34 - Robots & Capitalism
Previous session: 33 - Frozen in time
Travel towards de Scrap Planet...
After finishing our last contract, we're on our way to a Scrap planet to get an Hyperdrive module, helping us in our journey in the Astral Sea.
We will be travelling for 4 days.
During that time, Nesvalyn asked a few questions to Naus, to follow-up what he learned at Waypoint Sinesteesa.
Naus repeats what he told Persy the week before, but it doesn't bring much new information.
At the end, Azzy chimes in the questions, and wonders how many Mafia groups are around, revealing 1373 known syndicates, but mostly raising how Azzy knows so much about that.
The rest of the travel happens without any major event, until we arrive to our destination.
The Scrap Planet...
We finally arrive to the crystal sphere, but there is no natural portal.
Naus opens up and plays the following message:
Welcome to Astracom Portal Crystal Sphere. Are you arriving as an Astracom employee, buyer or guest?
We're discussing a bit between ourselves, and as we're coming originally to get an Hyperdrive module, Azzy presses the Buyer button.
Astracom offers the enter fee today to our buyers. Please be welcome.
We enter the portal and we reach the wildspace, seeing a murky grey planet. We're heading there and going through black clouds, and when we arrive at what appears to be a barren desert doghted with small factories, where smoke and heat coming, being the main source of the smog.
As we're landing, Naus plays a recorded message;
Greetings valued customers.
Welcome to Dertrine, brought by Astracom: one of our many recycling planets. Enjoy our wasteland sceneries, recommended to fuel your adventuring passions.
Due to our threating demand of Spelljammers, the atmosphere is charged with Astral Energy. To protect you and our investitors, we forbidden spellcasting.
However, we allow spellcasting for a fee, or you can sign for a monthly subscription.
As we're getting nearby the spatioport, we see a large settlement with a mesa, and a tower looking like a space needle. Below the mesa is a massive sprawling industrial zone. From high and above, we see three giants, working and sweeping some things.
Welcome to Ombar Springs: A sprawling sitting on the largest industrial area.
Remember, respect Astracom.
We're wondering more about these magic fees, or this mentionned subscription, as most of the party can cast magic.
While on Dertrine, when casting a spell, we will have to pay a fee. Its cost will be 50 credits per spell slot (a cantrip will cost 50 credits).
The subscription will cost 400 credits, and we can cast 6 spells of Level 3 or under monthly, and have access to early access content.
Spells and Actions coming from a Class (e.g: Lay on Hands), Racial feature (e.g: Breath Weapon) or a Magic Item are not concerned.
For now, as we don't think we'll be fighting soon, we don't take any subscription, and will pay if we happen to require magic.
After landing and then debarking, we notice so many Autognomes and Warforged around the place. Most of them are made of scrap metals.
Many Astracom patrols are present, revealing a pretty tight security. Bureaucratic plasmoids are going around, as they're checking who is parked where.
No one reacts, as Azzy and Balnorin are already looking for information around, as they're looking for guns.
Nesvalyn asks around to be sure we're indeed doing it properly.
[Investigation] There are no weapon sellers on the planet, as Astracom forbids employees to buy weapons.
The employees are the Warforged and Autognomes we see around. The Warforged are the dominant class, as the Autognomes looks more scrappier.
The Warforged and Autognomes are created here in "The Breathforge", home to an entity known as the Magic Man, he controls the magic.
Some Warforged give an odd look to Persy.
They appear more to be streamlined to be a specific purpose: the guards are more slick, others have stronger arms to carry stuff around and so on. Persy looks more "boxy" compared to the others.
While checking around, we hear about a rebel insurgency happening in the sector, as they want to seize the means of productions, and many disagree from the movement as "Astracom created them and shouldn't defy them". The rebels are supposedly hiding in the Scudwaters, where the output water from the factory is going away, and became a swamp over time.
Astracom is on high alert this week as a senior Vice President is present, and a place called the Pinnacle is on lockdown, being of the location of the leader of the planet, and is also the Area Director of Biotech, Spelljammer Reclamation, and Electric Cookware.
We hear the wages are depressing from the employees, as it's not enough to survive or cast spells. We hear various stories about the spellcasting (such as houses exploding, earth quake happening, people being eviscerated...).
After gathering the intel, we're searching for Death Inc representatives, to get Translation Pills first as their effect are about to wear off in a couple of days.
Death (Inc.) Becomes Shop...
After looking around, we find an undead lady, who smiles (at least we think she is) and looks at us. We start to banter and negotiate for the pills, costing 800 per pill.
💰 We buy 15 translator pills for 9750, granting 90 additional days to understand anyone to the party.
This lady introduces herself as Erella, then proposes a job to the group which requires a little bit of killing. If we stumble across a fallen giant and stab with a specific dagger, we will get 15k credits per Giant, and 10k bonus if they are all stabbed.
Balnorin proposes to get a cheap deal on the Hyperdrive.
