The Temple of the Twelve

After the Gap - March 10, 317 @ 14:03 
 
Hoping to regain some stamina and health, the party decide to rest following their eventful encounter with Salask, the shirren sniper. They return to the Hall of Instructions, and prepare some defensive measures. Bratrizik completes the construction of the puppets with the dead cultists and position them by the door. Yiris adds several spent casings to each puppet, so if they are disturbed in the night the casings will drop to the ground and make a noise, alerting them.

Nict drops down to the ground in his sleeping gear and is immediately out. Not needing heavy sleep and having taken little damage in the previous day's encounters, Yiris plans on standing guard all night. Bratrizik eats some trail rations, then also lays down and close his eyes. 

Attracted by the dead broken shirren, two ksariks enter the clearing of the Stargazer. They then notice that there are more humanoids inside the statue. One of them, attracted by the vesk's scent, enters the Stargazer from the base and stealthily climbs the staircase. It launches its tentacles at the guarding form of Yiris, knocking the puppet guard down and dropping the shells on the ground. This alerts Yiris, but she's also taken aback by the stealthy attack of the creature. Nict is immediately awoken, but Bratrizik takes more time to regain his wits.

Nict and BARGO fire at the ksarik, and Yiris hits it as well. Bratrizik finaly shakes the grogginess from his eyes in time for him to be hit by the ksarik's dart attack. They all remember what happened to a victim of such a dart attack, so they renew their assault. Just as they chase the first ksarik, the second one, which climbed to the Stargazer's head, comes down the stairs and joins the fight. The ksarik hits Bratrizik, and the vesk collapses to the ground. Both Nict, BARGO and Yiris turn their attention to this second intruder, and they unleash a volley of fire on it, forcing it to retreat.


Following the battle, they hunker down again, and this time the rest of the day and night passes uneventfully. Before going back into sleep mode, Yiris uses her ability to recharge two batteries.


After the Gap - March 11, 317 @ 07:12 
 
On the ninth day, Bratrizik casts remove affliction on himself twice, taking care of the carrion spores germinating inside him. Nict wakes but does not feel rested. The shirren coughs up some of the spores he inhaled during the moldstorm, and he remains flat-footed for the day.

They return to the trail, and realize that their encounters of the previous day have set them back some and they are now about two days behind Paqual's group. They press on and soon the path begins to ascend into Ukulam's Singing Range, a chain of mountains that divides the continent in two. Over the next two days, the party continues to pursue Paqual but don't make much progress in catching up. The other group has also picked up its speed.



After the Gap - March 14, 317 @ 11:43 
 
On the twelfth day since their departure from Turhalu Point, they finally reach a large plateau nested between tall peaks covered with snow. They soon discover several hundreds of low pyramids ranking between 2 and 25 feet in heights and spread over a half mile. These ruins were identified by Halkueem Zan as the Forsaken City. Paqual's group continued through here and did not stop, so they press on. The path takes them through another pass and eventually to a staircase, and, as they crest a ridge on the path, it slopes gently downward to a small plateau. They see in the distance a domed building of of elegantly sculpted stone, with marvelous stain glass reflecting the light. Bratirik records a video.

As they cautiously come around a corner of the staircase, they spot an adolescent mountain eel making a meal out of a cultist. Bratrizik launches a mind thrust against the creature, while Yiris follows with a jolting surge. The mountain eel takes a bite of Yiris and realizes the android is not really food. It spits it out and switches its attention to the vesk. Nict shoots it, and BARGO delivers the killing blow.

Mountain eel

 
Walking up the last steps, the party find themselves on a large plateau, with the building standing a few hundred meters away. Seven pillars of stone stand on one side, with extensive images carved along the surface of each column, chronicling past eras and incorporating several astronomical maps and phemonena. Yiris examines the artwork and identify several elven figures. Clearly they have reached what Halkueem Zan referred to as a great temple. The android also realizes that the pillars themselves form the same constellation as the one they first saw in the Stargazer.


A medium-height humanoid emerges from the shadow of the closest pillar to the temple. Bratrizik notices that the humanoid is elven and wears antique gear. Closer inspection reveals that it is undead, but it appears intelligent. The vesk relates this information. Yiris wonders if it is an Eoxian agent, but based on the equipment, Bratrizik is certain this undead is from Castrovel. The undead positions himself between the party and the temple's doors, and assumes a relaxed yet is clearly ready to fight if needed.

