Of yaruks and stingbats

After the Gap - March 6, 317 @ 11:28

With the signs pointing to Turhalu Point as the location with the party that had kidnapped Dr. Solstami, the party decide to acquire some gear before contacting the smuggler Twonas En and traveling to Ukulam. Professor Muhali provides them with contact information for a local weapons facility where they can equip themselves, and, after a call placed to Qabarat law enforcement, secures purchase and carry permits for them. 

Yiris purchases 10 cartridges of bullets and a ysoki refractor suit.  Nict acquires five shock grenades. Bratrizik buys an Estex suit II armor equipped with two quick release sheaths and jump jets, one cartridge of darts for his needler, 10 flares, and one ultra-capacity battery. Nict purchases the same armor, also equipped with one quick release sheath. Each of them also purchase six serums of healing, mk 1.


After the Gap - March 6, 317 @ 15:00

Now equipped with better gear, Nict calls Twonas En and informs him they are interested in the smuggler's route to Turhalu Point. En replies he can arranges this for 2300 tonight, or he can be ready to go by 19:00 but it will cost more than the 1000 credits they had discussed the previous night. Time being of the essence, the group agrees to the earlier travel date despite the expense of credits. En arranges to meet them at a rundown hotel, the Classic Hotel in the Gateway district. 

Yiris sends an encrypted message to Chiskisk about what they discovered so far, and that they are heading to Ukulam in pursuit of Dr. Solstarni. Bratrizik purchases a tracker and provides the coordinates to Muhali so she can track them. She tells the vesk she has arranged for a colleague of hers, Dr. Khair al-Nuaf, to meet them at Turhalu Point and help them in any way he can, as well as provide the most current information about Paqual's group.



After the Gap - March 6, 317 @ 19:00

Arriving at the Classic Hotel, they meet En in the lobby. He takes them to a little used gate, and after some tinkering the gate activates. Bratrizik, Nict and Yiris step through the gate with their gear, and after a brief moment of feeling nauseated, they find themselves on the edge of a large clearing, with the scientific station of Turhalu Point about a mile southwest. It is a bright and steamy morning, as they are 11 hours behind Qabarat.

 
After the Gap - March 6, 317 @ 8:03

Looking at the ground, Bratrizik finds several sets of footprints on the soft prairie ground. A large group has recently transited through here. The footprints head northwest, towards the border of the jungle and the mountain peaks barely visible in the distance. The party takes the opposite direction, and soon find themselves at the science station. They meet Dr. Khair al-Nuaf, who explains to them that the scientific station monitors the climate of the eastern edge of Ukulam, and they are also tasked with keeping an eye on intruders. 

He provides them with a series of digital maps. Nict is able to use that data to merge the information they have from Halkueem Zan to create a possible route through the jungle. Bratrizik asks Dr. al-Nuaf if the station possesses a boat they could borrow. al-Nuaf replies that there are a few boats, but they would have to purchase one as there is a risk they will not return. The doctor is also concerned that if they were traveling on the river they might miss the tracks left by Paqual's group, as they may not be following the river. He is willing, however, to share medical suplies and equipment, and soon the party finds itself in possession of 4 tier-1 antitoxin, 4 doses of sprayflesh, 3 weeks's field rations, and two large tents. 

They also review video surveillance of the area. The footage shows the enigmatic Paqual cloaked from head to toe, Dr. Solstarni, in a state that suggests she is groggy or ill, and several heavily armed lashunta mercenaries pushing what appear to be heavy crates of equipment on hoverlifts. Labels on the crate seems to indicate it is some sort of archaeological survey equipment.

Having decided to trek through the jungle, they are driven to the edge of the jungle where Paqual's forces entered. The trail is evident and not hard to follow, as a path about ten feet wide has been cut through. Nict thinks of putting a blaze on trees, and he begins to mark them at regular intervals.


After the Gap - March 8, 317 @ 18:00

Bratrizik takes the lead and for the first day the tracks are easy to follow. On the second day they encounter a dead yaruk. They discover a camp site used by Paqual and his group. The remains of the camp fire are still smoldering, indicating that they were here less than 24 hours ago. The three friends have made good progress. Nict picks up charcoal to mark the trees. They decide to camp here overnight.


