Kael stands at the forest gate with his black sword raised, its star-speckled edge casting cold light across the advancing Scro warriors. Behind them, the excavation pillars flare with hidden constellations.
The earth heaves beneath the dig site. Stone rings grind against buried depths, while violet leaves shudder overhead and the gate's living branches tighten around the battlefield.
Sophie
The pillars are waking. Anna, keep them from the rim, or whatever lies below will break free.
Sophie holds the western line with red sorcery, driving the Scro back from the shipward path. Anna plants herself opposite her, radiant force turning hooked weapons aside.
Anna
The rim is mine. Miles, get those wounded behind the roots, and do not let the camp split us apart.
Miles pulls a wounded crew member toward shelter while Emma binds another beneath the arch. The Scro press harder, leaving Kael at the center of their tightening crescent.
Emma
Captain, the ground is shifting beneath us. Whatever you do, do it before those pillars finish calling.
✓ Quest Accepted
Explore the dig site
“After a brief battle only Kael, Miles, Anna, Sophie, Julia, Maisie and Emma remain. All the crew members and dig crew found at the dig site are dead. All the Scro are dead. The seven crew members of the Star Streak make their way into the dig site and find the entrance to the ruins of an old underground tunnel system. At the end of the tunnel system they find a large room filled with alien artifacts and what appears to be a silver statue of a woman sitting upon a stone throne. They carefully enter the room and investigate the artifacts. Suddenly the statue comes to life and begins to speak. She calls herself Aurora and asks how she can help the crew.”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled +1)
The battle falls silent. Kael leads Miles, Anna, Sophie, Julia, Maisie, and Emma through the excavation, stepping past fallen Scro and the still forms of the dig crew.
Behind the carved pillars, they find a descending entrance into ancient ruins. Their passage winds through a buried tunnel system until it opens into a vast chamber.
Kael Umal
The artifacts predate the excavation.
Alien relics fill the chamber: crystal vessels, silver instruments, sealed tablets, and unfamiliar crowns resting beneath a veil of dust. At the center, a silver woman sits motionless upon a stone throne.
Sophie
The magic here is dormant, but it is not dead. Tread carefully, everyone.
The crew enters in a guarded formation and investigates the artifacts without disturbing them. Emma examines the vessels, Maisie studies the tablets, and Anna traces the throne's carved runes.
Then silver light flows through the statue's limbs. She rises smoothly from the throne, her eyes shining like distant moons, and turns toward the seven explorers.
Aurora
I am Aurora. You have entered the chamber of my awakening. Tell me, travelers, how may I help your crew?
Secure Aurora's aid
Quest Complete
Defeat the Scro at the dig site
Attribute Upgrade: Agility Good→Great
Quest Complete
Explore the dig site