Panelliar the undead warrior-monk of Ibra

Bratrizik, Nict and Yiris discuss among themselves what course to take. Bratrizik convinces them that it is probably safe to carefully move forward. When the vesk gets within 5 meters of the undead, it raises its weappon and blocks the path. It solemnly greets them in elven, and when it realizes none of them speak this language it switches to celestial. Bratrizik speaks celestial, so he translates to the others.

The undead introduces himself as Panelliar, a warrior-monk in the service of Ibra, ancient goddess of the universe's infinite, distant cosmological mysteries. He has remained here all this time to protect this holy structure, and he informs them that they cannot enter. As Bratrizik attempts to convince him to let them through, Nict and Yiris begin walking around the structure, looking for another entrance.

Bratrizik questions the undead, and soon discovers that Paqual's group arrived almost two days ago, and that the leader of the group somehow took control of Panelliar, most likely through a command undead spell. Though he wasn't able to break the monk's will, he was able to order it to prevent anyone other than the cultists from entering. Bratrizik proudly displays the symbol he picked up at the Stargazer, claiming to be a cultist. Reluctantly, Panelliar allows him to enter, but also no longer talks him.

On one side of the building, Nict and Yiris find stain glass windows about two and a half meters off the ground. Nict climbs on top of BARGO and takes a look inside. It appears to be a study room of some kind, but no one is here.

Bratrizik enters the Temple, and immediately notices that the floor shows a map of the constellation, similar to the one on the ceiling the Stargazer. Large doors lead elsewhere into the Temple. Not wanting to tarry in case cultists notice his entrance, Bratrizik comes out and tells Panelliar that he has failed in his mission to prevent him from entering, as he is in fact not a cultist. Panelliar reacts angrily with his mission having been interfered with. The elven monk engages the vesk in combat. Bratrizik casts a mind thrust, but he soon falls prey to the monk's own mystic powers.

Alerted by the sounds of combat, Yiris and Nict find the undead Panelliar standing a few meters away from the vesk's body, keeping a wary watch. The two of them approach carefully, and retrieve the body. Dragging an unconscious Bratrizik with them, Yiris, Nict and BARGO return to the Forsaken City and pitch camp for the night.

Temple of the Twelve

The Stargazer

After the Gap - March 10, 317 @ 06:21 
 
Following their encounter with the moldstorm, the party decided to rest and recuperate. The heat during the night remained oppressive, forcing the environmental functions of their armors to work overtime and depleting their batteries. Despite that, they manage to spend a quiet night in the trees. When he awakens, Nict feels ill, but he struggles through and gears up.


In the morning of the eighth day, they head back on the trail of Paqual's group, which has narrowed even more to a single file. Soon they near a clearing. In it is a gigantic statue of a female elf reclining with an arm stretched towards the sky, while the other props her head up. Though made of stone, the statue's clothes are made of metal that has weathered over the last thousand years, with several spots having completely corroded away. The hand stretches about a hundred and twenty feet in the air. Around the edges of the clearing are a number of ruined buildings that have collapsed over the centuries, leaving nothing but rubble.

Stargazer statue in Ukulam

As they emerge from the clearing, Yiris notices a sky fisher diving from the sky, and she reacts in time. Bratrizik and Nict are not so lucky, however, and do not notice the predator in the sky. All three of them are hit by the sky fisher's lasso attack, entangling them. Yiris replies with an arcing surge, severely damaging the creature, while Bratrizik adds to its misery when he casts mind thrust. Nict and BARGO also shoot at it. The sky fisher attacks a second time before it is defeated. Nict notices that Bratrizik has been shot in the back left shoulder during the combat, and that the bullet wound indicates it is from a large caliber. Bratrizik did not feel a thing, however. Where did the shot come from?

With the sky fisher dead, they make their way to the Stargazer's door. Both Nict and Bratrizik are shot multiple times as they attempt to determine where the attacks are coming from. Rushing the door, they quickly enter, and Nict spends a few minutes to regain some stamina. Inside this room they find a small cleansing pool, with several bas reliefs showing elven monks and priests doing ablutions. On the ceiling are several star constellations, with many of them not observable without advance telescoping equipment, something the ancient elves of Castrovel did not possess when this statue was built. One of them in particular seems very peculiar, but no one is able to voice why they find it strange. Bratrizik cleanses himself in the pool, while the others choose not to do so.

