WttSS session 27: 'So How Badly Do You Want This?'

Session report

Written by Doctor Weather

General Summary

GM note: I'm making a few changes to how I run the game, trying to get in more of both the narrative style and Arabian Nights element that the core rules suggest is a big part of Coriolis but that I don't think comes naturally in the system alone. After a year GMing Coriolis I'm now sure both have to be actively added in by the GM - if you want them of course, and I do...
Without doing a whole analysis here, the effects on the session below is a change in my spend of Darkness Points and how I'm calling on character skills, which won't be apparent in this report, but also I thought that Masruq's culture of 9 meant that he should be able to identify the vulture spirits from last session as 'sarcofagoi'. From here on then, they are simply called such.
The party stands on the roof of the Messenger building of the Abouelkassem spirit-research facility on Ghodar, still considering the possibility of reinstating the energy fields that the building can create with its large antenna array, one of the two ways of dealing with the facility given them by the Xinghur desert tribes. Having overcome the darkbound and sarcofagoi in the Messenger building, the party now has control of its computers and antennae. By Khalil's analysis, he thinks he can get the building back working again, given half an hour's work to reconnect power and reinstate the building's AI controls.
Fifteen miutes into the work the Foundation sends another message to the party's shuttle. It's from Professor Hamza Niazi, leading the research team currently waiting at the valley's edge, and who, thanks to Zarzur's hacking skills, believes the party to be another Foundation team sent from 'head office'. She's noticed that the party seems to have successfully shut off the Abouelkassem facility's defences (2 DP spend). Her messages congratulates them but says that her team is coming too, and credit for discovering the Abouelkassem research will be shared!
With Professor Niazi's team around 45 minutes from 'joining' the PCs on the site, Khalil succesfully reinstates the Messenger building's operations but the energies that are needed for the three fields it's supposed to create can only be supplied from generators in the Gambler - science - building. But it was from this building that the PCs heard the peal of thunder that carried an invitation to Khalil to 'come'. And it was after this building extended its invitation that the faclitiy's defences shut themselves down and the Gambler building opened itself up from complete lockdown. Whatever the origin of the invitation, it also had the power to cow the remaining darkbound and sarcofagoi on the site, giving the party free access to join it in the Gambler building.
Whether the PCs choose to reinstate the site's energy fields to restore the facility's operations or to destroy the Abouelkassem science once and for all, they will need to enter the Gambler building: Stealing floor plans of the facility's science and tech buildings from the Messenger building's computers they know that explosives will need to set on the Gambler buildings lower levels if they choose the destruction route and that it's these lower levels that contain the energy generators.
Before leaving the Messenger building the party takes a set of advanced tools, an advanced spare part and also rips out one of the main (advanced) computers from the building, which Kerman can reasonbly easily carry. They then head over to the Gambler building, committing to entering after much trepidation.
Upon entering the Gambler building the same voice, carried on thunder declared:

"Know this:
To those who seek the knowledge lost, of ancients who with Icons walked,
Descend unto the deepest floor, and smash this building's Darkened heart,
But touch no tool of evil hand, nor learn the dreams of Darkened minds,
Resist tempation on this path, and your reward I will impart."

The party questions the voice a little to learn:

• The voice claims it cannot destroy the Dark in the place as that's a task for humans
• It cannot do this as it is not human
• It claims to be a 'guardian'

...but then generally leaves it alone.
Looking around the Gambler building's main rooms the party realises that the Abouelkassem led an advanced lifestyle. Even on Coriolis computer terminals are the preserve of the well off and not too frequent but here the terminals and displays are numerous and incorporated into the building, elegantly hidden within alcoves, behind curtains and on shelves that can be tucked back into the walls.
There's also very clear evidence that the Abouelkassem originated from the Quandrant of the Pillar: the tilted diamond shape of the four systems on a Horizon map, symbols of the Pillar being shown above - or dominant - over the Magistrate, the Nightingale and the Lotus (the old system quadrant names before the Horizon was fulyl mapped). The Abouelkassem were lost to time, said to be destroyed by their own Dark science; this is the first real trace of where they came from.
Whilst the symbols and pictures have survived the centuries, the soft furnishings have been attacked, seemingly only a segment ago, corresponding to the time that the party's interference here before caused the facility to lock down. The rips on curtains and tears on cushions suggest a clawed hand the size of a human's. Despite this, the ground floor and first floor balconies show no movement, human or otherwise and the party finds this part of the building safe, which allows them to start setting exposive charges across the entire ground floor.
As Zarzur sets one of the charges, the floor gives way beneath her. She falls through at the point where two darkbound were trying to break through the ceiling of the floor below, standing a collection of crudely balanced furniture. She slides down the side of an upended table and then a few metres into the room below, vanishing into the dark. Her suit rips on some of the furniture but the facility's air conditioning is still working even after all this time, so she is safe from deadly atmosphere for now, but there is a scittering sound in the darkness around her that suggests another darkbound is nearby and coming up fast.
Kerman jumps down after her, landing and turning to face the darkbound now above him, all illuminated in a shaft of light from the ground floor above. This gives Zarzur someone to run to for safety, and she makes it just before the darkbound in the dark grabds her. Though the darkbound above throw themselves on Kerman, they almost literally bounce off as he easily fends away their clumsy attacks. Murad appears at the top of the hole and he and Kerman make quick work of the three darkbound, slaying one and injuring and intimidating the other two enough to make them run back to the darkness.
After the remaining darkbound flee, Zarzur sees another spirit ray hanging on the wall of a security station next to the lab, which may come in handy in the upcoming progress through the lower levels.

At the end of the session

There are 30 minutes left on clock before the Foundation arrives

Kerman uses his Traveller talent

...to ask: "would it be beneficial for Kerman to trust the 'guardian'?" The Traveller replies "yes".

Khalil uses his Gambler talent to analyse the experiments

...going on in the laboratory and the neighbouring analysis room
In both rooms some displays are on, as if recently used. Some information below is from these screens rather than physically present experiments or equipment. Khalil can't read the screens, so the below is from diagrams and images. (Masruq can translate actual text in session.)
Cuboid obelisk, as found in the Xinghur Crossroads
Experiments show use of electricity (lightning) on the obelisk to try and achieve an effect.
Genetic alterations, 2 experiments
One uses the jenilan plant that is a staple of the mountain tribesfolks' diet. The other shows a long-standing, seemingly completed experiment. Both show lung enhancements, the latter shows also skin alteration.
Terraforming
Details of the 3 energy fields, atmospheric compounds, chain lightning and the lightning bugs. Somehow this is connected to the 'sugar globes' present throughout the Horizon.
Observations of Portal Builder system forming
No experimentation, just collating the data. Possilby have more than the Foundation already have but Masruq needed to translate. Points of interest are the 43-degree planar tilts of various system objects, the Ghodar-Dziban portal and something within the atmopshere of the system's gas giant.
Human spirit
Most parts are flagged with a message that you'd assume reads "top secret" but diagrams show images of creatures in containment chambers ready for experimentation. Clearly the facility's main event but equally the most locked behind digital security. The lower level 1 laboratory Zarzur fell into plays a support role to that, creating laboratory equipment in support of the main experiment chamber far below: lenses for viewing spirits, lenses for focusing energies, crystals for potential use as capacitors, and so on.

Campaign

Whispers to the Star Singer (concluded)

Protagonists

Report Date

08 May 2021