After the Gap - March 7, 317 @ 07:53

After a restful night, they continue on the trail. By now the width of the trail has reduced to five feet, and Paqual's group seems to now be moving in a single line. Bratrizik is the first to notice that spores have been widely sprayed on path, and yaruks are consuming them. There are over twenty of the animals, but the jungle makes it difficult to determine if there are more. Yiris mentions that these are probably the spores that Paqual had brought with him. They now face a decision. Should they attempt to go through the yaruks, or should they go around. If they go through, they risk spooking the great beasts, but going around will lose them precious time and they also risk losing the trail. They decide go carefully travel through the yaruks.

Unfortunately the great beasts are spooked when shots ring and one of them is hurt. A stampede occurs. Though they saw the flash of a muzzle in a tree a few hundred feet beyond, none of them are able to locate the exact spot, and the stampeding yaruks make it extremely difficult to travel towards it. Both Bratrizik and Nict are hurt during the stampede, with the shirren finding himself way off the path, but Yiris manage to find a safe spot beneath a large rock.

Following the stampede, Bratrizik finds himself by a rope bridge of elven origin. It is in bad shape. Bratrizik waits for a few minutes, but none of his friends come this way. Using the jump jets, he heads up and flares, creating a flashing light that Yiris notices. She heads towards the vesk. Nict also spots the rising vesk, and soon the party is reunited by the bridge.

The bridge looks treacherous, but there is evidence that Paqual and his group crossed it recently. Nict sends his drone across the bridge first, and when nothing breaks the shirren crosses, followed by the android and the vesk. Unfortunately the bridge cannot handle the vesk's weight, and Bratrizik slams into the cliff side. Nict and Yiris have to pull him to safety.

They soon begin to be trailed by a group of mischevious kaukariki, who do their best to annoy the party. They eventually arrive at a ruined obelisk, which is very similar to what was mentioned in Halkueem Zan's notes.

The kaukariki take this opportunity to attack them, but they are able to repulse the assault after killing seven of the monkeys. Bratrizik fills six darts with the kaukariki poison. Yiris, for her part, collects some of the poison glands off the body.

Taking a look at the ruined obelisk, Nict and Yiris notice that unlike Zan's description of a tall obelisk, this was in fact some sort of observation tower, and the stones that appear to randomly litter the area belonged to it. The ruins are covered with vines, other plants, and brightly colored flowers. They all notice that, through some of the spots where stone is visible, are elven letters. Deciding to spend the night here, they begin clearing the vines so they can read the elven letters...

The disappearance of Dr. Solstarni

After the Gap - March 5, 317 @ 15:13

Having analyzed the language samples provided by the party, Professor Muhali identifies it as some sort of non-Elven language similar to other symbols found in association with the few known ancient elven sites on the wild continent of Ukulam to the west of Qabarat. She indicates that her friend and colleague Dr. Solstarni, an archaeastronomer who studies of how ancient cultures viewed the cosmos and expressed those observations in their architecture, artifacts, and writings, would be the most qualified to answer their questions.

She places several calls to Dr. Solstarni, including to her personal comm device, her office and her home, as well as to her emergency contact, but the Doctor is nowhere to be found. Muhali asks the party to investigate the Doctor's office on the fourth floor while she calls the police to report her possible disappearance. She gives them an electronic key that will allow them access to the Doctor's office.

Nict swipes the card, and the door unlocks. Inside, the office is a giant mess. Papers are thrown everywhere, and artifacts have been discarded. A small suitcase is on the desk, filled with clothes. Cabinets and a small closet complete the space. Yiris searches the Doctor's bag and finds a change of clothes, indicating she was in a hurry. Bratrizik finds a note inviting Dr. Solstarni to the Five Arches, a cantina located off the beaten path in the Gateway District of Qabarat, near the east end of the city. 

A quick search of the infosphere reveals it is a café dedicated to serving the discerning palattes of a dozen worlds. Reviews indicate that it's an eclectic dive with widldly variable food and drink quality combined with bizarre food pairings for the daily specials.