Two cultists ambush them as they climb the stairs. Yiris casts jolting surge and kills one of the cultists, while Nict shoots the remaining one and Brat breaks him by his last mind thrust . They loot the bodies and grab two defiant longswords, scatterguns, shells, field rations, and credsticks. They also find symbols of the Cult of the Devourer on the clothes of the cultists. Bratrizik removes one of the patches, and puts it in one of his suit's many pockets. Now they know who's backing Paqual's group.

Cult of the Devourer

Nict climbs the staircase to the Reflection Room, followed by Bratrizik. Both of them are shot by a sniper again, and Bratrizik takes significant damage as he gets hit in the chest and falls down the stairs. They gather their wits at the bottom of the stairs, and take the time to heal themselves. Bratrizik comes up with a clever plan. He will use the bodies of the cultists as puppets to draw the sniper's fire. They will use the longswords to maneuver them in place, hoping that they draw the sniper's fire.

Unfortunately, as they prepare to implement Bratrizik's plan, a grenade is thrown down the stairs and explodes. Angry, Bratrizik storms up the stairs, returning to the Reflection Room. The sniper must be in the extended arm of the statue, so he rushes up, closely followed by Nict. The vesk is shot one more time, but finds a shirren atop the outstretched hand. The shirren attempts to drop another grenade, but Bratrizik uses telekinetic object to deflect it. Yiris attempts to daze the sniper, but fails. Nict fires a few shots on the enemy shirren. Bratrizik's last mind thrust attack staggers the sniper. 

Salask, shirren sniper

Salask is captured. Nict takes Salask's specialist coil rifle, which sports a weapon fusion. The 22 bullets also have a fusion on them. Yiris takes her secured comm unit. Bratrizik then shoots her, and Yiris hits her on the head, dealing the killing blow. They throw the body off the statue, and return to the relative safety of the Hall of Inscriptions to recuperate.

Stargazer clearing

Ukulam's strange fauna

After the Gap - March 7, 317 @ 18:46

Finding themselves at the landmark Halkueem Zen identified as the ruined obelisk, the party agrees to take a closer look at the ruins. Nict begins clearing some of the foliage that covers the structure, while Yiris stands guard. Bratrizik uses his jetpacks to go higher and get a better view. Clearing the tree tops, he takes a look around him and sees the mountains in the distance. They are still eight to ten days away.

With much of the obelisk cleared, Nict finds a few ancient Elven letters. Using his computer's translation abilities, the mechanic determines that the ancient Elven appears to be some sort of warning, about “Loskialua, monastery of starsong, embassy of the spheres, and Temple of the Twelve.” Several other series of Elven runes are nothing but fragments that refer to paying respect, messengers from beyond, an academy, and “interpreters of the beacon.”

With the sun setting in the distance, Bratrizik uses his jetpacks to  return to the ground. As he lowers himself, he catches a glimpse of something shiny. He lands back near it, and finds what appears to be a ruined estex suite I of a fairly recent vintage, with several large lacerations on the chest and arms, rending it unusable. As he bends closer to inspect, he is attacked by a strange plant, and his environmental suit is damaged. Yiris determines that the plant is a vracinea. The android casts arcing surge, severely damaging the vracinea. Nict and BARGO, his drone (Battle And Roving Ground Operations) are unable to score hits, while Bratrizik casts mind thrust. The vracinea is finally killed.

vracinea

Noticing another shining reflection about twenty feet near the armor, Bratrizik rushes in and stumbles into another vracinea. Thinking himself outside its reach, he casts mind thrust and inflicts some damage, followed by Nict and his drone. The plant fights back, however, and Bratrizik was not in fact out of its reach. It shreds another part of his armor. The combat is quickly over, and Bratrizik takes this opportunity to heal himself. Near the root of this vracinea is a frostbite-class zero rifle with a chewed battery. Nict takes it and replaces the battery. The rifle is operable but will need a good cleaning.