We get the dagger, and get reminded we have to stab them a minute after they fell. As we got what we came from, we decide to go looking for an Hyperdrive, to have an idea how much we have to gather to get one.
The hyperdrive shop...
We get to a warehouse filled with junk and armors, which after a moment, manage to reach a salesperson.
An hologram appears, with a model of a compatible hyperdrive device, costing 80k credits. However, we don't have this amount on us now. Before we leave, they mention there is an Astracom board with work available, which is a way to earn money.
When exiting, Azzy, Nesvalyn and Persy reflect on the servitude they encountered with all the Warforged and Autognomes they met, reflecting on the condition of the Plasmoids, making even regretting how much it seemed to be simpler on Wundera.
Upon this small reflection, we decide to reach that Breathforge, as Persy is really curious about this place.
The Breathforge...
When reaching the entrance, we find a notice from Astracom mentioning it's been closed indefinitely. We're starting to ask around the reason of closing.
↪ [Investigation - Pass ✔] It's been closed for a couple of weeks. They dismissed and dispatched the non necessary employees. The Autognomes and Warforged stopped coming from this place, and one crazy Autognome thinks they're working on something big.
With that theory in mind, we're going to the Shipyard to ask the Giant handling this site, as we lack the proper gear to interact safely with the other ones.
The Shipyard...
Before entering the area, we notice the sign "No open flame, sparks or magic flame", with another one below mentioning "Low gravity zone".
The guard inspects and let us in. When we enter the Shipyard, we feel our bodies lighter. We notice the Autognomes are moving around using the handles to get even higher after a crazy jump.
They seem to dissemble and build ships here.
We arrive near the Giant and we start to speak to her after a few acrobatics to reach her.
She finishes whatever she was doing and starts looking around.
[STR Save - Fail ❌] We're blew off the ship and we fly into the air.
[Acrobatics] We all land safely, but Balnorin and Persy land in an embarrass way.
Upon getting up, we notice there isn't much security in the area.
After thinking and discussing for a bit, we're going to the Scudwaters to learn more about these rebels. We can either go by ship which will take only one hour, but we will be seen, spotted and probably against us. Or we can rent metal horses which will take 6 hours (and 250 credits).
We decide to rent metal horses (and a few party members buy hats to fit the situation).
The Scudwaters...
A few hours pass, and we're starting to reach the area where the rebels are supposed to be.
[Perception - Pass ✔] We spot in front of us there's a red light blinking in the mud.
Azzy digs a bit around the mud to see what it is.
[Sleight of Hand - Fail ❌] By removing the dirt, Azzy hits the landmine...
↪[DEX Save - Pass ✔] ...but manages to keep their hand on the plate
Nesvalyn asks everybody to step back and will try to disarm it.
[Disarm trap - Pass ✔] Nesvalyn manages to disarm it and be sure it's reusable.
Persy picks up the landmine into the portable hole.
We resume our travel and we're staying on our guards, as it's probably the first of many. Which later on, makes us notice a dozen of these blinking red lights.
We would be able to reach the place safely without the horses, so we dismount them, put them on the side and we keep going on foot.
[Perception - Pass ✔] Senri notices some plants are staying too still in the moving water.
When it's mentioned that there's something in the water, something pops out and we're surrounded by Autognomes.
These Autognomes are armed with guns and weapons. When we're about to react, we hear a "Waait!" going from behind them. Suddenly, an Autognome with an arm missing appears, with a crazy gun on it, along a few burns and scorches.
We start to follow them, and we learn that the Autognome is Skogga. We notice he's speaking mindless and deranged elements, but we manage to go through the mine field safely. It looks like the wetlands continue, but by investigating further, there's an hidden crevasse which seems to be the Rebels' base.
We're getting into a big tent in the middle of the camp.
We see a tall athletic built Warforged. She carries what seems to be two sawblades on a spear, and her exoskeleton with bright colors that seems to be war paintings.
Advancing behind her is another Warforged with a cavernous chest, small legs and long arms and equipped with a double barrel shotgun.
And they bantered again in a middle of a conversation, this time about cowboy hats.
She starts to explain the plan by attacking the docks and seizing the means of production. As for the reason we would have to help them, she proposes a hyperdrive.
We agree to help them.
Persy pulls out the full armory we seized from the Collars back to their HQ Assault, and starts to give the equipment to the rebels.
Finally, seizing this equipment was useful.
The Queen laughs from this sight.
While the unarmed rebels take some equipment, we learn that the body guard with the Queen is named Pighound. With Skogga, they are the private security of the Queen.
We leave the rebels and the Queen finish to prepare themselves for tomorrow, and we go to rest.
However, during the night, we're awoke from explosions and small bangs.
The camp is being attacked by Astracom guards.
The remaining guards start to flee. The Queen calls her people to fall back to the camp, and to not follow them.
Next session: 35 - Assault on the Breathforge