Continuing his search, Nict discovers a dent in one of the Doctor's cabinet, as well as her field suit which was hastily crumpled to the floor. The evidence suggests that someone assaulted Dr. Solstarni in her own office, there was a struggle, and the doctor was forcibly removed from the premises. Bratrizik asks Professor Muhali about Eyrub Paqual, but the lashunta doesn't know this person, and a quick search of Castrovel's infosphere reveals only that he has published six scholarly articles in academic journals of questionable reputation. Aside from these, there are no other biographic information available on Paqual.

Nict hacks Doctor Solstarni's computer and locates a letter signed by Professor Muhali granting the Doctor an earlier leave of absence than the one she requested, which was supposed to take place in two months. Dr. Solstarni was planning to go on a research sabbatical on the east coast of Ukulam. Professor Muhali states that she did not write this letter. Through agile computer skills, the shirren discovers that it is a fake and that is was created offsite and hacked into the university's computer system.

Doctor Soltarni's computer also contains a few scanned pages of Halukeem Zan's research, which she annotated. One of the documents indicate that Zan's research refers to what is now known as the Oatia culture, a poorly understood dynasty of elven immigrants to Ukulam. Nict downloads the information onto his personal communication device.

Yiris sends messages to the journals where Eyrub Paqual submitted articles to find if they have contact information on this individual. Over the next 24 hours all of them indicate they do not have any more information on Paqual as everything was submitted online.

Bratrizik asks campus security to roll the outside security footage. Around the same time as the inside footage two days ago, an unmarked van parks in a nearby parking lot, and three lashuntas exit it. They appear to break into the building at 21:33, after the custodians have cleaned the front lobby. The footage then shows them exiting the building at 22:19, carrying a large rucksack. By zooming on the vehicle, Bratrizik is able to retrieve identifying marks. Nict investigates the staircase and finds scuff marks heading up and down, corroborating that those who made them were carrying a heavy weight.

The Qabarat detectives arrive, and take statements from Professor Muhali and from the party. Bratrizik shows them the videos, and points out the vehicle's identification. The detectives consult their databases and retrieve the vehicle's owner. It is registered to Uilee, the proprietor of the Five Arches in the Gateway District. 

At about the same time, Ailabiens 21:2 contacts the party and provides them with a summary of the notes he compiled on Halkueem Zan's research. Collectively, Halkueem Zan’s records provide a fragmented course that could be followed from the coastal outpost of Turhalu Point on the continent of Ukulam inland to the “accursed pyramid city of Loskialua,” which Zan claimed to have discovered. According to Ailabiens 21:2, these records, made up of both text and audiologs, contained several key warnings and landmarks described in Zan’s judgmental verbiage:

• On wildlife: “Castrovel crawls with vermin and beasts of all kinds. Thunder-bellied behemoths clear paths through the jungle while bellowing madly. More vexing, though, are what we’ve come to call stingbats—some hellish cross of monkey, bat, and scorpion that travel in troops and harass us regularly. I fought one off as it attacked a porter and shot another as it fled, and from then on they targeted me. It’s as though they can sense strength, yet resent it.”
• The Ruined Obelisk: “A dramatic spire barely rising above the tree line was the first of our great landmarks. Each side of it was once engraved with untold wisdom, but only the sheltered runes near the base have survived the ages. The plants here grow thicker, as if feeding upon some gifts left by the ancient elves—sacrifices of flesh and blood, no doubt.”
• The Plague Warden: “This massive stone figure is a reclining elven form covered in weathered boils. I suspect it is an effigy that served ritual purposes, such as absorbing the illness of some great king so he might live forever.”
• The Forsaken City: “The city in the foothills is a forest of small pyramids overgrown with vines. As with the funerary monuments of lost Osirion, it might be this was not a place of the living but a realm of the dead. Initial excavations uncovered multiple stone tiers of fine architecture—displaying skill truly more advanced than the builders’ primitive contemporaries.”
• The Stairs to Eternity: “From the Forsaken City rises a staggering, weathered staircase carved into the mountain beyond, evoking mystical contemplation in all who would climb it. Beyond stands a great temple whose haunted guardians feasted upon my comrades, forcing us to flee the savage sentinels.” 