Bratrizik spots one more shiny object. This time, Yiris heads carefully and shouts a ray at the area, hoping to trigger a reaction. There are none. The vesk walks over and finds a silvery credstick holding 290 credits laying on the ground. The kaukarikis have exploded in shouts of anger following the deaths of the plants, but increase the distance between themselves and the party. They decide to spend the night here so that Bratrizik can fix his suit as best he can, while the others heal the damage they suffered during their confrontation with the Vracineas

 
After the Gap - March 8, 317 @ 6:21

The night passed quietly, and as soon as they pack camp the party resume their chase of Paqual's group. The trail left by the larger group remains fairly obvious, with large cuts through the underbrush. The fourth day is quiet, but the air is infected with millions of mosquitos, though they are still trailed by the kaukarikis who periodically pelt them with small stones and rotten fruits.



After the Gap - March 9, 317 @ 9:04
 
 On the fifth day, they begin feeling like they are spied upon. Yiris is the first to notice that a ksarik is trailing them. She recalls that this is a semi-intelligent aggressive plant, but she cannot recall specific details about its diet. Brat takes a picture. The kaukarikis give it a wide berth.

Find a clearing, they walk the edge and set a trap. The ksarik fires a blob of acid at Bratrizik. Yiris casts arcing surge and wounds it, which is enough to scare it away. Within an hour, however, it has returned to trail them. They set another trap. The ksarik enters and seems to sniff the air, but this time its attention seems drawn to Bratrizik. Yiris casts two arcing surge spells and manage to slay the beast. Nict uses his medical skills to pull the thorn out without doing much damage to the vesk.



After the Gap - March 10, 317 @ 11:55

On their sixth day on the trail they come across a humanoid laying down on the edge of the path, in the middle of a clearing. This female lashunta is badly sun-burned and has suffered the bites of thousands of mosquitoes. She is also clearly wounded, having been gored by some large animal. She can barely breathe, and it is clear she has not much time left to live. 

Bratrizik questions her. She identifies herself as Ralkawi, a member of Paqual's group, and she confirms that Dr. Solsistarni is still with the group. Yiris asks her what happened, and she tells them she was attacked the night before by a ksarik and left behind by Paqual because she had become a liability.
 
Nict attempts to heal her, but is unable to do more than alleviate her suffering. Bratrazik suddenly notices that her eyes roll back in her head. Another ksarik emerges from the jungle and charges the group. Nict receives a thorn during the combat. They successfully wound the ksarik, which runs away back in the jungle. Bratrizik pulls it out, and heals the mechanic. A loud moan emerges from Ralkawi's lips, and they watch with horror as ksarik seedlings emerge from her stomach. Yiris fires her gun, while Bratrizik uses a flare to kill the seedlings, but Ralkawi dies in the process.

ksarik

Continuing their pursuit of Paqual's group, they soon notice that the wounded ksarik is still following them, but at a distance. Soon, however, it begins moving closer again. This time Bratrizik proposes to lay a trap. When they find another clearing, they hide on the fringe, and wait. Soon the ksarik enters the clearing, and they open fire. Bratrizik is hurt by by a thorn, which penetrates his armor, but this time they are able to kill the creature.



After the Gap - March 9, 317 @ 12:41
 
Midway through the seventh day, both Nict and Bratrizik begin to feel their skins erupt on fire. They use antitoxins to attempt neutralizing the ksarik seedlings inside them, without success. That afternoon, the wind shifts direction, carrying with it a tangy scent. The kaukarikis which had been following them since the Rune Obelisk scatter through the canopy and hide in large flowers, wrapping themselves shut. The first pink flakes begin to fly through the skies. Yiris identifies this phenomenon as a moldstorm, a particularly deadly strain of mold. They all climb the trees, and wrap themselves as much as they can in the flowers.

Yiris’s internal clock tells her about an hour and a half has gone by before the kaukarikis emerge from their shelters and begin their chatter again. They spend some time looking for the party, but not being able to find them, the monkeys return towards the obelisk. Only then do Yiris, Nict, and Bratrizik emerge from their flowers, and they move on. Nict feels a little off, and he notices that the holes in his environmental suits are covered in pink spores.

As evening falls, they are attacked by a renkroda which has been rendered mad by the moldstorm. Bratrizik is badly bit before they are able to defeat it. The party decides to shelter for the night and attempt to shake off the effects of the storm and of the ksarik attacks.

Renkroda

 

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 ...