ghodar has many intriguing properties. Though the colonists are forbidden by Khamzi from investigating the technology she has given them, they are free to experiment on the planet itself. One of their discoveries was the effect of the atmopshere on some animals that could be harnessed by biosculpts, in this case to give the marmosets an attraction to Portal Builder energies. Originally pursued to help expeditions find abandoned First-come technology, the clear inspiration the precursor technology must have had on older human science means the marmosets are attracted to First-come tech but excited by true Portal Builder items.
---
7) I notice a good deal of technological advancement in this household, is this a family tradition?
In fact, everyone on Ghodar is into artifact hunting to some degree but the privileged families have the resources to analyse and pursue the science of them in-house. The colonists always planned to use this as a way of securing their independence from the Factions, ecomnomically or otherwise, as was needed.
---
8) What areas of speciality are covered by yourself and Abdulin, what might be the cause of conflict here?
The conflict between councillors is about the future of the colony rather than the science but that's got a story in it that will definitely connect into the remaining plot and will come up in session.
---