After the Gap - March 5, 317 @ 21:02

All of the information leading to Dr. Solstami points to the Five Arches. The party decide to follow up by visiting this location. They travel by cab to the Gateway District and quickly locates the Five Arches. Its facade features a large neon sign suggestive of the numerous portals in the district. A riot of different worlds' souvenirs plaster the interior's walls, and each table, booth, and bench bears the name of one of the Pact Worlds' planets or habitable moons. 

The place is frequented by a local clientele mostly interested in the various drinks concocted by Uilee. No one bats an eye when they enter the Five Arches. They take a table next to the entrance. A waiter robot comes over to take their orders. Several items are displayed on the robot's screen. Nict is thrilled by the exotic selection, and he picks the daily special of a strange avian cutlet smothered in a fig-like fruit compote and served alongside a mashed bitter tuber from Triaxus. Bratrizik orders the same, along with a Vesk cola, while Nict adds a low-grade alcohol drink to his order. Yiris orders a fortifying android drink. The robot waiter notifies them that their food will be ready in 7.4 minutes.

The robot waiter returns with their drinks. Yiris notices that the patrons at the next table briefly paid attention, but then went back to their business. Hoping to spur conversation, Nict, Bratrizik and Yiris talk among themselves about Ailabiens 21:2's speech and the fallout at the University, about the missing doctor, vague tidbits about the odd language. When Bratrizik mentions that they might need to travel to Ukulam, Yiris notices that they no have the attention of the men at the next table. She orders a round of drink for them, and their leader joins their table, and introduces himself as Twonas En.

The robot waiter brings their food. Bratrizik recognizes the avian cut as being mountain flying eel from the eastern mountains of Castrovel. While they eat, Twonas En informs them that he overhead their discussion of traveling to Ukulam. He tells them obtaining visas for this continent is extremely difficult, but for a fair price, he can arrange to smuggle both them and any equipment they require. When questioned, he offers as evidence a recent trip he organized for a large party. He reveals that this trip was led by someone named Eyrub Paqual, and he took fourteen people with him, along with a large quantity of weapons and heavy gear, including a rather large communication array. He tells them it would take him a day to organize transport, and it would cost them roughly 1,000 credits. Yiris tells Twonas En they will get back to him, and they exchange contact information.



After the Gap - March 5, 317 @ 23:15

The party secures lodgings at the Soaring Eel, a four-star hotel downtown Qarabat. Yiris leaves a message for Professor Muhali about meeting first thing in the morning to discuss what they discovered during their trip to the Five Arches and what they need.



After the Gap - March 6, 317 @ 9:00

Yiris receives a call from Professor Muhali, who agrees to meet with them at the hotel. After they discuss what they discovered and their conversation with Twonas En, they come to the conclusion that they will need to travel to Ukulam. Professor Muhali informs them she can secure visas for them authorizing them to travel to Ukulam. In order to follow Paqual and his crew, however, Professor Muhali agrees with Yiris that it would be better if they also used the services of Twonas En. She will contact the authorities in Turhalu Point to let them know of their arrival but to let them pass through so they can follow the first group.


Looking to get more information on that group, Professor Muhali places a call to Gate Controller Raiyiri at the Port Authority. Raiyiri invites them to meet her in her office in one hour, which will give her time to review the logs and security footage.


After the Gap - March 6, 317 @ 10:17

Gate Controller Raiyiri informs the party what she discovered. After examining her sources, she found that a large party of 15 individuals smuggled into Turhalu Point two days ago. The group was composed of one kashata, one shirren, two humans, and eleven lashuntas. The equipment that they evidently carried through the gate cross-references to a off-world shipment received three weeks ago containing laboratory equipment, cryogenetically frozen organic compounds, and speciality foodstuff. All of it appears to have been ordered for the Qabarat University of Xenoarchaeolog and Xenoantrhopology, but there is no signature receiving the shipment. Interestingly enough, part of the organic compounds included fungal spores. Unlike Twonas En's claim, Raiyiri states that the equipment listed did not include weapons or a communication array.
Armed with this information, the party heads out to the market to get some gear before they transport to Turhalu Point ...